Page 39 of Backdraft
Of course, she wouldn't stay long. How could he even have considered it? But his reaction when she said it surprised him.
Thoughts to ponder. He hadn't realized he was lonely until she was here standing in a bedroom in his house which was actually the primary bedroom. A bedroom that should have a couple in it…
"Don't worry. I'm fine. My room is plenty big enough." He pointed down the hall. "It's at the front of the house. My office is in between, and there's another small bedroom on the other side of the stairs if you'd like to use it as an office."
The center staircase rose up in the middle of the second floor onto a landing that ringed the stairs with access to all the rooms with a waist-high wooden railing around the landing offering a view of the entrance below.
"Your room has an en-suite bathroom. There’s another full bathroom just in there." He pointed to the other side of the landing beside the smaller bedroom.
"This really is something." She rested her hands on the honey-colored wood railing and looked over. "I love this balcony around the stairs and the rooms on each side."
Taylor smiled, happy she liked his home. "It's one of the features that I really liked when I originally found it."
"Anyone would be pleased to live in such a gracious home."
He liked that she said home and not house. Because home meant so much more to him.
"Now, how about we get you and Cinder all settled."
"Sounds like a plan. I never know when I'm going to get called out." She turned, and they were face-to-face.
So close that all he had to do was reach out and snag her waist. He ached to have her next to him again. Their bodies pressed tightly together from shoulder to hip, her arms around his neck, thighs pressed to his. He bit back a groan as they stared at each other for a beat.
Drea lifted her hand and then hesitated, looking up into his eyes.
"Very true." His voice a low rumble. "I'm always waiting for that call as well."
Drea captured him with those wonderful eyes, and he hardly registered anything else except the two of them.
"Imagine this," she whispered. "Us. Bumping into each other all these years later."
"Yes, imagine that." Taylor couldn't look away from her, and he almost reached for her with the overpowering urge to kiss her senseless.
I could have swooned like a virgin. The look in Taylor's eyes burned into my soul. I knew what he wanted, and if I was honest with myself, oh, how I wanted him as well.
We'd been dancing around this for days. It was bound to come to a head, and it was quite ridiculous to think we could avoid the past.
I'm sure he remembered as well as I did the chemistry we'd shared. I felt it now, as I'm sure he did. There really wasn't a way to avoid falling into each other's arms again. Or any way we could not want a taste of what we had before.
That one taste was unforgettable.
I let out a breath. Oh, the hell with it. I reached up and took his face in my hands, rubbing my thumb across his lips. He blinked with surprise and then his expression changed to one I remembered so well. From … before
I gasped when his arms whipped around my waist, and he hauled me against him. It happened so fast I had no time to collect my thoughts.
I didn't care. We stood at the top step entwined and tottering precariously close to the edge. The warmth of his body wrapped around me, and our eyes were pinned on each other. Pushing my fingers through his close-cropped dark hair now speckled with a little gray, I reveled in the velvety feel of it. The spicy scent of his maleness was exactly the right combination of pheromones to ignite me.
I wanted him. Badly. My blood was superheated, and I sucked in a deep breath. Like a backdraft, I was about to combust.
He raised his eyebrows, and I nodded. In the next moment, we were intertwined as one. His lips on mine, his tongue delving into my mouth, and mine finding his.
We were frantic. Wild. Every atom in my body came alive. Fleeting images of our first time together filled my mind. His arousal against my belly was my undoing. I ran my hands down his back, loving the feel of his corded muscles. Gripping his ass, I pushed my hips into him, needing to feel him next to me.
All sounds were drowned out except the breathlessness of our passion. He backed me up, bracing me between him and the wall. The bed was only steps away, but we made no move to it.
We pulled at our clothing, and his shirt was soon off. I struggled with mine. He pushed my hands away, his mouth still on mine as he slid his hands underneath, his palms flat against my skin until he cradled my breasts in his hands.
I sighed, sagging against the wall, forcing him to shift and hold me. My legs wouldn't work properly, and I clung to him, noticing the new tattoos inked over his shoulders. I found them an amazing turn-on.
