Page 43 of Backdraft
I peeled off my clothes after shutting the bedroom door and went into the en-suite. I stood in front of the mirror and gazed at myself. It was hard to look at myself without being judgmental. I saw a thirty-four almost thirty-five-year-old woman who was fit and muscled. My boobs were still good, and while I was glad for that, there was a side note of sadness, they hadn’t nourished a baby.
I wanted to have a baby. It was a secret desire. I turned sideways and ran my hand down my belly, which was still flat from the fitness routine I followed and…no pregnancy.
One day.
I'd set a timeline. Actually, this was the year I was going to freeze some eggs. If no daddy-worthy man came along by the time I was thirty-six, I'd use them to have a baby on my own.
Taylor sure would make pretty babies. But we weren't even a couple for crying out loud.
I opened the shower door and turned on the water, keeping it cool to ease my growing heat. I haven't forgotten our chemistry. It was electric and not easy to ignore.
I stepped under the chilly water and let out a sigh. Turning my face up to the stream did little to temper the heat racing through my blood.
I quickly scrubbed my body and washed my hair. I dried off, wound my hair up, applied a bit of eye shadow, liner, and mascara. I touched my lips with tinted gloss. Still a bit damp, I struggled into a pair of jean shorts and pulled on a white tank top. I slung a belt around my hips and decided I looked fine in the Cheval mirror. Grabbing my bag, I left the room, and Taylor met me at the bottom of the stairs.
"You look great," he said, and I smiled.
He held the front door open, and we walked onto the porch.
"Thanks." Those three simple words touched me deeply. He followed me around the side of his truck and opened the door for me.
"I figured we'd take mine, since yours is a bit big and difficult to find parking for.”
I stepped up into his truck and looked at him. "That's very considerate of you."
Our eyes clung to each other for a few moments. I almost swayed toward him but caught myself. A smile crept up on the side of his mouth. He closed the door, and I watched him walk around the front of the truck. My heart beat a little harder, and it was difficult to breathe.
He climbed in beside me. The wide console was between us. I watched his smooth movements, the corded muscles in his forearms and the way the sleeve of his shirt stretched around his biceps and was tight over his powerful chest.
He certainly wasn't any kind of doctor I'd had growing up. My mouth was suddenly dry, and I dug in my bag for a mint. I held the package out to him.
"Mint?"
Taylor reached over and took one, and our fingers brushed. I sucked in a soft breath. Yup, we still had it.
On the heels of the rush of desire at the slight touch of our fingers was a wonderful feeling of contentment. Belonging.
I settled comfortably in Taylor’s truck as we drove through town. My original plan of exploring Oak Creek and then doing a bit of shopping had long since vanished. It sounded all so unnecessary compared to being beside him, riding high in his big truck.
It was splashy and quite obviously top of the line, fire-engine red with dove-gray leather seats. I sighed and relaxed rolling my head on the headrest to look at him. He was concentrating on the road, and I let my eyes rove over him.
I couldn't seem to get enough of looking at him today. His aviator glasses concealed his ice-blue eyes. He had a great profile. His nose had a little bump in it, and his lips were full and totally kissable. I should know.
When he smiled, the tiny gap between his otherwise even and white front teeth only enhanced his appearance. His hair had more salt and pepper than it did in Denver, and he kept it much shorter. I liked his look. It was unique and devilishly handsome in a wildly compelling way. He moved me to the core.
That's what attracted me to him in Denver. His allure definitely hadn't faded over the years since we'd been together. I tightened my thighs. My blood was still hot from the sexy vibes that came off him in waves.
Quiet and stealthy, I allowed myself to relive our sexual adventures as we drove through the streets of Oak Creek. Did I want to reignite what we'd had?
Goddamn right I did!
Taylor drove with no real destination in mind. He thought of a few places, but nothing turned his crank. He'd gotten to know Oak Creek more as the months went by since he moved here, but he still thought of himself as relatively new to town. He wanted to show Drea some of the places he'd discovered, but the list wasn't too long.
They were quiet as they drove. He was fine with it, and obviously, she was as well. It was nice they could be content in silence. With the windows open, the breeze blew in, and the smell of her soap and shampoo swirled around him. It was an exotic scent, making him think of sand, sun, palms, and them making love.
Okay, those kinds of thoughts will make it difficult to get through this nice day without any physical detours. She was looking out the window, and the wind drew her damp hair out of its bun so that tendrils fluttered around the frame of her face. He was breathless at her beauty.
He still recalled how soft her hair was, the smoothness of her skin, the way her legs wrapped around him. He was getting hard and tried to think of something else.
