Dylan and Taylor (Soul Mates 101 Series) (3 page)

“We’re sliding. I’m trying to stay in the middle of the road, but I can barely see where that is. Call Hannah, and ask her if there’s a drop off on either side of this road.”

“Please don’t yell at me, but I can’t get a signal. I already tried to text her.”

I throw the thing in park. “I’ll try a little longer to get up this hill, but I’m not getting any traction, and I can’t risk us going off the side. I can’t see what’s there, and it could be a cliff for all I know.” Taylor glances over at me, and I can tell she’s beginning to worry.

I try several times to back up and go forward, but there’s no change. “Stay here. I’m going to get out and look around,” I say angrily as I put the SUV back in park. I can hardly shield my face from the sting of the snow, and it’s freezing for Tennessee weather.

The headlights give off enough light that I see my worst nightmare when I edge the road. There are drop offs on both sides. They’re steep enough that the SUV would easily flip and roll if we slid off.

I hurry back into the vehicle, knocking the snow off my boots before I shut the door. “We’re screwed. There are steep drop offs on both sides. I’ll try again, but we have six more miles. I really doubt we can make it.”

“What will we do?”

“We can’t walk that far in this weather, so we’ll have to stay put until morning, when we can see, and let’s hope the snow will have stopped by then. I wish there were some homes around here, but I can’t see any kind of lights.” Taylor’s only wearing a thin, button up shirt with skinny jeans and flat shoes. I hope she has warmer clothes in her suitcase. She’s going to need them.

I start the vehicle and try for fifteen more minutes to gain traction, but the tires continue to spin. I turn off the ignition and slam my fist down on the steering wheel, causing the horn to go off. Taylor jumps. “I’m so sorry, Dylan. I really didn’t think it’d be this bad.”

“Don’t even say that, Taylor. I told you what could happen, and I told you we shouldn’t do it, but you just thought about what you wanted. You went and gave me those puppy dog eyes and sucked me right in. You probably get anything you want with that look!”

“Don’t yell at me. You can be mad at me all you want, but you’re not going to scream at me.” She bursts into tears.

“Dammit, Taylor. I’m sorry I yelled, but don’t even turn on the waterworks to get me to feel bad. You’re the reason we get to freeze tonight. I’m going to try to get a phone signal, so stay put.” I put my gloves back on, and I’m thankful I wore my work boots.

The snow stings my face once again as I walk around to see if I can get a signal to make a call. I can only hold the phone up for a few seconds at a time due to the moisture hitting it. After several minutes, I give up. My body is feeling the chill of the cold air.

I don’t know how rough our night’s going to get, so I’m worried I won’t be able to protect her. I’m more upset with myself than I am with Taylor. I should’ve made her stay in a hotel, and I should’ve thought ahead to check the weather. With it being a rental, I didn’t think to bring anything in case we became stranded.

She’s still crying when I get back in the SUV, and that’s when I notice we’re low on gas. Shit, what else is going to go wrong? It’s eleven o’clock, and I realize what should’ve been a four hour drive has already turned into five and a half.

“Taylor, stop crying. I can’t listen to that all night. We don’t have much gas, so I’m going to warm us up, but then I have to turn off the vehicle. Do you have some warm clothes in your suitcase?”

“Yes,” she says as she wipes away her tears and stares out the side window. There’s nothing but darkness there, so I don’t know what she’s doing.

“Well, get your ass back there, and put some more clothes on.” I get what I ask for when her ass is practically in my face as she climbs between our seats to the back. I’m aggravated that I want to put my hands right on it. “Here’s what I think we need to do. We’re going to have to sleep in the back, and then maybe every hour or so, I can turn the SUV back on to warm us up some.

“We’re going to have to lie against each other, and I’m not gonna listen to you argue or whine about it. I don’t want to do it any more than you do, but there’s no choice if we don’t want to end up with hypothermia.”

“Fine, I guess I’m the repulsive one now,” Taylor says, groaning from the back.

I do want to sleep next to her, but like I could say that.

“What do you want from me? You reject me if I’m nice to you, then I say what I did, and now you’re mad. What happened to you to make you so defensive? I can tell there’s someone nice behind that exterior, but for some reason, you’d rather treat people like shit.”

“That’s just mean to say. You know nothing about my life or what I’ve been through!” she says, practically hissing. She’s about like a damn cat, hot and cold.

“And why is that, Taylor?” I’m eying her in the rear view mirror while she adds layers of clothing. “You won’t share anything, nor do you want to get to know my friends and me.

“You know, having money doesn’t make you better than the rest of us, and if you’d be nice for more than five seconds, you’d see that we don’t give a rats ass if you’re wealthy or not. But no, you just want to be a big—pain—in—my—ass every time I’m near you!”

“I know you’re pissed at me over us being stuck here, but you don’t have to be a dick about it, and I told you not to yell at me!” She starts to cry again.

“You drive me crazy in every possible way, and you crying is gettin’ under my skin more than anything!”

“Well, get used to it. I’m sure I’ll be doing more of it since I’m stuck in here with your mean ass.”

“I swear, sunshine, if you don’t shut it, I’m gonna use my mouth to make you stop talkin’.”

“Uugghh! Stop calling me that, and don’t make empty threats. You don’t even want to be within a foot of me.”

If she only knew what all I’d like to do to her. I shut my own mouth and rest my head back against the seat. This fighting is getting us nowhere.

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

Taylor

He finally shuts up. I already feel alone and scared, and I’ve got a news flash for Dylan. He’s mistaken if he thinks I’m lying against him. My leg bumps into something while I’m dressing, so I run my hand across it and feel the contour of a guitar case.

The familiarity comforts me a little. At least there’s one thing Dylan and I have in common. After adding another shirt, sweatshirt and thick socks, I climb back up front, trading him places so he can add more clothing.

“OK, climb back here,” he says after a few minutes.

I start to climb over the seat and remember something. “I have a small blanket in the bottom of my suitcase for when I fly. We can both get under it, but I don’t need you to keep me warm.”

After I get the blanket out and hand it to him, I roll on my side with my back to him. The next thing I feel is Dylan’s arm wrapped around my waist and the cover being pulled over us. “I told you I don’t need you against me,” I say bluntly.

“Shut it, sweetheart. I have no interest in freezing to death.”

I think he just likes to get a rise out of me. I can’t deny how good he feels, and I need his warmth, so I back up against him.

Dylan

I take my hat off and close my eyes, trying to think of anything other than Taylor’s fine ass pressed against me. What the hell did I do to deserve this? I’m spewing with anger, hating that I can’t stop having feelings for her.

I have sex with chicks and move on without a second thought, yet even without sleeping with Taylor, I have feelings for her stronger than any I’ve ever felt. I imagine it’s because there’s more to her underneath the anger, and we’re a lot alike. I’m sure the fact that she’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever been around has something to do with it, too.

Shit. Don’t think about how sexy she is. Picture her being a total bitch. Even though I’m cold, I know my body’s going to respond if it’s up against her, so I try to keep my lower half away and picture the girl scowling.

“I bumped into your guitar case. That’s cool you brought it,” she says.

“I can’t go that long without playing.”

“Dylan.”

I sigh. She needs to be quiet and go to sleep. I can’t have her being nice to me right now. “What?”

“I’m really sorry I didn’t listen to you. I hope with time you’ll forgive me for this.”

She decides to be sweet now that my dick’s an inch from her ass. “I’m sorry I didn’t come more prepared. I should’ve made sure we had supplies for an emergency. Unfortunately, you’re going to feel much colder soon, but I’ll do what I can to keep you warm,” I say before I nuzzle my nose against her hair and breathe in the smell of her perfume. I can’t resist.

***

The feel of Taylor’s body shaking wakes me, and I instantly feel pain in my muscles from the cold. She whimpers when I pull by body away from hers, and it’s the cutest damn sound. I put my hat on and climb up front to turn on the Escalade. “Taylor, you need to come sit up here for a few minutes and warm up.”

“I can’t. I’m too cold.”

“You have to. It’ll help if you move around some, and there’s a little heat up here now.”

She reluctantly climbs up front and leans forward in her seat, letting the warm air blow on her. Burying her face in her hands, she starts to cry again.

What is it with women and all the crying? “Please don’t cry. I feel like I need to do something, and I don’t know what else to do.”

She lifts her head and looks over at me. “I had no idea we could end up in this dangerous of a situation. I’m scared, cold, and I feel so much guilt over this.”

“Don’t. I’m sure you haven’t had any kind of hardship to imagine something like this happening.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You just think my life’s been a picnic, don’t you?”

That did it. She’s ticked. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Just because someone has money, Dylan, doesn’t mean they have a good or easy life.”

“I don’t think that, but like I was saying earlier, I wouldn’t have a clue about your life, so why don’t you share why it hasn’t been a picnic, and I might understand you better.”

“No. You’re one of the enemies.”

“You were burned by a man, so you think we’re all scum. I figured that was your problem.”

“How is that my problem? The men I should’ve been able to trust let me down.”

“You’re going to live a lonely life if you don’t give another man a chance. Look, I don’t want to fight with you. Try to focus on being in the cabin or better yet, the hot tub. I bet Hannah will have someone looking for us when the snow stops, but I promise I’ll find a way to get us out of here when it’s daylight if she doesn’t.”

“Hannah will send someone,” she says.

After warming up, we climb in the back again, and I think I might be on the verge of chipping away a tiny piece of her defensive wall.

Taylor

I wake from the cold, and my body is trembling.

“Dylan, I’m freezing.”

“OK, I’ll start the truck again. I’m going to sit in the passenger seat, and I want you to sit with me. I’ll try to get you warmer.”

Once Dylan gets in the passenger seat, I climb over and curl up in his lap. I’m scared, and I can feel my muscles seizing from the bitter cold, so I’m not about to stay away from him. He’s the link to my warmth, and the next thing I feel is his hat as he puts it on my head.

“This will keep you warmer.”

He’s being very good to me, and I don’t deserve it. I feel the warm heat blowing out from the vents as Dylan’s arms wrap around me. I look over and see the window cracked. “Why is the window open?” I ask, straining to speak from the cold.

“The tailpipe is blocked by the snow, so we have to do it while the vehicle is running, or we’ll get carbon monoxide poisoning. I’ll roll it up when we turn off the ignition.”

“Dylan, I’d be dead already if you weren’t here.”

“You wouldn’t be in this mess if I’d done what my gut told me,” he says somberly. I feel him pull me tighter against his firm chest before he rests his head on top of mine. Burying my face against his neck, I push my body as close to him as I possibly can.

“Thank you, Dylan.”

***

My body shifts as he reaches over to start the SUV. The clock on the dashboard shows two o’clock. This is going to be the longest night ever.

He turns on the overhead light. “You’re shivering and pale, but the gas light is on, so I can’t leave the heat going. Our only option is to get in the back again and try to keep each other warm.”

It’ll be too painful to move, so I lay my head back on his chest. “No … I li—like it here, and I don’t think I can move.”

“Sweetheart, I’m not keeping you warm enough up here. We have to try something else.” He turns the ignition and light off.

I’ve never felt this cold in all my life and cry out from the loss of his warmth as I climb into the back. I’m sitting with my knees pulled up to my chest when Dylan climbs between the seats. “You have to undress,” he says.

“What? Are you in—insane?”

“I know it’s going to be painful as you take off your clothes, but then we can generate some body heat.”

“I’m not ... sleeping with you undressed. I—I draw the line there. This isn’t like the movies,” I stammer.

“You’re right. This is real, and you can hardly finish a sentence. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Did you bring a bikini to wear in the hot tub?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do wi—with anything?”

“I’d probably see you in it, right?”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t be tou—touching you in it.” I’m becoming more irritated from my body shaking and his ridiculous request.

“We don’t have a choice. I didn’t go with my gut last time, and it got us here. You’re not talking me out of this! You can leave your bra and panties on, but do it now.”

I want to tell him not to yell at me again, but I don’t have the energy. I stare into his eyes for a few seconds, and all I see is genuine concern. This man I’m always a bitch to is doing anything and everything to keep me safe.

Knowing he isn’t going to take no for an answer, I turn away from him and start stripping off the layers. He does the same, and once we’re both down to our underwear, he spreads our clothes out. I’m grateful we have little light.