Exception (62 page)

“I know it doesn’t have to be tonight,” she said, touching his stubbly cheek. “And I know you’ll wait; you’ve been waiting since we met. But I’m done waiting, Tay. I’ve waited my entire life to feel this loved and protected. I’ve waited my entire life to love and trust someone enough to really belong to them, and I do, now. So I want to really belong to you, in every way.”

The wide-eyed grin Emily loved so much was plastered all over Taylor’s face. She only got to enjoy it for a second before his lips touched the tip of her nose, replaying the first kiss he’d delivered to her bare skin. He followed that kiss with a loving kiss to her cheek and another to her lips.

“I’ve loved you since you laughed at that coffee cart,” he admitted against her lips.

Reaching down, he took her hands and, after kissing both, placed them back over the last button she opened, inviting her to continue undressing him which she did with a smile on her lips.

“I loved you when I saw you in that red dress,” he continued, knitting her hair in his palms as she carefully removed every item of clothing from his body. “And I loved you all the way from goddamned China. The morning I woke up to your face for the first time and you said you’d think about me in the shower, I more than loved you.”

She removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor, while giving him a look that said that, despite the mortal embarrassment she’d felt that morning, she’d loved it just as much as he did. Before she could reach for his pants, Taylor snaked his arms around her body and kissed her lips with that mixture of love and passion that was becoming incredibly familiar. “I fell in love with you that night telling stories on my couch, and the night in your kitchen . . . I wanted to love you.” His wicked smirk and the double meaning in his words made them laugh.

“Ditto,” she snickered.

“I loved you through every night, and every dance, and every word we ever shared, and every second that I waited for you. I’ve loved you though it all, Emily. And I’ll continue to love you with every breath I take, and every thought in my mind, and every beat of my heart, for as many years as this life still holds. That’s what making love to you means to me; that’s what it will always mean to me.”

A single tear prickled its way down Emily’s cheek. With eyes locked in silent communication, she ran her hands up his naked torso and kissed his lips, showing him that his words were the reflection of her own feelings. The kiss that started as a sweet love declaration quickly turned into a fiery demonstration of passion they shared in the hallway.

As her fingers found their way down to his belt, his moved up to her hair, combing through the soft waves until they found the zipper at her back. With lips locked Taylor slid the cold metal down until the dress was completely loose and meeting his clothes on the floor. Holding her by the hand, he helped her out of the pool of fabric at her feet while his eyes made a lazy path over her lingerie-covered body. Instead of feeling embarrassed by his ogling, Emily felt empowered and sexy, and thrilled by the overwhelming desire in his eyes.

Wanting to tease him, she took a few steps back in the direction of the large bed, so he could have a better view of the black satin strapless corset with thick red ribbons following the curves of her waist and breasts, and ending in small bows at her hip. Casually removing the jewelry adorning her neck and ears, she waited long enough to have him breathing heavily through parted lips and adjusting his slacks, before turning around to reveal the sheer fabric on her back. Her tattoo was partially displayed and, most importantly, the soft skin of her mostly bare bottom—only the hint of a tiny G-string was showing.

“Happy birthday, love,” she wished him, looking over her shoulder while bending her body ever so slightly to place the jewelry on the nightstand.

Like a pouncing feline, it took less than a second for Taylor to cover the distance between them and fold her in his arms, pressing his chest against her back. “Thank you, babe. And how thoughtful of you to wrap my present so nicely.” His voice was a rough and sexy growl as he whispered those words, biting her earlobe and running his palms over her body until they reached her breasts.

“I thought red bows would be fitting. You like?”

“What you think?” With an open palm low on her belly, he pressed against her. His still covered yet substantial erection dug deliciously against her naked skin, making her gasp for air.

“I think that’s a huge yes,” she purred, pushing back against him and giggling.

Her answer made him chuckle. “I’m happy to be living up to the dream. Now, if you don’t mind, I want to get my present out of this gorgeous wrapping, because I’m anxious to play with it.”

Emily didn’t have time to give him a smartass comeback because, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, his hands were getting busy. Turning her around to face him, he used one hand to release the clasps on her back while his other joined his lips in teasing and pleasuring the various parts of her body. Completely lost to the overwhelming sensations, Emily only noticed that her corset had joined the pile of clothes on the floor when Taylor devoted his undivided, and very skilled, attention to her breasts.

Needing more of him, she pushed her rubbery arms, commanding them to work through the button and zipper of his slacks. The overload of sensations turned the simple task incredibly challenging, but Emily was determined, and soon his pants and black boxer briefs joined the pile of clothes on the floor, her panties following soon after.

With her pressed against him, he took a step back and sat her on the edge of the bed, raking his eyes and fingers over the sensual curves of her body. His eyes darkened to a level of lustful hunger Emily had never before seen. “I didn’t think it was possible, but you’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he whispered against her ear.

Emily watched him, marveling at the man before her, as he hovered over her, arms extended at her sides. The sight of Taylor shirtless had always been impressive, but now, each curve of his muscular form that contracted with his movements as he lowered himself to kneel in front of her was intoxicating. Emily’s breath caught and her body arched helplessly forward, reaching for him, begging his lips to whisk her into total delirium as he kissed a slow path from her lips to her breasts and then to her belly, finally arriving at the most sensitive part of her. With perfect movements, he kissed and pleasured her until her body convulsed, crying his name.

Like in her dream, he slowly licked his grinning lips as he climbed up the bed to cover her body with his. His pupils were dilated, once more displaying his excitement. “Condom?” he asked breathlessly.

Emily shook her head, hating the precious moments they were losing. “Pill,” she informed him, glad for the first time in years that she’d decided to continue on birth control, despite her lack of action.

“Thank god,” he whispered, positioning himself between her parted legs. Looking deep into her eyes, he pushed himself inside her. His movement was slow and gentle. Once he was completely buried, he stilled himself, allowing her time to adjust. “This okay?” he whispered.

Due to long years of abstinence, she was expecting some pain or discomfort—but there wasn’t any. There was pleasure and joy and wonder. Being way past words, Emily pressed her lips to his while her inner muscles clenched around him, telling Taylor it was more than okay. It was heaven. With her encouragement, he began to really move.

Each slide brought a new wave of pleasure that washed Emily from her thrown back head, to her curling toes. The sea of sensation already building up inside her was heightened by the sight of Taylor’s hooded eyes, staring at her, like she and that moment were his reasons for existing.

They loved each other slowly, smiling and whispering “I love you” back and forth, marveling at the incredible feeling that being one brought. Knowing he was close to finding his release, he spoke in a throaty whisper on her ear, “Together?” The nails that dug into his back, combined with her labored nod, confirmed that she was as ready as he was and, a second later, his mouth covered hers for an urgent kiss as both let go of their control, giving in to the most extraordinary feeling.

Taylor lay back on the bed, bringing his girlfriend along with him and rolling on his side so they were facing each other. He removed the long strings of raven hair that had fallen over her face and delivered one last kiss to her lips.

He watched her until his breath evened out. Her eyes were closed and her lips turned up in the sweetest and happiest smile he’d ever seen on her.

“I was gonna ask if it was as good for you as it was for me, but I know you better than that,” he said running his nose over hers.

Emily was so relaxed that even the soft jiggling of her felt like a full day’s workout. “Brad’s cheesecake is good; this . . . this was something else. Why, in the name of all that’s holy, have we waited so long?” she asked with eyes still closed.

Taylor laughed at her question. Of course, they had a long line of reasons as to why they’d waited those seven long months. But, at the present moment, lying on a bed wrapped up in each other and still feeling the aftershocks of their orgasms, the idea of it seemed absolutely ridiculous. “Probably because of that whole ‘we’re too emotionally fucked up’ bullshit.”

“Such bullshit,” she said, in between laughs. Cracking one eye open to look at him, she continued, “And just so you know, I blame you for this awful delay.”

Taylor crooked a brow at her, trying to hide his amusement behind a fake offended look. “Well then, let me make up for all that lost time.”

She was still laughing when his lips covered hers, getting ready for round two.

The winter sun was shining strangely bright through the attic window the next day. It was a glorious morning and, despite having little over four hours of sleep, Emily had never felt better.

Sitting on the bench below the window, she let her head fall back against the glass as memories of the night before filled her mind. Every kiss, touch, sensation and whispered word played in her mind in slow motion, bringing a ridiculous grin to her lips as she realized that he never ceased to amaze her, and that her relaxed state was undoubtedly a side effect of being thoroughly loved by Taylor. Because that’s what he’d done—he’d loved her in the most various ways for five mind-blowing hours, proving once and for all that her limited experience had been even more unsatisfying than she thought it had.

“You should be by my side, and most importantly, you should be naked.”

Taylor’s sleepy voice caught her attention. She looked at him with the same adoring gaze and smile she couldn’t remove from her face. “That’s an easy fix.”

Letting the white shirt of his she’d been wearing fall to the floor, Emily retrieved the present she left on the bench and walked naked towards the bed. Taylor’s eyes followed her until she was kneeling on the bed by his side. His hands instantly made contact with the skin on her leg, following her body up until they were around her waist, giving better leverage for her to swing her legs over him and straddle his hips.

She looked down at him with a wide smile, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest. “Happy birthday morning, my love.”

“It’s definitely the happiest,” he replied, slowly running his hands up and down her thighs, from knee to hip. “You’re okay?”

At first his question made no sense to Emily, but a second later, when she saw the worried line between his brows, the meaning behind his words became crystal clear.

“No, I’m not okay, Tay. I’m fantastic. A bit sore here and there, probably from being tossed and turned in this bed for the better part of the night, but I’ve never felt better or happier.”

As soon as he heard her words, the worried line disappeared and was replaced by a megawatt smile. His hands, which had been traveling over her leg, took permanent residence on her buttocks. “That’s good to know. You scared me, sitting by the window all covered up like that. I kind of thought you regretted last night.”

Leaning down, she softly kissed his lips. “Even if I live a million years, I’ll never regret last night, Tay. In fact, I was thinking how it was the best night of my life, and how much I want to repeat it again and again and . . . ” Her last “again” was cut short by another kiss to his smiling lips. That kiss was longer and more passionate. His tongue lightly teased hers as he told her he felt the same way.

“Other than thinking about the new perks of our relationship, I was also putting some finishing touches on your birthday present,” she said against his lips.