Mistletoe & Kisses (52 page)

Chapter Twenty-eight

TAYLOR IS A little nervous driving to the mountains, hoping that everything is perfect for the week with Isabella.  His family is a little disappointed that he isn’t coming home, but they understand.  They remember how sad he was when he found out she was getting married.  Daniel told Isabella that he’s happy she’s giving Taylor a chance and moving on.  That comment is what had Taylor on edge.  Isabella had just started letting him in, he was worried that Daniel’s comment would make her think she was moving on to quickly.

Getting their things inside the cabin is always fun, since it’s a narrow staircase in the front.  Thankfully, it’s been a warmer winter in southern California, so there isn’t any snow on the ground. 

Isabella gasps in surprise when she sees the tree set up in the front window.  With a quick flip of the light switch, the tree lights up and so do Isabella’s eyes.  She turns to him, her eyes glossy but happy.  “Taylor.” 

“I wanted to make this perfect for you.  I bought decorations, we can trim the tree together.”

“Wow!  I haven’t had a tree in three years.  This is amazing.”  A few tears trickle down her face.  “Thank you.” She reaches up for his face and brings it down to hers to kiss him.

I that moment, all thoughts of her pulling away from him leave and are replaced with desire.  He can’t get enough of her. 

Kicking the door shut with his foot, he picks her up and walks her the short distance to the couch, kissing his way down her neck. Her shiver gives him the green light to go further, so he lays her on the couch and pulls his shirt off.  Next, he helps her take her sweater off.  “Pink.  Bel, you look amazing in pink.” 

When he won’t stop just looking at her, she finally says, “Tay, please touch me.”

“I plan to . . . all week long.”  He pulls her boots off, then helps her out of her jeans, leaving her in just her pretty pink bra and panties.   He leans over and kisses her before moving down her chest, and straight down her stomach to her panty line.  He trails kisses along the top of her panties, from hip to hip, before pulling them down slowly and kissing her in the very spot begging for him.  Then he dips his finger inside, curling it forward to hit her G-spot, making her orgasm hit hard and fast.  It feels like forever before she’s back on that couch again, but when she opens her eyes, Taylor is there smiling at her. 

“Gorgeous,” he says, before sheathing himself.  Isabella takes control, pushes him back to a sitting position, and gently lowering herself onto him.  In this position, he’s so much deeper, and she gets to control the pace.  She chooses the slow torture show, but he has other ways to move her along.  He bends his head and takes one of her taut nipples into his mouth, sucking and biting softly.  He gets his way as she begins to move faster.  With his mouth still on her, he reaches one hand down to play with her clit as she moves.  It’s moments before she’s coming again, with him joining this time. 

“Wow!” She is breathless, but smiling. 

“I agree.”  He can’t hold in his happiness.  He’s always wanted her, and now that he’s got her, he plans on never letting go. 

* * *

After dinner, they curl up in bed and watch a movie.  However, once the movie is over, Isabella decides it’s time to thank Taylor properly.  She’s tried before, but he always stops her, claiming he wants to be inside her for his release.  This time, she’s not giving in.  He’s done so many things just for her, this is how she wants to say thank you, knowing how much men like blow jobs. 

She moves between his legs, kissing him first on the lips, then moving down his chest to his defined abs, and straight to his rock hard shaft.  She licks up one side and down the other, teasing him, before taking him into her mouth. 

“Bel, you don’t have to do this.”  She can hear the strain in his voice, telling her that he does like it.

“I know I don’t have to.  I want to.  Please don’t make me stop.”  She doesn’t wait for him to respond before going back to what she was doing.  It doesn’t take long for her to bring him to the edge.  He taps her to warn her, but she doesn’t stop.  She’s never swallowed before, but for him, she’s happy to.  The look on his face says that he’s happy she did. 

He pulls her up to him and kisses her passionately.   “Lie down,” he orders. 

“Tay, I just want to lie with you.  I did that for you.  Now we sleep.” 

“You are too good to be true, you know that?”

“Nah.  It’s you that does this to me.  I was never like this before.”

She settles into his arms and they both fall fast asleep. 

Chapter Twenty-nine

CHRISTMAS EVEN MORNING, Taylor wakes before Isabella and makes waffles.  He knows she loves them, even though she won’t admit it.  He wants to decorate the tree together and watch Christmas movies this evening.  But today, he’s taking her to the village to enjoy Christmas in the mountains.  It’s not that he likes to shop, but the village will be all decorated and the view of the lake is gorgeous.  He’s made late lunch reservations at a restaurant that overlooks the lake.

Isabella comes into the kitchen dressed perfectly, with a pair of skin tight jeans tucked into her tall black boots, a rich red sweater, and a red, black, and white scarf.  Of course she can pull off the cute winter look, she was raised in the snow. 

“You look beautiful today.”

“Thanks.  I can change if we are staying in, but I was hoping we’d be going out in the beautiful winter weather.” 

“We are.  I have a whole afternoon planned.  Then we’ll come home and decorate our first tree together.  Sound good?”

Isabella’s voice is stuck behind the lump in her throat.  He said first tree together.  Can he really be thinking of them as a long-term thing?  Yeah, of course she is, but she figured this would die out for him.  

“Bel, what’s wrong?  Talk to me.”  He’s at her side, bending over to be at eye level with her and rubbing her arms for comfort. 

“You said our first tree together.”

“I did.  Isn’t that okay?”

“I don’t know.” 

Her response hurts.  Is this just keeping her busy until the divorce is final?  He wants to find out what she’s thinking, at least he thinks he does.  “I’ll just have to show you it’ll be okay.  There’s no pressure, Bel.  Let’s just have fun.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.  I don’t want to ruin our trip.  I really am having a wonderful time.”

“You’re not ruining it.  If you are feeling something, talk to me, don’t hide it.  I know you’re working through a lot, but it won’t hurt me if you’re honest.  I can handle it.”

“I’m sorry, so sorry.  I won’t hide, and I don’t mean to.  I just don’t want you to say things you don’t mean.  I’m not sure I can handle it.”

“I do mean it.  I want this to be our first Christmas, not our only Christmas.  But we don’t have to worry about any of this today.  Let’s eat and have a nice day.”

“Thank you.  It sounds perfect.”

After eating and cleaning up, Taylor drives them to the village.  He’s surprised to see how big it is.  There are two story buildings sitting against the parking lot, with shops in most of the suites.  Then there are some larger art galleries.  At the end of the shops is a small playground, with the swings looking out to the lake.  It’s quite quaint, and the perfect place to walk hand-in-hand for the day. 

Isabella loves the art galleries, and stops to look at almost every piece hanging on the wall, while Taylor’s favorite shop is The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  He is excited to, not only get a caramel apple cut for them to split while they walk, but buy some of Isabella’s childhood favorites.  She is surprised he remembers . . . it’s been a long time.  In fact, he seems to remember a lot about her.  He had paid attention to her all those years ago, just like he said.  The thought of more than one Christmas together was sounding better and better.   Maybe she could trust his word after all. 

After exploring all the shops, Taylor takes her around the backside of the shops to a restaurant that has windows down the entire length, overlooking the lake.  It has a beautiful view and, since it’s between lunch and dinner times, it’s quiet inside.

“This is beautiful, Taylor,” Isabella says, as she sits down at their table that looks out over the water. 

“Brad, my coworker, said it was his favorite place to dine with his wife.  I’m glad you like it.”

“You’ll have to say thank you to Brad for me.  He’s been very kind to let us stay at his place.”

Dinner is lovely and, when they exit the restaurant, the sun is setting over the lake, casting a beautiful orange and pink glow across the water. 

“Wow.  It’s magical out here.”  Isabella’s eyes are dreamy.

Taylor wraps his arms around her from behind and moves her closer to the rail near the water’s edge.  “It really is.  Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Isabella turns to face him, still in his arms, then props herself up on her tip-toes, and places a gentle kiss on his lips.  That’s it, just a soft, tender kiss before turning back around and resting in his embrace. They enjoy the last of the sunset, and she realizes she has never felt so safe in her life. 

Chapter Thirty

BACK AT THE cabin, the tree decorating is lots of fun.  Isabella loves that Taylor bought a lot of ornaments for a tree they’d only enjoy for a day or two.  And the fact that he made Christmas special for her makes her all warm and fuzzy inside.  She’s never experienced such care before.  Yeah, her parents did what they were supposed to as parents, but they weren’t overly celebratory.  They always had a tree, but there wasn’t any thought put into it, it just was.  Even birthdays weren’t a big deal, not like in other kids’ houses. 

Once the tree is done, Taylor turns to Isabella and says, “Why don’t we put on our Christmas jammies?”

“Um . . . what?”

“Just go to the room and see.  It’s all in there.  I’ll be here waiting for you when you’re done.  Take your time.”

Isabella gives him a questioning look, then turns and heads to the room.  Taylor quickly makes his way to the bathroom to change into his Christmas-colored plaid lounge pants and solid green long-sleeve T-shirt. Then he turns on the gas fireplace and the tree lights, shuts off the rest of the lights,  and grabs a chilled bottle of wine and plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. 

Isabella goes into their room and sees plaid lounge pants and solid green T-shirt lying on the bed, with a pair of fuzzy green socks.  Not wanting to miss anything he has in store for tonight, she changes quickly and pulls her hair into a ponytail. 

As she steps back into the living room, the soft glow of the Christmas lights and fireplace makes her breath catch.  Then she sees him round the corner from the kitchen, dressed in matching pajamas, it knocks the air out of her completely.  How on Earth did she get so lucky this time around?

“They fit?” he asks, as he motions for her to follow him to the couch where she sees the strawberries and wine he’s laid out for them. 

“Perfectly.”  The breathiness in her voice catches her off guard.  After a deep breath to regain her composure, she continues, “Tay, this is—”

“Deserved,” he says, finishing for her. 

“I don’t—”

He stops her again, but this time by placing his finger on her mouth and shushing her.  Then he guides her to sit down in front of him.  “Bel, I didn’t want to do this tonight, but I think we need to before we move on.”  When concern crosses her face his nerves hit an all-time high.  He’s never had to lay himself out there before with a woman, but he’s afraid if he doesn’t, she’s going to start pulling away.  “I want you to understand where I’m coming from.”  When he pauses, she nods, letting him know she’s following him.  “I wanted you in high school.  I was devastated when I heard you were getting married.  But Bel, it’s always been you.  There have been others in my life, but never for long.  Even after you were married, I compared everyone to you, and nobody was even close to being as special as you were.  When Daniel called me for help, I dropped everything.  I never imagined that I’d not only get to help you get out of a horrible marriage, but that you might actually be interested in me.”

“Um . . . I don’t know what to say.  I’m, um . . . well, I’m a little confused.  I know you said you thought Daniel and I were a thing, but why didn’t you say something before I went away to college?  I can’t believe you compared others to me.  I’m really not that special.”

“Yes, you are that special.  Too special to put into words, in fact.  Honestly, I figured Daniel would follow you to college, and I didn’t want to mess that up.”

“So, why tell me all this now?”

“I don’t want to blow another chance.  Any man would be lucky to have your love and attention. We aren’t all like Eric.” 

“In my mind, I know you’re all not like him, but my heart is having trouble not standing guard.”

“Are you heartbroken over your marriage ending?”

“Honestly?”

He nods.

“Not even a little.  I’m scared, but not heartbroken.  I haven’t been able to make my own decisions in a long time, and the last big decision I made was to marry Eric, so I’m afraid I’m not going to be any good at it.” 

“Bel.” He scoots closer, takes both of her hands in his, and rubs his thumb over them softly.  “Eric saw your kindness as weakness, and he used it to make him feel more powerful.  He didn’t deserve you, and he used his power to keep you from seeing it.  I’m so glad you got out when you did.  Many women are stuck in relationships like that for years.”

“I know.  It’s time for me to figure out who I am.  How do I do that?  It’s all so confusing.”

“You do it slowly.  You take support from people who care.  And most importantly, you allow yourself to feel.  Your heart will show you the right way.”

“My heart is scared.”

“Nah, your head is scared.  Your heart is telling you the truth.”

Not wanting to let him get away, Isabella crushes her lips to his, following her heart completely, and hoping it won’t be broken again. 

He lets her control this kiss, knowing she needs it.  But before it goes too far, he pulls back a little and looks her in the eyes.  “You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”  And he dives back into kissing her, showing her just how much he wants her.  His hands wander up to her shoulders and down her back, where he slides his hands under her shirt. 

She tingles along the path he just touched, and her stomach is in knots, anticipating what’s to come.  Although they’ve already been intimate, she feels the shift in their relationship, understanding that he wants more than just the physical. 

A cold chill runs over her when he pulls away.  However, when he speaks, she is comforted in the fact that it is very much not a rejection. 

“We’ve got all night.  Let’s enjoy some wine before it gets warm.” 

She laughs and takes the glass he’s offering.  She loves a good German Riesling.  Pair it with chocolate strawberries, and she’s in heaven.  Exactly what he did.  While they enjoy the desert, Taylor lightens the mood with some easy conversation, allowing Isabella to relax once again. 

“I have something for you.  I know tomorrow is Christmas, but I have another surprise for tomorrow.  I want to give you this tonight.”  He hands her a small box, wrapped professionally with gorgeous foil Christmas paper and a silver silk bow that is bigger than the box. 

It’s so beautiful, she’s afraid to open it. 

“Go ahead, it’s just wrapping paper.”

With shaking hands, she slowly pulls one of the ends of the bow.  She places the silk ribbon on the couch next to her and slowly peels the wrapping off of the box, careful not to rip the sparkly paper.  “Oh.”  She gasps when she sees the signature Tiffany blue box underneath and looks up at him. Seeing the excitement in his eyes gives her the courage to open the lid.  Inside is the most beautiful silver crossover cuff.  “Tay, this is too much.”

“Nonsense.”  He pulls the cuff out of the box and puts it on her wrist.  “I wanted you to have something to remind you that you should always trust yourself.  This reminded me of an infinity symbol, and I hope it will remind you that you should always be you . . . forever.  Don’t let anyone take you away from yourself again.  You are unique, and so very special.”

“Thank you.”  She knows not to argue with him, despite feeling like this gift is too extravagant. And she knows she spent just as much on him.   With a little peck, she stands. “Wait here.  I’ll be right back.”