Primal Instinct (29 page)

Still half on top of Sean, Colt shouted “Ears!” and she watched, frozen and dumb, as Sean clamped his hands over his ears and twisted away just as Colt yanked his gun from his waistband and fired two quick shots, hitting Baker in the arm and side. At the sound of the shots, Taylor's father came running, his own gun drawn, but before he could do anything, Colt fired at him as well from his position on the floor, hitting him in the shoulder.

“Get Baker!” Colt shouted to Sean as he pushed up from the floor and advanced on Frank, his gun trained at him. Taylor's head snapped back and forth, watching Sean pull zip ties from his pocket and use them to cuff a moaning, whimpering Baker, and watching Colt, who'd cornered her father.

Taylor crumpled back into the chair, too overwhelmed to stand.

After giving his statement to the police, Colt sat against the hood of the Charger, watching as paramedics loaded a barely conscious Taylor onto a stretcher and then into the waiting ambulance. One of the paramedics approached, a med kit in his gloved hands.

“We're taking her to Cedars-Sinai. Sir, can I take a look at your arm?”

Colt glanced down to where his gray T-shirt was glued to his bicep with dried blood. He nodded and let the medic clean and dress the wound, which, thankfully, was only a graze and would heal quickly, leaving only a minimal scar.

“She's gonna be okay?” he asked, watching as the paramedic carefully taped a gauze bandage in place.

“I'd think so. Mild hypothermia, a few cuts and bruises, possibly a minor concussion, but nothing life threatening. You saved her life. She could've frozen to death in there.”

Colt just nodded, pulling his shirtsleeve back down over the bandage.

“That makes two.” Sean's voice came from behind him. “You saved my ass back there. That bullet had my name on it.”

“Don't mention it.” Colt shrugged, watching the ambulance disappear down the street, its red and blue lights swirling against the dark.

“Colt. I'm going to fucking mention that you saved my life.”

Colt shot him a half smile. “Anytime, man.”

Sean returned the half smile and shrugged. “There's a job at Virtus for you, if you want it.”

Colt's eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

Sean nodded and shoved a hand through his hair. “Yeah.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Colt nodded. “I
am
sorry. About what happened. It was my fault.”

Sean nodded again. “I know. But you've earned this second chance. More than earned it.”

Colt watched the tiny lights of the ambulance, and he hoped Sean was right.

T
aylor didn't care where she was. She didn't want to know. It didn't matter because she was
warm
. Slowly, like swimming to the surface of a deep pool, she regained consciousness and dared to crack her eyes open. Soft beige walls, dim lighting and a flat-screen TV mounted to the wall greeted her. Frowning, she tried to sit up but found she couldn't quite manage it, wrapped up as she was in heavy, warm blankets.

“Hey, don't try to move.”

She swung her head too fast at the familiar low rumble, and dots danced in front of her eyes for a second.

Colt pushed out of the gray armchair by the window. “Just relax. How do you feel?”

“Better. Tired, but warm, at least. I'm in the hospital?”

“Cedars-Sinai. You've been asleep for a little while. Do you remember what happened?”

He cupped her cheek, and it was hard to think with his warm, callused palm on her skin. She finally managed to nod. She remembered. She had a feeling she'd never forget.

“How did you find me?” she asked, closing her eyes and pressing into his touch.

“Clay called when he heard Baker had been sprung by your dad. He saw the police report about your car. I figured out the rest.”

“Help me sit up?”

He raised the bed to a more upright position, rearranging the pillows behind her so she could recline comfortably, still swaddled up like a baby. God, it felt good to be warm. Warm, and safe.

Colt sat on the edge of the bed, his hand still gently cupping her face. His green eyes held hers as he spoke. “Taylor, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you walk away. Letting you go was the biggest mistake of my life. I should've fought for you. For us. I screwed up. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for hurting you, gorgeous.”

“Why should I?” she asked in a shaky voice. Her pulse throbbed in her throat as her heart tried to leap right out of her body and into Colt's waiting hands.

“Because I'm so in love with you that I can't even breathe right without you.”

She sucked in a breath, the power of his words rocking her. “But it's so complicated with us. There's so much damage,” she whispered.

“I want complicated. I want damaged. I want it all, as long as it's with you.” He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, his words flowing over her like warm water.

“Colt,” she said, barely able to get the single syllable of his name out.

“I love you so much, Taylor. I love the good parts and the broken parts, and I want all of them, if you'll give me another chance. I don't want to give up on us.”

She stared at him as her chest filled almost to bursting with happiness and love. Relief and forgiveness.

“Taylor, please say something,” he whispered, his brows drawn.

“What about the contract?”

He shook his head. “I'm not going anywhere. Sean offered me my job back.” He bent forward and kissed her softly on the lips. “It's you and me, Taylor. Always.”

It's you and me.
His words, golden and pure, shimmered around her as life poured back into her.

She freed her arms from the pile of blankets and wrapped them around him, pulling him close and pressing her face into his neck to hide the tear slipping over her cheek. Could she trust him? Trust the words that were melting her broken heart so that it could be re-formed into something new?

Could she give him another chance to get it right? Could she forgive him?

Yes. A hundred times, yes.

Slipping her arms around his neck, she kissed him with everything she had. Kissed him and melted into him. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips, and he moaned softly before deepening the kiss.

“I love you,” he whispered back. “More than anything.”

Taylor couldn't remember the last time she'd been this happy as she watched Sierra and Sean dance together in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Santa Barbara, celebrating their engagement. The past few weeks had gone by in a blur, but for once, it was a good blur. The label was beyond happy with the songs she'd written for her new album, and she was set to start recording it next week. Baker and her father were both going to prison for a long time, and the Grim Weavers were under investigation by the FBI. They hadn't been able to connect them to the elusive Golden Brotherhood in any way, but the investigation was ongoing.

She still wasn't sure how to feel about everything that had gone down with her father. She'd known that he'd resented her, maybe even hated her, but he'd tried to kill her. Her own father. It would take time to sort through everything, to come to some sort of peace with what had happened.

Colt, on the other hand...She knew exactly how she felt about him. She was head over heels in love with the man. When she'd been discharged from the hospital the morning after the attack, he'd come home with her, and in the weeks that followed, he hadn't left. He'd gone back to work at Virtus. And when he wasn't at work, the two of them were starting to build the foundation of a life together. A normal, coupled-up life. Going to movies. Family dinners.

Having incredible, toe-curling, soul-nourishing sex on a daily basis.

Alexa sidled up beside her, a glass of wine clutched in one hand. She tucked a strand of her chin-length blond hair behind one ear and let out a sigh as she watched the couples on the dance floor. “They all look so happy, don't they?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Taylor watched as Alexa's eyes drifted from the dance floor to the bar, where Zack stood with several of the guys from Virtus, laughing and talking. Alexa glanced at Taylor and promptly returned her attention to the dance floor.

Taylor smiled. “He's pretty hot, huh?”

Alexa's fair complexion turned bright pink. “Oh. I…um…Zack…hot…” Her disjointed train of thought derailed as she looked at Zack again, who'd noticed Alexa's attention, and smiled. Alexa's blush deepened from rose to crimson.

Colt strode over, his hands tucked into his pockets. “I think they're playing our song,” he said, pulling her out onto the dance floor before she could protest. Slipping his arms around her waist, he buried his face in her neck, and they began to sway together as Elvis's “Can't Help Falling in Love With You” floated out from the speakers. He turned them in a slow circle, and she breathed him in, feeling all light and shimmering at just being near him.

“Having a good time?” he asked, his voice rumbling across her skin in a way she'd never stop savoring.

“Yeah. But this is the highlight so far.”

He kissed the spot just behind her ear that always made her melt. “Oh, gorgeous. The night is young.”

She shivered and pressed herself closer to him, wanting to imprint the moment on her brain. Good memories to chase out the bad.

As the last strains of the song faded away, replaced with something more upbeat, she slipped her hand into his. “You wanna get out of here?”

“You read my mind.”

Quickly, they wove through the crowd, everyone too caught up in their own good time to pay attention to Taylor and Colt. They'd booked a room in the hotel for the night, and Taylor planned to make good use of it. The hotel's elevator doors had barely closed behind them before he had her backed up against the wall, his mouth working urgently against hers.

“God, I've been waiting all night to do that,” he breathed, nipping at her ear before kissing a hot trail down her neck.

“Me too.” She tipped her head back as his teeth scraped along her jaw, his hands skimming up over her breasts, teasing her nipples through the delicate silk chiffon of her dress. The elevator doors parted, and she led him down the hall to their room, fumbling for her key as Colt stood behind her, his hands around her waist, his mouth warm and soft as he pressed kisses to her shoulders.

“Hurry, gorgeous. I'd hate to rip your beautiful dress.”

Finally, she managed to get her key card to work, and they stumbled into the room, a clumsy mess of arms and mouths as they consumed each other. He picked her up and tumbled down onto the bed with her, already pushing his suit jacket off and tossing it to the floor.

“Flip over,” he said, his voice low and hoarse. Doing as she was told, she flipped onto her stomach. With his hands around her hips, he pulled her up onto all fours and then eased her zipper down her back, pushing the straps of her dress down over her shoulders as his mouth trailed across the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck.

She lifted her knees and managed to wriggle out of her dress, and before she could change positions, his mouth was on her, scorching a path up the back of one thigh, his teeth sinking into her ass cheeks as he teased a finger over her wet and swollen folds. And then his tongue was on her clit, one long, slow, teasing lick. “I love how you taste. I will never get enough of this.”

Her arms shook as she struggled to keep herself upright under the onslaught of pleasure weakening her muscles. Her insides tightened, but before she could let go, he pulled away. “I want to be inside you when you come.”

She collapsed onto the bed and watched as he quickly stripped, pulling a condom from the pocket of his pants.

She pushed herself up onto one elbow. “I thought maybe we could…not use that tonight.”

He paused, the foil square still in his hand. “Are you sure?”

She bit her lip. “I don't want there to be anything between us. I just want it to be you and me, nothing else.”

“Are you sure?” he asked a second time, his green eyes dark and glittering.

“I'm on the pill. I want you bare inside me.”

He crawled on top of her and caught a nipple between his teeth. “Fuck yes, Taylor. Do you have any idea how hot this is? How much I want this?” he asked as he lined up the bare head of his cock with her slick entrance.

“Trust me, I'm right there with you,” she moaned, angling her hips up to meet him. He leaned his forehead against hers and slid into her, fully connected, nothing between them.

He thrust once and then paused, his jaw tight. “Holy shit. I didn't think it was possible for you to feel even more incredible.” He thrust again, deeper this time, and slid his hands up to entwine with hers. “You are so goddamn beautiful. I love you so much, Taylor.”

“I love you, too, Colt. Now fuck me.”

He let out a low growl. “Yes, ma'am.”

“Hey. Taylor.”

“Mmm.” She pressed her face into Colt's neck, savoring his warm scent and the feel of his solid body under hers. God, she loved him. Loved him and needed him and wanted him. Colt. This incredible, gorgeous man who made her laugh, who protected her, who curled her toes and who owned her heart completely. Who saw her for who she was, scars and all, and loved her in return.

She pressed a lazy kiss to his collarbone, the salt of his skin lingering on her lips. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, bathing their naked, sweat-streaked bodies in a warm pinkish-orange glow. She'd lost count of how many times they'd made love last night, talking and laughing in between. She couldn't get enough of him.

“Wanna go to Vegas?” His voice rumbled against her skin.

“Sure, but—”

He cut her off with a kiss, stealing her breath along with her thoughts. “Marry me.” He spoke the words against her mouth.

“What? You're crazy.” Her heart thundered to life in her chest, taking off at a hundred beats a minute.

“I know. Marry me. At the Little White Wedding Chapel. Today.”

She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “If this is a prank, you're a dead man.” Despite her threat, her voice was barely a whisper as every cell in her body shook and trembled with how desperately she wanted to say yes.

He chuckled and kissed her again. “Not a prank. In fact…” He leaned over and pulled a small velvet box from the pocket of his discarded suit jacket from where it lay on the floor. He flipped the box open, revealing a black diamond surrounded by tiny white diamonds set in a white gold band.

“And it's not going to turn my finger green?” she asked, her eyes stinging and her throat clogging.

“Would you just say yes already? You're killing me here.”

She cupped his face and pressed a trail of kisses along his jaw. Finally, she reached his mouth, and by the time she did, she couldn't speak around the happiness swelling her chest and making it impossible to breathe.

“I want you to know that you can trust me,” he said. “That I'm not going anywhere. That even though I'll fuck up, I love you more than anything. I figured this was the most efficient way to show you that I one hundred percent fucking mean it.”

“How can I say no to that?”

“That's a yes?”

“It's a huge hell yes.”

He slipped the ring on her finger and brought his mouth down on hers, kissing her as though his life depended on it.

A couple of hours later, they drove off into the desert together, the Rolling Stones' “You Can't Always Get What You Want” filling the Charger. Taylor basked in the hard-won happiness coating her like warm sunshine as she laced her fingers through Colt's. The scars, the damage, the baggage—none of it mattered, because their broken pieces fit perfectly together.

For the first time in a long time, they were both whole.