Stormy Passion (48 page)

Life wasn't fair.

Again as if he read her thoughts, he turned
away for just a minute and twisted the lock on the door.

“
But the girls,” she feebly
protested.

“
They'll be fine. There are
bathrooms downstairs, so I doubt we'll hear a peep out of
them.”

He caught her shoulders and pulled her up
against him, and the warmth of his body surrounded her. She felt
his lips beguiling and pressing on hers. When his tongue lightly
touched her bottom lip, she shivered, wanting so very much to make
this man love her enough to forget the past.

His mouth covered hers possessively moving
with an urgent hunger, and she was more than ready to meet his
demands. His hands moved with infinite slowness over her, bringing
each nerve ending to life.

Her lips parted and she whimpered when his
tongue darted into her softness just as he tightened his arms
around her. A nagging voice in the back of her mind told her
something was different. They were both acting as if they knew this
would be their last time together, and they wanted--no--needed the
strength only the other could provide.

There would be no yesterdays. No tomorrows.
Just now.

Taylor's mouth never left hers as he lifted
her up and they moved to the bed. “I need you, Brenna Fox,” he told
her while pulling her sweater over her head. Shoving up her bra, he
lowered his head until his tongue traced the outlines of her
nipples. He savored the tight little buds as a warmth uncoiled
inside him. It took a real effort to control every muscle in his
body as it screamed out with an almost violent need for Brenna. She
was exquisite. He couldn't get enough of touching her and
protecting her. She meant everything to him, and he had to bury
himself inside her warm flesh. The answers could come later.

Quickly they disposed of their clothes, and
Taylor feasted on the lovely curves of Brenna's body. “Perfection,”
he breathed. That was the only word that came to his mind. She
brought something special to him, a peace he hadn't known in a
long, long time.

She leaned over him and placed her fingers on
his chest, letting them trail down in tantalizing strokes lower and
lower until his breath caught in his throat. She closed her hand
around him.

“
Sweetheart,” he whispered.
She was driving him crazy, and he couldn't take much more. Taylor
pulled her up on top of his body. Her cast bumped his chin, but he
barely felt it when he laced his fingers in her hair, and pulled
her head down to his.

Brenna felt his warm flat stomach between her
thighs as she straddled him. His soft chest hair tortured her
already-tender breasts and her hair fanned around them. Their
passionate kisses grew bolder and wildly erotic. She drew his
tongue into her mouth.

Moving her hand between them, she grasped his
rigid manhood and positioned it at the edge of her warm, wet flesh,
teasing, taunting him. She raised her hips and he thrust deep
inside her. Somewhere deep in the back of his throat, Taylor
groaned.

“
Sweet Lord, I ache with
wanting you.” He grasped her hips and began to propel her up and
down on him. But that wasn't enough. He wanted more. He wanted it
now. His hands traveled up to her breasts and began teasing her
nipples until they stood stiff and hard.

Brenna shifted against him, twisting until he
lightly pinched her nipples, and she shuddered with her own
release. Stars danced before her eyes.

Her wetness surrounded him completely. His
hands dropped to her waist urging her to move faster and faster,
pounding into her flesh until they both let out pleasurable cries
on the crest of a tidal wave.

Brenna cried out and collapsed on his
sweat-drenched chest, wondering if she'd just died.

They lay there a long while holding each
other until their breathing slowed and their bodies cooled. After
awhile when their breathing returned to normal, Taylor moved her
over, keeping her tucked tightly against him.

Somehow the cold hard facts returned to haunt
both of them. There were some unsettled issues. There was another
woman. Taylor ran his hands through Brenna's hair wondering why
life couldn't be simple. But he reasoned that if life were simple
no one would ever achieve a goal. As much as he wanted to remain
here ignoring the rest of the world, it was time to face the truth.
The truth is all he wanted.

“
Brenna do you know what it
felt like when you left me? I felt like someone had ripped my heart
out, and I had no answers. I was left in the dark . . . cold . . .
empty.

“
For a while I convinced
myself you left with another man. Now I'm not so sure. So, I've
asked myself if not another man, then the only reason could be
because you stopped loving me.”

“
No! That wasn't it at
all.”

“
Then what was
it?”

Brenna looked at him beseechingly. She
started to open her mouth but his next words stopped her.

“
A relationship must be
based on trust. And we don't seem to have that. Besides, I have
Carol to consider and some decisions to make. I do know one thing
for sure, if we are to have any kind of a future the past will have
to be cleared up first.”

His words were like throwing cold water in
her face. He hadn't said one word about loving her. So this was
it--a roll in the hay for old time sake. “Why are you here,
Taylor?”

She saw his eyes harden. “Because.” He waited
a minute before answering. “Because we're friends.”

That wasn't what she wanted to hear, and it
wasn't exactly how she wanted to ask him if he loved her. The only
thing she seemed to have done was make him angry. “Oh,” she
uttered.

“
Wait.” His voice snapped
as she sat on the bed. She looked at him. “That's not exactly what
I wanted to say,” Taylor admitted.

Brenna was dying inside. Why couldn't he love
her? Why couldn't he say the words? She knew the answer. Because he
didn't love her.

“
I--I'm confused.” He ran a
hand through his hair again. “Don't ask more of me than I can give,
Brenna.”

She stiffened. “I don't remember asking
anything of you.”

“
That's right, Brenna. I
forgot,” he said with cold sarcasm. “You don't need anybody.” He
turned away. “Why can't you trust me?”

“
I trusted my
father.”

Taylor felt like she'd slugged him. How could
he have forgotten her past so easily? The bitterness was there in
her eyes. When she'd left, he wondered if she had ever let her true
feelings surface about the tragedy. He remembered at the funeral,
her blank stare . . . her stiffness. There had been no tears. She'd
held it all in then and evidently she still did over the years.

“
There wasn't anything you
could have done.” He took her by the shoulders, his eyes never
leaving hers. “If I could erase the past I would. Your father was a
sick man, and unfortunately, I can't give you the answers you
need.

Brenna fell into his arms weeping. She held
him so tight, he got the impression she was afraid he would
disappear. “I'm not going to leave you,” he rubbed her back and
whispered into her hair. “Let it all out, sweetheart. Let me help
you.”

Her heart was bursting with a love she
couldn't express, but he was here now. Yet she couldn't trust him
completely because in the end he'd leave and go back home.

And she'd be alone.

Alone and in love with a man she couldn't
have.

Chapter Twelve

Sometime in the wee hours of morning Taylor
slipped from Brenna's bed. Slowly, he straightened and stared down
at the lovely woman. Her thick black lashes rested like butterflies
on her cheeks, and he had to admit she made him feel wonderful.
Smiling, he watched the rise and fall of her chest while she slept.
Taylor thought she loved him. But for some unexplained reason she
couldn't open up, and that fact bothered him. Somehow ... some way,
they were meant to be together. It might take a little persuading
to make Brenna let down that barrier of hers, but he would persuade
her. She was much too cautious.

He left and headed to his room to indulge in
a hot shower to shake the cobwebs from his brain.

He disrobed quickly and stepped under the
soothing water. Lifting his hand, he rubbed the back of his neck.
He and Brenna had gotten little sleep, and he felt it in his tight
muscles. However, the steam and hot water worked their magical
fingers on him.

As he stepped out of the shower, Taylor
decided to let Brenna sleep, but just as soon as she had breakfast
they were going to make some serious decisions about their
future.

Taylor had finished dressing when the cell
phone rang. He couldn't imagine who'd be calling him at four a.m.
For that matter, he still wasn't sure why he was wide awake at this
ungodly hour. It couldn't be the bank this early. He grabbed his
Blackberry. “Hello.”

“
Thank, God! I got you,”
Carol said.

“
What's wrong? You sound
upset.”

“
It's your
mother.”

The hairs started to stand on the back of
Taylor's neck. “What's wrong?” There was silence so loud that he
could hear his heart beat.

“
I'm sorry, Taylor, but
your mother has had a serious heart attack. The doctor said it
doesn't look good,” she took a deep breath, then rushed on, “You'd
better hurry.”

“
But ...” He felt as if
someone had slugged him in the stomach. This couldn't be happening.
Maybe he was still sleeping and all the rest was a very bad dream.
“She hasn't been sick.”

“
It's a heart attack,
Taylor. You don't have to be sick. It happens. Hurry!”

Stunned, Taylor stumbled to the closet and
pulled out his black leather luggage. He started packing his
clothes, throwing them any way he could just to get them in the
suitcases. He left the bedroom, pausing only briefly at Brenna's
door. He wanted to tell her he was leaving, but he couldn't get
into another emotional scene.

No, there wasn't time, he thought as he went
on by and hurried down the stairs. Again, he felt as if he were
dreaming and surely someone would wake him up at any moment. His
mother was never sick. She was hell on two wheels, but she was
never sick.

He reached for the front door and out of the
corner of his eye he spotted Lisa's sleeping bag, so he moved over
to her. Guilt washed over him. There was no time to wake Brenna and
explain, but perhaps he could tell somebody he was leaving instead
of sneaking out into the night.

Reaching down, he shook Lisa gently,
“Muffin.”

“
Huh,” she answered
sleepily.

“
Carol phoned, and I have
to leave. Mother is sick.”

“
Are you coming back?” Lisa
mumbled with her eyes still closed.

“
Yes, I'll be back.” He
squeezed her arm and pulled the covers over her shoulders. “Tell
Brenna I'll call her.”

“
Okay,” Lisa mumbled then
rolled over.

He hoped the child had gotten everything
because he didn't have time to go over it again. He was wasting
precious time. He shut the front door and made sure it was locked
before heading for his car.

Turning the key in the ignition, he waited
impatiently for the engine to warm before pulling out of the
driveway. He drove down the wet streets covered with black-ice and
noticed, gratefully that the snowplow had been through and piled
the snow on the roadsides. Turning by Joe's service station, Taylor
couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. He left the little
town behind him--the town he had never intended to go to in the
first place. If it hadn't been for Joe's sorry inventory, Taylor
would never have stayed and he never would have found Brenna
again.

Maybe fate had stepped in.

Taylor had to concentrate so he'd stay alert
on the dark winding roads. One slip, and he'd be over a cliff and
of little help to anyone. At least there was little traffic this
time of morning, and he'd only hit two slick spots on the winding
black mountain roads.

It seemed like forever before he finally
pulled onto the four-lane highway, and breathed a relieved sigh.
Again he rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles still hadn't
eased, and his head had started to throb as he glanced at the
dashboard clock. The red numbers glowed seven o'clock. Reaching to
his left, he set the cruise control and turned off the lights as
the morning sun bathed the mountain tops in tangerine and
melon-yellow.

He picked up his phone that he'd tossed into
the passenger seat and punched in Brenna's number. Nothing
happened. “Damn.” He'd forgotten to charge the phone last night.
The last call from Carol had drained the battery completely. Now
he'd have to wait until he got home to call Brenna, but he wasn't
worried.

She'd understand.

Brenna shivered. Her toes felt like a block
of ice, and she needed some warmth. Rolling over, she reached for
Taylor, but her hand came up empty. It didn't take long for her to
open her eyes and find she was alone. Where was Taylor?

Sitting up, she glanced at the clock and saw
it was a little after eight o'clock. Perhaps Taylor was already
downstairs getting a head start on breakfast. Yet, she had the
strangest feeling, she thought, careful of her cast, as she draped
her feet over the edge of the bed and eased herself to the
floor.

After last night she wasn't sure what to
expect. He wanted answers that she couldn't give him. Instead of
arguing over something in their past, she'd merely tell Taylor she
loved him very much and there had never been anyone else in her
life. And if he loved her, they could put the past behind them with
no more questions.