Exception (45 page)

Taylor’s body felt too small to contain his happiness. On any day this closeness would have had him jumping with joy, but today, after finally giving his feelings proper analysis he was ecstatic.

They ate their sandwiches and drank their coffees in silence, just enjoying the feel of the other one’s body.

“I dreamt about you last night,” Emily said, handing her empty dish back to him.

Despite his effort not to react in a manner that could give him away, a small smile spread across Taylor’s lips. “Did you now? Were we running from zombies again?”

Emily chuckled, remembering that crazy dream and how it was nothing like her most recent one. “No zombies or running, but there was some sweating.”

If they were going to have this conversation, the position they were lying in wouldn’t do—unless he was willing to risk making that dream come true, which was probably unwise. With a light chuckle and a kiss to her head, he lifted her from where she rested in between his legs and moved her to his side. He stretched his legs and crossed his ankles before holding hers and bending her knees, so her legs crossed his. “No running and yet sweating? You’ve definitely piqued my interest,” he teased. She giggled and blushed the darkest shade of red Taylor had ever seen. “Hey, there’s no need to talk about it if you’re not okay with it.”

She shook her head, dismissing his concern. “No secrets. It’s important to me too. Just promise not to laugh.”

“I would never do that, I promise.” The honesty in his voice was once again the fuel she needed to continue, but there was no way she would be able to discuss her dream staring him in the eye, that was too much.

Needing somewhere to turn her attention to, she looked out of the window and tried to say the words as fast as she could. “I dreamt we slept together.”

“We did sleep together, three nights in a row,” he teased.

She could hear the playfulness in his voice, but it did nothing to stop the new wave of embarrassment and heat coursing through her. She let her head fall forward and met her bended knees. From her hiding place, she cleared her throat before continuing. Her tone was just louder than a whisper. “Yes, but in my dream we also had sex. That’s why I was so mortified to talk to you about it. It had nothing to do with trusting you or not.”

A smile spread across Taylor’s lips. He was glad she was telling him about it and out of her own will, however, her mortification brought up a terrible thought in his mind. What if it had been an unpleasant experience? He knew it was just a dream, but he didn’t want Emily to place him, sex and awful in the same sentence, not ever.

“Was it bad?”

His question wasn’t at all what she’d expected. She took her face from her knees to look at him. The embarrassed blush was gone and replaced by utter confusion that briefly stunned him. Regaining his composure, he continued, “Is that why you’re embarrassed?”

She saw the array of emotions in his eyes, and it took her even more by surprise than his question. “No, not at all,” she replied with a small smile. “It was quite the opposite, really.”

If Taylor’s smile had spread any wider it would have reached his ears. For a while neither of them spoke; they just stared, completely lost in each other. Her words comforted him and his smile comforted her. All of it reminded Emily of the beginning of her dream, and the way he’d touched her. She almost giggled. In a fleeting moment, she found herself wishing he would touch her like that for real.

His voice broke through her wayward thoughts. “So, did I have good moves?”

Her carefree laughter filled the room. That was his superpower. No matter what mood she was in, he could always relax her and get her to laugh, and she adored that about him. “Yes, you had really great moves, and it was just a dream, Tay.”

“I’m aware of that,” he admitted smiling like the Cheshire cat. “But I’m a gentleman, and my dad taught me that a gentleman should always care if the woman had her pleasure.” Once again she laughed at his statement. This conversation was completely different to how she’d thought it would be. It was a relief. “And were you satisfied with the material?”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you just asked that.” She laughed yet again, covering her face with embarrassment. “You’ve just sunk to Jody’s level, by the way.”

Of course he was trying to get her to laugh and be comfortable talking about sex with him, but he obviously had an agenda behind his questions, and so far he was enjoying the answers. Removing the hands from her face, he cocked a brow at her. “I don’t care. Now, answer the question.”

“I was beyond impressed.” Dream memories of him kneeling on top of her with nothing on flooded her mind, making her squirm.

Her reaction did not go unnoticed, making him realize he was enjoying this game more than he should. Like it happened during their dance a week before he was, once again, completely wrapped up in her. The smell of her shampoo, the feel of her leg on top of his, the sound of her laugh—it all called to him, and his reactions were becoming way too visible. For the first time, he didn’t care if she noticed his body’s reaction. In fact, a part of him even wanted her to.

“So great moves and impressive material, but how would you rate performance?”

Emily squirmed once again. As all of the caution flags came up, her mind told them to go to hell and she played along. “On a one to ten scale, I would say eleven, but since it could be rated on two separate occasions, your combined score would be twenty-two.”

His brows shot up, and the knowledge that he’d made her come twice nearly caused him to explode in his jeans. He never thought that he could be jealous of dreams or himself, but that was exactly how he felt.

She smiled and bit her bottom lip, and at that moment he wanted nothing more than to do the same. With cautious hands he touched her thigh and held it with just enough pressure to make his intentions understood. Feeling a bit lost to the moment and her own thoughts, Emily didn’t pull away or complain about his intimate touch. She welcomed it.

They were completely lost in their little bubble when a knock on the door brought them back to earth. Emily’s eyes were still holding Taylor’s, seeing the frustrated and murderous look in them, and she let out a low, awkward laugh. “Go away, Jody,” Emily shouted, not needing any other information beyond the inappropriate moment to know who it would be.

Another more persistent knock came from the door making Emily’s body shake with laughter. Reluctantly, Taylor removed his hands and rubbed his eyes. “Fucking Jody,” he mumbled under his breath. “Stop knocking and come in, it’s open.”

Emily’s eyes were still on him as the door opened. With a smile on her lips she kissed both of his hands before removing them from his eyes. Their eyes met again and she winked at him.

As Jody walked in the room with their three other friends, Emily made no move to change her position. She simply leaned to the side, resting against him. “Hey guys,” she greeted.

Their reactions to Emily and Taylor’s cuddling were mixed. Zack looked like he would burst into tears or start clapping at any moment, Brad and Toby were somewhere between unaware and happy, and Jody, well, she was Jody, in all of her usual inappropriateness.

“Hate to break the cuddling fest, but we’re going out to celebrate Veteran’s Day with Uncle Ben before going back home, so let’s go,” Jody said, dropping next to her friends on the bed.

T
HE WEEKS
that followed flew by, and before they noticed the cold had arrived. Since the word regarding Stanley Parker’s interest in the gallery had spread, an array of famous and up and coming photographers began contacting Kimberly about schedule openings. The meetings and dinners that resulted, as well as their regular encounters with Stanley, who continued to be enamored with Emily, assured her constant visits to NYC.

Despite the absence of intimate moments like the ones they’d shared at the Halloween party and in Vermont, their relationship continued to change into something deeper than either of them could ever imagine. Taylor’s newfound feelings for Emily made every second they shared more intense. It was almost like he was recreating the physical connection he desired to share with her on an emotional level.

On top of the bliss created by their enhanced intimacy, November brought other great news to Emily. Charlie and Chuck would be joining her and the Webbers’ for Thanksgiving. She missed her sister more than she had words to explain, and was dying to see her, especially since she was only a couple of months away from giving birth to her baby girl. The joy of seeing her sister was only diminished by the impossible task of fitting four people into Emily’s two-bedroom apartment.

As Emily waited for her sister and brother-in-law at the arrival gate in Tweed airport on Wednesday afternoon, Taylor’s voice buzzed through her mobile, rehashing the same argument they’d had countless times during that week.

“I keep telling you that I’ll work something out, and you keep insisting we’ll be more comfortable if you stay at your sister’s. I’m beginning to think you
want
to stay at Penelope’s,” Emily hissed, making her annoyance well known.

“Come on Ems, you know it’s not like that.” His words were followed by a long sigh. “I love to stay at your place, and you know it. Hell, if all the shit I have lying around your apartment isn’t proof of that I don’t know what is, but you haven’t seen Charlotte in months, and I know you miss her. I just want you to be comfortable devoting all your attention to her without me imposing. As much as I want to spend all my free time with you, I’m not that selfish. I want you to enjoy the little time you’ll have together the best you can.”

That was the first time he’d shared his reason for insisting on staying with Penelope, and his concern for her made her heart melt. “I don’t like you going back to Poppy’s. I like when you’re with me.”

“Emily, I’m always there with you, even when I’m sleeping at Poppy’s. In fact even when I’m in New York, I’m always with you.” The smile behind his voice was so clear that Emily could almost see it. “Besides, Gabe’s also coming, and I should be there in case guy-liner Jude decides to make an appearance.”

“You promise that it’s just while Charlie’s here?” she asked anxiously.

“If that’s what you want, then I promise,” he replied warmly.

“Yes, that’s what I want.” A loud squeak and a long line of giggles followed her words, indicating that Emily had finally seen her sister and it was time to hang up. After saying he’d let her know when he left New York, the two friends hung up, and Emily ran to meet her beloved sister.

Being seven months pregnant agreed with Charlotte. Her shoulder-length hair and creamy skin were shinier than ever. The prenatal yoga and Pilates had paid off, making her bulging bump and the killer boobs, which rivaled Jody’s, the only change in her petite body.

The two sisters held each other in a tight embrace, with tears in their eyes. “I missed you so much, sissy,” Charlotte whispered in Emily’s ear.

“Me too Charlie, I missed you more than you know.” She pursed her lips together, enjoying their reunion. “But, now let me look at you.”

Parting from their embrace, Emily placed both her hands on her sister’s stomach and patted it softly. Bowing her body until her lips were level with the bump, she kissed it and spoke in hushed tones, not caring that people were watching her. “Hey, baby Alice. I’m your Auntie Emmy, and I can’t wait to meet you, little princess.” As if in answer to Emily’s words, baby Alice kicked hard inside Charlie’s womb making both sisters squeal and laugh at her greeting.