Mistletoe & Kisses (51 page)

Chapter Twenty-six

WITH THE DAY off, Taylor wants to do something different with Isabella.  He knows how much she loves the beach and wants to make some special memories for her.  “Hurry up!” he hollers down the hall to her. 

Of course, she’s taking forever to get ready.   Isabella thinks they’re just heading to Laguna Beach like they usually do, but Taylor is dragging her a little farther south.  He gave her specific directions to pack something easy to walk in and some tennis shoes because he didn’t plan on just sitting on the sand all day. 

“Why the hurry?  The ocean isn’t going anywhere.”

“But what I want to do might.” 

Her puzzled look makes him smile.  “Ready?” 

With a simple nod of her head, they head out to this surprise day at the beach.  Isabella watches in wonder as they drive, blurting out her guesses of their destination along the way.  Taylor just laughs and gives away nothing.  When she sighs with frustration, he takes a hold of her hand and brings it to his lips, ever-so-lightly kissing the top of her hand, and hoping she’ll love today’s adventure as much as he loves doing it. 

It’s not a long drive to the Dana Point Harbor and, the closer they get, the more nervous Taylor becomes.  It’s been a long time since he wanted to impress a woman this badly.  As he parks in front of the Ocean Institute, Isabella looks around, confused.

“Why did I need tennis shoes?  Can’t I walk around the harbor in my flip flops?”

“Put on your tennis shoes and come with me.  I’ll show you.” 

Nervously, she fumbles through tying them on, then follows him down the dirt path past the parking lot.  When she gets to the end, her breath hitches.  There they stand, with the most beautiful view of the rocky California coast. 

“Ready?”  Taylor asks, as he holds his hand out to her.

“For what?” she asks, but still places her hand in his.

“Trust me.”

“I do.”  The smile she gives him says that she truly does, and that she’s happy to see what’s in store. 

Down the small cliff, there is a short stretch of sand that leads to a horizon of rocks against the water.  “We’re just walking on the rocks by the ocean?”  Isabella asks, confused.  

“Sort of.  When the tide goes out, sometimes little sea critters are left behind in the pools.  We have an hour to walk before tide is at its lowest.  By then, we should be to the point.”

“It sounds amazing.”

By the time they get to the point, Isabella can’t believe that there are so many hidden treasures to be seen.  It’s not just the sea life that is so cool, either.  The cliffs are carved by the tide, creating such impressive designs.  Who knew the water could be that powerful? 

Taylor watches Isabella take it all in, and loves the joy he sees in her.  He’s always loved walking along the rocks down here.  So much beauty to enjoy, and it’s usually very secluded. Being able to share this special place with her, knowing she understands how special it is, warms his heart.

With her not paying attention to him, he takes the moment to really look at her.  Her beauty is so deep.  Her dark chocolate eyes and dark hair make her look shy and mysterious, but once you get to know her, you see that it’s her gentle spirit that she hides, rather than shyness.  That gentleness is probably what Eric saw as weakness.  Now that she’s away from him, she sees joy in the world around her again.  Just being near her gives him a peace deep inside he hasn’t felt since he was a teenager. 

They take their time as they make their way back to the car.  “Thank you, Taylor.  Today was perfect.” 

He helps her in, then leans down to whisper in her ear, “It’s not over yet.” 

Isabella’s body’s response surprises her when the heat from his breath makes a v-line from her ear straight through to her core, warming everything in its path.  Her stomach pools with desire when she glances up and sees the heat in his eyes, but she’s nervous about what lies ahead tonight. 

“I was thinking dinner out, sound good?”  Taylor asks as he gets inside the car. 

“Sure.  I could eat.”  Isabella’s heart still beats wildly in her chest, and her body hums with excitement.

“I’ve heard good things about a restaurant here in the harbor.  You like seafood?”

“I love seafood.”

It’s only a couple of minutes before they are parked again.  Taylor walks around to open her door and help her out.  Once he closes the door, she expects him to drop her hand, but he doesn’t, and it feels right to her to walk hand-in-hand. 

The hostess welcomes them to Harpoon Harry’s Seafood, and seats them at a table overlooking the water. 

“It’s beautiful here,” Isabella says, as she looks out at the setting sun on the horizon.

“I hear the food is pretty good, too.” 

Taylor orders a bottle of Marc Kreydenweiss Gewurtiztraminer, since they’ve both decided to have the Lobster. 

“I’ve never really enjoyed wine before Taylor, but I like this one.” 

“Wait until our food arrives, you’ll love it even more.  It’s perfect for the Lobster.”

The ease of their conversation over dinner feels so normal, so comfortable.  Just looking at him across the table makes her tummy flutter and her palms sweat. 

Deciding to skip desert, Taylor pays and they head back home.  The drive is quiet.  Taylor worries about pushing her too fast, but he can’t deny that she is giving off the vibe that she’s ready for a bit more.  After spending last night in her bed, Taylor isn’t sure he ever wants to sleep without her again, even if  all they do is lie together. 

Taylor helps her out of the car and walks close to her, but doesn’t grab her hand as they walk.  There is a package at the door for Isabella and Taylor picks it up for her, but with no return address, she goes into her room to open it alone, leaving him confused about what to do next.  It’s not long before he retreats to his room and changes into a pair of shorts to go relax in front of the television for the evening, hoping she’ll join him eventually.

After fumbling through the channels for a while, he turns it off and heads to her room, unable to put her aside for the night.  His knock on her door is louder than he intended.

“Come in,” she hollers from inside. 

When he enters, she’s sitting on her bed, the open box sitting in front of her.  She isn’t crying anymore, but it’s obvious that she was. 

“What’s is it?” he asks as he comes and sits on the other side of the bed.  As much as he wants to touch her, he’s afraid to spook her when he doesn’t know why she’s upset. 

“It’s from Eric.”  She points, giving him permission to look.

When he looks inside, he’s not shocked to see that it’s a box of pictures and a note.  “Can I read it?” 

Her response is simply nodding her head. 

He opens it slowly, hoping it doesn’t make her think twice about the divorce. 

Dear Izzy,

I’m sorry.  I never meant for things to get so out of control.  These last few months without you here have shown me just how much I took advantage of you.  I’m not contesting the divorce and I’m sorry I even made that difficult.  I truly hope you’ll find some happiness. 

                                                                                                  Love,

                                                                                                  Eric

“Are you okay?”  Taylor wonders if this will change what’s happening between them.  She’s already pretty nervous about a new relationship, but will this make it worse?  Will this send her back to him?  Is that Eric’s game?

“I don’t know.”  She rubs her hands over her face.  “I mean, I should care that he’s sorry, right?  But I don’t, not really.  I’m glad I won’t be fighting him in court and in five months this could all be over, but I’m not sure he’s being honest.  It scares me to think about what he could be up to.”

“I kinda thought the same thing.  Do you want to go through any of these pictures?” 

“Not even a little.”

“Want me to put the box up in my closet and save it for when you’re ready to deal with it?”

“That would be nice.  Thank you.”

Taylor closes the box with the photos and the note and takes it to his room.  When he comes back to Isabella’s room, she’s changed and climbing into bed.  The confusion in her eyes is gone and longing is left in its place.  His heart flips a little with the idea.  However, he knows he’ll have to move slowly for her. 

Chapter Twenty-seven

SLOWLY, HE WALKS toward her, neither one of them taking their eyes off the other.  He stops in front of her and for a moment, and both are breathing a little faster than usual.  The electricity between them can’t be denied.  Finally, Eric brings his hand to her cheek.  When it makes contact, Isabella leans into it and closes her eyes.  Taylor takes this as a green light and bends to kiss her.  Their lips touch, and suddenly neither can hold back.  She opens for him and he slides his tongue in.  One touch is all it takes to blast through her uncertainty. Her hands dance across his chest, and around his back. 

Wanting desperately to touch her skin, Taylor reaches down to the hem of her cami and pulls it up.  They break their kiss to get it over her head.  Once it’s out of the way, Taylor kisses his way down her neck to her breasts, then pauses, looking up for permission before going further.  Isabella’s slight nod of approval encourages him and he kisses his way around one breast, avoiding her taut nipple, before moving to the other.  Her soft whimper drives him to trail his tongue past her breast and down her flat stomach.  He stops at the waistband of her little shorts, then picks her up and lays her on the bed, enjoying the beauty of seeing her naked from the waist up. 

“So beautiful,” he says as he climbs over her, causing a blush to spread over her face and chest.  With his eyes still on hers, he gently slides her shorts down her legs, leaving her only in a pair of light pink, lace-trimmed panties. “This okay?”

“Mmhmm.”  Her voice is soft and breathy.

“Isabella, stop me if I’m going too far, too fast.  You’ll never upset me.  It’s always your choice.”

“Taylor, I want you.”  With a confidence she’s never had, she reaches down and grabs his hardened shaft.  “I want this, with you.” 

A groan escapes Taylor’s mouth when she touches him, encouraging her to keep doing it.  She slides her hand inside his shorts, while he runs his hands over her body.   He finally brings his hand to the top of her panties and slowly slides his hand inside, finding her already hot and wet.  He teases her, moving around her sensitive nub without touching it, bringing her closer to the edge, but not letting her close enough to go over.

“Please, Taylor.”  Her hand stops rubbing him and is now gripping the blanket on the bed. 

Instead of responding, he moves his face to where his hand is.  With just a few brushes of his tongue, she’s right on the edge.  When he sucks her clit into his mouth, she falls over the edge with a force she’s never felt before. 

Before she comes back to herself completely, Taylor has his shorts off, condom on, and is hovering over her, ready at her entrance.  “You sure?” 

“Yes.”

Gently, he pushes inside, loving how tight she is.  He knows it’s been a while since she was last intimate with Eric, and he doesn’t want to hurt her. 

“I’m okay.  You don’t have to go slow.  I want you . . . now.” 

That’s all he needs to thrust the rest of the way in.  Sensitive and overwhelmed with the emotion of finally having her, he takes a moment to let them both adjust.  After seeing that she’s good, he starts pumping into her.  She matches thrust for thrust, engaging in a rhythm that brings them both to the edge quickly.  “Let go, Bel.”

When she finally does, he follows.  While they’re both breathing deeply, he lets himself fall to her side a while he catches his breath.   Before he gets up to take care of the condom, he leans over and kisses her.  “Be right back.” 

She watches his gorgeous, naked ass walk to the bathroom, with a smile on her face. 

He comes back and climbs into bed with her, pulling her close to him and kissing her sweetly.  It isn’t long before they are both fast asleep.

* * *

The next two weeks, Taylor gears up for their week at the cabin for Christmas.  Nights are spent in bed together, learning everything about each other, and collapsing in exhaustion for the night. 

Taylor has told the office about the package and note Isabella received.  He’s not trusting Eric to do what he said in the note.   With Christmas just three days away, Taylor leaves Isabella for the day so he can prepare the cabin for their arrival.  It’s a long drive, but worth every minute to make it perfect.  The Christmas tree he bought is against the front door when he arrives.  He drags it inside, and places it in the front window.  He wants it to be the first thing she sees when he brings her here.  Although he wants to decorate it together, he puts the lights on it to save the time. 

With the fridge is stocked and cabin decorated, he locks up and heads home.  It’s been a long day. 

Isabella surprises him by having dinner ready when he gets home. 

“Wow, smells wonderful in here.”

“You’ve been so good to me.  I wanted to do something special for you.  Hope you like lasagna and garlic bread.  I even made brownies for desert.” 

“Sounds delicious.  Let me wash up first.” 

Isabella pours them each a glass of Syrah and sits at the table waiting for Taylor.  When he approaches, the smile he gives hits her straight in the heart.  As nervous as she is that this won’t work, she’s knows this experience with Taylor will be good for her no matter how it ends.

“Thank you for this.  Are you ready for the trip tomorrow?”

“Yes.  It’s nice to be able to pack for myself this time.”  Her smile is fun and carefree, a look she’s been wearing a lot lately.