Turning, he took her in his arms and held her to him like a lifeline. “It’s all right. You had no way of knowing,” he said, closing his eyes as he tried to wipe away the last traces of the memory. “It’s been over twenty years and it’s not something I allow myself to think about all that often. As far as I’m concerned, it’s in the past, where it needs to stay.”
When she framed his face with her palms and raised up on tiptoe to kiss him, his heart slammed against his rib cage. The kiss was brief and one of comfort more than anything else, but a need stronger than anything he’d ever experienced shot through him.
Lane couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d tried as he pulled her more fully against him to deepen the caress. Heat streaked straight to the region south of his belt buckle as he explored her and reacquainted himself with her sweetness. He might not have known her for all that long, but he sensed that Taylor could very easily become his anchor—the one person who would renew his strength and help keep him grounded.
At any other time, the thought would have scared the hell out of him and would have sent him running as hard and fast as he could go in the opposite direction. But all he could think of, all he wanted, was to forget the ugliness of his past and lose himself in the beauty he knew he would find in her arms.
Her soft moan when he moved his hand to her breast and the way she pressed herself into his touch caused his heart to race and his body to harden so fast it left him feeling light-headed. He’d never been as aroused as he was at that moment and he knew he was going to go out of his mind if they didn’t make love soon.
Easing away from the kiss, he took one deep breath after another in an effort to relieve some of the tension gripping him. “I think I’ll go...for a walk,” he finally managed.
“W-why?” Taylor’s eyes were bright with desire, and the passion coloring her creamy cheeks was almost his undoing. Nothing would please him more than to see her look like that as he sank himself deep inside of her.
“I need you, Taylor,” he said roughly. “And if I don’t walk away now, I’m not going to be able to.”
Instead of telling him to take a long hike off a short pier as he expected her to, she gazed up at him for several long seconds before she whispered, “I want you, too, Lane. I know it’s probably not wise. But I do.”
* * *
When Lane pulled her to him, shivers of anticipation coursed through her. Taylor wasn’t about to think of the consequences of making love with Lane. He wanted her, and at the moment, she needed him more than she needed her next breath.
“Are you sure, Taylor?” he asked, kissing the side of her neck. “I don’t want you feeling pressured. I’d rather go for a jog and take a cold shower than have you regret making love with me.”
“The only thing I’ll regret is if we don’t make love,” she said truthfully.
She watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath then, taking her by the hand, he led her into the house. Neither said a word as they climbed the stairs and walked down the hall toward their rooms. She wasn’t at all surprised when he opened the door to his bedroom and stood back for her to enter. Very few men were comfortable amid ruffles and lace and besides, from everything she’d heard when she and her friends talked about relationships, men had a thing about taking women to their beds.
Looking around, she realized that her first impression of Lane had been correct. He was not only a Texan from the top of his Resistol all the way to his big leather boots, he was a cowboy through and through. He had painted the walls a soothing sage that complimented the Native American artwork and printed drapes perfectly.
As she continued to peruse the room, her gaze landed on the rustic king-size bed and her heart skipped a beat. The natural shades of red in the cedar logs were in sharp contrast to the black satin pillows and comforter. His choice of bedding wasn’t what she expected, considering the rest of the decor. But as she stared at the bedding, she had to admit that the sheer sexiness of it suited the man she was about to make love with.
When he slipped his arms around her waist from behind, she leaned back against him. “It’s all right if you’re having second thoughts,” he said, nuzzling the side of her neck. “I don’t want you doing anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
Turning in his arms, she shook her head. “I’m not having second thoughts,” she said, wondering if what she was about to tell him would have him changing his mind. “I’m not on any kind of birth control.”
“Don’t worry, babe. I’ll take care of everything,” he said, kissing the side of her neck.