Shake It Up (Man of the Month 8)

"What can I say? I was a pretty cool kid."

"And an incredible man."

He put her on the bed, then told her to relax. Slowly, he undressed her, and though she tried to touch him, he insisted that she stay perfectly still. "Tonight's about you," he said, then proceeded to caress her bare skin. The touch of his hands--roughened by all the work he'd been doing on his apartment--made her squirm and roused her senses. Silently, she spread her legs, then sighed with pleasure when he took the hint, his fingers teasing and playing with her, making her crave a more intimate touch.

"Please," she murmured, but he said nothing. Instead, he moved between her legs, his body hard above hers. He kissed her mouth, nipping at her lower lip before trailing kisses down, lower and lower, until the muscles of her abdomen were quivering in anticipation and her sex was throbbing with desire.

And then, thank God, his mouth closed over her, his tongue laving her core as she arched up, electricity zipping through her, firing her senses and sending her spiraling over--the speed and intensity of the orgasm completely unexpected.

"Oh, God," she sighed. "I didn't--that was incredible."

He slid up her body, then kissed her gently. "Someone needed some stress relief."

"Mmmm. Someone did." Exhaustion weighed heavily on her. She wanted to return the favor, but she could barely keep her eyes open. It had been such a day.

"It's okay," he murmured. "I've got you."

And since she knew he did, she closed her eyes and let herself fall into the dark.

* * *

It was past midnight when Taylor woke with a start, her scream caught in her throat.

The dream had been horrible. Beau finding them. Taking her. Torturing the Bartletts.

And then, while she watched, killing Landon.

What the hell had she brought with her?

She knew better. She knew what Beau was capable of. And she damn sure knew that she should have gotten the hell out of Dodge the moment she'd caught even the slightest whiff that Beau was on her tail.

She hadn't. She'd stayed.

And she was going to bring hell down on so many people she cared about. People she loved.

Loved.

She closed her eyes, Landon's image filling her mind.

Did she love him? Could she after so little time?

She told herself it was impossible, but her heart said otherwise. He'd gotten inside her. Made a place for himself. She wanted him. More than that, she needed him. And if that wasn't love, she wasn't sure what was.

In the end, though, that didn't matter. She wasn't going to put him at risk. Not when she knew how to fix it. To make it all go away.

Quietly, she slipped out of bed. Silent tears streamed down her face as she dressed, then padded from the room.

It was easy to get outside, and she started walking down the long drive to the gate at the end of the property. The lovely limestone house stood on five acres outside of Dripping Springs, a town just southwest of Austin. The property was gated, with excellent security, but she knew that anyone inside could get out without triggering an alarm. That was her plan. Walk out, call an Uber, and get her ass to South Austin to find Dominic.

She glanced at her phone and flipped through her texts until she reached the one from yesterday. She'd sent it as a precaution. A safety net.

But now it was time to use it.

* * *

Taylor: It's E. Are you still in the business?

Dominic: I'm in. Talk in person. You remember the address?