Forbidden Kiss (Carson Cove Scandals 1)

“That should work,” I chuckled under my breath. “I think she’ll realize she doesn’t stand a chance when she sees you in that dress. You’re going to make a lot of women think about calling their plastic surgeon before the night is over.”

“Should I have worn something different?” She looked down with a hint of worry in her pale green eyes.

“No.” I shook my head back and forth. “You look beautiful—hell, you’re fucking gorgeous.”

And you’re even more beautiful when a compliment makes you blush.

I managed to draw a line in my head between the girl that I used to know, and the woman Taylor had become. They might have been one in the same, but I let my attraction blind me to everything except for the woman sitting next to me. I hadn’t been on a date with anyone since my divorce, but Taylor made me feel things that I thought I would never feel again. The world seemed to be a little more vibrant—the air tasted cleaner—and the bleakness in my soul didn’t crush my spirit like it normally did. Alexis Devereaux couldn’t compete with that—nobody could.

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation was too strong to just ignore the fact that she was my daughter’s best friend. She was my date for the auction, but that was all she could ever be. Once the night was over, I would have to accept that—one date with Taylor was all that I would ever be able to have—and it was a fabricated one, designed to keep Alexis Devereaux at bay. Her charm might have captivated me in high school, but I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that she was after anything more than another rich husband she could plunder in an expensive divorce. She would have annoyed me for a little longer at the art show if Taylor hadn’t walked over, but she wouldn’t have gotten what she wanted.

“Valet parking?” Taylor raised her eyebrow as we pulled up to the curb outside of the museum. “They didn’t have that for the art show.”

“Mr. Wellington likes to turn it into a grand affair,” I chuckled under my breath.

We were early—technically. The itinerary said the auction was supposed to start at seven o’clock, but the first piece wouldn’t be brought out any earlier than eight. That gave people time to have a drink or two—and lower their inhibitions when it was time to bid. I didn’t need to have mine lowered—I already knew what I was going to buy.

Taylor and I got drinks from the bar and waited for the auction to begin. I was kind of relieved when I didn’t see Alexis anywhere in the room. She was a great excuse to get Taylor on my arm for the evening, but it would be even better if she didn’t show up at the auction. She was a fierce bidder, and her careless attempts at beating me for a piece of art had forced me to pay more than I expected a few times over the years—although I wasn’t sure how she was doing financially since her last divorce. She was one of the few people in Carson Cove that didn’t use my firm to manage her investments—it was probably because she blew her money so fast, she didn’t have any to invest—she never was the type to plan for the future.

“I see Alexis Devereaux’s blonde friend.” Taylor squeezed my arm and motioned to a woman that was mingling with a couple of people in the crowd.

“Ah, yes.” I nodded. “That’s Gina Harrington. They were best friends in high school.”

“Harrington?” Taylor raised an eyebrow. “I remember a couple of Harrington’s from high school.”

“Probably her brood,” I chuckled under my breath. “She got married right after high school and has somehow managed to avoid the divorce-curse in Carson Cove.”

“I think they’re about to bring out the first piece of art for the auction.” Taylor motioned to the stage.

“Yes, it looks that way. Ready to sit down?” I pulled out my phone to check which two seats had been assigned to me.

“Sure.” Taylor smiled—but then the smile faded from her face as quickly as it appeared. “She’s here…”

I followed Taylor’s gaze and saw Alexis Devereaux walk into the room. There was a time when every eye in the room would have been on her the instant she made an appearance, but she didn’t seem to get that kind of reaction anymore. Gina noticed her arrival and went scurrying to her side, just like she used to do when they were in high school togeth

er. It only took me a couple of seconds to realize that Gina had been sent to the auction early to spy on us—because she whispered something to Alexis and then they both looked our way. I decided that the best course of action was to just ignore them and tried to pull Taylor towards our seats, but she didn’t budge.

“Don’t give them any attention. That’s what they’re looking for.” I gave Taylor’s arm a gentle tug.

“I thought she would back off after the art show…” Taylor finally turned towards me and sighed.

“That’s not her style, but I can handle Alexis. Let’s just enjoy the auction.” I shrugged.

“Maybe she needs a little more motivation to stay away from you…” Taylor lifted her head and grinned.

“She’ll set her sights on someone else once she realizes that I’m not interested. She wants an easy target—I’m not it.” I shrugged again.

“Let’s see if we can speed that process along…” Taylor bit down on her bottom lip—and then she reached up to grab the back of my head.

I didn’t realize that Taylor was going to kiss me until her lips were already moving towards mine. I could have pulled away—but deep down—I didn’t want to. I had been thinking about those soft, pouty lips since the moment I laid eyes on them. They crashed into mine, and I didn’t hesitate to kiss her back. I pulled her close—turned that sweet little kiss into one that crushed her lips and didn’t stop until our tongues were intertwined. Her nails dug into my arm—she melted into my embrace—and by the time our lips broke the seal that had formed, we were both gasping for air. I didn’t look to see if Alexis noticed—I didn’t give a fuck. I just wanted to taste those lips again—no matter how wrong it was.

That look in Taylor’s eyes says she wants the exact same thing—and more.

Chapter Five

Taylor

“We should probably go to our seats now…” I felt like I was rooted in place, and my head was still spinning from the kiss.