Justine spotted them. “Sorry guys, I’ll be done in a minute.”
“Don’t be sillymí corazon,are you okay?” Taylor asked, concern etched on her face where lust had been only moments before.
“Yeah, the baby just isn’t loving meat right now. What are you guys doing here?”
Beau looked at Taylor, his cheeks heating. “Oh, uh we-”
“Oh my God, you were sneaking off to hook up, weren’t you?” Justine cried, flushing the toilet and rinsing her mouth.
“No, we totally weren’t, we were-” Taylor started but Justine’s squeal interrupted.
Justine clapped and then burst into tears, gesturing between the two of them. “That makes me so freaking happy, you guys!”
“Okay honey, I think it’s time to go home,” Blake sighed, steering a sobbing Justine around them.
Mood. Killed.
Maybe it was a sign, maybe it was for the best. Fate had intervened and stopped them yet again and maybe they should listen. But Beau couldn’t shake the feeling that it felt wrong to stop.
Blake and Justine left and then shortly after that Taylor started yawning so they called it a night. They didn’t speak the whole ride home and when they got inside Beau decided once and for all to put himself on the line, to make it clear what he wanted. They’d had enough miscommunication in the past.
He reached for Taylor, his eyes searing into hers with hot need. He saw the hesitation in them, knew he needed to give her an ultimatum, to make her pick.
“Tomorrow night. You can think about this until tomorrow night but then time’s up and you need to decide what you want. If you come near that bedroom door when you get back tomorrow, then you’re mine.”
Chapter 17
You’re mine.
His words echoed around in her head. The memory of his touch on her body played havoc with her hormones. She wanted him but what if, after all this time, it wasn’t good? What if he was a dud? God, what ifshewas? What if it ruined everything and they couldn’t claw their way back from this?
All she’d done since last night, other than simmer in unmet need, was worry. And remember the way he comforted her when Justine’s sonogram picture was passed around. His comfort had wrapped around her, nestling under her skin like a soothing balm to her wounds. Protecting them. Sealing them. A lump formed in her throat at the beauty of the feeling yet it terrified her. Because as much as she wanted him back in her life, to rekindle their friendship, she alsowantedhim with a deep ache that wouldn’t be eased.
If you fuck him, it could fuck everything up!her brain screamed, not helping her at all. She was fully aware of the magnitude of this decision. Were they mature enough to deal with the fallout of sleeping together? One time couldn’t hurt, could it? Just to get it out of their systems and then move on. If it was bad then that would work, but shit, what if it was good? Surely that was worse because then she would want to do it again and that’s when feelings got involved, shit got messy and then Taylor was out.
Do you really think you can sleep with him andnothave your feelings involved?
“No, hence the fucking dilemma,” she muttered to herself. Shit, her evil brain was right. She needed to talk it through with someone. She opened her chat with Christy and Justine but paused. Taylor was biased and couldn’t form an objective opinion but they were also biased. They wanted this almost as much as she did. She needed to speak to someone who wasn’t on her side. She opened her chat with Ruby.
Taylor:Should I sleep with him?
Ruby:Shocked emoji.You haven’t already ridden that horse????? I didn’t raise you right.
Taylor:You didn’t raise me at all.
Ruby:Keep telling yourself that, girlie.
Taylor:I think it’ll make things too complicated.
Ruby:Too complicated? Isn’t it just ‘insert part A into part B’? Or has it changed in the last decade?
Taylor snorted as her fingers flew over the screen.
Taylor:You know what I mean, it could get messy, feelings-wise.
Ruby:Because it could lead to something more? Love? Happiness? Everything you ever wanted? Yeah, sounds fucking horrible.
Taylor:You know how I feel about relationships, feelings and love etc.
