This time when she stood up on her toes and brushed her lips against his, he didn’t pull away. No. This time, his hands came around her and his lips moved, and then she wasn’t the one doing the seducing anymore.
She had practically floated away from the party in Travis’s arms, and the next two hours were everything she’d wanted and more. His lips trailed across her body, his fingers stroked her fire to a burning inferno, and his eyes worshipped her. He was so gentle, and yet so masculine at the same time that when he finally did enter her, there was only the smallest pinch of pain to remind her she had never had sex before.
Just before she was drifting to sleep, she couldn’t help but whisper, “I love you, Travis.”
And that’s when everything went wrong.
“Oh, Taylor, we shouldn’t have done this. You don’t know what love is. You’re too young, too immature. I took advantage of you, and drinking is no excuse,” he said. He untangled himself from her and sat on the edge of the bed, his head hung in shame.
“I wanted you, and you wanted me. There’s nothing wrong with that. I am so sick of everyone always telling me how young I am, how I should be doing this or that, anything but what I choose. Don’t ruin this, Travis.” She hated to plead with him, but she couldn’t lose him just when she’d finally gotten him.
“You will hate me for this, Taylor,” he said as he stood, pulling farther from her.
She pleaded with him to just stay, but he dressed and then apologized again before he walked from her hotel room, leaving her sobbing on the bed she’d just felt the greatest pleasure in.
“I hate you, Travis,” she whispered, so broken and empty . . .
TAYLOR WOKE UP
with a shiver traveling down her spine and a tear falling down her cheek. No light was coming through the cabin windows, but she knew she wouldn’t go back to sleep. That day six years ago had been her greatest pleasure and her greatest pain, and now she was having to relive it over and over again because she was with Travis in this secluded cabin.
Maybe she should just go back to her parents’ place, just admit defeat. Even the thought of that filled her with rage. No. Travis had broken her heart once, and she certainly wouldn’t trust the man, but he wouldn’t ever hear her beg again, and he wouldn’t see her cry.
It was his turn to cry, and she wouldn’t mind being the person to make him do so.
“You lost fair and square, Taylor. Now pay up.”
Taylor stomped her foot as she looked at Travis sitting so smugly on the couch, his hands behind his head, one foot across his knee, and a broad grin on his face.
“You know you would be considered a real tool if you make me go through with this,” she said, hoping he would give her an out.
“You’d make me do it. Now pay up.” Of course he wasn’t giving her an out.
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t,” he quickly responded, still not moving. “I have all night. The rain is coming down in sheets and makes a perfect backdrop.”
“Fine!”
Walking with as much dignity as this moment would allow, Taylor turned her iPhone on and pushed play on “Single Ladies,” then turned her back to Travis.
They’d been playing Scrabble, at which she normally excelled, but the letters just weren’t being her friend that night. The loser had to perform a dance for the other. She’d been so sure she was going to win, and then she was going to make him dance to “It’s Raining Men.” It would have been such sweet victory.
Instead, she had to shake her booty to “Single Ladies.” The sad part was that she’d learned the routine her freshman year of college, before she’d decided she wanted to race full-time and not spend all day in the classroom.
Closing her eyes, she tried to pretend Travis wasn’t there while she did the dance that made men drool. That was impossible, as the man was hooting and hollering as her hips shook. When she finally finished the song and turned to face him, brushing her fallen hair out of her face, she tried to look as defiant as possible. Not an easy task when she’d just humiliated herself.
“Next time, you will be the one dancing,” she assured him.
“Ah, baby, I’ll dance for you right now,” he said, standing up and making her take a step back.
“No. That’s perfectly all right,” she said, not trusting that look in his eyes one little bit.
“Come on, Taylor. Let’s dance together,” he said, moving slowly toward her.
“No.” She took another step back, but then found herself pressed against the wall. The cabin was way too small, and with the rain pouring down, it was becoming increasingly smaller.
“You’ve run out of room to hide,” he said, only a couple feet away now. The door was to her left, and Taylor made a rash decision. She darted through it and straight into the downpour.
Yes, she would certainly find herself cooled off, but that was good, because her body was on fire at the moment, and all it had taken was a smoldering look from Travis.
Oh, how she wished her stubborn pride would allow her to leave the cabin and run away. But at the same time, she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to gain control over her emotions about Travis, about her career, and about her family. She needed to find some sanity in her otherwise crazy life, and if she ran away from the cabin, she would only be taking one more step backward.
“Perfect. I love to dance in the rain.”
Before Taylor could close her mouth, Travis was pulling her into his arms and spinning her in a circle in the muddy front yard of the cabin. He’d not only followed her out, but was now dancing with her, music lightly drifting through the open front door of the cabin, barely audible over the sound of the pouring rain.