“I’m not sure. I’m always thinking of new questions I want to ask in the interview, and I wouldn’t mind going back into town and looking around a little more. I’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow to hear back from Victoria and our legal department on the document we sent them—or,” she said as the idea hit her, “I could go for a bike ride.”
“All good possibilities,” he said after a few awkward minutes of silence. Then he turned and picked up his mug and started to leave the kitchen. “But all unnecessary. Meet me outside in fifteen minutes.”
And then he was gone.
Taylor stood there dumbfounded for a full minute before she actually moved. Then she quickly ate a cup of yogurt and took her coffee up to her bedroom to finish packing. Most of it was done, but now it was a matter of getting it all down the stairs and out to the car.
Once outside, she saw Mike pulling the SUV out of the garage. “You know, Newslink is paying for this rental. Why don’t we use it?” she suggested.
“It’s not a big deal,” he said when he took her bags and put them in the trunk. When they were both seated and buckled in, he turned to her. “Ready?”
Nodding, she smiled. “You never told me where it is that we are going.”
“Kennebunkport,” he said as they drove down the long driveway.
Unfortunately, Taylor didn’t know too much about the area, so she simply had to sit back and trust him in where they were going. They drove down many two-lane roads through small communities, and it gave her a sense of peace. “I would love to drive like this every day and not have to deal with the crazy pace of the city,” she sighed.
“Why do you stay there?” he asked, glancing her way.
“I’m used to it now, I guess. Besides, I’m rooted there. My job’s there. I have nothing to move to.” It was a sad but true statement. Taylor had no real family left. Even though it meant there was no one to keep her where she was, it also meant there was no one to move for.
“You think you would enjoy country life after all this time?”
“Absolutely. In the last two days I’ve felt better than I have in a long time.”
“In what way?”
“I’m relaxed, for starters. I find that I’m sleeping better, plus I haven’t had to yell or curse at anybody in at least forty-eight hours. That’s a record in my book!” They laughed and Taylor sat back and enjoyed the ride.
She must have nodded off because she felt herself gently nudged and heard Mike’s soft voice telling her they had arrived. Opening her eyes, she noticed they were parked by a marina.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, blinking at the sights.
“I told you we were going to see Wade’s second residence.” He nodded his head toward the marina. “It’s down there.”
“He has a boat?” she croaked. Mike was already out of the vehicle and gathering their bags from the back. He opened the door for Taylor and held it for her as she climbed out. There were dozens of boats docked at the marina, and Taylor wished she had some knowledge about Jonathan Wade that she could guess which one was his. Judging from his need for privacy, she’d imagine it would be plain and unobtrusive.
Watching Mike walk ahead of her, she was shocked to see him stop in front of a rather large yacht. Surely, he was stopping there to wait up for her. She picked up the pace and when she was by his side asked, “Well, which one is it?”
“We’re here,” he said and handed the bags to the captain waiting at the side of the boat.
“This is the boat of a man who craves anonymity?” she cried as she climbed on board. “This thing is easily fifty feet long!” Noticing other uniformed people on board, she added, “With a crew!”
Mike walked behind her, laughing. “Fifty-five feet, actually,” he corrected, and when she turned to him with wide eyes, he reached out and took her hand. “Relax, Taylor. Just because the guy likes his privacy doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy the good life. You make it sound like he should be living in a cave or something.”
He was right. Thus far, Jonathan Wade had been nothing that she’d expected—even though she’d yet to meet him. In a million years, she never would have pictured him living on a working farm, or having such a…normal home. He obviously trusted his employees with all he had since Mike seemed to have free rein of the place and all that went with it. And then there was the yacht. She didn’t even know how to begin to process it all. Shaking her head in disbelief, she let Mike lead her on the tour.
The boat housed four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large living and dining area, and a fully equipped kitchen. The captain, as well as two crew members, were there to assist them. The furniture was very modern and inviting—it was almost possible to forget she was on a boat and not in a luxury apartment. After the tour, Taylor sat down in the living room and thanked one crew member as he handed her a glass of iced water. She was still a little in awe of her surroundings and watched as he walked away. Mike sat down beside her.
“Well? What do you think?”
“I think I feel a little on display,” she whispered, glancing at the crewmen. Before she could stop him, Mike walked over to them and told them their services were not needed at the moment. Her jaw dropped. She was frowning when he rejoined her on the sofa.
“Now what’s wrong?” he asked with a dramatic sigh.
“This isn’t right,” she said as she faced him. “All of it. The car, the boat, the crew…” She stood up and began to pace. “I mean, I feel like I had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get here. I know the agreement we had, but I’m not okay with it. I should be sitting down like a serious journalist interviewing her subject, not tooling around with one of his employees!”
The look on Mike’s face told her that her ranting had hit a nerve. His jaw clenched and she saw a spark of anger in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mike. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just…well, the man should be here doing all of this himself. If he was serious about this interview, he’d be the one here, not having you drive me all over the place and entertaining me. Maybe it’s because of his reclusive lifestyle—he doesn’t realize how all of this would be considered odd.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him,” he answered in a tight tone. Standing, he walked to the kitchen to grab a beer. “You want one?” he asked coldly, seemingly unaware that it was barely eleven o’clock in the morning.
Taylor went to him. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry with me,” she pleaded. “I’m not used to being idle for this long. I work a lot. I don’t take vacations. Maybe he thought this would be a treat, but it isn’t for me. I was looking forward to working with a great author. Everyone back at the magazine is counting on me, but instead of working, I’m traipsing all around Maine!”
“There’s nothing I can do about it, Taylor, so you might as well concede defeat and go with it.” He took a sip of beer so he could gain a moment to get his emotions under control. “The plan was to take you out for a sail today and on a bicycle tour tomorrow. The weather is going to be unseasonably warm so I thought you’d enjoy it. We can head home after lunch if you’d prefer.” He turned to walk out before she could respond, but she stopped him.
“Wait a minute,” she called after him in an angry tone. When he turned around and faced her, she stormed over to him. “I said I was sorry, dammit. What more do you want from me?” He didn’t say a word, but a blaze of emotion flashed in his eyes. “Why is it that we’ve been able to talk about nearly anything and everything, and yet when I happen to express my feelings—my frustrations—you get ticked off? This is who I am, Mike. I’m not the quiet girl you used to know. I have emotions and there are times when I’m out-and-out bitchy. If you can’t deal with that, then okay, we’ll head back to the farm. We don’t even have to wait until after lunch. Let’s just go now.” She turned to head down the hall, where she had seen one of the crewmen place her luggage, but Mike re
ached out and grabbed her gently around her upper arm to stop her.
“Hey,” he said softly. “You’re right. I overreacted and I’m sorry. I guess it didn’t occur to me that you wouldn’t be pleased with all of this. Most people would kill to play ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous’ for a few days. I’m used to people being okay with taking advantage of what Wade’s money has to offer.”
“Well, I’m not,” she replied in the same quiet tone. “I don’t expect to be treated like this, like I’m somebody who needs to be pampered and spoiled. To be honest, it makes me a little uncomfortable.”
He tugged her closer. “I was hoping you’d be pleasantly surprised by the bike tour, though. I thought it was perfect for you, and technically not a very pampering experience.” A lopsided grin crossed his face and Taylor couldn’t help but grin with him. “I would really like to take you on the tour.”
“I’d really like to go on the tour. Thank you.”
He slowly released her arm and took a drink from the frosted bottle in his other hand, his eyes on Taylor the entire time. Carefully, he placed it down on the butcher-block counter and visibly seemed to relax. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll tell the captain we’re ready to go, and we can get some good time out on the water today. Would you like that?” She nodded and all the remaining tension left his body. “Good. I’ll be right back.”
“Mike?” she called out when he was halfway out the door. “I’m sorry about what I said before. I didn’t mean it.”
“I know,” he said and walked out the door.
* * *
Two hours later, Taylor felt like she had stepped into the pages of some amazing travel magazine. The view of the water was breathtaking—the weather was perfect and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. They enjoyed their lunch out on the deck and for the most part, they kept their conversation to a minimum.
Taylor didn’t mind. She had said enough earlier and didn’t want to risk saying anything else that would upset Mike. Once she was done with her lunch, she took out her camera and got some shots of the ocean. Not that there was much to see, but she had never gone sailing in any way, shape, or form in her life, so the experience was new and she wanted to capture it on film.
“We’ll continue on this course for another hour or so,” Mike said as he came to stand beside her. “Then we’ll stop for a while. I wish it was warmer so we could have gone for a swim.”
“Oh, I don’t know if I would have been ready for something like that. I’m a big baby when water is involved. And I’m pretty sure it’s super deep out here with lots of slithering creatures swimming about. No thank you.” He chuckled at her words and they shifted positions so Taylor was leaning against the rails as Mike wrapped his arms around her from behind.
It was a good feeling. Very good. Taylor couldn’t help but lean back into him so she could feel him firmly pressed against her, practically from head to toe. Without thought, she tilted her head to the side and was thrilled when he took that as a sign to begin nuzzling at her neck. She hummed her approval and soon found herself turning in his arms.
“Hi,” he said softly as she faced him.
“Hi, yourself.” Her arms came up and twined their way around his shoulders as she pressed closer to him.
“You’re missing a pretty spectacular view,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers.
“I think this particular view is pretty spectacular, too.” Then she leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips, and was rewarded when he groaned right before his arms banded around her.
“If we start this, you’re going to miss the rest of the sights,” Mike said, his voice a little gruff.
“I think I’d be more than happy with the sights below deck,” she said with a wicked grin so that Mike couldn’t miss the double entendre.
Wordlessly, Mike took Taylor’s hand and led her back into the main cabin, and then down the stairs to the master stateroom. He closed the door, watching as she slowly wandered the room, touching the furniture and the bed. She was slightly nervous. “We don’t have to do this, Taylor. Not if you’re uncomfortable.”
Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled and chuckled. “You may not believe this, but the only thing making me uncomfortable is how much I want this and the fact that I want to…push you up against that door and have you kiss me like you did in the kitchen yesterday. Until neither of us can catch our breath.”
A lazy grin crossed his face. “And yet you’re standing all the way over there.”
Slowly, so slowly, she walked toward him until he had no choice but to back up against the door. Her breathing was ragged, and the intense look on Mike’s face was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. “Are we crazy?” she asked softly. “We barely know each other anymore.”
Mike shook his head. “We’re not crazy, Taylor. I never forgot you. Couldn’t forget you.” He reached out to stroke a hand across her cheek and she was surprised to see it was shaking. She was relieved to know she wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
“Me too, you know. I never forgot you, either. I felt guilty—”
“Shh…” He placed a finger over her lips. “I don’t want to talk about the past. Not anymore.” She nodded in agreement and stepped closer to him until her breasts were pressed against his chest. He removed his finger from her lips and caressed her cheek with it. “You’re so soft, Taylor. So beautiful.”
She blushed at his words. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Not ever. Only him. “I need you to touch me,” she said boldly.
It was all the encouragement he needed. As she rose on tiptoes to press her lips to his, Mike’s hands immediately went to her waist before he let his hands roam up her back and then down to her bottom, where he gently squeezed, and then back up and around until her breasts filled his hands and his thumbs were teasing her nipples.
Taylor kissed him all the while, not wanting to stop, needing him desperately. Without even realizing it, he began to walk her backward toward the bed. When the back of her legs touched the mattress, she jumped, breaking the kiss. There were a million questions in Mike’s eyes as she looked at him. And her answer to every one of them was yes.
She reached down for the hem of her sweater and lifted it over her head. Looking up at Mike, she was surprised to see he was still looking at her face, her eyes. He was wearing his standard attire of thermal layered with flannel. Taylor’s hands went to work on the buttons of the flannel shirt and she smiled up at him. “I’ve been wanting to do this for days.”
“Days, huh?” She nodded. When the last button was undone and she pushed the shirt from his shoulders and down his arms, he let it fall to the ground before he took care of the thermal shirt himself. It joined the pile on the floor as well.
Unable to help herself, Taylor leaned in and let her hands finally feel the strong expanse of his chest. It was even more impressive than what she’d imagined. His skin was warm and smooth, with a smattering of hair that was perfect to her. Her mouth actually watered and she closed the distance to rain tiny kisses across his chest until she heard him hiss.
Lifting her head, she looked up at him. Their gazes never wavered as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra and let it drop to the floor. Next, she kicked her shoes off and then shimmied out of her jeans and panties. When she straightened and looked at him, she saw a fire in his eyes that excited her more than any caress ever had.
“I seem to be a little overdressed,” he said thickly, his eyes still on hers.
“I doubt you’ll stay that way for long,” she said wickedly as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and carefully pulled him down onto the bed with her.
And she was right.
* * *
Later, as Taylor lay in his arms, she couldn’t help but marvel at how right everything felt, as if her entire life had been leading up to this specific point in time. She sighed and s
nuggled closer to him. “That was pretty amazing,” she finally said.
He kissed the top of her head. “I have to agree. But then again, I knew it would be.”
Slowly, Taylor lifted her head. “You did, huh?” He nodded. “How could you be so sure?”
“Because it’s you,” he said simply. “I knew ten years ago when I kissed you that if we ever had the chance at more, it would be incredible.” His hand reached out and softly skimmed her cheek. “You were worth the wait.”
Everything inside of her melted and she had no idea what to say. She felt the same way about him. It was hard to be with him—and not just like this—but in any capacity and not regret the past. If she had been stronger, more confident back then, maybe she would have sought him out after she and Eddie had broken up. To think of all the years they wasted just wondering what could have been.
Leaning down, Mike kissed her thoroughly. “As much as I’d like to keep you down here all day and night, I need to go back on deck and make sure things are running smoothly and see about dinner.”
“Is it dinnertime already?” she asked, looking at the clock in surprise. They had been locked away for hours. A blush crept across her cheeks. She was going to say something flippant about time flying and all that, but it would have been ridiculous.
Mike rose from the bed and went in search of his pants. “I made sure everything was stocked for us for dinner so all I have to do is cook it up.” He glanced at the clock. “Why don’t you stay down here and relax or write or whatever you want to do. I’ll call for you when dinner’s ready. How does that sound?”
“Like you’re spoiling me,” she said as she sat up and stretched. The sheet she had been carefully clinging to slipped down around her waist, baring her to him. At first Taylor was oblivious to what she’d done, but one look at the heated expression on Mike’s face and she knew. Her hands immediately went to pick up the sheet and cover herself, but Mike placed one knee on the bed and his hand reached out to stop her.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice low. “You’re so beautiful, Taylor. I look at you and I ache.” His head lowered to her breast and Taylor felt herself slowly falling back onto the pillows, Mike’s body carefully covering hers. His lips gently suckled and a moan escaped Taylor’s lips before she could stop it.
Exclusive / a Touch of Heaven Page 9