He grinned and suddenly swept her into his arms. “Today, I’m Pluto. I’m going to kidnap you, and…” He didn’t finish the sentiment.
She threw her arms around his neck, laughing. “Just as long as you don’t take me underground, I’ll come willingly.”
“Come to my blanket,” he teased.
“Okay.”
“And I’ll share my food with you.”
“Okay.”
She was feather light in his arms, and he breathed deeply of her lilac scent. “Why aren’t you putting up a fight? Some Persephone you are!”
“Because I’m starved!”
Laughing, Taylor eased Katie to the ground and onto the blanket. Before he knew what was happening, she had placed a quick kiss on his mouth. The kiss of a butterfly. His lips tingled in the aftermath of this spontaneous show of affection. Seeming not to notice, Katie quickly divided the fare between them, then sat down next to him.
“I couldn’t find any meat in your refrigerator,” Taylor noted unhappily, looking down at the peanut butter sandwiches.
“I don’t eat meat.”
“You and my photographer,” he muttered.
She smiled, munching contentedly on the sandwich. “This has as much protein as meat.”
“Don’t you start on me, too.”
“Was I picking on you?”
“Yes, and you know it. I can see that gleam in your eye.”
Katie feigned surprise. “A Scorpio never misses a thing,” she teased.
He lay back, propping himself up with one arm as he polished off another sandwich, then began on a crisp red apple. “I’m a reporter. I’m trained not to miss much.”
“I think you’d be good at any work that requires detail. Did you always want to be a reporter, Taylor?”
Taylor shrugged. “As a kid, I wanted to be a cop. Is that a good Scorpio occupation?”
She smiled. “Very much so. So is becoming a detective.”
“When I went to college I got interested in journalism. I suppose it was because I saw what influence the press could have.” He frowned down at the half-eaten apple. “I graduated with honors and a whole lot of idealistic theories about how, as a reporter, I could make the world a better place to live.”
Katie heard the disillusionment in his voice. “What happened to make you alter that view, Taylor?”
“Getting a job as a crime reporter. I wanted to do exposés, and that’s what I did. I didn’t realize quite how badly it was getting to me—the sort of people I was dealing with, the destroyed lives. And then, last year, I got a new editor. I did one gut-wrenching series on the street people in New York. I spent months among them. It nearly tore me apart.” He set the apple aside, staring at the calm surface of the lake. “And after I’d busted my tail on that assignment and put myself through an emotional wringer, the editor wouldn’t run the piece.”
Katie frowned. “Why?”
“It wasn’t flashy enough. He wanted me to concentrate on the teenage hookers. Sex sells papers, he said. He wasn’t interested in the total story.”
Katie shook her head. “That isn’t good journalism!”
“That’s what I told him. We got into one hell of a fight.” Taylor snorted softly. “Actually, I should thank the jerk. It was the final straw in a life that was already going bad. Ultimately it was what made me quit my job and move to California.”
Katie reached out, her fingertips resting lightly on his arm. “You were very tired, weren’t you?”
His flesh tingled beneath her touch. Did Katie know how she affected him? Clearly she didn’t. One look into those caring eyes, and he knew she would never tease him.
“Tired? I was burned out. I destroyed my marriage. I blew my job. Yeah, when I left New York, there was no going back. Everything had changed for me there. What I had was gone—”
“You blame yourself for the failure of your marriage. Why?”
He gazed up at her. “How many relationships have you had, Katie?”
“Enough. You see me as a scatterbrained idealist—and I admit that I’ve made my share of mistakes in life. On the human level, I mean.”
“Sometimes I can’t believe you’ve been with a man,” he admitted quietly. “You seem so innocent…. You’re so different from most women.”
“Not so different, believe me,” she assured him. “Without going into my own sordid past, let me say that I know what it takes to make a relationship grow or die, Taylor. And I can’t understand why you take all the blame for what happened to your marriage. Marriage is never a one-way street.”
“It was for me.”
“Did you love Mary Ann?”
He nodded. “When I married her, I thought it would be forever. I made a commitment to her that I’d never made to another woman. And she was incredibly beautiful.”
Katie gauged the pain in his voice. “Beauty that was skin deep, or beauty from the heart?” she posed.
“You’re right. You’re not as naive as I thought.” But the halfhearted attempt at a smile died on his lips. “No, Mary Ann didn’t have beauty from the heart. In the beginning, I thought she did.”
“When did you marry her?”
“Right after I began to get some recognition. I’d won a number of prestigious journalism awards within a short amount of time. I was on the Manhattan party circuit—a newcomer, and a little uncomfortable with it, but there. Anyway, I was at one of the swankier affairs—it looked like a Who’s Who of New York City. Mary Ann was there. She hadn’t been in the city long—she was from a small Midwestern town and had signed with one of the smaller modeling agencies. I was talking to the owner of the biggest agency in town. Mary Ann came up and introduced herself. One thing led to another as we stood there talking, and Mary Ann got an appointment to see the agency head the following day. The rest is history. We got married after a whirlwind courtship, and her career shot up like a meteor.”
Katie bit her lip and nodded. Mary Ann had been a user, she guessed. She had ridden on the coattails of Taylor’s hard-earned success and had used his connections to launch her own career. “And as her career blossomed, you began to grow apart?” Katie queried.
“Yeah. She had a lot of overseas modeling assignments.‘ And when she was in New York, she liked to party. Of course, I was on the night beat and couldn’t always join her. There wasn’t much room for compromise.”
Katie’s heart ached for him. Even now, Taylor didn’t realize he’d been used. Or perhaps he knew and didn’t want to admit it. Maybe the realization was just too painful. Katie couldn’t blame him if that was the case.
She looked at him somberly. “All right. Let’s talk about—”
“No more about me. I’ve exposed enough for one day, Katie Riordan.”
He was teasing her again, and she responded. “As if I’m going to go tell all of Rio Conchos about you.”
“I know you keep plenty of secrets. And I wouldn’t have told out anything if I didn’t trust you.”
Katie chuckled. “Scorpio’s trust so rarely. But when they do, it’s completely.” She lifted her cup. “Here’s a toast to our mutual trust.”
Taylor raised his cup, feeling guilty. “I betrayed your trust the first day I met you, Katie. Why are you giving me a second chance? I know I wouldn’t be so generous.”
She laughed. “Sagittarian’s are different. We’re generally forgiving. Maybe because we know we’re fallible. So we don’t consider it the end of the world when other people make mistakes. Like Scorpio’s do.”
His smile warmed his eyes as he watched her. “Is there anything good about being a Scorpio?”
“Of course there is!”
“What?”
“They’re quiet, passionate, proud—and very loyal. Once a Scorpio loves you, it’s forever. I like Scorpio’s. My mother was one. Maud is, too.” Katie’s eyes twinkled. “And now you. I’m surrounded by a sea of scorpions.”
He cocked his head. “And the scorpion’s sting can be lethal. Aren’t yo
u afraid we’ll do you in?”
With a delighted laugh, Katie got to her feet. She unbuttoned her skirt, allowing it to fall to her feet, and slipped off her sandals. “You Scorpio’s think you’re so big and bad. Come on, I’m ready for a swim. How about you?”
She was a sunbeam, Taylor decided, stripping down to the black swimming trunks he’d donned at his house. Well, sunbeams never stayed still for long. Katie had grabbed her brightly colored beach towel and was running toward the lake. Spreading the rainbow-hued towel over the lush grass, she tugged off her hair ribbon, releasing a cascade of black curls. She gave Taylor an impatient look and walked gingerly to the water’s edge, calling for him to hurry.
As he laid his olive-drab towel next to hers, Taylor shook his head. If he hadn’t know Katie was a healer, that she ran a crazy bookstore filled with odd tomes, he would think she was just your everyday beautiful woman at this moment. Her bathing suit clung lovingly to her body, and she played in the water like a seal pup. His grin widened as he waded in after her.
During the next half hour, Taylor learned to play. When Katie dived and grabbed him by his feet, pulling him under water, he was unprepared. He fought his way to the surface, spitting and gasping for air. Katie swam out a good distance. Then she stopped, treading water and laughing.
Taylor wiped the water from his eyes and stalked her. He certainly planned to even the score! Physical activity hadn’t been one of his avocations back in New York. He hadn’t swum in years. Consequently Katie was able to elude him quite effectively at first. Finally he caught her on the other side of the small lake. Hands spanning her waist, he lifted her from the water until her smiling eyes were level with his own.
“I ought to dunk you,” he gasped.
Katie grinned, her fingers gripping his hard, muscular shoulders. Hair clung to her face, and she blinked away the water. “Well, go ahead. Get even with me. Scorpio’s love revenge.”
He gave her an intense look and drew her to him. “I extract my revenge my way,” he growled.
Katie was unprepared. Her breath caught in her throat as his mouth captured hers. He was warm and strong and tasted of tart apple. A quiver sang through her body as he molded her body to his; the water was cool, his flesh hot. With a sigh, she settled her arms on his shoulders, feeling the heavy beat of his heart. And as she felt his maleness harden against her, fire leaped crazily through her. Each nip of his mouth made her dizzy with need.
“Taylor,” she whispered, her breath ragged against his mouth, “I want you…so badly.
His hands followed the contours of her body, sliding down over her hips, pinning her against him, letting her know just how much he hungered for her, too. He was aware of her nipples hardening against his chest, the flutter of her heart. There was nothing fragile about Katie now. She was all woman, responding to him and driving him to the edge of reason. Taylor knew if he didn’t stop, she would carry him over that barrier of no return. He had great self-control; but once it was breached, he couldn’t go back….
With a groan, he gently eased Katie away. He saw the disappointment shadowed in her eyes, and felt bad. Words—the deeply personal words that came so hard to him—were not there to explain why he had broken the intimacy that simmered between them.
“Come on,” he said thickly, releasing her. “Let’s lie on the bank and get some sun. I’m cold.” Liar. He throbbed with a fiery heat, and he ached to make love to her. The hurt in Katie’s eyes made him feel even worse as he took her hand and helped her from the water. He dropped an arm across her shoulders and steered her around the lake toward their towels.
Her skin still glistened with water and after she plopped down on her belly, Taylor took his towel and dried her off. She smiled, head resting on her arms.
“You know, I didn’t realize how long your hair is,” Taylor murmured, running several strands through his fingers. Damp silk, he thought as he allowed the strands to fall back across her shoulder.
“It’s about halfway down to my waist,” Katie said, closing her eyes. Taylor’s touch made her feel like a cherished gift, and she almost forgot the earlier hurt of his withdrawal. “But it’s so curly that when it’s dry, it looks much shorter than it really is.”
He spread his damp towel and eased himself down on it. Mere inches separated them; the sun felt good on his skin. “I like your hair,” he said. “When I first saw you, I was sure you were a Gypsy fortune teller.”
Katie chuckled. “You weren’t far from wrong.”
“You don’t tell fortunes. You heal with your hands.”
She opened her eyes, met his and in that instant, knew he was serious. “You’ve finally accepted that I can heal?”
“You sound skeptical.”
She smiled. “I am. What changed your mind?”
“You.”
“What do you mean, Taylor?” Her heart beat harder, and she realized that his answer was very important to her. Something miraculous was taking place between them, and she couldn’t quite believe it. Taylor had been so suspicious of her. Hadn’t he all but called her a fake in his article? Now he looked almost boyish, damp hair grazing his brow, the harsh lines gone from his face.
“It’s you, Katie. I can’t explain it. I see you differently now. Hell, I can’t explain it—I can only feel it. Spending these last few days with you has changed my mind.”
A feeling of warmth flowed through Katie, and she savored it. “So, now that you believe in me—do I become a specimen to be studied?”
Taylor blinked. “A specimen?”
“Yes.”
“Hell no!”
“Don’t take offense.”
“I do.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He relaxed slightly, wanting to cup her delicate face and kiss her. And she must have read the intention in his eyes, because she propped herself up, leaned over and placed her lips directly on his. She was sweet, her breath moist across his cheek, and he groaned.
“Katie, no…” he said thickly.
She broke contact, studying him from beneath her lashes. “Why not, Taylor?”
He shook his head. “Look,” he said hoarsely, “I try to maintain semblance of control, but you’re making it tough.”
“But I want you.”
Shaken by her honesty, Taylor reached up, caressing her cheek. “Katie—”
“Is it that you don’t want me? Is it because you see me as…as different, Taylor?”
He heard the pain in her voice; he saw it in her eyes. Cursing, Taylor sat up. He took her hands in his. “It has absolutely nothing to do with that, sweetheart. Absolutely nothing.” And suddenly he remembered that Katie had told him her fiancé had dropped her for that very reason. “Is that what you think? That I see you as a freak of some kind and therefore don’t want you?”
Katie nodded and turned away from him.
“No!” he said roughly. “Katie, you’re the most desirable woman I’ve ever met. And more than anything else, I want you. Do you hear me? I’ve never ached like this for a woman. You tie me in knots. Every time you look at me with those huge, soulful eyes of yours, I go nuts.”
She turned her head to meet his thunderous eyes. “Then why do you push me away? Can a kiss shared be so wrong?”
Taylor took an unsteady breath. “Listen to me,” he began. “When I kiss you I want to go far beyond that, Katie. I don’t have any control when it comes to you.” He looked toward the lake. “And dammit, you’re not the sort of woman who has casual relationships. I could never hurt you, Katie. I would never want to. And I’m just not sure—”
He wanted to tell her that if he made love to her, she would—and should—expect a commitment from him. A lasting one. And right now, Taylor was still too haunted by his past, by his divorce; he couldn’t think clearly. He couldn’t let himself hurt Katie just because he was still battling his past. She deserved a hell of a lot better than that. And before anything happened between them, he wanted to be sure he could give it.
“Look,” he went on, “I’ve hurt you once already. Deeply. I never expected to grow so close to you, Katie. Or—” The word love nearly escaped his lips, and this shocked him. “I’m still suffering over my divorce. I’m still reeling from all the changes I’ve been through. And I won’t drag you through them with me. As much as I want to—and as much as I want you right now. But I’ll be damned if I’ll add to your problems. You’ve got enough already. Some of which I have caused. I’ll never forgive myself for that article, dammit. And how, in addition to the reporters hounding you, you’ve got some nut job threatening your life. You don’t need me to contribute any more problems than those I’ve already inflicted.”
She tried to smile. “Thanks, Taylor,” she said, squeezing his hands.
“Thanks for what?” he growled.
“For being honest with me and for being yourself.” I love you for that, Katie added silently. And she did. There was no rhyme or reason for the feelings in her heart; she only knew that Taylor was special as no other man had been before. Where would all of this lead? He had been wounded by his divorce. He had hurt her in another way. Taylor saw only his failings; he knew little of what was good about himself. Katie smiled and leaned over to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.
“This evening?”
“Yes?” he said, puzzled.
“Will you help me make dinner?”
Taylor groaned and flopped back down on the towel, throwing an arm across his eyes. “Katie, I’m the world’s worst cook. I burn water.”
“If you insist on living with me until we catch my threatening caller, you’re going to have to pull your own weight, Taylor Grant. That means cooking, too.” Somehow, Katie would begin to show him that he wasn’t such a bad person after all. She planned to do it through little things. For Katie, it was the small, thoughtful gestures that counted the most between people. Her eyes grew tender as she stared down at Taylor. The cosmos worked in strange and unexpected ways, she thought. And she was glad.
Chapter 9
The phone was ringing when Katie opened, the door. Her smile disappeared as Taylor walked over to answer it.
A Chance Encounter Page 11