by Astor, Marie
“Hi.” Maggie felt her breath quicken as she looked at Taylor, instantly reminded of how much she liked him.
Once they were inside Taylor’s truck, Maggie asked casually, “So where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Let’s see, maybe I can guess. Is it a steakhouse?”
Taylor shook his head.
“Italian?”
“Nope.”
“French?” Maggie asked dubiously.
“That’s not it either.”
“Is it seafood?” she ventured.
“You’ll just have to wait until we get there.” Taylor grinned as he started the truck, and, with only one hand on the wheel, steered it deftly through the snowed-in road.
Fifteen minutes later Taylor made a quick turn and pulled into a parking lot. “This is it. Hold on, let me get the door for you.”
When they walked around to the front of the building Maggie saw a huge sign with tangled up fishing net around its borders for decoration; the sign read: “Fisherman’s Wharf.”
“So it is a seafood place.”
Taylor nodded. “The best in town.”
At the Fisherman’s Wharf the tables were lined with rough brown paper, which gave the place a casual, homey feel. The air was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of steamed crab and lobster. Endless chatter and laughter filled the room with buzzing energy; everywhere there were cheerful faces, flushed with color from being outdoors all day. Busy waiters carried trays full of beer and wine as they hurried to serve the restaurant’s numerous patrons.
Maggie and Taylor were seated in the back of the restaurant in a corner booth that was sheltered from the noise and commotion of the restaurant.
“This place has great character.” Maggie instantly fell in love with the restaurant’s friendly, relaxing atmosphere.
“Just wait till you try the food.”
“What’s good here?”
“Alaskan crab is the best dish in the house, hands down,” answered Taylor without a moment’s hesitation.
“Okay, then, that’s what I’ll have.” Maggie pushed away the menu.
As they waited for their food, Maggie spotted a stack of crayons in a tiny silver bucket that stood in the middle of the table. She grabbed a crayon and twirled it in her hand, remembering how as a kid, she used to love drawing with the exact same crayons. The floor of her room would be full of discarded sketches, with only a few selected masterpieces stacked on the table to be presented to her parents. Already, she was trying to tell stories with her pictures, and when her dad got her a camera for her seventh birthday she immediately knew that she really wanted to tell stories with photographs: something she had been longing to do ever since.
“What are you thinking about?” Taylor asked, leaning across the table.
“It’s kind of silly.” Maggie blushed.
“Tell me.”
“Well, I was thinking how I had the exact same crayons when I was a kid. Isn’t it weird how sometimes you see something that reminds you of the past, and then it just takes you back to that moment. Sometimes, I wish it were possible to go back in time and get a do-over.”
“I don’t know about that,” said Taylor at length. “If we could go back and change things on a whim, then why care about the choices we make? No, I like knowing that every moment has to be lived to its fullest. That’s what gives meaning to life: knowing what you want and going after it with all your heart because you might never get another chance to do it again.”
“Thank you,” Maggie said.
“For what?”
“For showing me how true that is and for helping me to believe in it.”
“You’re welcome.” Taylor smiled. “But I really think that you are giving me too much credit.”
Maggie shook her head. “How do you do it? Where do you get this certainty of knowing what you want and going after it?”
“Well, I don’t always know right off the bat, but I usually figure it out in due time.” Taylor grinned, but then his face grew serious. “I think it has a lot to do with the mountains: when you are up there, everything counts - every choice you make has consequences and that makes everything else in life fall into perspective. At least that’s how it works for me. It’s the reason why I left New York - I did not want to be swallowed up by all that hustle and bustle. I only wish my dad would understand that.”
“Have you tried talking to him?” Maggie ventured.
Taylor nodded. “I tried, but every time we talk we end up butting heads. I guess he is too set in his ways to consider anyone else’s point of view but his own. Now, we mostly call each other on holidays.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Oh, I don’t know…” Taylor rubbed his forehead. “I guess right before I moved out here permanently – four years ago...”
“I don’t mean to stick my nose into things, but maybe you could try to talk to him in person?”
“Maybe. I’ll think about it.” Taylor looked away, his voice trailing off, and Maggie could tell that he wanted to close the subject for now.
As they walked back to Taylor’s truck, Maggie drew a sharp breath – this was the moment of truth, the moment when she had to tell Taylor that they could no longer see each other. Their evening together made her attraction for him even more intense and the thought of never seeing him again filled her with desperate longing; yet, she knew what had to be done.
She was just about to kick off her tirade by thanking Taylor for a wonderful night when, all of a sudden, before she could say another word, Taylor pulled her close to him. In an instant, his lips were pressed against hers, and his arms were wrapped around her in a tight embrace. So that’s what it’s like to be held in Taylor Denton’s arms, Maggie thought.
“Taylor, wait,” she gasped. “We can’t do this…”
In an instant he let go of her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” He seemed distant and cold, an altogether different man from the one who had his arms around her just a moment ago.
“No, it’s not that.” In the scant light of the parking lot Maggie could see the hurt expression on Taylor’s face and she felt her insides twinge – she could not lie to him - both of them deserved the truth. “It’s just that things are so complicated… I don’t want to interfere with your life.”
“I think it’s a bit too late for that.” Taylor shook his head. “Ever since I met you, I can’t seem to get you out of my head.”
Maggie’s knees buckled at the sound of Taylor’s words – she yearned to tell him that she felt exactly the same way about him, but to admit it out loud would be equivalent to sealing their own dooms. “Taylor… I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with you, but I don’t want to be in the way of things. I know how much the documentary means to you, and us,” she paused, unsure of how to characterize their relationship, “being involved could ruin everything. Jeffrey can be very spiteful, and I don’t want him to cancel the project because of me. If only things could have been different.”
Instead of wasting his breath on words, Taylor scooped her into his arms again, pressing his mouth against hers. The powerful tug of his lips against hers was impossible to resist – she was, after all, only human.
“I don’t care about the project or Jeffrey,” Taylor said after he finally pulled away from her. “All I know is that I can’t be away from you, and if being with you means giving up the documentary, that’s the price that I’m willing to pay.”
Maggie was out of excuses – some vague, distant part of her kept reminding her of her resolution to say no, but the larger, dominant part of her ached to be with Taylor.
“Do you want to go to my place?” She whispered – never in her life had she been so forward about sex, but then, she was a different person around Taylor.
“I have a better idea. Let’s go to my house instead.”
She kissed him by way of answer.
The engine whirred and the tires s
creeched as Taylor steered the truck onto the road.
The road was dark and they were going so fast that at first, Maggie feared that the car might swerve off the road, but when she saw how in control Taylor looked behind the wheel, she calmed down, trusting him completely.
Several moments later, Taylor made a series of turns, and began slowing down to park the car by his house.
“I’ve only just finished building the house this fall, so it still has some construction stuff in it,” said Taylor as he took Maggie’s hand to help her out of the car.
The touch of his hand sent tingles all the way from her wrist, to her shoulder, to the rest of her body.
“You’ve built your house yourself?” Maggie’s voice rang with admiration: she had always found the idea of a man being handy with tools extremely sexy. Jeffrey, on the other hand, could not even drive a nail into a wall.
“Well, not entirely by myself,” admitted Taylor. “I had help from my grandfather, Shawn, and a few other friends. My grandfather had worked construction when he was young, so he taught me a lot of things.”
It was dark outside, but an automatic light on the porch provided just enough illumination to see the house’s sturdy log construction, which was in perfect harmony with the snow-wrapped pines that covered the vast chunk of the land that it stood on.
Once they were inside the wood-paneled foyer, Taylor took Maggie’s coat, and she followed him into the living room. In the center of the room stood a huge fireplace - not a gas imitation, but a real fireplace with real firewood. Taylor lit a match and Maggie watched the fire come to life as it licked its way over the expertly stacked logs, filling the room with the smell of burning wood.
Without having to say another word they moved next to each other, their lips meeting hungrily as their hands ran passionately over each other’s bodies. His lips kissed her face and her neck as his powerful, tender hands caressed her body, pulling her closer to him. She stroked the lean, taut muscles of his arms and torso, feeling an intense urge of her body to unite with his.
Taylor’s face looked different in the firelight, as he leaned in to kiss her lips, neck and breasts. Her body tingled all over as his strong, gentle hands caressed her. She wrapped her arms around him, overcome with deep, primal desire for him.
“Should we go upstairs?” Taylor murmured.
Maggie shook her head, motioning for him to lower her on the thick rug by the fireplace, unwilling to postpone their bodies’ union a moment longer.
Chapter 22
Even before she woke up, Maggie became aware of Taylor’s body next to hers. She opened her eyes and watched the bright sunrays stealing their way through the window blades fall on his face. Images of their lovemaking from the night before lingered in her mind, filling her with happiness that was almost too much to bear. She had never imagined that two people could come together so completely. There was no point of denying it: she had fallen in love with Taylor Denton.
Up until now, she did not fully understand the meaning of the word: all those pointless dates she had gone on in search of the right guy until she settled for Jeffrey, convincing herself that he was the best that she could hope for. She even managed to deceive herself into believing that she was in love with him. Until last night, Jeffrey had been the only man she had ever been with - Maggie flinched, remembering his gymnastic-like approach to sex. She burrowed her face under the pillow, thinking that she never wanted to be reminded of Jeffrey Preston again.
Before she met Taylor her life was in black and white, and now, her senses were flooded with the brightest of colors. It did not matter that she had only known Taylor for a mere handful of days - the powerful, sweeping sensation that took hold of her from her first encounter with him refused to subside, growing stronger with each day.
But was it really possible to fall in love at first sight? A few days ago she would have laughed at the notion, and now, she was a firm believer.
“Good morning.” Taylor’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her.
“Did I wake you?”
“No.” He shook his head. “What were you thinking about?”
“Oh, nothing.” Maggie blushed – she was not about to reveal to him the depth of her feeling for him - not yet at any rate.
“You’re sure? You had this really perplexed look on your face.”
“How about now?” She smiled, looking into his eyes.
“That’s better.” He nuzzled her neck.
There was no awkwardness or agitation between them, only a feeling of happiness at having woken up next to each other.
“What time is it?” Maggie murmured, rising on her elbow in search of a clock. Her glance fell on the alarm clock that stood by Taylor’s side of the bed. “It’s almost ten o’clock - I can’t believe we’ve slept this long!”
“Are you in a rush to be somewhere?” he murmured, tracing his fingers against her shoulder.
“No, but I thought you were on a training schedule. You can’t miss your training because of me.”
Taylor scooped her into his arms. “Don’t you think I deserve a day off?”
Maggie smiled in spite of herself. “I am serious. I don’t want to interfere with your schedule.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”
Taylor kissed her neck. The sweeping caresses of his powerful, yet gentle hands sent ripples of pleasure through her entire being.
Overcome by the electric feel of his body against hers, Maggie gave in, unable to resist a moment longer. As their bodies reunited, reclaiming the ecstasy they had shared the night before, Maggie looked into the deep green of Taylor’s eyes and knew that his feelings for her were as intense as hers for him.
“I’ve got an idea,” said Taylor. They had just finished a breakfast of fried eggs and bacon and were sipping coffee in Taylor’s kitchen.
“What do you have in mind?” Maggie looked at him curiously. By now she had learned that the infectious gleam in Taylor’s eyes meant that he was about to propose something thrilling, perhaps even a tad crazy. The day before she had seen the same irresistible sparkle in his eyes when he took her to ski Heaven Ridge, and she wondered what he had in store for her today.
“How do you feel about snowmobiling?”
“Snowmobiling!” Maggie exclaimed, but then checked herself and added, “I guess you are set on not doing any skiing today, huh?”
“Pretty much.” Taylor grinned. “Look, I always take off one day a week and today just happens to be that day.”
“All right then,” Maggie conceded, and unable to contain herself any longer, she burst out, “I’ve never been on a snowmobile before.”
“You’ve never been on a snowmobile?” asked Taylor with mock indignation.
“No.” Maggie shook her head. “But I have a feeling that that’s about to change.”
“You bet it is. Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”
Grabbing her hand, Taylor led Maggie to a small shed that stood behind the house. When he opened the door, Maggie saw a state-of-the-art snowmobile.
“I just bought it this winter,” Taylor announced proudly. “It’s the Harley of snowmobiles.”
“Hold on tight!” Taylor called over his shoulder.
Maggie wrapped her arms around Taylor’s waist, and he pressed the accelerator. The wind rang in their ears as the machine surged forward, leaving a fountain of snow behind it.
“Wow! Not this fast!” shrieked Maggie, clasping her hands around Taylor even tighter.
“Are you having fun yet?” Taylor asked, bringing the snowmobile to a halt.
“Yes!” She exclaimed, giddy with a mixture of fear and excitement.
“Hold on!” Taylor pressed on the accelerator again.
This time, Maggie shrieked even louder. She clung on to Taylor as the surroundings flashed by her, barely able to make out a smudge of pines on the right and the flashing streak of gray that the road on the left had become.
“This was awesome!” ex
claimed Maggie after Taylor had brought the snowmobile to a halt. She turned around to see the snowmobile’s tracks over the long stretch of snow that lay behind them: they had raced all the way from Taylor’s house to the base of the mountains.
She slid off the snowmobile and collapsed into the white, fluffy snow: stretching out her arms and legs, she made a snow angel – something she had not done since she was a kid.
Taylor joined her on the snow, copying her moves. “Look,” he said, “now there’ll be two snow angels.” He leaned over to kiss her.
“No!” she exclaimed in mock objection, “you’ll mess up the snow angels!”
They were about to get back on the snowmobile when Maggie saw two figures skiing down the mountain.
Taylor squinted at the two silhouettes. “I think they look like Hannah and Shawn.”
Perfect timing, thought Maggie, suddenly overcome with nervousness.
“Hey, guys!” Taylor greeted his friends once Hannah and Shawn had made their way down. “Have you been up there all day?”
“Hey, Taylor.” Hannah’s chipper voice was in stark contrast to the icy look that flashed in her eyes at the sight of Maggie.
Shawn nodded curtly by way of greeting. “What have you been up to?” he asked, glancing dubiously at the snow angels on the ground.
“Maggie and I took the snowmobile for a ride. You’ve met Maggie before, remember?” Taylor added.
Shawn nodded curtly, shifting his feet.
“Yes, of course we have!” Hannah nudged Shawn with her elbow. “How is it going, Maggie? Did you enjoy skiing with Taylor?”
“Yes, it’s been wonderful,” replied Maggie, conscious of the sulky look on Shawn’s face.
“I take it you didn’t ski today, then?” Shawn’s piercing stare was intended for Taylor alone, as he asked the question.
“Nope.” Taylor shrugged. “I decided to take a break. How was it up there?”
“It’s getting slippery at the very top. Not sure what the Needle Eye is going to be like if it keeps up like this.”
“It’s going to be fine.” Taylor clapped Shawn on the shoulder.