Behind the Scandal

by M.A. Stacie

  “That’s some speech from someone who said he’d help me.”

  “I will,” he said quickly. “The need to protect you is something I can’t fight. I suppose I’m just confused why I’ve found you now—when you’ve seen me at my worst. I’m still trying to figure out who I am without the drugs.”

  “Maybe I see something you don’t.” She leaned forward and placed her lips on his. Humming at the connection, Taylor grabbed her hips and dragged her against his torso. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss, making it clear what he wanted and where he intended the kiss to go. Libby went right along with him, holding his shoulders and digging her nails into the muscle.

  He stroked her red hair back, exposing the pale column of her neck. He placed his lips over her throbbing pulse point and gave her a light kiss. Her response was a sharp gasp, along with a small rock of her hips. His dick felt the movement and stiffened.

  “I don’t know what to do with you,” he said, kissing her neck again. “I want you, Blue, but I won’t rush you.”

  “You don’t need to rush me. Give me what I asked for. Give me new memories. Ones where the touches cause goose bumps, not bruises. Where the lovemaking is gentle, not hard. And where kisses are shared, not forced.”

  “That’s what I want,” he said.

  “There’s been no one else. No one since him. I’m stuck in that time, and I don’t want to be. But you have me hooked . . . on your snark, your strength, and your comfort.” She looked away and lowered her head.

  “What’s wrong?” Taylor touched her jaw and turned her face back to his. “Blue?”

  “Even just saying that gives you power. The kind I don’t want anyone to have over me ever again.”

  Chapter 13

  “You’re not giving me any power,” Taylor said. “I may be a drug addict, but I would never hurt you or Levi.”

  She touched his face, her green eyes softening. “Your lip curls whenever you refer to yourself like that. Does it disgust you?”

  “I don’t quite know what disgusts me more, the way I treated my family or the way I treated myself.”

  She gave him a small smile. “You should call them.”

  “My family?” He stroked the skin above the waistband of her jeans, pushing her shirt up just a little. Keeping track of their conversion was growing hard.

  “It will make you feel better. But I must be warped because I kind of like that bad boy sneer.”

  Laughter rose and burst free from his mouth. “Well, being a drug addict does make me bad.”

  Libby’s smile faded. “I wish you’d stop saying that. You’re not the man who arrived here. Give yourself some credit.”

  “I can’t concentrate enough to do that. I can’t concentrate on anything except you on my lap.”

  A tender smile spread across her face. “Really?”

  His chest constricted as he saw the uncertainty in her eyes. The woman had no idea how alluring she was to him. “I think about you every damn day.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and his fingers lingered at her jaw. “I watch you from my window, entranced by your ass.”

  Libby giggled. “Well, I did say it looked good in those jeans.”

  “Any jeans.”

  She gulped, then took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be hurt again.”

  Stroking her back, he nodded. “I know, and I don’t want to hurt you. But I’m not here to stay. I’ll do everything I can to protect you and Levi, but this isn’t my home.” The woman in his arms felt right. He might not be able to give her forever, but he could give her right now.

  “I understand,” Libby said, her voice low. “I want you.”

  She smoothed her hand across Taylor’s chest and then shocked him when she took hold of the hem of her top and pulled it over her head. Taylor inhaled sharply, staring at the full, white cotton bra cups in front of him. On anyone else, it would have looked nothing more than functional. On her it looked perfect.

  His gaze moved over her torso, his temperature shooting through the roof. “Blue?”

  “I can’t keep holding back. You make me feel safe. Don’t deny me. Please?”

  “Never,” he rasped. “Come here.”

  He kissed her forehead and ghosted his fingers across her collarbone and down her arm until he reached her fingers. Libby whimpered, the noise sounding loud in the quiet cottage living room. He would go as slow as she needed him to, even if he had to use every ounce of willpower he had left.

  When her lower lip trembled, he kissed her again to stop the pain. Libby turned her face away and burst into gut-wrenching sobs that racked her chest.

  “Oh God, I’m sorry,” she cried, clinging to him. “I’m so scared. I haven’t done this since . . .”

  Taylor watched her body sag in defeat, hating that she’d been reduced to this because of one man’s cruelty.

  “Blue.” He lowered his head and held her face in his hands, praying she didn’t pull away. She accepted him, letting him hold her. She was falling apart before his eyes, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. She needed this. She’d hidden the grief behind the need to care for her son. She’d fought for herself and her child, burying her own hurt so Levi could be happy. She’d been selfless even though she suffered so much. But now, somehow, Taylor had pulled the stopper on her pain, allowing it freedom.

  He hugged her close, chuckling when she wiped her face on his shirt. Her chest heaved while she battled to control the tears. Taylor shuffled them around and laid her down on the couch. He lay behind her and stroked her hair as he whispered soft, soothing words into her ear. He placed another kiss in the crook of her neck, and she hummed and pushed her throat closer to his mouth.

  Libby whimpered but snuggled into his body. “I’m okay,” she said softly.

  “You’re not,” Taylor said, tightening his arms around her. “You’re far from okay. You’re bottling everything up, just like you’ve done for years. It’s not good for you.”

  “You should take your own advice. Talking to your father and Kyran would ease your hurt, too.”

  Taylor kissed her shoulder but offered no response.

  “I shouldn’t have cried like that in front of you. I’m fine. Honestly.”

  He turned her in his arms and kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re putting far too much on yourself.”

  “I’m just protecting my son.”

  “But you don’t have to do it alone.” Taylor swallowed. “I worry about you. I think about the what ifs, yet we barely know each other.”

  Libby shrugged, toying with a lock of his hair. “I know enough about you. I’ve watched you change. I feel this thing between us, and it scares me, but I can’t deny it any longer.”

  Smoothing his hair from his forehead, she placed her lips against his. It was a gentle, comforting peck, but it underlined her point. “Feel that? It’s scary as hell, but I feel it, and I’ve never felt it with anyone except you. Don’t tell me it’s too soon or that you’re not staying. Right now I don’t want to hear it. I need this. I need you, and I think you need me, too.”

  She slipped her fingers up underneath his shirt, walking them up to his nipple. His abdomen clenched at the same time his groin began to tighten.

  “How does it feel?”

  “The kiss or your touch?”

  “Both. Tell me I’m doing this right.”

  Taylor swiped his thumbs under her eyes, removing the last traces of tears. If it were possible, the dark circles under her eyes had lightened since she’d let her emotions out.

  “You could never get it wrong. You’re pretty amazing, you know? And I can’t explain how your lips on mine make me feel.”

  “Horny?” Libby laughed. “Hopefully.”

  Grinning, he rolled on top of her, pressing his denim-clad arousal against her stomach. “Seems it’s your lucky day.”

  She kissed him again, this time lingering a little longer. He flexed his fingers where they held her jaw, his nose rubbing softly against hers.
She was right. This felt perfect. The connection between them couldn’t be denied. Back in Sea Pointe, he was a useless drug addict. Here in Hunter’s Hollow, he was reborn, and Libby saw that. She saw him.

  Hooking her leg over Taylor’s hip, Libby ground herself against him, leaving him with no doubt about what she wanted. She stroked his chest, her hands tentative underneath his T-shirt. Her lips met his Adam’s apple, and she whispered, “Love me,” before kissing her way to the crook of his neck.

  His world was beginning to vibrate. Her touch, her smell, the taste of her on his lips all increased the sensation.

  “Are you sure?”

  Her light laughter loosened the knot in his chest.

  “Yes. I want you to show me how good it can be. Give me good memories.”

  Breathless, he whispered, “Amazing. We’re going to be amazing.”

  Every cell in his body told him to take her, to stop stalling. He waged a silent war with himself. He’d spent most of his life doing things the wrong way, acting before thinking things through, and hiding from responsibility for the mistakes he made. He wasn’t that man anymore, but now he was overthinking everything.

  He squinted his eyes shut and gripped her hips, fitting her against him. “I want you. I want this. I’ll give you enough memories to wash away the past.”

  Their lips locked in a hungry, passionate kiss, and once they’d started, everything swiftly spiraled out of control. Need and solace were their driving force as their hands caressed and fingers fumbled. He kissed a path along her jaw, down her neck, toward her breasts. He kissed her nipple through her bra and flicked his tongue across the cotton cup. She fisted her hands in his hair.

  “So amazing,” he muttered into her chest, licking along the seam of her bra cup.

  “Ditto,” she said, gasping and pushing her hips up to meet his.

  The sadness dispersed as they took comfort from each other’s arms. She ripped his T-shirt over his head, sighing as his naked skin touched hers. Taylor knew exactly what she was feeling, and he reared back to caress his hands across her chest. He traced her collarbone, her breasts and nipples, all the while watching her eyes shimmer with arousal. When she reached for his belt buckle, her tongue darted out to lick her lips. A groan escaped him, growing more ferocious when she unbuttoned his jeans.

  Taylor pushed the denim, along with his underwear, down his legs before kicking them off completely. Libby stared.

  Not the reaction he was hoping for.

  “Too much?”

  “You mean the moment or your . . . size?”

  His only answer was to wiggle his eyebrows. She laughed, pulling Taylor to her and kissing his chest. His lips met the skin underneath her earlobe, the part he now knew made her hum. He touched it lightly, then kissed it again.

  “I really like this part,” he said. “It smells deliciously of you, and it’s so soft to touch.”

  “Stop talking.”

  Taylor snorted and brought his lips back to her body. He was still thinking too much, when he should be focusing on the feeling of her skin against his, her hands smoothing down his back, and her nails digging into his ass.

  Her teeth pulled on his lower lip, distracting him completely before she breathed, “Make me feel good, Taylor. Show me what it’s like to be loved.”

  Libby whispered so low he barely heard her, but her bucking hips punctuated the words. A possessive rumble rose in Taylor’s chest as need consumed him. He pulled off her jeans with haste, taking her white cotton panties with them. Placing tender kisses on her hipbones, he skimmed his hands up her legs and pushed them gently open so he could nestle between her thighs. His erection pressed against her heat, and he hissed.

  “Oh, Libby.”

  “Yes,” she pleaded. “Yes.”

  He rolled them over, the couch allowing them awkward limited space. He let her straddle him to set the pace, expecting a slow burn, so she startled him when she lowered herself onto his erection and captured their joined moans with a kiss. She rolled her hips slowly, teasing his lower lip at the same time. Her fingers tickled up his ribs, and he cupped her breasts and stroked her erect nipples.

  Libby purred, rocking against him. “You feel so good.”

  Taylor toyed with her breast and thrust his hips upward with a gentle rhythm. She looked down at him, lust shining in her eyes.

  “Please,” she said, panting.

  He increased his speed and held her hands tightly. Libby leaned down and pressed her chest to his, nuzzling the hollow of his throat. Her face rose and fell with his sharp pants, and with every thrust she kissed his neck, repeating his name like a mantra. His throat constricted. This woman needed every ounce of care he had to offer, and he would give it to her.

  Banding his arms around her, he uttered into her ear, “Let go, Blue. I’m here, let go.”

  On those words, she cried out. Her abdomen clenched and her movements slowed as her orgasm burned through her. The rapid mixture of pleasure and pain sent Taylor spinning into his own inferno. They both gasped, moaned, stroked, and kissed as they came down from their high. Each had tears in their eyes, but neither was sad.

  He rolled them onto their sides, keeping Libby as close as possible. He smoothed damp strands of hair from her forehead and kissed the tip of her nose. Her breaths were coming quick and fanning across his cheek.

  “Was that the kind of comfort you needed?”

  Holding his face in her hands, she kissed him passionately, inflating his desire for her again.

  “More than I could have hoped for.”

  “Good.”

  Her hands floated down his back, a small frown appearing on her forehead. “What do we do now?”

  “We talk to Josh, then I call my father. I promised you I’d help, and I will. I’ll make sure you can stay. I’ll make sure you and Levi are safe.”

  She nodded, then wriggled.

  “You need a bigger couch,” he said.

  “Then I suppose we should move somewhere more comfortable.” Libby climbed off the couch and tried to hide her nakedness. “Come to bed with me, Taylor. Stay the night.”

  “What about Levi?”

  “He’s still fishing with Josh. They’ll be at the creek until late, then he’ll probably sleep on Josh’s couch. He usually does.”

  She picked up Taylor’s discarded shirt and attempted to put it on, but Taylor had already seen. She wasn’t quick enough to cover the scars that crisscrossed her back. The scars that made him fall head over heels for her.

  Chapter 14

  Libby stretched as she roused from sleep. It took her a few seconds to remember why her muscles ached—muscles she hadn’t used in a very long time. She smiled, turning onto her side to watch Taylor sleep. It felt strange having him in her bed. Taylor was a large man and took up a lot of her space. But she liked how tactile he was, always needing to touch her or have her caress him. Even now, while he slept, his feet tangled with hers.

  Taylor Reese was not the man she had first met.

  She’d initially resolved to keep her past a secret from him. He couldn’t help her, and he wasn’t staying in Hunter’s Hollow. But as time wore on, she’d begun to realize she wanted him to know the truth. The need to have just one person really know her gnawed away until she’d confessed everything. She was scared of Chase, but it was nothing compared to the happiness surging through her after the night with Taylor.

  Libby stroked a finger along Taylor’s jaw, which was now rough with stubble. His arm snaked out fast and wrapped around her waist. He pulled her back to his front, kissing along her naked shoulder and humming.

  “It really happened? It wasn’t my drug-abused brain making shit up?” he whispered into her ear, causing shock waves of lust to zip through her body. She could get used to waking up like this.

  “Not unless you spiked my drink last night, making my brain drug-abused, too.”

  He chuckled, kissing her shoulder again. “I can say without question that I didn’t roofie your d
rink, babe.”

  “Then we got it on.”

  Snorting, Taylor pushed her onto her back and covered her body with his. Skin pressed against warm, silky skin. Their legs tangled and their breaths mingled. Taylor kissed along her jaw, groaning when Libby lifted her leg and rested it over his hip. “You’re not playing fair, Blue. I don’t have any—oh, fuck.”

  “What?” Libby asked. Panic hit her square in the chest. “Did I do something?”

  Taylor climbed off the bed and stalked around her bedroom. He shoved his fingers into his hair and gripped. “Not you. Me. I’ve fucked up. Again. Dumbass.”

  Libby rolled onto her front, tugging the sheet to cover her nakedness, along with her back. “Are you just going to rant to yourself, or would you like to clue me in on your abhorrent mistake?”

  His face contorted, the furrows in his brow deepening. His voice was thick, regret weighing heavy. “I didn’t use any protection, Blue. Last night. It never entered my head. I was so lost in—”

  “It’s not an issue, Taylor.” She held her hand out, hoping he’d take it. “Come back to bed.” It had been so long since she’d simply enjoyed herself in bed with a man. She wanted to prolong the feeling and revel in every moment. She tilted her body to reveal an ample swell of breast. “Quit panicking. I have other things I want to do. Things that will make your frown disappear.”

  Taylor shoved his hand through his hair as Libby let her gaze drift lazily over his body. The memory of their night shot into her conscious, and her skin tingled as she recalled how he felt pressed against her, how her body molded to his, and how gentle he’d been as he eased himself into her. He’d been attentive, gentle, and soothing—exactly what she’d needed. Even when he’d seen the scars on her back, he hadn’t questioned her. He was allowing her that space, giving her time to reveal it when she was ready.

  Taylor Reese was not the monster he thought he was.

  Libby stretched and trailed her finger along one side of the muscled V of his groin. He shivered, and a groan rumbled through his chest.