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An Excerpt From: Waiting
For It
© Copyright Rhyannon Byrd, 2004.
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's
Cave, Inc.
Oh
no. Suddenly Taylor
realized just what she was doing. Here she was, standing in front of Mason’s
Groceries—staring at Jake Farrell’s crotch! And God help her, she didn’t
know how long her eyes had been glued to that particular part of his
anatomy, but it was growing bigger by the second.
Her
heartbeat, which was already doing double-time, nearly flew right out of
her chest. No, no, no! This was so incredibly embarrassing. Damn the
blasted man and this sex-crazed feeling he’d always made her feel, even
when he could’ve been halfway around the world for all she knew.
It
was obvious she needed to say something, and she really needed to pull her
fascinated stare away from his fly before she started to drool, but her
treacherous body parts just weren’t listening to reason.
Jake
finally helped by tipping her face up with the side of his fist, forcing
her to meet his glittering green gaze. Oh, he knew exactly what she’d been
thinking about, she realized with a horrified groan. Taylor knew he could read it written all
over her flushed face, as easy as a book.
“You
okay, Taylor?”
He
wasn’t exactly smiling, but she could hear a hint of humor behind the deep,
rough edge of his voice. Not to mention arousal and concern. His calloused
thumb stroked lazily against her chin, caressing her flesh, the gentle
touch unbearably arousing.
What
on earth was going on? Jake Farrell back in town, acting like he actually
wanted her? Nothing so strange or bizarre or unbelievably wonderful had
ever happened in her entire life.
“Uh,
yes, thank you. I mean I’m, um, fine.”
And
an idiot. I’m a complete, ridiculous, sex-starved idiot!
He
nodded, his penetrating gaze seeing straight into her, as if he could find
out all her secrets with just a look. “I’m sorry if I got carried away back
there, but I couldn’t resist. Is she always like that?”
Taylor
knew exactly what he meant, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he
thought of Wanda’s “Bitch of the Year” attitude. It would absolutely kill
her to have Jake Farrell pity her.
Pride
made her try a small laugh that fell as flat as her chest. “Wanda? Don’t
worry about her. This was actually a good day between us. Quite civil
really.”
The
sensual line of his lips hardened into a grim line, betraying his anger. “You
mean it gets worse than that? Why in the hell don’t you deck her and get
away from this hole-in-the-wall town?”
Because
I might never have seen you again, she thought with a violent rush of
longing—and in that moment, she knew it was true. That was why she’d stayed
all these years. Why she’d faced down all the loneliness and humiliation
and painful memories. She’d been waiting for Jake to come home—to come back
to her—afraid that if she left, their paths might never cross again.
Well,
once a fool, always a fool, she figured, knowing how this man had always
felt about her. Nothing. That was what he’d always felt. Not a single thing.
But
he wasn’t looking like he felt nothing at the moment. No, he looked like he
wanted to lay her out on the hood of her car and taste her from head to
toe, lingering on all the good parts in between. She couldn’t believe this
was Jake. Couldn’t believe he was actually standing before her—the real
flesh and blood man—and not some heartbreaking figment of her imagination.
“Well,
um, thanks for what you did and all. It was, uh, really nice of you to
stick up for me in there.”
He
moved closer, just a hairsbreadth away from actually touching her trembling
body with his own. “Is that what I was? Nice?”
One
corner of his mouth lifted in a gorgeous little crooked grin, like he was
almost embarrassed, and the memory of it nearly floored her. It was the
same expression she’d seen him wear back when people would stop him in town
and go on and on about his latest success on the high school football
field. Mitch had eaten it up, but Jake had always seemed uncomfortable with
the outlandish praise, which had endeared him to her even more.
And,
oh man, was he tall. She felt so small next to him—so deliciously feminine.
“Well, I, uh, mean it was nice to act like you, um, like you—”
Ugh!
She knew she was rambling like a half-wit here, but she couldn’t get the words
out.
He
moved closer, and this time his crotch nudged into her belly. Wow, she
nearly swallowed her tongue. Then his hands went back into her hair, the
same way they had inside the store, and her heart nearly stopped at the
thought that now he might kiss her.
Yes!
Right here! Right now! This very instant, please!
“I
wasn’t trying to be nice. I was trying to put that jealous—”
“Jealous?
Wanda Merton’s never been jealous a day in her life!”
His
fingers tightened, thumbs moving at her temples in a slow, seductive touch
that he probably thought would relax her, but had the complete opposite
effect, making her want to just crawl all over him like a wild woman. Her
hands fisted at her sides to keep from grabbing anything she wasn’t
supposed to touch. And damn it—that was probably all of him.
His
face lowered, their noses nearly brushing, and from this close Taylor could see all
the brilliant streaks of light green star-bursting through the darker jade
of his eyes. They were so incredibly beautiful. When she got home, she was
going to paint them so she wouldn’t forget a single enthralling detail.
“She’s
always been jealous of you, Taylor. Just like all the other two-faced women
in this town who hated you for being beautiful and smart and talented. Who
hated the way every guy watched your little fuck-me body every time you
walked by. Haven’t you figured it out yet, after all this time? They’re all
spitting with jealousy. All but green with it, honey.”
Jake
watched her beautiful eyes go wide with shock at his words, her expression
completely disbelieving.
“Jake,
what are you talking about?” she laughed, the sound shaky and strained. “Just
look at me. It really was sweet of you to pretend for Wanda’s benefit, but
you’re the one who used to tell everybody I looked like a scrawny runt.
Mitch said you didn’t know how he could stomach being seen with me when we’d
go out together.”
Jake
laughed too, but it was a dark, rough sound that touched a place deep
inside of her—someplace that had never been touched before. “He said all
that, did he?”
She
nodded, at least as much as she could with his hands holding her head, his
thumbs still circling her temples.
“And
what if I told you everything he said was a lie, Taylor? Would you believe me? He used to
give me piles of bullshit about you too. About how you thought I was stuck
on myself and dumber than shit. But I’m not buying it anymore, sweetheart.
What if I told you everything I said to Wanda was the truth, and that I’ve
spent the last ten years of my life wanting it—craving it?”
His
voice lowered, his forehead dropping forward to rest against
her own. “What if I told you I’ve wanted to get inside your pants
and fuck you from the second I set eyes on you in school? Hell, you were
barely sixteen when I first saw you, and I still wanted to take you home
with me and lay you out on my bed and shove my face between your legs, just
eating you out for hours on end. I never even thought about doing that to a
girl until I met you, Taylor.”
She
tried to say something, but all that came out was some sort of hoarse,
choked whimper. A small, needy sound of hunger and disbelief. But she
wanted to believe. Oh, man, did she ever.
Then
he pressed his mouth against her own. Hot and
sweet and electric, a sensual assault of textures and tastes, and she knew
she was going to die. Right there in the middle of Lincoln Street, in front of Mason’s
Groceries, Taylor Moore was going to die from the rapturous ecstasy of
being kissed by Jake Farrell. The heart stopping moment was going to happen
any second now.
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