One Summer in Santa Fe - By Molly Evans Page 0,62

gaze holding her captive. “Don’t be afraid. Don’t walk out of my life. Please.” He sighed and looked down at their entwined hands. “Something has been missing in my life until now. Until you.”

Piper stared at him for a few long moments without speaking, afraid to give life to the hope that had begun to bloom in her chest. “There are so many things I’ve been afraid to do since my parents were killed. I’ve been so wrapped up in making sure that Elizabeth was taken care of, that life was safe and secure, that I think I’ve forgotten to live my own life.” She gave an abrupt laugh and reached up with one hand to touch his face. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore, Taylor.”

Taylor pulled her close for a hard kiss on her lips. “Stay with me, and you won’t need to be afraid. Neither of us will need to be afraid or alone any longer.”

“Where would you like these?” the waiter asked as he stood beside the table, holding two steaming plates of food.

“I’m thinking we need those wrapped to go,” Taylor said, and let go of Piper who settled into her chair with a blush on her cheeks.

“Certainly. I’ll be right back.”

“Are we leaving?”

“We’re going to take our lunch to your place where no one will find us for a while, and we can talk uninterrupted.” He cupped the back of her head and brought her close for another drugging kiss.

She pulled back slightly and whispered against his lips. “Drive fast.”

They made it back to her apartment and shoved the take-out into the fridge before Taylor pulled her against him. His hands trembled as he cupped her face and drew her mouth upward. The taste of her, the feel of her, the scent of her, all reached inside him once and for all, filling the void that had lived in him.

She was the answer. She was what he needed. She was what he wanted in his life to make it complete. Now he knew what she meant to him. He felt as if he’d jumped off a cliff and forgotten the glider.

Her hands clung to his waist and her breathing came in quick gasps as she answered his kiss. Eager pulses of want and desire spread through him, making his heart erratic and his palms slick. Wanting her skin against his, he had to push down the needs raging in him, reel in the urgency pounding through his body. This wasn’t just about him. His feelings for Piper had changed. He knew she loved him. And he? Yes, he loved her, too.

“Piper,” he said, and cupped his hands around her face. “Piper.” He pressed his forehead to hers, needing to take a calm breath, to savor the feelings rocking his world at the moment.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, babe. Nothing at all.” He kept her face tipped up so that she looked at him, knew he spoke the truth. With his heart pounding the way it was, he could speak nothing else. “I want to make love to you right here and right now.”

“Yes, I know.” Her eyes went soft, her desire for him obvious.

“The first time I made love to you was for the pleasure of it. The second time was from need.” He looked at her, pressed a small kiss to her nose. “This time is because I love you.”

“What?” Tears overflowed again. “Don’t tell me that just so I’ll stay, Taylor. You don’t need to do that.” She started to pull away, but he held her tight, more certain than ever of his feelings for her.

“Listen with your heart, not your hurt. I love you, that’s not a lie. It’s the biggest truth of my life and it’s been staring me in the face since we met. I just couldn’t see it. I’ve missed you these last few days, and I’ve realized that my life and my home aren’t the same without you. I want you in my life, Piper,” he whispered.

“But—”

“No buts. We’ll work it out. Somehow we have to. I love you, and I don’t want to let you go. The rest is just details.” He wasn’t going to let go of her, he just had to convince her of it.

“I don’t want to let you go, either,” she said, and closed the gap between them. “I’m so afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Of you. Of me. What we could have together and losing it. That scares me the most.”

“Don’t worry about what hasn’t happened. When