In the Long Run Read online

  It was the only coherent thought she was still capable of while Taylor’s mouth moved against hers.

  Taylor’s lips were so full and so warm and she could taste the wine on them as she dragged her tongue over Taylor’s bottom lip. She hated how appealing Taylor’s mouth was. It was so wrong how alluring her lips were, when they were curving in a stupid smile as Taylor teased her or laughed at her.

  Because Brooke didn’t enjoy being teased or laughed at. She didn’t, and yet as the evening had gone on, she couldn’t help but feel the impact of Taylor’s bright grins and mischievous eyes. Pulling her deeper and deeper into this want.

  Taylor groaned, a sound low in her throat, and Brooke felt it echo through her body. She didn’t realize she was still holding Taylor’s wrist until Taylor moved her hands, reaching for Brooke’s thighs and gripping them as she tugged them apart and stepped in closer to where Brooke still sat on the dresser.

  Brooke moved willingly with the touch because – ugh, god, she wanted Taylor, much as she was loath to admit it, even to herself. She wanted to feel her body that moved with so much grace, moving against her own.

  She felt Taylor’s nails scratch down her outer thighs through her pants and she shivered, before Taylor slid her palms back up and squeezed. Taylor groaned again, the sound seeming to switch a trigger in Brooke. From wanting to needing, and she nipped her teeth into Taylor’s lip, sucking it into her mouth as she slid her hand around Taylor’s waist, pressing against her lower back and pulling her in as close as she could possibly get.

  She sifted her other hand through Taylor’s hair, sliding through those dark brown strands, feeling them move through her fingers like silk. Pressing her fingers into the back of her neck and angling her head as she licked into Taylor’s mouth.

  Taylor’s hands left her thighs and she swore she could still feel the warmth of them even as she felt fingers tug at her hair, unleashing the bun she’d tossed her hair into earlier.

  “You have such perfect hair,” Taylor pulled away from her lips to whisper as she scratched her short nails over Brooke’s scalp.

  The feeling sent tingles down her back, making her arch against Taylor, moving her even closer. She didn’t even realize she really could be closer at this point.

  One of Taylor’s hands stayed there, scratching at the nape of Brooke’s neck and tugging, Brooke’s head angling back with the movement, as the other hand slid down her back. And she’d never have thought someone could sensually touch her back, but it was happening.

  “God,” she panted out, sliding both of her own hands down to Taylor’s ass, over her jeans.

  She could feel Taylor hum against her neck as open-mouthed kisses were planted against her skin, the nerve-endings there sending fire through her veins and settling between her legs.

  Christ, she was already pulsing. Her entire body buzzed with just how badly she wanted it. Wanted Taylor, especially as she brought her mouth back up to Brooke’s ear, sucking at the spot just behind it and making her shudder.

  She could feel Taylor’s smile against her skin as it happened, victorious. The hand on Brooke’s neck slid to her shoulders, pressing into her muscles there in a way that felt alarmingly perfect. It was that sensation mixed with that ridiculously amazing mouth on her neck that made Brooke feel like her whole body melted into Taylor’s.

  It was the way Taylor laughed low in her throat, vibrating against Brooke’s skin that did it. Low and seductive but rich and teasing, before Taylor murmured, “Are your shoulders ever not tense?”

  That typical Taylor moment broke this spell.

  Because it was Taylor. Taylor Vandenberg’s lips were working magic on her neck. The same Taylor who frustrated her, who invaded her space, who did whatever she wanted whenever she wanted without planning for the future or for anyone else. Taylor, whose presence had irked Brooke since she could even remember.

  Shit, no, wait.

  The thought jerked Brooke out of this annoyingly-easy-to-fall-into haze, as she reached up, planted shaky hands on Taylor’s shoulders and pushed.

  She wasn’t exactly strong enough right now to actually push Taylor back. Just a slight propel backwards and it must have registered to Taylor what she was doing a second later. Her mouth left Brooke’s body – and she resolutely swore at herself that she didn’t shiver with the loss of sensation – her hands sliding around to rest on Brooke’s knees as she pulled back and cocked her head in question.

  Brooke refused to let herself focus on how dark Taylor’s eyes were with want for her.

  “Are you okay?” Taylor’s voice was so low, so husky, it sent another shiver down her spine.

  Her spine that she straightened, shoulders setting back as she leaned back on her hands. It wasn’t until then that she registered that she was still sitting on the dresser.

  “I…” She trailed off, irritated at her mind for feeling so clouded with this pounding want. “What are we doing?” The words left her lips in a vexed whisper.

  She snapped her eyes back to Taylor’s who was watching her carefully.

  “We’re kissing,” Taylor answered simply, her kiss-swollen lips curving into a smile. But her eyes were still watching closely. “But before that, I was leaving. Which I can still do.”

  Here she was, sitting on the dresser in her hotel, which just seemed so damn absurd to her when she did have a bed, an armchair, and a desk with an office chair.

  But of course Taylor had not taken note of those and just sat up here, because that was who she was. And for some reason, Brooke had done the same.

  Only, it wasn’t for some reason. It was because she’d had this woman in her hotel room, who could sit anywhere and make it look like she was a queen on the most comfortable throne in the world. Like she owned the space she was in, even when it wasn’t her space to own.

  It was because she’d had two glasses of wine – and given her family history with alcohol, she drank very sparingly. Two glasses was typically her limit, unless there was a special occasion. And while she wasn’t drunk, she was feeling the effect of the lower inhibitions. There was no way Brooke would do this without that little push.

  It was because she’d actually had a shockingly decent evening after a terrible day, because Taylor had succeeded in distracting her.

  It had been a decent night where she didn’t think about her responsibilities. She wasn’t planning for the next project or weighing the pros and cons about the next council member to please. As she’d packed for this little trip, she’d been reminded by Marisa to enjoy herself and “try to make it actually a mini-vacation from real life, not just a business trip.”

  A vacation from real life wasn’t necessarily what she’d intended, and she’d rolled her eyes and told her friend “yeah, sure” in response. But maybe a vacation from real life was what she needed for tonight.

  A night where she didn’t have to think about the city council or worry about her job contract renewal. A night where she wasn’t bombarded by Scarlet’s new engagement, as it was the irritating talk of the town. Who wanted to hear about their ex’s love life every damn day?

  “Brooke?” Taylor asked, her voice firmer as she arched an eyebrow, gaze searching. “I… should probably go?”

  Her eyes searched Taylor’s, her mind whirling with thoughts in the seconds that beat by.

  Even as a part of Brooke’s mind – the logical part, the part she was most familiar with – agreed with that sentiment, she reached out and cupped Taylor’s jaw, pulling her back in.

  “Don’t go,” was all she said, before she brought her lips to Taylor’s again.

  Tonight she wasn’t in Faircombe, she didn’t have to be her normal responsible self. She didn’t have to think about the consequences, because how could there really be consequences when she wouldn’t see Taylor again? Not any time soon, anyway, and not for any notable amount of time.

  Taylor’s mouth moved against hers and she couldn’t think at all. The perfect vacation from real life.


  A whimper that she knew she’d be embarrassed about when she thought back on this night left her throat as Taylor’s tongue slid along hers. Steady hands clasped at Brooke’s knees and pulled them further apart, allowing Taylor to step so close, her hips bumped into the dresser.

  She was already shaking with how aroused she was, even before Taylor slowed their kiss. Deep and sensual, as she stroked her tongue along Brooke’s. Yes.

  She slid her hands into Taylor’s hair as she felt one of Taylor’s land on her waist, the other going to her knee, and Taylor hiked her leg up even higher to wrap around the small of her back.

  Taylor’s hands slid slowly up from her knee and she could feel the touch everywhere, shivers igniting along the trail of her fingers even through Brooke’s clothing. Before strong hands gripped at her waist and pulled her forward as Taylor pressed in closer, perfectly angling herself so Brooke could feel her.

  A moan broke from low in her throat.

  Her hips started moving, grinding slowly against Taylor of their own volition, because all Brooke could register was that Taylor felt so good. She barely got any real friction through the restrictiveness of her dress slacks, but she couldn’t really even bring herself to care.

  All she cared about right now was that she wanted this and that she didn’t have to care about anything else.

  “Wait, wait.” Taylor panted, her hands still stroking Brooke’s thighs as she broke their kiss.

  Brooke wondered how the hell Taylor expected her to be able to focus when she was tantalizingly stroking over her legs like that.

  “What’s wrong now?” She blinked several times to clear the haze of arousal, focusing on Taylor’s face.

  Intimately close, so insanely close that she could see the tiny, miniscule freckles on the bridge of Taylor’s nose. She could see just how expressive her eyes were, as warm as melted chocolate, and was close enough to see the tiny flecks of golden brown in them.

  Taylor slid her hand from Brooke’s thigh, up to tuck hair behind her ear. She lingered, fingertips brushing slowly over her earlobe.

  “Nothing’s wrong, per-se, I just – Brooke, I didn’t come here for this, and I just wanted to spend some time catching up with you tonight. To make sure you were okay after your day. I know you had a really… not-great time earlier.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.” Brooke snorted, the fucking terrible feelings from earlier in the day amazingly muted underneath the haze of arousal surging through her.

  She’d much rather focus on this.

  Taylor smiled, soft and slow. “Exactly. And I don’t know… is this just something you’re doing because you want a distraction tonight and I’m here?”

  She couldn’t begin to fathom how Taylor read her so easily.

  Brooke eyed her critically. “I didn’t think you, of all people, would have any problem with a one night stand, even if it was born of distraction.”

  After all, as far as she knew, Taylor hadn’t had any actual long-term relationships.

  Taylor’s laugh was low and Brooke swore she could feel it float over her. “I don’t. I just never figured you’d be into a one night stand.” Even as she spoke, Taylor didn’t pull back from how close she was.

  Brooke had no intention of this happening tonight, sure. She didn’t invite Taylor back to her room for this. She hadn’t invited Taylor back to her room at all!

  Taylor just had a way of getting under her skin, for better or worse – worse, usually – and settling in, like an itch Brooke couldn’t ignore, no matter how hard she tried.

  It was annoyingly distracting because her proximity didn’t let Brooke forget for even a second how much her body reacted to Taylor’s. How uncontrollably turned on she was. So much so that she could feel her hands shaking. It was ridiculous. And she wondered if Taylor knew just how much she wanted her.

  She wondered if Taylor wanted her just as much.

  As much as she hated to admit it, the thought shot a thrill through her stomach, adding to the heat pounding between her legs.

  “You were the one who said earlier that if we were strangers, we wouldn’t even be in this position at all.” Taylor arched a questioning eyebrow when Brooke didn’t say anything, too lost in thought.

  Brooke set her jaw at the reminder and watched Taylor’s eyes fall to where Brooke’s irritating tell-tale flush worked over her chest. She could literally feel it happening. Which was ridiculous, because she was a forty-year-old woman.

  Apparently that didn’t stop her from feeling some embarrassment.

  She sucked in a deep breath and weighed with herself whether she should tell the truth or not. Because she hadn’t meant for Taylor to hear that, at all. But Taylor’s look, eyes darker than ever and so eager, didn’t stop watching her, waiting for the answer.

  Rolling her eyes, she grit out, “Fine. What I meant by that was… if a stranger as attractive as you are was asking me to dinner and we had none of this history or chance that it would be awkward after this, then things would be different. All right?”

  Taylor’s mouth dropped open in clear surprise. It actually may have been the only time in Brooke’s life she’d seen Taylor shocked speechless, and was definitely the first time she’d been the cause. She might have been able to enjoy it some other time – if it wasn’t at the expense of her own embarrassment.

  As it was, real life felt like it was starting to edge in again.

  “So, you want me to be a stranger right now?” Taylor’s voice was low, lower than usual, the sound of it adding to the feeling that collected in the pit of Brooke’s stomach.

  Brooke stared at her. At Taylor’s familiar face that could never really belong to a stranger. But how easy it would be for her if it did.

  “Well, yeah. Wouldn’t you prefer it?” She countered, feeling breathless with the arousal absolutely thrumming through her, combined with the slow perusal of Taylor’s eyes down her body. Especially the way they locked on her chest.

  “If you were someone I’d never met before, I’d already have you begging me for more by now.” Taylor sounded somewhat breathless herself, but she grinned as she spoke. The teasing tone of it was Taylor, though, and Brooke rolled her eyes with as much exasperation as she could muster.

  “Never min–”

  Taylor’s mouth was on hers again. Hungrily, and the sensation pulled a moan from the back of her throat, as the reminders of real life were shoved far away once more, easily.

  It felt like Taylor’s hands were everywhere, and Brooke’s body lit up at her touch, her own hands gripping at the bottom of Taylor’s shirt and pulling, tugging where it was tucked into her jeans. Off. She wanted – she needed to touch. Her fingers itched with the desire to feel Taylor’s bare skin.

  Taylor backed away just enough to pull her shirt off and then quickly over her head, before bringing her mouth back to Brooke’s. She didn’t even have a moment to look before Taylor’s mouth was on hers again, teeth scraping at her bottom lip, breathing a whimper into Brooke’s mouth that sent another shock through her.

  Even if she couldn’t look right now, she could feel. She slid her hands up the soft skin of Taylor’s hips to her waist, stroking her thumbs under her bra. The feeling of Taylor’s warm skin for the first time shot right to Brooke’s core. Fuck, she felt good. She always knew she would.

  She pressed herself harder against Taylor, trying for more friction and groaning in disappointment when she couldn’t get it.

  She could feel Taylor’s lips grin against her own as she broke their kiss, working her way down Brooke’s neck again and –

  “Jesus Christ,” she gasped as Taylor found the spot at the base of her neck almost too easily.

  Brooke couldn’t even bring herself to care when Taylor chuckled against her, not when she then sucked at that spot. Her hips jerked and she could feel just how wet she was, soaking into her underwear. She felt Taylor trail her fingers up her inner thigh, then back down again, and a quiet whine escaped her.

  God, Br
ooke wanted Taylor’s touch. She wanted it so much; her body felt like it was on fire already. She dragged her nails down Taylor’s back, trying to get her as close as possible. The leg she still had wrapped around Taylor’s waist shook with how turned on she was.

  Brooke groaned again when Taylor slid her touch up her thigh, but didn’t actually give Brooke the friction she was horrified to admit that she desperately needed.

  Of course, she would tease her.

  “Taylor,” Brooke groaned, unable to discern what her feelings were at all when she felt Taylor smile against her. “Come on –”

  When Taylor’s hand slid up close enough to brush over Brooke’s heat before she slid back down, Brooke’s control snapped. She wasn’t someone who waited for life to hand her things; she did what she needed.

  And right now, she needed.

  With that in mind, she grabbed Taylor’s wrist herself and pressed where she needed her, her head falling back in relief at the sensation of finally getting the pressure she ached for. Yes.

  “So demanding,” Taylor nipped her teeth into Brooke’s throat and a breath shuddered out of her, “Why am I not surprised?”

  Brooke opened her eyes just to narrow them. “I thought –” she curled her toes, gasping out a breath when Taylor pressed down just right, putting pressure on her clit through her slacks. “You said you’d already have me beggi–”

  She cut herself off, unable to talk through the moan that broke over her lips as Taylor rubbed faster and then she couldn’t catch her breath, rolling her hips against the movement. She needed this, she thought again, feeling the white-hot sensation start forming in her core.

  Taylor’s other hand took a fistful of her hair and pulled Brooke’s head back and she had no other choice than to be putty in her hands. She answered the demand of Taylor’s lips on hers, glad that those full lips were muffling the litany of sounds that escaped her.

  Brooke’s entire body froze, back arching hard as her blood sang in her ears as she felt Taylor’s hand undo her pants, her hand immediately sliding inside.