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“That’s great. Is it published yet?”

“Not yet, she finished it about two months ago and now we’re trying to get her an agent and a publisher, but, you know, it can be quite a daunting task. We always tell her that if her dream is to be a writer, then the important thing is to keep writing, and all the rest will just fall into place.”

Touched by the woman’s love and pride for her daughter and the girl’s passion for writing, Emily decided to offer some help. “Aside from helping out my professor friend, I work for a blog called Everyday Stuff. Have you ever heard of it?”

Judith nodded, and smiled widely. “Of course I have. Laura’s recipes are always on my table.”

“Good, I’ll let her know,” Emily promised warmly. “Well, I review books for it, and I would be happy to help Alana get her name out there. If she gets published, or even if she self-publishes it, I can review it for her and even give her a few pointers that might help get some publishers’ attention.”

During their conversation Judith had found Emily’s face familiar but, up until that moment, she hadn’t made the connection between the lovely young woman in front of her and the blogger she’d followed for so long. In her many years as an avid blog follower, she’d read the
Everyday Read
page countless times, and usually ended up buying the books suggested. Never once had she been disappointed, and she always thought the writer was spot on with everything she said.

Knowing the success it was and the incredible stepping-stone it would be for her daughter, Judith was overwhelmed by the offer. With watery eyes and no words that could express her gratitude, she got up from her chair.

As the older woman made her first move towards Emily, she saw everything happening, as if in slow motion. Judith’s intentions were clear. Even though she knew the woman meant well and was only trying to show her gratitude with a hug instead of words, Emily couldn’t help the panic that was taking over her. As nice as the woman was, she was still a stranger. Therefore, her actions and potential to cause harm were unknown.

Completely frozen with fear at the sight of the woman moving closer and closer, Emily’s brain went into a haze. Her arms and legs tingled with adrenaline and her throat constricted, making breathing almost impossible. Her eyes were still open, but her mind was shutting down and refusing to register the scene playing out in front of her.

All of a sudden, arms circled around her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she heard rather than felt a kiss.

The terror was indescribable. The air completely left her lungs and, as much as she tried, she couldn’t fill them up again. She wanted to say something, ask the arms to let her go or call for help, but a lump in her throat wouldn’t allow her to speak.

“I’ll always have your back. Now just breathe.”

The only voice that could bring her back from the nightmare she been stuck in for the past few seconds whispered in her ear.

Taylor, it’s just Taylor. Oh thank god . . . oh, thank god!
Her mind repeated the words over and over again as her senses finally returned and she was able to process the situation. The arms that encircled her, Taylor’s strong and protective arms, came from her back, where his body was pressed firmly against hers, making a protective cocoon. His hands held her arms tightly and were massaging blood back into them. Never in her life had she felt more protected than at that moment.

Judith was standing by the high table, the same lovely and warm smile she had before on her lips. Seeing the woman’s complete unawareness of her brief panic flooded Emily’s body with relief. She curled her arms upwards and held Taylor’s crossed forearms as tightly as she could, afraid that if he let her go she might collapse from the chair she was sitting in.

“Oh, you beat me to it,” Judith teased Taylor. “I was just going to give this wonderful woman of yours a big old hug to thank her for being so fantastic.”

Taylor laughed but didn’t loosen his grip. “She is something else, isn’t she?” His voice was filled with pride. “And I’m sorry for cutting in on your hug, but my arms always feel empty when she’s not in them. I couldn’t help it.”

Emily didn’t know if his words were just for show or not, but a part of her deeply wished they weren’t. She was so lost in those confusing thoughts that she barely heard the woman tell Taylor that he should hold onto her and never let her go. His answer was just more fuel for her confused fire. “I plan to do just that, Judith.”

Judith finally thanked Emily for her offer to help her daughter and informed her that she would be hearing from Alana very soon. As they said their final goodbyes, Emily and Taylor reluctantly removed only one of the hands that held the other for a quick handshake with the departing couple.

Finally alone, Emily let her head fall back to Taylor’s chest. She ran her fingers up and down the forearms that were still around her, while trying to mellow her pounding heart.

“She scared the shit outta you, didn’t she?” he asked, moving his eyes down to look at hers.

Emily choked out a nervous laugh before answering. “That’s an understatement. One minute I was offering to help her daughter with her book, the next she was moving towards me. If you hadn’t . . . ” She screwed her eyes shut and shuddered.

“I will always show up—never doubt that,” he whispered. Knowing that the danger was over and not wanting to overstep any boundaries, he delivered a kiss to the top of her head and loosened his arms. Small hands gripped them with abnormal strength and held them where they were. The subtle shake of her head told him everything he wanted to hear; she wanted his arms around her as much as he did. The knowledge made him hold her even closer.

They talked for a while, arms entwined and bodies pressed together. She asked him what Judith’s husband wanted and he gave her highlights of their negotiation. It was beyond obvious how proud he was of the success the show had been, and his joy and well-deserved pride warmed Emily’s heart.

The guests had all left, and the caterers were packing their things up when Marina and the rest of the gallery staff joined their table.

Most of them, including Marina and Kimberly, were mildly inebriated, which made the conversation incredibly entertaining. The success of the show, the many sales and Emily’s incredible abilities to charm both male and female buyers were recurrent topics. The entire time, Emily and Taylor stayed in their cuddly position. She ran her hands up and down his forearms, every once in a while allowing a single finger to enter the space between his cuffs to graze the arm hair on his wrist. In exchange, Taylor would smooth the curls that touched her shoulders and repetitively kiss the top of her head.

As much as they wanted to think that their interactions were going by unnoticed, they didn’t. While the loud conversation and bellowing laughter went on, every pair of eyes watched their every move.

The men looked at Taylor in the way guys look at each other when one of them gets a beautiful girl. The women looked at Emily with a mixture of envy, and the swooning, specially reserved for those really lucky women who find a man unafraid of PDA. Marina watched the two of them with happiness that is only seen in true friend’s eyes, while Kimberly shot eye daggers and mental curses at the cuddly couple.

Before they even noticed the time it was near three in the morning, and exhaustion had completely taken over. After exchanging quick goodbyes with the few people who were still talking and drinking, Taylor guided Emily out of the gallery and into their car.

Seconds into their ride back to the apartment, Emily leaned against Taylor’s shoulder. Her tiredness, combined with the deep relaxation brought by his fingers combing through her hair, made her fall asleep almost instantly. Fighting his own exhaustion, he watched her sleep, thinking she looked more beautiful than ever. Her relaxed, calm breaths were hypnotic and, without even noticing, his lungs fell into pace with hers.

Without the usual traffic that crowded the streets of New York, their journey was way too short for Taylor’s liking. As the car came to a halt in front of his building, his tired and sleepy mind thought that he could watch her sleep forever and it would still be too short.

“Hey Sleeping Beauty, we’re here,” he whispered. Emily’s eyes fluttered and a tired moan escaped her.

Her reluctant eyes opened just a little. “Already? I’m so tired, and my feet hurt,” she whined adorably.

A lazy half-smile spread across Taylor’s lips as he watched her push herself to a sitting position and attempt to fit her swollen feet back into her pumps. With a mental note of appreciation to Mr. Louboutin for creating such sexy feet crunching shoes, Taylor opened his door and stepped out of the car. “Just hold them and scoot over here, I’ll carry you up.”

“What?” Her brows knit together as she continued her attempt to fit her feet in her shoes. “You’re kidding, right? I’m not a child, Tay.”

Taylor bent down to look at her. “No you’re not, but you are so tired that you’re trying to fit your left shoe on your swollen right foot. As previously stated, I’m a gentleman, so stop fussing and get over here.”

“I’m too heavy to be held for twenty-something floors,” Emily replied stubbornly, moving the shoe to the proper location.

Taylor laughed and retrieved her right shoe from the floor and lifted her from the seat in one swift move that resulted in a squeaky version of his name. Once he had her in his arms and under the marquee, a wicked smile curled on his lips. He threw her up in the air, effortlessly. Once again, she squeaked in surprise. As soon as she fell back into his arms, her arms circled his neck, holding on to him for dear life.

“Light as a feather,” he said, in between laughs.

The combination of her steel grip and various protests only served to make him laugh harder. He walked through the double doors that led to the lobby and kindly greeted the concierge, as he usually did. The man stared at the two with an amused smile on his lips and bobbed his head, wishing them a good night.

The longer Emily stayed in his arms, the harder it was for her to keep up her protests and avoid the laugher that threatened to come out. He held her with such ease, and nothing in his expression gave any indication that he was getting tired; no trembling of his muscles, no strain on his face, or sweat on his brow. It was like he was holding a grocery bag instead of a fully-grown woman.

They didn’t speak much during the elevator ride; mostly, they smiled, and looked into each other’s eyes. To Taylor, it was mind-blowing how perfect her body felt cradled up to his, and to Emily, everything from the feel of his hand on the back of her thigh to the closeness of their bodies felt comfortable. Her hazy, sleepy brain began wondering how it would be to fall asleep in those arms.

Once they reached the inside of his home, Taylor walked straight to Emily’s room and, with a careful and precise movement, sat her down on the bed.

“Thanks for the ride.” Her words came from behind a tiny lazy smile. “You are much stronger than I thought,” she admitted holding both his biceps.

“Thanks, I guess,” Taylor replied with a tired laugh. “Now that I got you here, you should probably change and go to sleep. You look exhausted.”

Emily yawned and let her body fall into the pile of pillows by the headboard of the bed. “I am exhausted.”

Half a smile curled his lips. “If you need any help changing, I would be happy to assist you once again.”

Amused, she wrinkled her nose, and poked her tongue out at him. “I’m sure you would, but I think I can manage.”

Taylor chuckled at her funny face. “In that case then, sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty.” With a kiss to the top of her head, he walked towards the door. As Emily saw Taylor cross the threshold, she was overwhelmed by sadness. She only had a more few hours to be in his apartment and in his company, and even though every cell in her body craved sleep, they also craved him just as badly.

“Will you come back?” Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was loud enough for him to hear. Her tired eyes watched him freeze on his last step out of the room. That was the moment she registered her last words.
What the hell am I asking?
However, as soon as the thought entered her mind, it was silenced by her desire to spend a little more time with him.

More time with Emily was all Taylor wanted. Several times over the past few days, he found himself thinking that no amount of time, not even a lifetime, would ever be enough to spend with her, but after their conversation in the car earlier that night he was determined to never push beyond her security boundaries. However, she was the one stretching and offering him what he so desperately wanted. A wide smile nearly cut his face in two.

Emily took his delayed response as a bad sign and a panicky feeling came over her. Fear that that he might think badly of her or get the wrong idea almost made her sick, and she rushed an explanation. “I mean, I just thought we could talk a little more. If you prefer I could meet you on the couch or something. Or not, if you’re too tired, it’s fine.”

Her words made him turn around to face her, displaying both his wide grin and a small worry line on his forehead. “If you give me five minutes, I would love come back.” Before he closed the door and left, the two of them nodded at each other, blissful smiles widening both their lips.