Never Ever Read online

  Chapter Twenty Eight:

  Taylor

  I followed her into our bedroom, closing the door softly behind me when I knew she had wanted nothing more than to slam it. “Livi, baby I-

  “No. All I want, for the rest of the night, is for you to make me forget. Forget that my best friend betrayed me, forget that my husband sucks way worse than I thought he did, forget…Just make me forget it all Taylor. Can you do that?”

  I wanted to hold her, and let her talk her issues out. I wanted to be the man that picked up her shattered pieces and glued them back together. I wanted to be her whole world. And all she wanted was one more night. One more night with the arrogant playboy making her scream his name. I mean I was a weekend of fun, right? She didn’t want a future with me, I was her great escape. My heart was crumbling at her feet and she had no idea. I nodded slowly, “Anything you need Sugar, it’s yours.” I watched as she peeled her shirt over her head and shimmied out of her shorts. She walked over to me wearing her lacy black bra and matching panties. Livi started in on the buttons of my shirt as I reached down and shredded her underwear. She looked up at me through her long eyelashes and smiled. I’d told her that I knew she loved it when I did that. The truth was, I loved it too. I loved giving her what she wanted, the slight edge to our sex. We were perfect together. I picked her up and tossed her on the small bed. After removing the rest of my clothes I covered her body with mine. She spread her legs, her body like a beacon to mine. When she reached between us, grabbing my bare cock and positioning it at her entrance, I froze. “Livi?”

  “You said anything I needed, right?”

  “I did. But when I brought it up before…”

  “Things change Taylor.”

  What the fuck did that mean? Things change? The only thing that had changed between then and now was that I was falling for her and she was walking away in the morning.

  “I mean, if it’s not still okay…I just thought…”

  I brushed a stray hair off her forehead. Livi had stolen all sanity from my brain. Maybe it was all the blood constantly pumping towards my dick in her presence. “It’s still okay. I…I want to feel you…God. I want you this way more than anything.”

  She put her hands on my ass, pulling me inside of her. The heat and the sensations, it was almost more than I could stand. “Oh God, baby. You feel so fucking perfect.” I needed more. I grabbed her legs, wrapping them around my waist. Pinning me inside of her. I never wanted to leave anyway. I set a slow pace at first, drawing out her pleasure until she was begging me for more, for harder, faster. She wanted to be dominated, for me to force all thoughts from her mind. I guess in the end, I was the man helping her heal, just not in the way I wanted to. I began to pound into her body, over and over. The head board was banging against the wall, the bed was squeaking. I had to put one hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. “Is that what you need, baby? Like that?”

  “Oh God, Taylor. So fucking good. Please don’t stop.”

  I was so close to the edge, the sensations were too strong, it was too real feeling her body wrapped around me with nothing between us. I wasn’t going to last much longer. “Come for me, Sugar. Come for me Livi.” She screamed my name as her orgasm washed over her. Her muscles clenching and tightening, milking my dick, had me following close behind. I should have pulled out, but no part of me wanted too. I wanted to know she was full of me, that part of me would be inside of her while she slept wrapped in my arms.

  Chapter Twenty Nine:

  Livi

  Last night was one of the hardest and best nights of my life. Dancing with Taylor, laughing, holding him close, had been heaven. Coming home to find out that my best friend had an affair with my husband? Kind of sucked giant horse balls. Having Taylor take me to bed and nail every thought from my mind, also heaven. We slept, tangled up in each other, just like we had every night this weekend. I opened my eyes to sunlight streaming into our tiny sanctuary. I wanted to cry. I had to leave him behind today and go back to reality. Don’t get me wrong, I very much needed to get out of this house and away from Baily. But I was heartbroken about Taylor. It had only taken me three days. Three days to fall for the arrogant, cocky, hilarious, gorgeous playboy lying next to me. With his arm and leg both draped over my body. I shifted, which was difficult under the weight of his limbs, turning my body towards him. His sexy blue eyes opened and his face broke into a smile, “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “Good morning, handsome.”

  “Handsome? I don’t think I’ve ever been called handsome before.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, it’s usually sexy, hot, fuckable…you get the picture.”

  “How about cocky? Arrogant? Ever been called those things?”

  He chuckled brushing my hair over my shoulder, “A time or two.” His smile fell, “What time is you flight?”

  My stomach dropped, “I need to be at the airport by noon. My flight leaves at one, Kate and I are on the same flight again.”

  He turned on his side, facing me. “What about Baily?”

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.” I shrugged, “I’ll get over it eventually. We’ll be friends again. But it’ll never be like it was before. The trust there is gone. We’ll never be the same.” I felt my eyes swell with tears. I tried my best to blink them away before Taylor saw.

  He placed his warm hand on my cheek, “Time heals all wounds?”

  “Hope so. Tell me about you, what’s next in the exciting world of Taylor Hill?”

  “You mean besides nursing a broken heart? Well, I’ll graduate with a degree I love but will never get to use. I start working for my dad’s company the week after graduation.”

  I snorted, “Broken heart my ass.”

  “I meant it Livi. Leaving you today…it’s not going to be easy for me.”

  “Me either.” I wanted to take him home with me. I wanted to ask him if I could see him again. But I didn’t. My life was a little chaotic right now. I had to think of myself, get myself in order. Taylor was just now starting his life, I didn’t want to weigh him down with my issues. I was the one who would be nursing a broken heart for a while.

  ***

  When Taylor and I finally got out of bed (2 hours and two orgasms later) I packed all my stuff and got ready to go home. Seeing all the suitcases by the door made me depressed. Baily had gotten up at the crack of dawn and taken a cab to the airport. She switched her flight, thought it would be easier on me if I didn’t have to see her today. She was right, I wasn’t ready to start dealing with her betrayal. Allie and Cole were sitting on the couch, harboring hang overs. “Livi Lou is there anymore smoothie stuff? Please help me. I can’t fly like this, I’ll puke everywhere.”

  I went into the kitchen and pulled together what I needed, making them each my special hang over cure. “Here you go, you big babies.”

  Taylor brought our bags out and placed them next to everyone else’s. He plopped down in an arm chair and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head on my arm. Kate came and joined us, “So are we going to talk about it? Or just ignore it?”

  I knew what she meant, “Well, Baily had sex with my husband-

  “Ex-husband.” Taylor interjected.

  “Yes, thank you, my ex-husband. While we were still married, and she lied, she cheated. She fucked up. In time, I suppose, I will forgive her. But things between us will never be the same. I would never ask you guys to stop talking to her or to treat her differently. It’ll just probably be awhile before I’m willing to do another trip with the four of us…”

  Allie nodded, slurping the last of her smoothie down. “We love Baily. But we love you too. She hurt you, so she hurt all of us. I want to hate her for destroying what we all had, the trust we shared. But I can’t.”

  I smiled, “I don’t want you to hate her Allie. I don’t even hate her.”

  Cole sat up, “I’m really sorry about last night. I feel like a douche.”

  Taylor c
huckled, “That’s because you are a douche.”

  I shook my head, “Don’t be sorry Cole. Everything happened the way it was supposed to. Who knows if she would have ever told me the truth otherwise?”

  We were all quiet for a while, lost in our thoughts. Cole looked at his watch, “I hate to be the one to say this, but it’s time to go.”

  Tears threatened my eyes, I rubbed them away. I would not look like a stupid girl in front of Taylor. I’d already done that enough this weekend. Once the guys loaded up all our luggage we headed towards the airport. Kate was sitting up front with Cole, Allie was stretched out in the very back, and Taylor and I were basically sitting on top of each other in the middle row. “Good luck with your finals, email me and let me know how it goes?”

  “Sure. Thanks.” He looked out the window and then back to me, jaw clenched. “Livi, I…I really um…shit. Can I maybe, call you sometime?”

  I chuckled, “I’d like that.” I took a deep breath, “Thank you, for everything. I had more fun with you this weekend than I’ve had in a long time. You’re great, you know that?”

  “I…I can’t even begin to tell you. I’ve never met anyone like you before. You are so strong and smart and beautiful. You mean something to me Livi. You’ll always mean something to me. And I’m only a phone call away. Or, you know, a flight?”

  I think I stopped breathing for a second. A flight? Was he suggesting we see each other again? I was no good for him. I was a divorced chick, I was not what he needed. Taylor needed someone fun and spontaneous, naïve even. So instead of saying what I wanted to say, which was I fell for you over the last three days please come see me, please call and email and text. I said nothing. I just smiled and laid my head on his shoulder.

  Chapter Thirty:

  Taylor

  She said nothing. She didn’t say fuck off. But she also didn’t say yes, I’d love to see you again. We rode the rest of the way in silence. I’d never felt dread in the pit of my stomach like this before. The closer we got to the airport, the more upset I became. I felt like a fucking pansy. Cole pulled the suburban to the curb, climbing out to get the girls luggage. I stood there outside the car, watching Livi say good bye to Cole. She hugged him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. She walked over to me, she was so beautiful. She rested her forehead against my chest and I pulled her close. I whispered in her ear, “Be safe, Sugar.” We kissed one last time, and she left. It’s ironic that I talked such a big game, and she was the one walking away. And she never looked back. Not once. If she had, she would have seen my knees buckle and my heart shatter.

  Chapter Thirty One:

  Livi

  “Livi Lou, you have got to leave this house at some point.” Kate pulled me up off the couch by my arm.

  As soon as she let go, I flopped back down. “Actually, I don’t. I get really healthy food delivered, I hired a personal trainer that comes over three times a week, and all I need to do my job is the internet and a lap top.”

  “Livi! Snap the hell out of it! This is getting ridiculous. Yes, your husband had an affair with one of your best friends. Yes, you miss Taylor. But life goes on. The world keeps spinning.”

  I knew Kate was right. It’s not that my divorce or fight with Baily had left me depressed or anything. I just felt blah, and I missed Taylor with every bone in my body.

  Kate read my mind, “Why don’t you just call him?”

  “And say what? Hey, I know I’m going through a divorce and all, but do you want to like date me?” I rolled my eyes, “Come on Kate, he just graduated, his whole life is in front of him and it’s in Georgia.” I shrugged, looking down. “Plus, the phone works both ways, and he hasn’t called me either.”

  Kate sat down next to me, if you can’t beat em’ join em’ I suppose. “You’re right Liv, his life is in Georgia. But you know what? Yours is mobile. You said so yourself that all you need is internet and a lap top. Your divorce was final last week, there is nothing holding you here anymore.”

  I stuck out my bottom lip, “You guys are here.”

  She shook her head, “No we aren’t. I’m in San Antonio, Allie is in Dallas, and Baily is…well, Baily isn’t really someone you want to spend time with right now anyway.”

  I rolled my eyes, “I know that none of you live in Austin. I meant, you are all in Texas. What am I supposed to do? Move to Georgia? That’s needy and gross. I’m not uprooting my whole life for a guy that may or may not want to see me again.”

  Kate slapped my thigh, “I wasn’t insinuating you fucking move to Georgia, Liv. That’s insane. I just meant maybe you should go for a visit. Wait? Do you want to move to Georgia? Have you been thinking about that?”

  “No.” I didn’t make eye contact. It wasn’t a lie per se, I just wanted so badly to be next to Taylor again. Feel his hands on me, his eyes. “Look, he and I set ground rules before anything happened. It was a weekend fling, no looking back.”

  “Bullshit Liv. I heard him at the airport, I heard him all but ask you if he could come see you. And you said nothing. It was so sad, the look on his face.” Kate mimicked a pouty face.

  “I’m no good for him. I have baggage.”

  Kate threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “Get over yourself! You don’t have baggage. You got divorced. That’s all.”

  I sighed and leaned back into my comfy couch, my new bff. “What if Taylor doesn’t want me?”

  “What if he does?”

  Stupid Kate with all her encouragement and logic. “What if he turns out to be bad for me, just like Patrick?”

  Kate turned to face me, folding her hands in her lap, calmly lady like. “Livi, I need to tell you something. This is something I should have told you a very longtime ago-

  “Did you sleep with Patrick too?”

  Kate snorted, “Not a chance. Just listen, okay?”

  I nodded.

  “Patrick was never the man for you. I know that you have it all built up in your mind that for a while your life was a fairytale. But it never was Livi. Patrick never picked you first, never once. He said all the right things, did all the right things to make you fall for him. But he was never your prince charming. I saw you smile and laugh and play more in three days with Taylor than I ever saw you do with Patrick. He never got you, Liv. He wanted you to be less than you were, and it was torture to watch. Patrick sleeping with Baily, cheating on you more than once, was a blessing in disguise. You’re free Livi, act like it.”

  I was dumbfounded, shocked, stunned. “You all hated him? You all knew he wasn’t the one for me? But you never said anything? You let me marry him?”

  Kate smiled, sadly. “Oh Livi, we were just a bunch of kids. We were all trying to find our way in this world. You seemed happy, so we were happy for you.” She shook my hand, “But now, we’re adults. And I’m sitting here telling you that Taylor is the guy for you, he’s good for you. And you would be an idiot to let him slip through your fingers.” She stood and walked to the other side of the room, “Which is why I called Cole.”

  “You what?!”

  Kate nodded, and held her hands out in front of her, warning me away. What did she think I was going to do, hit her? She might be right. “I called Cole, well Allie and I did. We were on speaker phone. Anyway, we told him that you missed Taylor, but were being a stubborn brat.”

  I shook my head, “I can, NOT, fucking believe the two of you!”

  “Believe it sister. We would do any and everything possible to make you happy. Cole said that Tay has been miserable the last few weeks. He talks about you constantly.”

  “Really? Cole said that?” I felt my anger dissipate instantly.

  “Yes, he did.” Kate walked further away from me, into my kitchen. Putting the granite island between us. “So, we sent him a ticket to come see you.”

  “You. Did. Not.” My anger was coming back with a vengeance.

  “We did.” Kate reached up and grabbed a bottle of wine off my wine rack, opening it and pouring me a glass. “His flight g
ets in tomorrow morning.”

  I grabbed the glass and downed its contents. “He’s actually coming? You’re sure?”

  Kate nodded, “He’s coming. Cole is picking him up in the morning to take him to the airport.”

  “I don’t know if I want to kiss you or kick you.”

  She shrugged, “Finn is at my mom’s for the night. So how about, you and I polish off this bottle of wine and watch some girly movies? We’ll keep you company, and calm, until tomorrow.”

  “We?”

  Kate smiled, taking a sip of her own wine. “Allie is on her way, she’ll be here in an hour or so.”

  I was speechless, and overwhelmed, by my friends. The love they had for me was so profound. But, I should have known that, because so was mine for them. “Thank you Kate.”

  “You’re welcome Livi.”

  Chapter Thirty Two:

  Taylor

  I had paced the length of my hotel room at least a dozen times. I started about a hundred texts to Livi, only to delete every one of them. I wanted to tell her I was in town, that I wanted to see her. But I was terrified. What if she said no? I had talked to Cole, who had talked to Allie a few days ago. Apparently they had become buddies. She told Cole that Livi missed me. Her divorce was final now, and apparently Patrick was still trying to get her back. I wanted to track that asshole down and kick his ass. I wanted to tell him that she was mine now and he better back the fuck off. But…I didn’t. Because, she wasn’t. Cole had given me a ticket to come to Austin, he’d basically kidnapped me and put me on the plane himself. But hell, just because she missed me didn’t mean she wanted to see me. To Livi I was just a fling, just a good time. How could I blame her? That’s what I told her I was. I was just some guy who flirted for a living and went to school because he had nothing better to do. I drank and partied and whored around. I slept too late and I couldn’t cook. I didn’t even know how to do my own damn laundry. I always made sure there was a chick around to do it for me. I was a joke. She needed a man. Someone who could provide for her, give her support and stability. Someone to make her life better, not make her life harder.