Page 64 of Swept Up In You

“Taylor! Where are we going?”

“Come on.”

“That’s not an answer!” She laughed, stomping along behind her.

Taylor stopped abruptly, whirling around as Sam ran into her, giggling. Then she looked around and realised they were standing in the middle of the dance floor.

Sam started shaking her head. “Oh no. Nope. No way. I amnota dancer.”

Taylor broke out into the chorus, grabbing Sam’s hands and refusing no as an answer. Her smile and energy were infectious, and Sam couldn’t help but return it.

She rolled her eyes but smiled, joining in with her own bop along. By the second chorus, she was completely into it. Everyone around them forgotten, she sang along with Taylor, both of them grinning like complete idiots.

The song ended with a round of applause from the DJ and a few people around them.

“That wasLike You Like That—andshecertainly does.” The DJ winked at Taylor, who gave a thumbs up in return.

Both breathless, they stepped off the stage, arm in arm.

“So,” Taylor started.

“So,” Sam parroted, still grinning, high off the energy.

“Thought I’d double check, do you like me like that?”

She didn’t warrant it with an answer. Instead, she grabbed the front of Taylor’s jumper and kissed her. People jostled their way around them, and she couldn’t care less. This was the build-up, the culmination of everything over the last couple of weeks.Taylor must’ve felt it too as teeth and tongues clashed. It was messy, and it was perfect.

Then she felt a drop of water.

And another.

They broke apart as the sky began to open up.

“Uh oh.” Taylor held her hands palm up. “Do we need to get out of here?”

Still flushed, Sam looked her right in the eye. “I think we need to get out of here for more than just the rain.”

Taylor’s face told her all she needed to know.

They made it back to Sam’s place in record time, the storm making itself well and truly known as they dashed inside through howling wind and lashing rain.

“Thanks for driving me home,” Sam almost shouted over the roar outside as she shut the door with much more force than usually required.

“You’re welcome,” Taylor replied, wiping the water off her face and hair, messing it up completely in the process. “I didn’t think that storm was meant to hit until the early hours.”

Sam took off her jacket, shook it, and hung it over a dining chair. “Seems Mother Nature had other plans.” She tamed her own windswept hair, threading it through her fingers.

To Sam, the bad weather was like a safety blanket, knowing it would keep people out of the public storage yard outside and ensuring her dad stayed over on his boat, so she could feel like they had complete privacy with no more unwarranted drop-ins. Still, she walked over and locked the front door this time, pulling the curtains over the glass doors to give them even more seclusion. In this moment, it was the first time she felt likeshe was outgrowing the space, maybe the whole area. The open seas were calling, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to come back. Taylor was becoming more of an anchor in her life each day though. And that thought alone scared her the most.

She turned back to face Taylor. Now wasnotthe time for those thoughts.

“Do you want a drink?”

Aware they were completely alone, the nerves started to inch their way back in as Sam thought about progressing things beyond a kiss. But she didn’t want to be in her head right now. She wanted to own this moment. This night.

“I think I’m good,” Taylor said, leaning back on the dining table, her legs crossed at the ankles. She gave Sam a look that said the ball was in her court. She was waiting. Ready.

Sam stepped into her space, closing the distance as her hands landed on either side of Taylor on the table.She could do this.

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