Page 8 of Tailored for Them

I blinked at them, lowering my hand a fraction, “Um. I think so.”

“If I cross a line, kick me under the table,” Taylor pulled off their headband and quickly ran their fingers through their dark hair, giving their hair more volume, and swooping it up and to the side. They styled it in a way that made me want to run my fingers through their hair myself.

“Okay?” I asked it like a question right before Taylor reached over and grabbed a leg of my chair, and roughly scooted memuch, much closer to them. It made a loud scrape against the tile flooring, and I braced myself by gripping the edge of the table so I wouldn’t accidentally fall into their lap.

“I know I smell like ass, but let me help,” I felt Taylor’s breath on my cheek and neck. They draped one of their arms on the back of my chair, and I shivered at the feel of their warm lips brushing against my temple. I realized what they were doing, what they were setting up the scene to look like. I met Leo’s enthusiastic grin before I turned to face Taylor, who was so, so close to me.

I was about to say something, but Taylor turned their head to keep their lips near my ear as they continued, “Keep your attention on me as much as you can. Right now, you’re not her ex. You’re mine, Nicole.”

I gasped, my eyes wide, and a blush stained my cheeks. Leo chuckled as he took a sip from his beer, and Jacqueline pushed the new guac bowl in front of Taylor and me.

Taylor’s fingers gently brushed my arm, creating a wave of goosebumps and a shiver that came from being this close to their warm body.

“Nic?” I stiffened at the old nickname, my nervous system a complete wreck from the exhilarating experience of sitting in Taylor Desmond’s embrace while hearing my ex’s voice.

Taylor murmured, “Don’t turn yet,” in my ear before they brushed their lips across my temple, a delicate touch that left a scorching path. My lips parted. I was pretty sure I was panting. I lowered my hand from the table to wrap my fingers around Taylor’s thigh. I meant the touch to be some type of grounding gesture, a signal that I was out of my element and had no idea how to navigate this. But their hand covered mine, squeezing against my fingers and encouraging my touch on their leg.

And their other hand? Fingers skimmed my arm and across my shoulder, teasing my neck and traveling to my hairline.

I shivered, and I felt Taylor’s lips pull back in a smile on my temple before they leaned back to look at me.

I not so subtly leaned into their touch, my heart hammering in my chest because I couldn’t remember the last time someone touched me like this. I missed it. I wanted it.

“Nicole,” Colleen cleared her throat, and I widened my eyes at Taylor. They smirked before their dark blue eyes shifted to look up at my ex over my shoulder.

“Someone’s trying to talk to you, babe,” Taylor nodded in Colleen’s direction. My cheeks flamed with the term of endearment, something that Taylor’s eyes clocked, if the way they lowered and dragged back and forth over my face had any indication.

They had just single-handedly created the perfect ruse.

They were my partner.

I was theirs.

But what did I call them?

Taylor just called me “babe.”

Should I call them “babe” back? I didn’t think I had ever called anyone “babe”. I wasn’t a pet name person, but I couldn’t ignore the butterflies that took off in my stomach from hearing Taylor refer to me as “babe”.

I was panicking.

This is fake, Nicole, I reminded myself.

“Huh?” I asked, blinking while I studied the way Taylor licked their bottom lip.

“Behind you,” Taylor replied before they leaned in, gently brushing their nose against mine to whisper, “You’re doing great.”

I exhaled my breath on a wheeze when they pulled back, before finally turning my head to look up at Colleen.

She was…stunning. As always.

But my heart was underwhelmed by her proximity. I could feel Taylor’s fingers gently massaging my neck underneath my hair, a physical reminder that I wasn’t alone. That they were making me flushed and flustered right now, not Colleen.

“Oh,” I grinned up at her, “Hi.”

Colleen smiled, but her eyes were darting between me and Taylor with an odd look, “How are you? It’s been forever.” She opened her arms wide, and I wanted to scream. Was that really how she was playing this? As if the last time we saw each other, she hadn’t taken my heart and shattered it into a million pieces? As if I didn’t watch her and Sarah practically skip out of the door of our apartment?

I tried not to grimace before I stood from my seat, immediately missing Taylor’s grounding touch, and gave her the briefest, stiffest hug I had ever given someone.

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