When I Fall in Love (12 page)

He nodded. “Let me see if I've got this right. You don't want me to think you orchestrated this whole thing just so you could get closer to me in hopes of me making love to you again, is that right?”

She slowly nodded her head. “Yes. That's the elephant I was referring to.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Thank you for clearing that up. For a minute there I thought the other night might have meant something to you, but I see I was wrong.” He turned around and walked out.

Tayler opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. Whatever she'd say, he'd find a way to twist her words around. Saturday night meant more to her than he knew, but she couldn't let him know that.

Chapter 13

T
hat night Tayler climbed into bed knowing Rollin was on the other side of the bathroom door. She rolled over and pulled the cover close to her body. She could still picture him kissing his way down to her breasts and could feel the heat building inside her. Why had she let it go that far? Did she need a man that bad?

The other side of the bathroom door opened and she turned back over. She could see a light at the foot of the door frame. Rollin was in the bathroom. She wrapped her hands around her pillow and stared at the light thinking about the way he'd kissed her while holding her face in the palms of his hands.

The shower came on and she squeezed her legs together. He'd taken his clothes off. After days of speculating what he was like in bed, she'd found out. The only problem was, now she couldn't get him out of her mind.

As good as the sex was, Tayler knew it could never happen again. They had merely filled a need for each other. She hadn't been with a man in quite a while, and he possibly hadn't had a woman in a while. She rationalized the whole situation until she made herself feel better. Now she had to make sure Nicole never found out or she'd never hear the end of it.

* * *

Rollin stood under the showerhead and let the water cool him off. Tayler's presence on the other side of the bathroom door made sleep almost impossible. He turned his face up into the water and tried to let it wash all thoughts of her out of his mind. He grabbed a washcloth and bar of soap. The more he thought about her, the harder he scrubbed.

He could still see her lying on his bed, legs spread, displaying her love, and he wanted her. Being near her and smelling her perfume caused his body to react in ways he didn't want it to. He squeezed himself, thinking about how bad he wanted her. He wanted her tonight, tomorrow night and every night until her departure.

He quickly finished his shower and stepped out. After air-drying he pulled on his pajama pants and found himself at the door leading to Tayler. He wondered what she would do if he went into her room tonight. Would she let him make love to her this time until she screamed his name? He reached out and grabbed the knob.

* * *

Tayler bit her bottom lip as she stared at the shadow at the foot of the door and saw the knob move. Rollin was out of the shower and coming to her. Her brain said,
no!
Her body screamed,
yes!
She needed—no, she yearned for—complete, uninhibited sex with this man who penetrated her every fantasy.

Too soon the shadow moved away and the bathroom light went out. She rolled over, grabbed the extra pillow, and shoved it between her knees.

* * *

When Tayler woke the next morning, Rollin had already used the bathroom and left. She showered and dressed, eager to meet the Evans family and test some of her ideas for the B and B. Most of all, she was glad to have other people in the house.

After they were informed Rita had the flu, Corra returned with her kids and played host the entire weekend. Tayler persuaded Corra to let her help with the meals and a few other chores. They took care of the house, while Rollin spent most of his time on the farm. It was all exactly the type of diversion Tayler had hoped for.

Tayler made Rita's lemonade every afternoon, while Corra baked the cookies. Although Rollin reminded her on several occasions that she didn't have to do anything, she wanted to.

Corra's children played with the twins, and when the Evanses weren't in town, they roamed through the gardens or lay in the hammocks out back. The whole family joined Tayler and Kevin for morning truck rides to pick vegetables, and they loved it.

Tayler couldn't believe how much she enjoyed playing innkeeper. There were no presentations to prepare, no metrics to adhere to and, best of all, no long boring meetings to attend. Once when Corra left to take care of fund-raiser business, Tayler pretended the B and B was hers. She was having the time of her life.

Every night Tayler heard Rollin in the bathroom and watched the light underneath the door until it went out. Instead of memories of their night together fading, they strengthened. She crossed his path in the hallway several times and tried her best not to touch him. The smell of him was orgasmic. His touch sent her body into a quivering state. Thank goodness the guests had shown up when they did.

When Monday afternoon arrived she hated to see the Evans family leave. Corra went home, and Tayler was alone with Rollin again.

Later that evening, she stood in the bathroom mirror taking off her makeup when the door opened and Rollin walked in. He stopped short once he saw her.

“I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in here.” He backed up.

“That's okay. I'm finished.” She zipped up her makeup pouch. “You can come on in.” She tossed her tissue in the wastebasket and moved away from the sink.

“You know, you really don't need to wear makeup,” he said.

“Oh, I need it, all right. I feel naked without any on.”

He stepped over to the sink to wash his hands. “Millions of women wish they looked as good as you do without makeup.”

“Thank you,” she said as she reached for the door to her room. Then she turned around. “Rollin, Corra and I made some small purchases for the B and B this weekend, but I'd like to go over some of my more expensive ideas with you. I can show you on my computer when you have time.”

He reached for a hand towel and dried his hands. “Seeing as how you two are ganging up on me, sure, why not. How about after dinner tonight?”

She smiled. “Great.” She went back into her room and closed the door. A shiver ran down her spine as she realized they would be having dinner alone again tonight.

For dinner Tayler changed into a simple white summer dress and flat silver sandals. The minute she left her room, she could smell onions sautéing.

When she entered the dining room, the low light and soft music from the stereo in the library had created a romantic ambience. The door that led to the kitchen was propped open. She walked through.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked.

He turned around and stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I've got it. Help yourself to a glass of wine, though.”

She stepped over to the counter, where an opened bottle of red wine and two empty glasses sat. She remembered what happened the last time she drank his wine, so she poured herself a small glass. “What are you preparing?”

“Lamb, with some couscous and vegetables.”

“It smells wonderful.”

He joined her and poured himself a glass of wine. “You smell wonderful, too,” he said.

“Thank you.” Tayler didn't want the evening to get off on the wrong foot, so she avoided eye contact with him at all costs. Every time he looked into her eyes it weakened her determination not to have sex with him again.

“Since you have everything in here under control, I'll just grab my computer for after dinner.”

“Sure,” he said and returned to the stove.

She left the kitchen and returned seconds later with her laptop. While Rollin finished dinner, she sipped her wine and glanced at a few work emails but didn't feel the need to respond to anything. She was enjoying her vacation. Minutes later, Rollin emerged from the kitchen with platters of food.

After dinner and some small talk, Tayler opened her laptop again. “You know I've only been here two weeks, but I see room for improvement.”

“It's only been two weeks?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Wow. It seems like you've been here longer than that.”

“Yeah, it does. So don't take my suggestions the wrong way. Part of my job is working on process improvements. So, I'm always trying to figure out how to do things better and more efficiently.”

“Let's get to it, then.” He moved from his side of the table to the seat next to her.

Tayler could smell the spicy scent of his cologne and feel the heat from his body and almost lost her train of thought. In response, her body tensed up.

“First, I think you need a new website. Something that will take you into the future. You can offer discounts in connection with some local events, festivals or family reunions.”

He nodded. “I agree with you.”

“I don't see any business cards. They're inexpensive and—”

“I have some.”

“Okay, then you need to set them out—that way your guests can take them home and pass them out to family and friends. And businesses that you partner with should have them on display, as well. I don't remember seeing any around town since I've been here.”

“I've been too busy to follow up on that.”

“Okay, well, that's simple to fix.” She had more ideas, but with him so close she found it difficult to concentrate.

“Is that it?” he asked, looking at her computer screen.

“No, let's see.” She glanced at the screen but could feel his eyes on her. The sensual music didn't make the situation any easier. She tried to ignore it and tapped on her computer screen.

“We purchased a coffeemaker and a few other very inexpensive fixes. Also, in regard to repairs... Yeah, uh, you might want to hire a handyman, or keep one on a short leash. Your rooms should be available and preferably booked at all times.”

He leaned back in his seat. “I agree with you again.”

“And I think you need some help other than Rita and Wallace.”

He shook his head. “Can't afford it. Corra steps in when I need her.”

“And she does a great job. I noticed that this week. But what if she hadn't been available? Say one of the kids got sick or something—what would you have done?”

“I would have handled everything myself.”

“Rollin, you're a one-man band here. What would happen if you got sick?”

He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. “I don't get sick.”

She laughed. “How come men always say that? You can get sick like anybody else.”

“I didn't say I couldn't get sick. I said I don't get sick. I can't remember the last time I was sick, with anything.”

“Well, you need to be prepared for anything.”

“I try to be.”

Again she sensed his eyes moving down her body and momentarily lost her train of thought. “Okay, so you can't hire someone. Let's see what I have next.”

He leaned closer and draped an arm over the back of her chair. The temperature in the room climbed faster than a rocket headed for outer space. She looked at him, her face inches from his lips, and leaned back.

“You need a bigger monitor,” he said. “What is that, fifteen inches?”

“Fifteen and a half,” she replied, and turned her gaze back to the screen.” She dabbed at the sweat above her lip, hoping he wouldn't notice she was on fire.

“I'm not too close for you, am I?” he asked in a husky voice.

She turned her laptop toward him. “Here, does that help?” she asked, barely able to breathe. The top two buttons of his shirt lay open and she caught a glimpse of his chest. His reaction to her kisses against his chest the other night resurfaced and she bit her bottom lip.

“I had a newsletter but couldn't keep it up.”

“Huh?”

“The next thing on your list.” He pointed to the monitor. “A newsletter. When I took over I created a monthly newsletter, but with all the farmwork, I couldn't keep it up.”

“Oh, yeah, uh, there are companies that will do that for you. All you have to do is sign up. That's simple and inexpensive. I can have that done in no time.”

He smiled down at Tayler. “You've done enough for me. I can't ask you to do that.” He stood up and gathered their plates.

“Actually, I've already looked into it.”

“You're on top of everything, aren't you?” he asked as he stepped around the table.

Tayler took a deep breath after a flashback of her straddling him on his bed made her blush. She was indeed on top of things. “I try to be,” she responded with a smile.

“Would you like another glass of wine?”

“No, thank you, I'm good. But I'm going to have to get some of that to take home with me. It's a local winery, right?”

“Yeah, I'll get you some,” he responded from inside the kitchen.

Once he left the room, she took her foot and pushed his chair over. After she finished her wine she would excuse herself for the night. Rollin's presence was intoxicating enough without the aid of alcohol.

“Sounds like you and Corra conspired over the weekend to turn this place around.” He sat down and leaned back in his chair. “Or put me in the poorhouse.”

“I think you can turn it around. You won't make hotel money, but I believe you can be profitable.”

He scratched his head and laughed. “I can't believe I'm having this conversation with a guest.”

“Don't think of me as a guest. Think of me as a friend of the family.”

He set his glass down and wiped the sides of his mouth before glancing over at her. “Truthfully, I stopped thinking of you as a guest a few nights ago.”

Tayler took a deep breath and stared down into her empty wineglass.
You need to get up now and go to bed.
The music had stopped.

“I want you to be more than a guest to me.”

She didn't have a reply for that, because for one night she'd enjoyed the hell out of being more to him. She looked up from her glass. Rollin leaned forward and rested his forehead in his hand, as if he were struggling with something. Maybe he was regretting what he'd said.

Tayler couldn't stand the uncomfortable silence and stood up after a bit. “Do you mind if I put some music back on?” she asked as she walked into the library.

“Help yourself.”

“What do you like?” she asked.

“Anything old-school,” he said, getting up and joining her in the library. “I like R. Kelly, Musiq, Anthony Hamilton, Mariah Carey, Prince—you name it.”