Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.

A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.

Thank you to my reviewers.

Chapter 43

Just one kiss…

That was my final thought before he captured my mouth with his.

All thoughts of pain, cold and hunger disappeared only to be replaced with a different kind of hunger. There was no misunderstanding the message in that kiss.

No more holding back.

It didn't start off as teasing or soft. From the very start, it was a strong, dominating kiss. Meant to do only one thing; to conquer.

My heartbeat sped up frantically in my chest, and I couldn't help but cling to him with my good arm, fingers clutching at his broad shoulders. A soft gasp slid past my lips as Taylor slipped one of his hands past my jacket and sweater, resting his heated palm on my back. Taking advantage of my parted lips, Taylor slanted his head before delving his tongue into my mouth. He elicited a deep growl as I took his tongue between my lips, sucking on it as he thrust unrelentingly, plundering my mouth. I arched my body against his in response as he made a burning trail up my spine with his fingers.

There were no coherent thoughts left in my mind. Every inch of my body was consumed by exhilarated emotions burning with liquid hot desire. Taylor's scent, his taste, his touch invaded my senses and spread rapidly throughout my body in an unstoppable wave of carnal need. His lips were like a drug that I couldn't get enough of, would never get enough of. It had been a long time since I'd been so thoroughly kissed.

Reflexively, I dug my nails into the bunching muscles of his shoulders, and he brought his free hand to caress the nape of my neck in an almost primal act of possession. His heady kisses were growing hungrier by the second, fueling my own pleasurable moans as I kissed him back with wild abandon.

Taylor Reed had been holding back with me and apparently… he'd also been holding out on me too.

We were pressed so tightly against each other and yet it still felt like we weren't close enough. Taylor must have felt this way too as he reached down with the intention of lifting my leg so I could sit on his lap. But his hand went too low and brushed up against my damaged ankle. With a pain-filled hiss, I reluctantly wrenched my mouth away from his.

Damn you, ankle! I'd forgotten about you.

For the second time that night, time seemed to stand still as we stared at each other in silence, chests heaving up and down. His face was even more devastatingly handsome by firelight. His darkened eyes were heavily hooded, burning with barely contained flames of lust. I was sure my face held a similar expression.

And oh damn. I'd managed to find those presumably elusive sparks. His kiss ranked right up there beside my first kiss with Edward and Jacob. Well, the second kiss with Jacob. I refused to count the first one where he mauled me and I slugged him for it.

Taylor leaned in again and pressed another searing kiss on my lips and I bit back a whine of complaint. It was much too short. He gathered me in his arms, tucking my head under his chin.

His voice sounded husky and a little breathless. "I've been wanting to do that ever since the first day we met."

"Really?" His admission surprised me as in the past; Taylor had never once pressured me or made me feel uncomfortable with his feelings. He'd always been careful to keep our relationship strictly platonic and his desires to himself.

"Yes," Taylor admitted.

Eventually, those nagging little thoughts began to seep their way into my mind, driving me to fret silently. What happens now? What does this mean? Are we a thing now? Will this change things between us now?

With so many questions floating around in my mind, my body began to tense up and Taylor murmured, "Stop freaking out."

"What? How did you know I was doing that?"

"Because I know you. You have a tendency to over think things. Just relax and let it happen." Mindful of my arm, Taylor rubbed my shoulders in an attempt to warm me up.

Could I really do that? Why not? It wasn't as if he was asking me to marry him or anything like that. I mean hell… he wasn't even asking for a relationship. As long as he didn't start talking about the future and forever, things would be all right. There was no rush to figure things out right now anyway. Especially since, we didn't know whether or not we would make it out of here alive.

We needed to discuss a few things and I didn't want to be pressed up against him while we did it. His proximity made it difficult to formulate logical thoughts. I pulled away from him slightly and began, "Taylor, I… um like you a lot-"

"- I like you a lot too." Taylor interrupted with an annoying sexy smile.

Determined not to be sidetracked, I pressed on. "But I don't know if I'm ready to…" fall in love, get left and go crazy again "… place labels on us just yet. Could we just, I don't know, go slow maybe?"

I wasn't the stupid teenager that I used to be. Old Bella jumped in relationships without thinking things through. Old Bella walked around with her feelings hanging out and ended up devastated when someone kicked her in the heart. Nope, not the same girl. Now, I was the woman with abandonment issues and an almost crippling commitment phobia. But I was also the woman who took the time to figure shit out, who said what she meant and meant what she said. I hoped Taylor would understand that I needed a little more time.

Taylor paused for a second, searching my face for something before answering, "I understand. We'll go as slow as you want." I smiled. He does understand. "But-" My smile dimmed a bit. "-we are doing this, right?"

"Doing what?"

"Us."

He was asking for my assurance, despite the fact that I had issues and wanted to remain unlabeled, that we were in this together. He was asking me try.

And even though the fear was still there, clawing at my insides, I answered firmly. "Yes."

A beautiful smile lit up his face before he leaned in to press another world tilting kiss to my lips. I didn't attempt to fight the flames of desire as they flared up again, threatening to burn us alive.

I wondered what the others would think about this. Then I decided that it would be best not to let them know about us. At least until I was able to figure out what we were doing. One thing I was certain about though, I was convinced that I didn't want to share him with anyone else. No freaking way.

"I can tell you one thing though."

"What?" Taylor spoke up from his place behind me. I was currently sitting between his legs and his arms were wrapped tightly around me. Our positions were reminiscent of the time he brushed my hair.

"This is not going to turn into one of those movies, where the starring couple falls into one of those life-threatening situations and they wind up having sex." I declared only to blush as I realized what I just said. Dear God. Kill me now.

"Well, I don't know. If we run out of wood, we might end up having to do just that to keep warm." His voice grew huskier with each passing word.

"Oh no. Don't even think about it." I was determined to concentrate our efforts on survival and keeping our clothes on.

"You were the one that brought it up." He growled erotically in my ear, deep vibrations rumbled in his chest.

"Well, I'm taking it back," I said, desperately trying to rid my mind of the hazy fog of desire that threatened to overpower my body once more.

"Too late. You already said it and now it's out there in the universe." I started in surprise when he landed a playful nip on my neck.

I drew in a sharp breath when his large hands, upon finding new purpose, began to slide along my stomach. My heart hammered so furiously against my ribcage that I was certain he could feel it despite the thickness of my sweater and jacket. I shivered when those same hands skimmed over my breasts, to land a hold on my zipper. His movements were torturously slow as he began to slide my zipper downward. A long moan slipped from my mouth when his tongue snaked out, dragging against the sensitive skin of my neck.

Blushing in embarrassment, I scold myself, damn it! No moaning in the cave.

My entire body thrummed with anticipation and I sat perfectly still, waiting for him to make his next move. Again his arm brushed up against my breast and a pleasurable tremor racked my frame. I was seconds away climbing onto his lap, when the bastard hastily zipped up my jacket and pressed a chaste pat on my chest.

My eyes widened with understanding when I realized that the big jerk was just playing with me.

"You're a damn tease, you know that?" My tone was a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

Taylor chuckled in response before murmuring, "Oh, you have no idea."

The howling of the wind reminded us of our current, mood-killing situation and I turned my gaze to snow storm outside. "Do you think Liz and Ryan are looking for us?"

"Well, I'm sure they know we're missing, but I don't think they would be able to look for us in that storm."

"They're probably so worried." Liz and Ryan probably had a search party looking for us already. Well… at least up until the storm broke. Didn't we have the best timing? We just had to be lost around the same time that a snow storm was due to occur.

"How's your head?"

"Better. It doesn't hurt as bad as before and the dizziness is clearing up."

Silence descended between us as I stared at the flickering flames of the fire, deep in thought. If we made it out of this alive, then we would be traveling to Boston before the year was through. I wanted to know more about Taylor's life in Boston. But he always seemed so guarded when it came to discussing his father and mother that I didn't know how to ask.

Normally I wouldn't pry, although I couldn't help but be curious about his past and where he came from. Plus, I knew that Taylor might have still been in danger of a concussion and I didn't want the silence to lull him to sleep. Talking would play an essential part in keep him awake.

Warm lips tickled my skin as he softly inquired, "What are you thinking?"

Before answering, I bit my lip nervously. "I… I was thinking about your parents."

Taylor tensed slightly behind me, pulling his lips away from my neck and almost immediately, I felt colder.

Great, now I made him uncomfortable.

Just as I was about to tell him never mind, Taylor asked in a curiously quiet tone, "What do you want to know?"

I proceeded with caution, mindful that this was a difficult topic for him. "How did they meet?"

"They met while he was vacationing in Spain with Ryan's parents. When it was time for him to go back, my mother went with him."

It sounded all so romantic. "How long was your father in Spain for?"

"About three weeks. They got married not long after they got to America."

After knowing each other for just three weeks? Wow, it must have been love at first sight for them. They'd probably been so sure that they would be together forever.

"They must have been so in love. I think it was brave of them, putting their hearts on the line like that," I sighed with romantic love on my mind. I envied them that courage. That was the kind of courage I no longer had.

Taylor didn't share my starry-eyed opinion. "Brave or stupid. I guess it depends on how you chose to look at it."

"Why would you say they were stupid?"

"They didn't know each other two months when they got married. And they didn't stay together longer than three years. I think you should take the time to know somebody before rushing into marriage. I don't care that my mother thought he was her-" Taylor abruptly stopped talking.

Why didn't he finish the sentence?

I craned my neck to study his face. "Her what?"

His eyes darted away for a moment before he answered, "Her um… soul mate."

Another half truth, I thought to myself.

Shifting my gaze back to the crackling fire, I continued, "Do you know what happened between them? You know… why your mother left him?"

"No, my mother refused to tell anyone what happened, but he must have done something terrible to make her leave him. She never would have left otherwise."

"Do you think… maybe she fell out of love with him?" It couldn't have been the other way around if Taylor's dad waited twenty years before he started dating.

"Impossible." Taylor spoke with absolute conviction in his voice.

"Why is it impossible? You said it yourself; they didn't know each other well enough, so maybe she fell out of love with him. It happens," I reasoned.

"No, that didn't happen. That's not how our family… It just didn't happen, okay?" He replied softly and I read the hidden message in his tone, drop it.

I did just that although, I couldn't help but recall Liz's words when she was defending their father to him. Because you know how it is with us. What did it all mean? What was the deal with his family?

"What happened after she left him?"

"We went back to Spain where we lived with her family until she… died." His voice faltered and I squeezed his hand in sympathy, remaining silent. There was nothing I could say to comfort him. He continued with a hardened edge to his voice. "She wasn't buried for three days when my father showed up, demanding that I move to America with him."

I felt sorry for his mother's family. Not only did they have to deal with losing his mother but they had to contend with losing the only part of her they had left. My feelings were identical for Taylor, having to go through all of that. In addition to being forced to adjust to life in another country with a man he barely knew. No wonder he resented his father.

"Did you keep in contact with your family?"

"No, it wasn't allowed," Taylor replied tersely. Why did Taylor's dad cut off all communication with his family? I didn't understand.

"Do you think you'll ever go back to Spain?"

Taylor hesitated a moment before answering. "I don't know. I… I'm not sure that I belong there anymore," he admitted quietly, and I heard the strain in his voice.

I opened my mouth to ask another question but a yawn slipped out, and Taylor interjected, "You should try to get some sleep."

"I'm fine. Besides, I don't think I'll be able to sleep anyway. I'm still worried about your head. I think you have a concussion and I'm afraid that you'll fall asleep."

"I'll be fine. My head's really better, especially now that I'm off my feet. Plus, I have to stay up and feed the fire." Taylor tried to reassure me.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stay up."

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are you such a tease?" I shot back.

"Touché," Taylor quipped and, I snuggled into his warmth.

For what felt like hours, we stayed up talking about Taylor's family. He talked about his various aunts, uncles and cousins. Something seemed a little off with them. I didn't quite understand why they all lived together that like they did. I knew that lots of extended family members lived in close proximity to each other. But the way Taylor explained it to me, sounded like it was a huge deal when his mother wanted to leave them to go off with his father. She had to get permission to leave and they almost didn't give it to her. His family gave the impression that they were more like a clan instead of a family.

As time went on, Taylor's head began to droop and I forced him to lie on the ground with his head on my lap. I ran my fingers through his hair in a stroking motion, playing with the silky strands. Eventually, his eyes began to drift shut and he fell asleep in the middle of talking about how much he disliked living in Boston. He just couldn't stay awake anymore, but I could.

I remembered hearing somewhere that it was dangerous for a person with a concussion to sleep more than two hours at a time. It was with that thought in mind, that I made a mental note to wake him up every half hour or so. Neither of us had a watch, so I had to estimate.

Even though I was exhausted, I committed myself to staying awake. Someone had to feed the fire and make sure that wolf didn't follow us to have a rematch. I passed the time thinking about my friends, family and… Jacob. For a brief moment, I wondered if he was happy then I concluded that he probably was. Imprinting was the be all, end all of brainwashed happiness. Maybe someday, years down the road we could be friends again.

When he's done being angry with me, that is.

Memories of my kiss with Taylor flashed across my mind and I couldn't help but smile. How could I not? It was one hell of a kiss. As I traced the contours of his face with my fingertips, something curled in the pit of my stomach. Hell, I was looking forward to more kisses. If the kisses alone were so good, I speculated what the rest would be like. To hell with this dying crap. I wanna live.

Briefly, fear sprang up in my mind and I fought it back. For once I was going to go with the flow. Taylor was right. I did have a nasty habit of talking myself out of things but not this time. I would relax and see where things went. Taylor and I didn't need labels to define what we were to each other.

For the next few hours, I sat in weary, nerve-racking silence alternating my time between my thoughts and waking Taylor up. At some point during the night, the snow storm ended, much to my relief. It would make for easier traveling when morning came. We finally ran out of wood and the fire died, cloaking us in the darkness of the cave. But by this time, the pale morning light was already illuminating the cave entrance.

We should get moving soon, I thought with a grimace.

My body felt drained and worn down. Not to mention that the pain in my arm and hand was beginning to flare up again. I could only hope that my bites weren't infected. Just as I was about to wake Taylor, I began to hear voices. At first, I thought I was imagining it until I faintly heard our names.

People were calling our names.

"Taylor, wake up." I shook his shoulders and he opened his eyes, appearing dazed and confused.

"They're voices outside calling our names. I think people are looking for us. Go look."

I didn't think I had the energy to walk. Taylor groaned as he sat up slowly, holding his head. He was successful in easing himself into standing position, before he set off haltingly in the direction of the cave entrance. After a few tries, I was able to wrestle my body upward. Leaning heavily on the stone wall, my knees wobbled unsteadily. I was so tired.

Upon arriving at the entrance, Taylor shouted, "We're over here!" His face was relieved as he turned his head to look at me. "They found us… Izzy… Isabella?" His relief turned to worry and I wondered why.

He continued to say other things but I wasn't able to catch the rest. The exhaustion I'd battled for so long came crashing down on me and I found my body hurtling toward to cave floor.

I hit the ground hard and before the darkness swallowed me up my last thoughts were, finally, I can rest now.

When I woke up again, I was back in the cave. At least I think I was back in the cave. I wasn't sure because it was so dark that I couldn't see my hands in front of my face.

What happened? I thought we'd been rescued.

Where's Taylor?

The darkness was thick and oppressive. I felt like I was being choked by the blackness. My breathing grew shallow and raspy. I was beginning to have a panic attack. There was no sound other that my wheezing. This was one of my worst nightmares, to be alone in the dark.

Blindly, I reached my hand out but all I clutched was air. I lowered my hands to the floor blindly groping around. All I touched were some pebbles until my hand closed around what felt like matches. With shaking hands, I struck a match and discovered that I was right. I was still in the cave.

"T-Taylor?" My voice shook as I called his name weakly.

My body froze when the sound of vicious growling reverberated around the cave.

Something's in here with me.

Trying to make myself as small as possible, I pressed my body into the wall behind me, whimpering with fear. The sound of my breathing was strained as I struggled to push air in and out of my lungs. The terrifying, snarling face of a wolf entered the glow of the match, just before it lunged at me.

I screamed before trying to raise my hands in front of me in an attempt to ward off the wolf. But there were hands holding me down, forcing me to struggle against them. I couldn't breathe, there was something covering my nose and mouth. There were voices shouting my name, telling me to calm down. But I couldn't see. The figures around me were shadowy and blurred. I felt the pinch of a needle in my arm before it all went dark again.

No, don't put me back in the dark with the wolf…

A/N: Okay, I know, I know. I'm 2 weeks late again. Blame it on the writer's block. My beta is really busy these days so this chapter is un-beta'd. Please forgive any grammatical errors you may come across. I dislike posting un-beta'd work but you guys waited long enough and I did promise you'd get it today. So here it is.

Also, if I miss another chapter update, I'll be sure to post updates in my forum. So you guys will always be informed about when the next chapter is coming. Feel free to leave me a message, even if it's a "Bitch, hurry your ass up."

Back to the story: How do you like Bella and Taylor's first kiss?

Taylor opens up about his family.

Pay attention to the information given as they link to upcoming chapters.

Coming up next: We learn who's responsible for Bella and Taylor's rescue.

Bella and Taylor get caught expressing their joy.

Bella speaks with the Edward and the Cullens.

Working extra hard but I think you'll have the next chapter next week. Review!