Taylor felt proud of himself as he finished setting the table feeling incredibly satisfied with himself as he had a roast dinner that was ready to be served at a nicely set table with all the trimmings. He had showered and dressed in a clean black collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and blue jeans. He had also bathed and dressed up the twins in dresses for dinner. He was definitely going overboard. But then he wanted their first dinner together to be the start of something great.
He had just placed down the salad bowl when the front door opened, he looked up and saw Alicia at the door. She stood there just staring at him and scene before her.
He drank in the sight of her, it felt like months since he'd seen her when in fact it had only been hours. She looked effortlessly beautiful in a dark green coloured tank maxi dress with a thigh high slit, her long hair out soft and loose around her shoulders. He made her speechless as he wanted forget dinner and take her bed and peel her dress off slowly before having his way with her. He swallowed as he shoved the delicious images playing in his head into a box for later as tonight was going to be PG rated. He was courting and rule number one was 'No Sex until after the wedding'. Of course, he had to adapt the rules and was cursing them as he wanted to break them all right then and there.
"You look beautiful" he said as he found his voice again. She smiled enjoying the spark of appreciation in his blue eyes as they roved her body. It immediately felt like old times when they were in a good place.
"You don't look too bad yourself" Alicia told him.
Malcolm opened the front door and kicked off his boots, smiling as he heard Kate talking to Caleb. He placed his bag on the ground and a box on the kitchen bench before he moved to the nursery and stood at the open door, watching Kate carry on her conversation.
"You are a lucky that I love you because I have to tell you I'm not a fan of your number two nappies" Kate told Caleb as she finished putting him into a new nappy. The baby boy was wide awake and staring up at her with big blue eyes. She smiled down at him and shook her head as she was getting caught in a staring competition with a baby. She tucked his tiny legs into the olive green onesie and snapping the buttons together.
"Talking to Caleb again?" Malcolm asked in an amused tone. Kate turned her head and smiled over her shoulder at him for a moment before turning back to Caleb.
"Yes, I'm informing him that he's lucky I love him" Kate said as she lifted Caleb off the changing table and kissed the boy's cheek before holding him to her chest.
"Yes I heard" Malcolm said in amusement as Kate turned to face him with Caleb in her arms.
"He can make some really gross stuff and you know it's just going to get worse" Kate said she scrunched her nose at the thought. Malcolm chuckled as she moved towards him until they were close.
"You don't have to tell me, I'm well aware" He told her as he had changed his share of Caleb's nappies to know firsthand how adorable and foul their son could be. He gave her a brief kiss in greeting before he gently brushed his hand over Caleb's head enjoying the feel of the soft hair.
"Remind me why we had a kid again?" Kate asked him.
"I think it was by accident but we kept him on purpose" Malcolm remarked in a thoughtful manner.
"Well he's lucky that he's so adorable otherwise we'd have some serious issues" Kate said as she lifted Caleb into Malcolm's arms. She gently tapped Caleb's nose to get his attention. "That's right, you're trading on your looks kiddo but they will only get you so far" she told Caleb who gave a hearty yawn and dropped his head on Malcolm's shoulder.
"So what's for dinner?" Malcolm asked as he followed her into the kitchen.
"Lasagna, Alicia cooked it before she went home to have dinner with her family." Kate said as she checked the timer on the oven and then went through the motions of making a fresh pot of tea.
"I hope they can work it out" Malcolm said.
"I think at this point they just need to accept what has happened and move forward" Kate said as she turned on the hot plate under the kettle full of water.
"If I did the same to you. Would it be that easy?" He asked.
"As in you killed my child from previous marriage out of self defence to save Caleb and yourself?" Kate asked as she pulled out fresh cups for the tea and placed them on the bench.
"Sure" he said. She looked thoughtful for a moment as she pondered the question. It was easy to talk about it in a hypothetical situation.
"It's not an easy question to answer but in saying that, you forgave me for my numerous sins. So I think we'd survive it" Kate said a sardonic smile played on her lips.
"That's good to know. Would I have to buy you cupcakes?" he asked to lighten mood he hadn't meant to bring her down but then invariably any conversation about death was depressing. Kate smile changed from sardonic to amused and she shook her head.
"No, cupcakes would not help you. But we're in a good place now, right?" Kate asked him.
"I like to believe so and in another week, we'll be in an even better one" he said before he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Don't get me excited" Kate teased.
Alicia closed the door behind her and then turned back to take in the scene Taylor had set. The table was set for a two course meal with all the trimmings, table runners, napkins the best crockery on the table. The delicious aroma of a roast dinner coming from the kitchen.
She heard the twins babbling from their playpen and saw that even they were dressed up for the meal in dresses that Elisabeth had given them. Just because they 'too cute' to not have. She had to admit the twins did look adorable in their dresses with the bloomers.
"Everybody is dressed up" Alicia said with a smile as she moved to the playpen.
"It's our first family dinner together now that I'm back. I figured it should be a little special" Taylor said as he joined her. He stood close to her side and she could feel the heat of his body and when she breathed in she could smell the scent of him. Soap and something deliciously masculine that was purely Taylor.
"Hmm that's what Kate thought" Alicia said as she knelt down to say hello to the twins who were smiling at her in greeting.
"Well she shouldn't be interrupting our evening" Taylor said as he knelt down next to her.
"No?" Alicia asked innocently.
"I had Malcolm take home a dozen caramel cupcakes and I plan to change the security code to house" he told her. Alicia laughed.
"We'll see if it works" Alicia said.
"True, but for now let's eat" he said as he got to his feet and bent over to lift one of the twins out of the playpen.
"Mmm, caramel kisses" Malcolm murmured as he pulled back from the kiss he had been sharing with Kate. He had just put Caleb down for a sleep to return to the kitchen where Kate had a cupcake on the plate cut into quarters. One quarter was already missing and he knew where it went.
"I couldn't resist a little dessert before dinner" Kate said with a mischievious smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist holding her close.
"I could taste that. How long until dinner?" He asked before he leaned in and kissed the column of her neck, Kate angled her head to give him easier access.
"15 minutes, plenty of time-" Kate drawled but before she could finish Malcolm cut her off.
"No" he mumbled against her skin.
"I think you're begining to like that word" Kate teased him, he pulled his head back and looked down at her with a wicked grin on his face.
"Maybe a little, it's not every day I get to play coy" he said.
"Coy?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeah" he said his grin growing wider. Kate took a deep breath and lowered her hands to the front of his shirt and looked down for a moment.
"Well then considering you're being coy" Kate said mockingly, she pulled out of his embrace and turned to the cupcake. "I guess you don't want finish the cupcake with me and then make out like a couple of crazy teenagers" Kate said as she picked up a quarter and took a bite. She licked the icing off her lips and looked at him in a salacious manner. Damned if it wasn't a turn on as he knew all the pleasurable things she could do with that tongue that involved him.
"No, I'd like that. Come here" he said. Kate shook her head at him as turned her around to face him. He lowered his head again and kissed her deeply enjoying the taste of caramel icing that lingered on her lips.
A couple of hours later,
"That was delicious" Alicia said as she sat at the table watching Taylor finish clearing up the aftermath of dinner. They had wrangled the twins into a bath and put them down before they returned to the kitchen and dining to clear up the mess.
"Thank you" he said as he closed the door on the dishwasher. He wiped his hands on a dishcloth and moved back to the table sitting opposite her and proceeded to top up their glasses with more wine.
"You know we didn't exactly get down to the nitty gritty of what you expect in this 'Courtship" Alicia said. The question had been nagging her since he gave her the letter and while dinner and conversation had been enjoyable. She felt annoyed at the charade of it. Annoyed that she might have to sit through more of it as it felt like a mockery, she didn't mind having the family dinner. She loved it but she didn't want to feel the cloud of tension above their heads as they kept it all light and bright and never really tackling their issues and moving forward.
She wanted- no needed Taylor to be himself and not excessively shower her with polite manners, compliments and over the top cooked dinners. She didn't need the pressure of if the 'courtship' nor did she want to keep playacting innocence with him. When what they needed was to just air everything out and decide their next move.
"I know, to be honest I didn't want to discuss the details with Kate in the room" Taylor said.
"Well if it helps I won't be discussing the details with her either" Alicia said as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.
"Appreciated" Taylor said as he watched her. He could feel the tension bubbling between them and it wasn't all of the sexual variety.
"Kate and I don't discuss every little detail of our marriages or lives to one another. We do have secrets from one another" Alicia said, though not many she silently added. She of course didn't take the test or help Kate with her prank. The woman needed to grow up and not play games which Alicia was sure she got through to her. Or at least Alicia hoped so. As for her plaguing thoughts of being pregnant she decided to stay ignorant for the moment. She didn't need the added pressure of a pregnancy on her current situation
She also wasn't reckless with her health and a glass of wine over the course of a couple hours with food wasn't going to do her any harm if it turned out she was pregnant. She would just forego the coffee afterwards.
"She said the same but somehow you two are innately aware of everything that is happening with each other. It's almost like you two telepathic" Taylor said.
"Hmm if you heard the conversation we were having this afternoon you wouldn't think so" Alicia told him with a smile curving her lips. He knew that smile well enough to know that whatever their conversation was he'd sleep better at night not knowing about it.
"But I'll concede your point. We tend to save ourselves from many awkward and emotional conversations because we both know when to not push a subject. So, tell me what are we doing here Nathaniel?" Alicia asked him bluntly, she gently pushed the stem of her wine glass in a circular motion swirling the wine.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean this. You say you want to court me like we're giddy teenagers but you've warped all the rules to suit your needs. So what's the end game here?" Alicia asked bluntly, she was annoyed at thinking about all the possible outcomes where she would end up being the idiot.
"End game?" he asked blankly as he didn't understand what she was getting at.
"Yeah, is this so you can get in everybody's good books or to get laid again? What do you want from me?" She asked.
"Our Marriage isn't a game" Taylor said darkly.
"And I don't like you lurking around the house at night nor do I want to be toyed with because you need to get back in everybody's good graces" Alicia said as she felt the anger start to burn in her as she didn't want to publically display their marital issues or how they worked through them. She knew marrying Taylor meant part of their lives would always be public but she wanted some things to remain private.
"This isn't about anyone but us. We know all of baggage and each other's histories-"
"I don't think so and I think the fact that secrets and baggage keep bleeding into our marriage like my brother and why he remained estranged from me. Your hand in that for example. Or perhaps the fact that I killed your son-" Alicia didn't get to finish her sentence as Taylor cut her off.
"I know you wouldn't have killed him if it wasn't self defence. I just didn't want to admit it or even accept it because I was angry at myself and grieving my loss" he told her.
"And what happens when we hit the next hurdle. We'll just be back to being estranged again and I'm tired of being on the outs. Of being left behind while you run away" she asked.
"You ran away first" he pointed out, it was true she ran away first but he had withdrawn from her emotionally before she ran. But she wasn't going to point that out as it wouldn't make a difference.
"Does it matter who ran first or who struck the first blow? All we do is hurt one another" Alicia paused and looked away. "Maybe we aren't meant to be together" she said owning up to one of her darkest thoughts. She had spent years wanting what they had and yet the first year of their marriage was more pain and heart grief than she had endured when they weren't a couple. Taylor snapped up from his chair, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"That is bullshit." he said as he rose from his chair.
"Is it?" She asked, sercretly joyed he wasn't agreeing with her but it didn't change the situation they were in.
"We haven't even started repairing the damage and you want to quit? You looked like you were going to say 'yes' this morning before Kate came in. So what's changed?" he asked her as he walked around the table closing the space between them.
"Nothing has changed. I want you and our marriage to work. I want us to be happy but I don't think being 'courted' is going to work and I don't want to be wooed with flowers and music if we're just going end up back here. Broken and Angry" she spat giving into the emotions she had been keeping locked up tight inside her.
"But we won't" he said, he moved to the chair besides hers and sat down. Alicia withdrew her hand from the table and ran it through her hair.
"Then why can't we just move on without all the drama. Can't we acknowledge the past and you just come home and be present as you are now?"
"What if I want to spoil you?"
"Then spoil me. Don't dress it up, don't make us do a whole song and dance about it how you're doing it to make things better between us. Spoil me because it's a spur of the moment for you. Even then I don't need it. I need you here with me. Present and accounted for in our lives instead of lurking around. I want our family to be together, can't we do that?" Alicia asked him as she turned in her chair so they were facing one another. Taylor closed his eyes for a moment and then looked down. He wondered why he hadn't thought of being so pragmatic but also incredibly grateful that Alicia was giving him an easier way back into her life. He looked back up at her and wished in that moment he could kiss her or at least touch her but something told him that he would be crossing some invisible line. A line he wasn't quite ready to cross just yet.
"We can" he told her. Silence fell between them and he watch her response, she exhaled slowly and amazingly relief washed over her features.
"Thank you" Alicia breathed, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest.
"So the dinner was too much" he said a sheepish smile played on his lips. She bit her bottom lip and smiled.
"The dinner was great and I'd like to keep repeating it but have it a little more casual" Alicia told him, Taylor nodded.
"Ok, would you like some coffee?" he asked as he rose from his chair, he already assumed the answer would be yes.
"No, but I do have a question" Alicia said looking up at him.
"Shoot" he said.
"You going to be sleeping on the couch tonight?" Alicia asked him.
"Malcolm" Kate gently said as she rocked Malcolm's shoulder. She had feed and changed Caleb and put him down once again. She couldn't wait until he was sleeping for more than 2 hours at a stretch. But for now her problem was getting Malcolm into bed. Shame it wouldn't be for anything more than sleeping she thought ruefully as she nudged her husband awake. He had been reading something on his plex and fallen asleep on the lounge.
"Mmm" he murmured as he stirred from his sleep but not enough to be considered awake.
"Come on wake up, you'll be more comfortable in bed" Kate said, she knelt down by the side of the lounge and placed her face close to his. He opened his eyes and reared back in shock as he hadn't expected her face to be right in his. She chuckled as he took a moment to recover.
"I wish you wouldn't do that"
"I have to get my kicks somehow" she teased.
"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.
"Just half an hour. I put Caleb down in his cot. Now it's your turn to be tucked in- "
"I'll get up in a moment" he said but by the way he was shifting on the lounge it looked like he was in for the long haul.
"Yeah right, come on" Kate said she grabbed him by the arm to pull him up but before she could pull him up he pulled her down. She yelped as tumbled on top of him. "Malcolm" she grumbled, he wrapped his arms around her and she squirmed around as it wasn't very comfortable.
"Mmm, go to sleep" he told her and Kate shook her head.
"You're supposed to get up" she told him as she shifted her legs only to have them tangle with his.
"I'll get up in a minute" he grumbled.
"Feels like it's already up" Kate teased as she shifted her thigh rubbing it against his groin. He gave a groan that was a mixture of exhaustion and pleasure. He moved one hand down her back to her ass and held her in place. It didn't seem fair that he was getting stronger or maybe he had been stronger than her all this time and she was only noticing now. Whichever it was, she had to admit it was an incredible turn on.
"Shh you're ruining the moment" Malcolm told her.
"I'm trying to see the significance of this moment" Kate said as she shook with laughter as he was not making any sense.
"It's peaceful and just the two of us. Just enjoy the moment isn't that what your woo woo yoga teaches you" he drawled sleepily.
"My woo woo yoga" Kate said she tried to move in his hold.
"Ah stop moving or I may embarrass myself" he said. Kate stopped moving and chuckled as Malcolm gave a sigh of relief.
"You know we could fix your little problem" she said she lifted her head and grinned at him.
"Little?" he asked looking down at her. He knew she was baiting him but his ego could not resist taking the bait.
"Well it's hard to judge through all the clothing and it's been sooo long since I last saw it, how am I supposed to remember correctly?" she asked teasingly. Malcolm made a derisive noise and covered his eyes with his hand for a moment.
"I can't win can I?" he asked as he looked at her again.
"Not against me" Kate said before she laughed again.
"Ok, Ok I'm getting up to go to bed as I need to salvage what is left of my ego" Malcolm said. He rolled Kate onto the lounge while he slipped out of the lounge leaving her lying there alone as he walked to the bedroom.
"Awwh don't be like that. I was only teasing" Kate said. Malcolm stopped at the bedroom doorway and turned to face her. A smile playing on his lips.
"I know, you going to join me in here?" he asked.
"Yeah" Kate said getting up from the lounge to follow him.
Alicia came into the bedroom wearing just a bath robe and saw Taylor sitting up in bed with a plex in hand probably reading the daily reports. She allowed herself a moment to just let her eyes rove as it had been a long time since they had share such domesticity and he was shirtless with just the bed sheet covering his hips and legs. She couldn't resist the visceral pleasure of his body.
But for all that she felt slight apprehension as wasn't sure of herself or Taylor. It seemed stupid as they were married but so far his return left her with so many questions in her head about what he expected. She wished she could be as blunt as Kate and just spit them out but kept silent as she moved to the dresser. She also wished she knew where her backbone went as she wanted it back.
She wanted the feeling of confidence in her actions, the feeling of pure certainty that what she was doing was right but right now she felt none of it. She felt lost like she was in a dark room searching for a light switch or a door.
She moved to the dresser and opened the top drawer pulling out a loose racerback tank top and fresh knickers. She donned the knickers and kept her back to Taylor as she dropped the robe and pulled on the tank.
Taylor had heard Alicia come into the room but tried hard to keep his eyes glued to the plex screen. It was difficult considering he could smell her soft scent and knew when she went into the Bathroom she didn't take a spare change of clothes. So he knew she was naked under the robe which was enough to get his attention.
He surreptitiously glanced up from his plex just in time to watch the robe drop to the floor and his eyes went wide as he missed the beauty of her form and zeroed in on the fresh scar that puckered on her back where Lucas had stabbed her. It stood out on the myriad of faint marks left over from her previous injuries she had sustained in Somalia.
"Does it still hurt?" he stupidly asked, he knew that it had healed and she shouldn't be in pain but he still blurted out the question. The tank Alicia had been pulling on fell quickly as she turned to face him. The hem just barely skimmed the top of her thighs, leaving her beautiful long legs on display. He wrenched his eyes from her legs to her face where she wore an unsettled expression.
"It doesn't physically hurt and it will be gone soon as I've been applying a balm to make it fade faster" Alicia answered. Taylor was shocked by the news as Alicia had never been one for vanity; she wore her scars like a person wore tattoos. They were marks of a moment in time, a moment of strength or sometimes stupidity but in the end a reminder of her subsequent survival or at least that's how Taylor interpreted it. It was why he kept his scars and allowed them to fade naturally but obviously Alicia didn't want the reminder of Lucas stabbing her in the back.
A twinge of pain and regret went through Taylor as every mark Lucas made on Terra Nova and those closest to Taylor disappeared. Not that he cared if Alicia kept the scar or not but it was more that one day no one would remember the brilliant young man Lucas had been but instead he'd be remember as cruel man, the monster who tried to destroy their paradise. It was not what Taylor wanted for him and even though it had been Lucas's choice to be that man, Taylor wished it were different. He wished for so much in regards to Lucas but now had to let go, he now had to put his energy into Alicia and their children.
Silence lapsed between them and Alicia looked down for a moment as she could see the grief and the pain in Taylor's eyes. She hadn't thought of how he'd feel if he saw the scar from the knife wound and she hadn't meant to come off so callous about getting rid of it. She normally would have kept the scar but she like Kate didn't want any physical reminders on her body of what with Lucas. She didn't want to retell the story ever again and somehow if the mark was gone then she would not have the daily reminder of it when she would see or feel it.
"I didn't think-" she stopped and rethought what she wanted to say. "I don't want a physical trigger of that time on my body." Alicia said feeling the need to explain. She wanted to say she didn't want the scar to trigger him into remembering Lucas. She didn't want him to come between them again if she could help it but she knew voices those reasons would upset Taylor. So she didn't.
"Have you applied the balm tonight?" he asked, Alicia shook her head as picked up a jar sitting on top of the dresser. Taylor rose from the bed wearing a pair of cotton pyjama bottoms slung low on his hips and crossed the room to her. He said nothing more as he took the jar from her hand and motioned for her to turn around.
Alicia turned her back to him and closed her eyes, she braced her hands on the dresser just so they didn't hand listlessly at her sides. Taylor opened the jar and placed it on the dresser and with one hand lifted the back of the tank top. Once the hem was past her hip, he placed his warm palm on her and gently pushed the top up further but the whole time keeping his hand on her skin.
Her breath hitched as the cold balm touched her skin but it soon warmed as Taylor slowly massaged it onto her scar and side. She tried to keep herself calm but his close proximity, the scent of him was intoxicating as his massage aroused her.
Taylor slowly massaged the balm into the scar and the surrounding area. He wanted to show her that he accepted her choices but if he were truly honest he just wanted to touch her, to feel her soft, warm skin and just to stand close to her. He didn't miss the leap in her heart rate, the warming of her skin or how she gripped the dresser. He would have smirked at how easy she was work up if he wasn't exactly on the same page.
After the balm dissolved completely into the scar tissue and surrounding area and Taylor reluctantly withdrew his hands from her back and lowered her top back into place. Alicia expected him to move away or to say something but he remained where he was and said nothing.
Alicia capped the balm and turned around to face him. She slowly looked up at him as she wasn't sure what he was thinking and half afraid to know. But when their eyes met, she drew a sharp breath as his cerulean eyes were darkened with desire and before she could speculate further he leaned forward, at the same time pulling her mouth to his and kissing her hard.
Alicia gave a cry of surprise or denial, Taylor didn't know which nor did he care as he was too enthralled with the soft texture of her lips to let up now. Her scent, wildflowers and woman filled his head, and he felt himself sinking into her. She tasted even better than he remembered. His tongue delved deeper. His hands burrowed into the silky mass of her hair, slid over her satiny skin.
Alicia responded kind, matching his kiss for kiss as she threw an arm around his neck, pulling him closer, even as her conscience demanded that she let him go. It annoyingly reminded her that sex was not the answer but her body didn't care. Hell, she didn't care as her nerve endings sizzled in pleasure.
After a few moments, Taylor broke the kiss and looked at Alicia whose eyes were hazy with desire and the passion from the kiss. He moved his one of his hands back to the side of her face and gently brushed his thumb over her cheek while the other stayed in her hair.
"I don't deserve you" he said in a low voice, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. Alicia wrapped her arms around his head and buried her face in his neck.
"Maybe not but I want and choose to be with you. So accept it and just treat me better" Alicia mumbled as she closed her eyes. He smiled against her skin as he held her tightly against him.
Kate eyes snapped open when she heard Caleb snuffling loudly from his crib. It was like her body was hardwired to the whims of her child. She nudged Malcolm in the ribs and he promptly woke up.
"What?" he asked in a sleepy tone.
"It's your turn" She mumbled, it was like a tiny countdown was happening before Caleb began to cry.
"Scissors, paper, rock?" Malcolm asked and Kate made a derisive noise and held her hand up in the air.
"Ok" Kate said they shook their hands three times and Kate made the hand gesture for paper and Malcolm made the hand gesture for rock.
"Figures" Malcolm said in good humour, he gave Kate a quick kiss and rose from the bed.
"I love you" Kate said to Malcolm as she rolled over to watch him as he moved to the cot.
"Ok, I'm here" Malcolm said softly as he lifted Caleb into his arms to soothe him. He turned to look at Kate who was sprawled on the bed looking at him with a smile on her lips. "You should go back to sleep" he told her as she looked wide awake and ready for action. Caleb had quietened down in Malcolm's arms but was still grumbling.
"I will but I like watching you with Caleb" She said, the truth was that for her this was something she never imagined she would have. So every now and then she liked to watch Malcolm with Caleb just to imprint it into her memories. That and there was something incredibly sexy about Malcolm when he showed his parental side. Not that she'd ever tell him as his ego didn't need anymore stroking.
"Well considering you're wide awake now. I'll go change him and be right back so you can do the honours of feeding him" he told her.
"Ok" Kate said as she watched him walk out of the room with Caleb. She gave a content sigh and sunk down on the bed as she waited for them to return.
In the dim light of early morning,
Taylor woke up and the first thing he saw was Alicia's long raven hair against the pillow next to him. She clutched the covers under her chin, sleeping soundly. He raised himself up on an elbow and looked down at her face. Her lips were parted in sleep; her black lashed against her cheek. He lifted a soft tenfril of her hair off the pillow and played with it for a moment before he leaned toward her and lowered his lips to gently touch hers.
Alicia's eyes came open. "Morning" she whispered sleepily, a smile graced her lips.
"Morning, not that I'm complaining but what's that smile for?" he asked.
"You're not Kate" Alicia said. Taylor frowned as he didn't like how Kate kept popping up in their conversations. "Don't worry, she only snuck into our bed pretending to be you twice and both times she was unsuccessful" she assured him as she stretched her arms above her head for a moment before bringing them back down.
"I'm glad you're able tell the difference" Taylor said, as ridiculous as it was he felt a slight stab of jealously as he didn't want anyone spooning Alicia but himself.
"Trust me it's not that difficult" She replied dryly. He chuckled as he brushed strands of hair behind her ear. They gazed into each others eyes for a moment before Alicia spoke.
"What's the time?" She asked.
"Too early" He said as he didn't want to stop looking at her.
"If that's the case the twins will wake up soon" She told him.
"I missed this" he said. Alicia smiled at him and shook her head in disbelief.
"How could you when you've been here the whole time?" she asked him.
"I wasn't present like I will be from now on and I remarking to these quiet moments in the early morning where it's just you and me" he said with a reverent tone.
"How did you do it?" Alicia asked.
"Do what?"
"Sneak in and out of here-"
"Without you waking up?" he asked, she nodded. "I didn't sneak around, I just walked in like I always do" he told her, she made a face.
"Unbelievable, I'm going soft" she groaned and covered her face with her hands as her suspcions were confirmed. She was now losing her edge as a soldier something she had honed for years. Taylor chuckled and pulled one of her hands off her face into his and kissed her knuckles.
"You're not going soft and if you are I'll protect you and the girls" he told her.
"I don't want to lose my edge. I want to stay sharp" Alicia said.
"We could train together, like old times" he said. He smiled as he liked the idea of sparring with her.
"Hmm could be fun but what would we do with the girls?" Alicia asked.
"Take them with, use them for weight training" He said, Alicia laughed at the idea and shook her head.
"They won't like that" she told him.
"Tough for them" he said, he paused for a moment looking at her with a soft smile on his lips. "I'm going to kiss you" he told her.
"That a promise or a warning?" she asked.
"Both" he said before he leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were soft, her mouth almost unbearably sweet. It was a slow, languorous kiss as if they both knew that from here on in, there was no turning back, no need to rush.
He kissed her again, longer this time, deeper just in case she had any last, lingering doubts about what
was going to happen next. But before he could kiss her again, she pulled away. There were tears in her eyes.
"Tell me we are going to be ok. That I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and you won't be here" she said, he quirked his lips into a smile and the look in his eyes and the calm confidence he exuded was the all the answers she needed. It told her he wasn't going anywhere. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with toe-curling passion.