An Open Entanglement Ch. 04

Stepping back without turning his back on the guy, Brad closed the door and then led Taylor by the shoulders up the stairs to their floor under the watching eyes of the neighbors. She felt fragile under his hands, with barely enough physical strength to climb the stairs. He had to practically push her on the last couple of steps.

Once on their floor, he felt her shoulders stoop even lower when faced with her apartment door. Finally then, he followed his gut instinct and opened his door, and holding her hand, he led her inside without a word. She followed without protest.

They sat on his couch, staring wordlessly at the TV. Tears started running down Taylor's cheeks; she couldn't even make eye contact with Brad, who calmly sat next to her, ready to do anything she asked of him.

She pulled her legs to herself, curled up into a ball and leaning against his shoulder, she let it all out, crying like she hadn't done in a very long time. Her entire being was filled with self-pity for herself and hatred for Nick and anger at Jim, and whatever it was that she felt for Brad was screaming to take the foreground, but the negativity surrounding her at the moment was just too much.

She felt him wrap his strong arms around her and kiss the top of her head as she sobbed. Taylor was glad that however inadequate he felt at seeing her like this, he wasn't trying to fill the space up by asking questions.

Emotionally drained by the therapist and assaulted by her ex-husband, the day was officially one the worst days of her life. She cried for a while, still in his arms, while Brad didn't dare move from where he sat holding her.

After a quiet dinner on the couch, Taylor fell asleep. Brad carried her to the bed and took her shoes off before tucking her under the covers. He couldn't help but caress her silky blonde hair one last time, before grabbing a blanket for himself to sleep on the couch.

***

Taylor woke up in a warm bed by herself. Then catching Brad's scent, she figured out where she was. But her eyes refused to open, having been sealed shut from the swelling as the end result of crying her eyeballs out the evening before.

"I'm up. I'm up," she yelled, although technically it wasn't true. She was barely awake. Enveloped by the soft sheets and his scent, she ducked under the covers again and willed reality to go away.

"How do you take your coffee, Miss?"

He had practiced what he wanted to say to her first thing in the morning. He felt like an idiot now, with just his head poking through the bedroom door following her exclamation that she was up, especially since she was buried under the covers.

Despite the corniness of the line, made even sillier by his horrible fake British accent, he thought he heard her chuckle under the comforter.

"Steaming hot. Lots of cream and sugar," came the answer. Then she seemed to fight the covers in search of sunlight and finally succeeded. "Good morning, by the way."

Brad tried not to inhale at the sight of her face. She was gorgeous in every way possible, but the swollen eyes made her look so vulnerable that he had to resist the urge to cradle her in his arms until everything was better again. Coffee would at least be a good start.

To his surprise, by the time he had made the coffee and warmed up the toaster pastries, Taylor joined him in the kitchen. She was still in her clothes from the previous day, slightly torn and much more wrinkled after the day she had had.

With the coffee mug in one hand, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear with the other and looked up at him behind her thick lashes.

"Thank you.. for the coffee. For the... Well, for everything, really. I should probably get out of your hair before I overstay my welcome even more."

Brad felt like she had just punched him in the gut. He shook his head.

"Stay. If this is where you want to be, and know that this is where I want you to be, then stay, Taylor, please."

"Funny as it sounds, I really have nowhere else to go," she murmured, hiding her face behind the mug. She looked at the wall adjoining his apartment with hers and knew she couldn't go back.

Brad's protective side broke through at that. He'd been trying to hold back from poking and prodding her or guiding her to do anything, but it seemed like she would maybe listen to him at that moment if he were to take charge.

"It's settled then. Call work, take the day off. We can find you something of mine to wear and be comfortable in. I'll go to work and leave you alone to do as you will; I promise no one will bother you here. Take a shower, do some karaoke, smash some beer bottles, whatever... And once I'm back in the late afternoon, you can tell me what you're craving and we'll order in. Anything else, Miss?"

He couldn't help but switch to the fake British accent again at the end; lucky for him, it made Taylor chuckle. "That will be all," she replied with a modest amount of satisfaction in her tone.

***

Brad left for the gym in a hurry, as if getting to work on time would help him leave earlier. Most of his day was a blur, just going through the familiar motions, while being half worried he was going to come home and find his apartment empty.

As promised, he made it back home in the afternoon and found Taylor on the couch in front of the TV. She was still in the shorts and shirt he'd loaned her; her usually neat blonde hair was a giant pile atop her head and she had found the chips he'd stashed away for emergencies. It was the most adorable sight he had ever seen, as much as he tried to hide how relieved he was that she was still there.

"Ah, you're back!" she exclaimed with a genuine sense of happiness.

"Uhh, yeah, it's kinda where I live," he shot back teasingly and was awarded with a pillow flying at his head, which he promptly caught and returned to the sender.

He sat on the couch with her with a smile on his face. He didn't remember smiling this much at a woman he wasn't immediately trying to fuck.

"I owe you an apology, don't I," Taylor started to talk, her hands getting animated, but Brad held her hands in his and stopped her.

"You don't owe me anything. If you want to talk, I'll listen, but I won't push you for any answers. Hell, I won't even put up much of a fight when you say you want to go back next door to your real home."

Her head tilted up at him with a puzzled look.

"That's.. that's not home anymore, not after the other day. Which, of course, you know nothing about, because I didn't say anything. And then yesterday with the therapy.. and then Nick.. and now I'm here, on your couch, eating your food... Let's just say my life is really complicated right now and I have a lot of soul searching to do. And Kate left the country. I need to.. go.. somewhere. Anywhere..."

Her mumbling wasn't helping either of them. He put his hand on her shoulder to snap her out of it.

"You don't need to go anywhere. Why don't you let me take care of you? You don't even have to tell me what's happening; I just want to be here for you until you're ready to stand back up on your own two feet. But until then, I can fight some of your battles for you maybe."

Taylor put her hand on top of his with an initially grateful look that morphed into a somewhat more guarded stare.

"You're saying all the right things. Too many of the right things. I went down a terrible path with Nick, whom you met, and got rescued by Jim, who said all the right things at the time. And then two days ago, he decided I was a cheap whore that all his friends had warned him about and he should've known better than to propose to spend the rest of his life with me."

"I'm probably the last person to evaluate the situation, but cheap whore sounds way harsh," Brad observed, trying to sound supportive in a concise manner.

"You're not the first guy I slept with since I got engaged to Jim. You just happen to be the last. Pretty sure the engagement is... Yeah, it's off now, if not after he found out I've been sleeping around, then certainly after the names he called me once he found out. There are certain things you can't take back saying."

Taylor hadn't really processed the fight, but it was suddenly clear as daylight. Regardless of what could happen between her and Brad or someone else down the line, her relationship with Jim was effectively over.

Brad looked at her in slight discomfort. "I, uhh, overheard the very end of the fight Sunday morning. I couldn't make out what it was about, but considering I've lived here for months and have never ever heard you guys, I figured something was wrong. But, Taylor, whatever he said..."

He held her hand.

"Look, I don't know what he said. All I know is he's an idiot for letting you go."

He paused, not really knowing how to continue.

"Clearly, other things happened yesterday, or leading to yesterday, that I know nothing about. And..."

Taylor exhaled and cut him mid-sentence.

"Here's what I remember: The feeling of being in your arms the other night. And then waking up next to Jim on Sunday and not having a clue what I was doing with him. After I confessed to sleeping with someone else, things just snowballed from there, with Jim and then my therapist and finally my psycho ex. And then.. you opened the door, so here I am."

She wasn't sure how she felt about any of it. As a whole, it had been a surreal couple of days. She didn't feel like she'd be capable of processing all of it in a meaningful way any time soon.

Brad couldn't imagine going through all of that, even if she had only told him a fraction of what had really happened, in the span of a few days. "Tell me what you need and I'll make it happen," he offered.

"I need.. uh, I need to get my stuff out of that apartment while he's not around," she muttered weakly, although the thought of even being in that space was starting to make her nauseous.

"That sounds easy enough for me to take care of. Where's your stuff?"

"Brad, are you sure you're OK to do this for me?" She tried not to sound too hopeful, but that really would be the best way to handle it.

"Easy as pie," he replied, smiling and thinking back on their first real conversation, where she had baked a pie in exchange for him carrying her groceries upstairs.

***

He grabbed the keys from her and went next door. Things were pretty much where she said they would be and he managed to fit most of it into the suitcase; he even thought to grab the makeup bag, a few books and the perfume from her nightstand.

Just as he was about to leave the apartment, the door opened and Jim walked in.

"What the.. What are you doing here? How did you get in? Did you break into my apartment?" He was very animated, which was understandable given the circumstance.

"No, look, Jim, I have keys. Taylor's keys." Brad dangled them in front of Jim's face. "She said she needed a few things and asked me to get them for her. I promise there's nothing else."

Brad almost felt sorry for the guy, whose face rapidly changed color in light of the new information.

"Taylor's things? Why would she send you? She's coming back. You don't have the right to be here or take any of this stuff. Let go, man!"

Jim tried to grab the suitcase out of Brad's hands. In the shuffle, the side lock unlatched and two items fell out from the side.

"These... these are..." Jim muttered as if he was looking at alien-made artifacts.

Brad looked down to see what had fallen. "Thongs? Yes. Quite tasteful. I rather like the red, but the black pair looks good, too. Which one do you think Taylor likes wearing more? Oh wait, you wouldn't know, would you?"

Brad wasn't sure why he was kicking a person that was clearly already down, but revenge tasted good. Even if he wasn't the one Taylor was meant to end up with, then at least he could make sure she didn't end back up with Jim.

Jim's confusion gave way to understanding and then to seething anger. Brad could see him weighing his options, deciding what to say and how far to push it. It was all so obvious on his pathetic little face.

"Where is she? If you had anything to do with this, I swear..."

Brad was amused by Jim's bravado. His lips curled into a condescending sneer.

"Cut the crap, Jim. You know you're responsible for what's happening. I overheard the end of your Sunday morning "conversation"; you didn't sound this passionate about her then, and I'm not sure what's changed since then, other than her coming to her senses and finally dumping your misogynistic ass."

All Jim could do at that point was stare at him, his jaw rapidly clenching and unclenching.

Picking up Taylor's stuff, Brad moved to the door once more. Halfway across the threshold, he turned back for one last gut punch.

"You never said which thongs Taylor prefers, the red or the black pair."

He paused.

"Ah, I forgot it doesn't matter. She won't be wearing them for long anyway."

***

When Brad came back into his apartment, he could see the steam coming out of the half open bathroom door. He dropped Taylor's bags by the door and sat down on the couch, trying not to smother Taylor too much. He wasn't sure what kind of a mood she'd be in.

"Shower hot enough for you?" he called out.

"Oh, it was plenty hot. Speaking of..."

Brad heard her turn off the water. A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom.

She stepped into the living room and dropped the towel that had been draped across her body, baring her exquisite body to Brad's gaze. Her nipples still had drops of water on them and pointed stubbornly in his direction.

"You still up for showing a lady a good time," she asked in a breathy voice.

He could hear the tinge of insecurity in her tone. He had felt it grow and take hold of her ever since he had found her at the building door with that guy, even before he had heard the rest of the story with the amateur shrink and her douchebag fiancé.

His eyes roamed around her whole body, taking it in like he was seeing her naked for the first time. Her cute little feet, lean legs leading to the strong thighs he'd dreamt of spreading, the naked mound that made his mouth water... He could barely move past that part, but after his eyes moved up her abs, Taylor's magnificent voluptuous breasts rewarded him with a full view.

Somewhat uncharacteristically, he ended the tour of her body on her face, his gaze soft and deep in her baby blue eyes. He was going to make sure she knew just how beautiful she was, inside and out, despite what the assholes of the world wanted her to think.

She must have seen the intensity in his eyes; she smiled at him and a bit of her confidence came back into her stare.

Instead of verbally answering her, Brad scooped her up with ease and playfully tossed her on the bed. She sat up on the bed and looked up at him with a naughty smile, which was all the encouragement he needed to join her on the bed, spread her legs wide and dive in.

Taylor tried to sit up and pull him towards her, but he easily pushed her back.

Her pussy lips were puffy after the shower and still a little damp. He licked and showered them in his own saliva, which got Taylor's head to fall back on the bed, leaving herself completely at his mercy. His tongue crawled through all the folds at a snail's pace, teasing her, slowly worshipping her.

Just like her previous times with Brad, Taylor was surprised by her body's fast reaction to his attention. She could already feel an orgasm building, before he had even touched her clit or entered her pussy.

"What are you doing to me," she half whispered, unsure if he could hear it or not.

Increasing the intensity of his assault slightly, he curled his tongue on her clit and drew circles until he could hear her start to moan quietly. Then he added his fingers into the mix, changing the texture and pressure against her clit, alternating between rubbing her and sucking her, until she could no longer tell how he was touching her.

Each unexpected stroke made Taylor forget a bit more about the past couple of days and melt more freely under her new lover's touch. It felt right to be in his bed and be worshipped by him. The explosive chemistry they had meant she could no longer deny herself whom she truly wanted; it was the right decision for her, at least for the time being.

His finger deftly slipped inside her soaking pussy and curled in search of the magic spot. Instead of relying on his past experience and knowledge of her, he was trying to start fresh and explore, see what really made her tick. His every stroke and lick seemed to build her up towards orgasm.

Her body felt considerably warmer once he'd found her g-spot. Taylor's legs pretty much immediately collapsed to her sides upon contact and gave Brad unfettered access. He went straight in for the kill, wanting to get her first orgasm underway so she could relax.

He felt her hands roaming through his hair as she softly moaned - he could get used to that sound. He went at her pussy harder and faster. The grip in his hair got firm in an instant, and a second later he was rewarded by Taylor's gasps as she came. Her pussy was contracting and even gushing a little bit, but her clit seemed still accepting of his touch.

Brad gently licked her clit until her breathing slowed down and the grip in his hair relaxed.

With a smile and quiet moans, she enjoyed her first orgasm since their midnight escapade. He seemed to instinctively know how to touch and please her, which she'd never had with any other partner before. She wanted to come again, but the need to have his dick buried deep within her was more urgent.

"Come up here," Taylor whispered, tugging on his hair lightly, and watched him crawl up her body. "It's not fair, you being dressed while I'm naked and at your mercy." A naughty little smile played on the corner of her lips, making her look a bit more like her usual self.

In a flash, Brad was similarly naked as he lay down next to her. His hand caressed down her collarbone and settled on the mouth-watering breast closest to him. The nipple was hard, begging to be played with, and he obliged.

Taylor turned her head to look at him and found him staring back into her face with the same longing she had thought she had seen earlier in the week when she had snuck into his place at midnight. It didn't mean his gaze was lacking in the desire department, either, but there was a softness, too, which hadn't been there on their first couple of times.

She stroked the dark hair that had been such a fixture in her fantasies. "I'm not asking you to love me, Brad," she said quietly, returning his stare with a passionate one of her own, "I just need you to fuck me right now."

"Can't I do both," he responded, climbing on top of her. His erection pressed against her inner thigh and he could feel her spreading her legs wider for him. Looking down briefly, he grabbed his dick and rubbed the tip against her pussy, coating him in her juices.

She couldn't take any teasing. She reached down, grabbed his dick and pushed it inside her. Half of his massive length penetrated her in an instant, leaving both of them groaning and hissing with pleasure.

He took his time sinking into her fully. She felt tighter with every inch, like a delicious vise designed specifically for him. Then their hips connected and it was pure heaven; Brad felt his heavy balls rest against her ass and knew it wouldn't take very long for him to explode.

"You know, you did leave me in awkward position the other night," he teased, whilst adapting a slow rhythm, "I've never not finished before."

"Well, now you know how every woman on the planet feels." Taylor's lips were joking, but her eyes were narrow from the pleasure of having him fuck her right after an intense orgasm. She could feel another one brewing under the surface.