BENNETT & TAYLOR | THE DANCE FLOOR
Raising an eyebrow incredulously, Taylor tried to pull off offended but wound up looking amused. "Mildly talented?" he repeated, shaking his head as if disappointed. "Clearly this is a sign that I need to serenade you more." He seemed to be mulling it over, though of course he hadn't missed Bennett calling him sexy too. He just didn't see the need in pointing that out since she was obviously right. Taylor was generous in what he called people out for, after all.
Looking out over the water a they walked, he smiled at the gentle breeze that drifted over the beautiful lake. It was so mesmerizing that he nearly missed Bennett's next words, though it was really laughable to imagine he would miss anything she said or did. "Are you trying to puncture my fragile self-esteem? I can tell you are," he said, but had no time to say anything more before her lips were covering his once again. Without wasting a second more pretending his ego was that delicate, he gripped her tightly and pressed into the kiss with more finesse and heat than he'd ever used before. It might not have been as long as their other kisses, but Taylor was still breathing heavily when they finally parted. "I'd say that gorgeous flush to your skin supports the 'more than passable' theory," he murmured, brushing a finger along her cheek lightly. Taylor's eyes were intent on hers as he drew that finger lightly down to her neck, though was distracted from his teasing when she moved her own hands to the zipper of her dress.
To his credit, he didn't let his jaw drop or his eyes widen like some fourteen year old virgin, no matter how much he might have felt like it. Instead, desire-darkened green eyes followed the movement of those fingers, openly devouring every inch of skin as it was revealed with his gaze. He was so busy imagining all the places that were now exposed that he wanted to touch, he almost missed when she drew his attention to her scales. Taylor had noticed them, of course, realizing they did not look like the well-done tattoo he'd explored when she was in his dorm. The metallic sheen glinting in the moonlight was mesmerizing, and he drew his eyes back to Bennett as she spoke.
"I can think of several places I want to touch," he murmured, his own hands dancing over the aforementioned scales reverently. "But this is a good place to start."