Talon's Heart (12 page)

She pouted and frowned.

"Uh huh, here's a scenario for you. Since there's no way in hell that we're spending next Thursday apart, just imagine me sitting at your family's table across from that slut, what do you think will happen? Forget the fact that she saved you for me sorta, she still hurt you, that's a no no.

"I didn't even know you then."

"Don't give a fuck, if I could go back and beat the shit out of every dick that made you cry as a kid I would, that's just who I am. So we done, we got this shit settled?"

She folded her arms and swung her leg.

"How did we get from you quitting the football team to discussing this anyway?"

"There's nothing to discuss about the team and we just fixed the other thing."

"No....we haven't."

"Yeah...we have."

"Talon."

"Skylar."

"Grrr, you're so aggravating, I can't just not go home, I've always spent the holidays with my family."

"Well when we get married we'll be spending them with mine." I like that glassy look she always gets in her eyes when I mention us getting married. I gave her a squeeze and a quick snuggle to ease the fact that I wasn’t giving her her way in this.

"We're not married yet, and even if we were that's not fair."

"I didn't say shit about fair, I just told you how it is."

"You're freaking insane. Why do you get to have your way?"

"Babe, there're five days of every year that your ass better be next to me, that's your birthday, mine, valentines, thanksgiving and Xmas. After we have kids we'll add Mother and Father's day and the kids' birthdays to the list."

"And in this world of yours do I ever go back home ever?"

"In a few years when I no longer feel like killing douchetard and his bitch. I have an idea, why don't you tell your parents you don't want to come there because you're afraid the prick would pull another stunt? that ought to work."

"You want me to lie?"

"Babes if we go there can you guarantee he won't show up and start shit?"

She pondered that for a minute.

"See what I mean?"

"So let me get this straight, you want me to spend thanksgiving and Xmas with your family."

"Yep."

"My mom and dad are not going to be happy."

I would've given her my signature answer which is I don't give a fuck, but that seemed inappropriate when talking about her parents, so I went with the next best thing.

"The only people we need to worry about pleasing from now on is each other. I don't have anything against your family, but I'm thinking me and Stark being in the same zip code anytime soon is not a good thing. As to the whole holiday thing, that's just how it's been in my family for generations, the wife follows the husband home. Ask Bianca how she did it, I don't know, or talk to mom whatever, either way you're with me."

"Oh my goodness, do you plan on living our lives like this? You always calling the shots?"

"Problem?"

"Uh, yeah, you're being a dick-tator."

"Caught that one babe, no matter, we've just set the precedent for the next fifty years or so."

"You're bent you know that."

"If you say so, now are we finished? all this arguing made me horny, plus you owe me a show."

"What are you talking about now?" She was still frowning but at least she’d tabled the argument.

“Remember, something you and Stephanie watched or something? you were gonna show me."

She rolled her eyes as if to say 'yeah right'.

"After you just dropped this crap in my lap you expect me to give you head?" She turned red as a cherry.

"Babe...seriously, oh now you really have to show me; what the hell were you and Stephanie doing watching that shit anyway, who else was there?"

"No one Talon geez, she knows I don't know about...that, so she found me this tutorial, it's not like we were watching porn or anything, it was very tasteful." Cue the blush.

"Uh huh, Kevin know about this?"

"What, no, why?"

"Just checking, so you gonna show me or not?"

"Not." She smirked, smartass.

"Think again, then again you don't have to, I'll just eat you for the next couple hours."

Without waiting for an answer I pulled her in the direction of our bedroom, when she dug her heels in I tickled the shit out of her and then threw her over my shoulder.

She tried pummeling me but she was laughing too hard for there to be any real heat behind her blows.

Dropping her on the bed I fell on top of her, making sure not to hurt her. Looking into her amazing eyes I brushed back the stray locks that fell across her forehead. We shared a smile before a soft, gentle kiss.

"Seriously baby, I just want you to be happy, and there's no way you can convince me that sitting across the table from someone who caused you so much pain is going to do that. So I'm taking you home with me where I'm sure my mother and nonna will spoil you rotten. Okay?"

"Okay Talon.”

SKYLAR

Sometimes Talon seems too good to be true. It took me a while to understand that beneath his gruff exterior beats a heart of gold, still it's almost overwhelming for me to accept that he's genuine. I often wonder how I’d got so lucky to come from near desolation to this, a man who treated me like I was the most precious thing in his world.

He's so completely different from what I expected him to be, nothing at all like the stories I'd heard when I first got here had led me to believe. Where was the womanizing scoundrel I’d heard so much about? It was true none of the women he’d dealt with had ever accused him of anything less than exemplary behavior. Though I didn’t see how they could have stars in their eyes for someone who’d basically slept with them once and then walked away without a backward glance.

 I’d been afraid I would be treated to more of the same, but the pull of attraction had been too strong to ignore. Instead I was treated to the only side of Talon Avery that no one else seems to have known. Maybe that’s why there was so much hostility sent my way from his exes in the beginning.

 He doesn’t hide his feelings for me from the outside world. In fact we’re the new topic of choice on everyone’s lips these days. You hardly heard his name called these days without mine attached. I was secretly glad of that, it gets tiring hearing of your man’s conquest with the ladies. Especially when some of them were as beautiful as they are, it made for some very troubling moments in the beginning. But Talon acts as if I’m the greatest thing he’s ever known, and he tries hard to convince me of that.

 It's almost like he wants to own me completely sometimes, the way he takes me over. Had I not felt the same strong emotion for him from the first, it would probably freak me out. To be the object of that much heat, desire, whatever you want to call it, was all new to me. But if I were to be honest, I would have to admit that his caveman antics made me hot as hell. Whenever he got all masterful and controlling I just wanted to jump him. That’s when I wasn’t thinking of ways to brain him and knock some sense into him; the boy can be a handful, like today.

He started nibbling on my ears, which for some reason always made me twitchy. He bit down gently and I rubbed my legs together.

"You…are...the…most...beautiful...creature...in...the...world." He growled making me laugh.

"Oh yeah, well you're not so bad yourself."

I loved it when he was playful like this in fact I loved everything about my caveman, that's why I had a special surprise for thanksgiving.

Chapter 14

TALON

"Wake up sweetheart we're here." I kissed her hair as she came out of her nap, she'd slept for the last two hours of the flight while I spent my time either reading or watching her. Sometimes it hit me out of nowhere that this amazing creature was really mine. That I’d been lucky enough to find someone who could make me feel. I had all but despaired of that ever happening. Growing up around the love between my parents and grandparents and later seeing my brother find his own forever, I’d secretly believed that the family legend had skipped one after all. I just never found that burning desire with anyone else, until now.

"Hmmmmmm?" She started to wake up. I’d opted to use the family plane after all because dealing with holiday travelers did not seem appealing at all, besides we got here faster.

She was so cute when she first woke up, like a little kitten all cuddly and sweet. I held her as she went through her routine of eye rubbing, yawn, snuggle into my chest for one last cuddle and then she was good to go.

Fuck if I'd let her wake up with someone else ever. No, all that sweet innocence was mine now and forever.

She'd finally got up the nerve to tell her family that she was spending the holidays with me. They weren't too happy but I'd put a bug in her father's ear about alienating his only kid and that seemed to put the kibosh on that shit. My girl is going to have a guilt free holiday no matter what, especially since it was our first of many, I planned on going all out. Since this was going to be her reality for the rest of her life I wanted her to not only enjoy it, but to see that she wanted to be here instead of anywhere else. Not necessarily fair, but her family had lost points with the way they had handled shit.

I'd extended the invitation to her parents and even mom had put in a call, they'd said maybe for Xmas, whatever. I didn’t care if they ever came to our home but for her it would be good. Maybe sometime in the not too distant future when I wasn’t still so pissed I would put forth the effort to get them on board but as things stood I wasn’t too jazzed. It might be the one area that I wasn’t willing to compromise and let her have her way. I’ll find a way to make it up to her.

I got up from my seat when the plane was through taxiing with her still in my arms.

"You want me to carry you baby, you still half asleep?"

"No I'm good I can walk." One quick stolen kiss that turned into a tongue wrestle and then I set her down on her feet.

I followed her off the plane leaving the luggage for the crew to handle. Rye and Bianca were waiting for us and of course he had to act like the bear he is, picking my woman up and twirling her and shit. I snatched her out of his hands and had them all laughing as I scowled.

"Ass." I punched his shoulder and kept her under my arm out of harm’s way.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too little brother, welcome Skylar."

"Hi Ryder, hi Bianca, thanks for coming to meet us." She moved to hug Bianca and the two of them walked off to get in the backseat. Probably yakking about shopping already. How do women do that shit? They just met the one time weeks ago and already they act as if they’d known each other for a lifetime. Not that I’m complaining I love the fact that she was already drawn into the family circle, it made things that much easier.

Rye and I talked about mundane things on the way to the house as we all took turns pointing out landmarks and places of interest to Skylar who was wide eyed. I’d forgotten that my girl wasn’t use to the big city and things that I’d taken for granted since I was a young boy was new and exciting to her. She had a million questions and I promised to give her a tour of the city before we headed back to college at the end of our break. I found myself actually excited at the idea of showing her my hometown. It might be fun seeing it through her eyes.

 At home mom was going crazy with the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, which was just a day away. Of course the servants had the house sparkling from top to bottom and everyone was bustling around. “Welcome home Skylar.” She looked up at me in awe, her mouth almost to the ground. Most people had that reaction when first coming to our home. It was a throwback to an old European castle or some shit. Not what you’d expect to find in the middle of a bustling metropolis, though our house was set back away from the others and seemed almost like it was on its own with the surrounding land and gardens.

“You want a tour now or later?” I hugged her shoulders, as she seemed a bit intimidated. “There’s nothing to be apprehensive about babydoll this is going to be your home soon.” I decided to save the tour for later since she seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Instead I took her upstairs to get her bearings before the rest of the brood got here.

My room was all set up for us with some kind of girly shit on the bed. At least mom had the good sense not to try separating us, which was something Skylar had assured me her parents would've done. Not going to happen. If we ever spent the night away from each other again in this lifetime somebody had better be hurt and in the hospital. Barring that I couldn’t see myself agreeing to her being away from me at bedtime.

“You need to finish your nap babe or are you ready to go down? I don’t think mom will give you much rest while you’re here she’s all excited that you came.”

“I’m fine the nap on the plane refreshed me; I wish you would stop worrying Talon I told you I’m not sick anymore.” My ass, she didn’t see herself in that hospital bed hooked up to tubes and shit.

 I didn’t need to be reminded of that shit, not when I was feeling helpless with no leads. I’m not thinking about that shit now though. I had a woman to impress.

This is going to be our home after marriage; it’s kind of a thing with my parents. They’d set up the estate so that Rye and I never had to leave, though my sister was allowed to move away to live with her husband. Seems like some kind of archaic tradition or some shit but whatever. There was more than enough room for everyone.

We’d discussed it a time or two but I’m not so sure that she’d heard me. She tends to think I’m thinking too far ahead when it comes to that stuff. She’s under the impression that we need to know each other a lot longer before we start talking weddings and forever, hah. I had her and had no plans on ever letting her go, I don’t know what the hell she thought that meant. As far as I’m concerned it meant the sooner I put my ring on her finger the better. Maybe I should start that ball rolling then I wouldn’t have to deal with that ass ex of hers again.