Talon

by Savannah Rylan

  “It’s perfect, right?” Ellie asked.

  “I guess it isn’t bad. I still don’t think it will work, but I’ve got nothing else to lose.”

  “You aren’t going to do it, are you?” Ellie asked.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure even how I feel about him. The guy lied straight to my face, and I bought it all. I hooked up with a random guy I knew nothing about and what I did know about him was all lies.”

  “But it was good,” Ellie said. “Right?”

  “Of course, it was good,” Teagan replied.

  “And you already know how you feel. You love the guy, right? I can tell. I know you are all conflicted and feeling like a total moron for being conflicted but don’t let your stupid pride get in the way of this. Please just tell those lame voices in your head to shut up and follow your heart.”

  Teagan smiled. “Wow, that was insightful.”

  “I may start writing greeting cards,” Ellie joked.

  She signed off a few moments later leaving Teagan alone with her thoughts and a new course of action.

  Tomorrow morning, she was going to the palace.

  There was no way she was going to sleep tonight.

  CHAPTER 14

  Cort

  The knock came at his office door. Cort had just finished another futile meeting with his advisors who had nothing new to really show him. It was all more of the same. He really felt like he was just kicking a dead horse here. There was no way out of this without playing their game. If he wanted to be King, if he wanted to continue to lead his nation in a prosperous fashion instead of letting it be mismanaged by the hands of his foolish uncle then he was going to have to grin and bear it. He was getting married.

  The only person he wanted to marry was Teagan. And she would not return his calls. He’d placed two of his best advisors on the case to track her down. Hopefully, they would have something soon, but it might take a while. He was not going to hold his breath. A girl like Teagan was a free spirit and appeared to be very hard to track down.

  Besides, it was quite possible and probable that she would tell his advisors to get lost. She would tell them that she was not interested. She wasn’t even from this country, and she hardly knew him. Besides if she did believe his advisors were telling the truth, it was quite logical she would be very angry with him. Cort had lied to her about who he was. He would explain everything to her if she would give him the chance to do so, but that was a long shot. Once you broke that trust with a woman, it was over.

  The knock came again. He didn’t want to see anyone, but he still had duties to perform after all. If he was awarded the crown or not, he was still Prince.

  “Yes?” He answered.

  His secretary Nora came into the room just then. She’d been his secretary for many years. She was beautiful and madly in love with him, but she hid it well. He’d been tempted many times to have a rendezvous with her, but Cort knew such a thing was never wise. He did not get romantically involved in any way with his staff. That was just asking for trouble.

  “Sir, you have a message.”

  “Ok,” Cort said. “What kind of message?”

  “A young woman came by very insistent on giving you this.”

  Nora handed him a light blue piece of paper. He opened the paper up and almost fainted at what he saw in front of him. This had to be a dream or at the very least some sick joke. But who would dare pull a joke like this on him? Certainly, no one in his service who valued their lungs on the inside of their body.

  Teagan Norton

  Certified yoga instructor

  First lesson free

  Cort bolted up out of his chair almost knocking over his desk in the process.

  “Is she still here?” he demanded.

  “Um, no sir. I told her we would contact her if interested.”

  “There is no contact number!” Cort yelled. His blood was boiling.

  “She declined to leave one. She said she would be back this afternoon.”

  Cort tried to calm down. “Ok, great. Make sure she is shown in directly to me. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Nora said. From her tone, he got the impression she was calling him a bunch of dirty names in her mind.

  Cort paced back and forth in his office for a few moments. The stress of everything coming together was hell bent to slowly bury him, but he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. And her name was Teagan. Why did she insist on driving him nuts though? Why didn’t she just call him? Instead, she shows up out of the blue to offer him her yoga services. Was she playing some sort of game with him? Did something happen with her phone?

  He started to reach for his phone to call her and quickly stopped himself. A chuckle rumbled out of his chest. He needed to just step back a moment and breathe. Everything was going to work itself out. He could not get Teagan out of his mind. Ever since that night he met her she’d been in the front of his mind. It was distracting him from the job he had to do. But at the same time, it was giving him something to shoot for, just a bit of happiness.

  He was going to drive himself nuts if he just sat around waiting for the next few hours until Teagan arrived. His schedule happened to be wide open for the rest of the day. Usually, on a day like this, he would grab his buddies, and they’d head off to do some mountain biking, or if they were in a more relaxed mood, they would play a few rounds of golf. It was perfect weather for it too.

  But he didn’t really have that kind of time. And thinking about Teagan would have distracted him on the course anyway.

  He decided to head to the gym and lift. He hadn’t had time to really get a good grueling workout in the past few days, and he could feel it. He had less energy, and he was starting to not want to work out. So off to the gym he went.

  He called up his personal trainer Danny, and the man put him through his paces until he was so tired he could barely stand under the weight of the barbell. Afterwards, he cooled down with a good stretching program and then heated back up with a relaxing dip in the Jacuzzi.

  By the time Teagan arrived, he would be feeling better than ever. That was the key. He wanted her to see the real him, the guy she’d met the other night. Not the man who’d been pining over her for days and fighting for the crown that should have been his with no delay.

  Before he knew it, the time had come.

  His secretary knocked on the door of his home gymnasium which had been equipped with several luxury designed yoga mats. Soft music wafted down from the speakers in each corner of the room. And the sweet smell of honey glazed potpourri mingled in the air. He’d made sure that everything was perfect.

  It was crucial to set the right ambiance. It needed to be romantic, but still conducive to a productive yoga session. It was important that she see he was serious about learning a new skill that might take his physical, spiritual, and his mental health to even greater heights.

  “Yes?” He answered.

  She walked into the room with an almost annoyed expression on her face. Cort wasn’t sure exactly what her issue was, but he figured it had something to do with the news of his possible pending nuptials, although he’d mentioned nothing of it personally to any member of his staff. He knew that his secretary had always had a thing for him. She was sexy and just the type of woman he usually went for, but he was not about to break his rule and date someone he worked with. It was a bad idea all around.

  “The Yoga instructor is here to see you. Teagan Norton,” she said.

  Cort smiled. He felt a wave of giddiness wash through him that he found difficult to ignore. His lungs filled with a slow deep breath and he kept his composure light yet professional.

  “Great,” he replied as he went into a slight stretch. “Send her in.”

  He couldn’t believe this time had actually come.

  CHAPTER 15

  Teagan

  Teagan’s legs felt like jelly. She could hardly place one foot in front of the other as she scrambled along behind the secretary. The only
thing that helped at all was how distracted she was by the secretary. She was supermodel gorgeous. Had Cort and she ever did anything? Oh, she was dying to know, but she didn’t dare ask. It wasn’t really any of her business anyway was it? Still, how could a man with Cort’s public amorous appetite (she’d read all about the rumors; He was something of a playboy according to all the articles she’d been able to find) possibly be that close to a woman constantly and not sleep with her? She tried to push the thought out of her mind, but she knew that it would gnaw at her until it drove her crazy. She made it a point to ask Cort sometime.

  Teagan was led down a long hallway that looked something like an elongated trophy room. It almost reminded her of a boarding school. On one side of the room were trophy cases with different awards and several types of photo collages. She wanted to stop and look, but the secretary was walking too quickly, and Teagan did not want to fall behind. It was important she maintained the businesslike façade and stayed focused. She could not pretend to be star struck. This woman had probably seen it all before, and Teagan did not really trust that she was being taken to Cort until he was actually in her presence. Self-doubt filled her mind. She was so nervous. Was she actually about to see him again? This man who’d driven her crazy since the moment she met him.

  She followed through a large double door and into a large gymnasium. It was equipped with basketball hoops, a soccer net folded up in one corner, some bleachers on one side, and large mirrors hung on the other wall. Teagan instantly felt even more self-conscious than she did a moment ago. She was starting to sweat profusely, her hands were shaking, her heart was pounding in her chest, and her feet kept trying to trip over each other. A small wave of nausea started to settle in as well.

  This was a horrible idea. What had she been thinking? When had she ever listened to Ellie? This was ludicrous. Cort was going to see right through her. He was going to think she contacted him only because of the news that was everywhere. He was never going to believe that she “accidentally” deleted his number and his voicemails. The man was a prince; he was not stupid.

  “The Prince will be right with you,” the secretary said. She looked at Teagan up and down quickly and gave a barely audible snort before walking away. It looked more like a sneer. Teagan had a sudden impulse to yank the skank’s hair out.

  Teagan stood in the gymnasium for a few minutes. She was frozen stiff. Her legs felt like they weighed a ton. She shouldn’t have come here. She wanted to just run away right then. Cort would never have to see her, and he would never have to give her that judging look that she knew was coming, the one she’d seen in her mind over and over again since she’d decided to follow through with this insipid plan. What was wrong with her?

  She just needed to breathe. It was all going to be ok. There was no reason for her to be so crazy paranoid. It would all work itself out somehow. She just had to breathe easy. That’s all.

  A door in opened just then in the corner of the gymnasium. It was partially obscured by the bleachers creating a darkened shadow and the low levels of light in the gym. The window shades were drawn and the lights hanging from the ceiling appeared to be on low.

  It was then that she noticed the soft music playing in the background. It had suddenly become a bit louder. It was soothing, sexy, and pulsating. She found her hips wanting to sway to it slightly and her feet tapping gently to the beat.

  And there he was.

  Cort was walking towards her now, slow, nonchalant, steady, and even sexier than she had remembered him being. Of course, she was one hundred percent sober now, and she was nervous as hell. All of her senses were acute, standing up on high alert.

  He was wearing a slight smile on his face, his hair perfectly combed back revealing every single detail of his handsome features. He was dressed in a pair of tight shorts and an even tighter T shirt that clung to his hard body almost detailing every single ripple of his washboard stomach. Oh, his body was so tight, so perfect.

  Teagan bit her lip trying to calm her raging hormones down. She needed to remain cool and confident like she was when she met him. That was the girl he liked. He did not want this sputtering mess of nerves standing in front of him.

  She was slightly worried now about her own outfit. She should have worn something not so sexy. The tight, black, spandex tank top and form fitting yoga pants did not leave much to the imagination. It seemed like a good idea at the time. All that hid her sexy outfit currently was the zip up hoodie that she’d worn over top. She didn’t even remember when she’d unzipped it, but now there she was with her large cleavage hanging out to give him an eyeful as she pretended it was a total accident.

  “Well, we meet again,” Cort said with a smile.

  He was standing in front of her now. The strong, musky fragrance of his cologne was enticing to her senses. She just wanted to glide her tongue along every inch of his delicious body. How had such a perfect specimen of a man been created?

  “So, we do,” Teagan smiled. She was starting to feel much better. Somehow now that she was there and they were actually engaging in real conversation all of the nerves that had been almost paralyzing a moment ago were now just drifting away. She almost felt normal for the time being.

  “I was frankly a bit surprised that you didn’t call,” Cort said. “And even more surprised when you arranged this little get together.”

  Teagan smiled wider. “Well, I thought this would be more fun. I’m not really much for phone chat.”

  “I agree,” Cort replied. “So, are we ready to get started?”

  “Oh, yes,” Teagan said.

  She realized that Cort was stepping into her personal space now, slowly with purpose and a steel gaze in his eyes that was borderline hypnotic.

  “How did you know I wanted to learn yoga?” Cort asked, his voice now barely above a whisper. He was standing over her now, looking down.

  Teagan’s breath began to come and go in short little spasms. It was almost difficult to speak.

  “I just had a feeling,” she said.

  Cort’s mouth was on hers then, almost before she could even get the words out. His heavy, thick, sweet lips were pressing firmly against her own as she tried to keep up with his rugged passion.

  His hands were behind her now, resting on her lower back, and pulling her close to him. His tongue jutted in and out of her mouth drawing her own out, flesh probing succulent flesh wiggling together in a sweet dance of lust. He was sucking on hers now, dominating her mouth, sucking on her allowing her to taste his sweet breath as he tried to swallow her own.

  She was getting so wet. Her panties were clinging to her body as her juices began to flow, getting her body ready to be taken by him any way he chose. She wanted to give it all to him. He owned her right then. There was no hesitation, no doubt, no fear or anxiety anymore. She belonged to this man, and she knew without question that she would follow him to the end of the earth and she never wanted to be away from his side.

  Cort lifted her body up right then and firmly but with great care placed her on the matted floor beneath them. He began to kiss her all over moving from her mouth to her chin, then the neck finding the jugular and following her racing heart beat down towards her shoulders. His massive hands quickly ripped the hoodie from her body giving him access to her flesh.

  He kissed her chest, gliding his tongue over her. He moaned as he tasted her skin, savoring every single inch of her as he now moved down to the area between her breasts.

  Cort quickly in one short movement grabbed the front of her tank top and yanked it to shreds, ripping it from her body. Her chest was now free and smothered by his lips, his tongue, his large hands squeezing and massaging them.

  Teagan had never had it like this. This passion was perfect. It was savage and unbridled, like a rabid animal that had been caged up for too long. She felt the same way. She wanted to assist and move him even harder, faster, and more frenzied, but she just laid back and let this man make love to her. She knew that he would take her to new
er heights of total bliss than she’d ever dreamt of before.

  And that was exactly what he did.

  Cort flipped her body over quickly and yanked her pants and underpants down. No sooner did she feel the cool air on her naked backside then she was reintroduced to his throbbing member penetrating her wetness.

  She was so wet that he just slid right in filling her to the brim with thickness. Teagan lay there trying not to scream with the ecstasy that was fulfilling her every wild dream. Cort was ramming her deeply and with an intensity that was almost frightening, but she had never felt safer in her life. She’d never felt more desired, more protected, or more loved.

  It was the most beautiful experience she ever imagined she would have.

  And when they came together almost in perfect sync she knew that this was the beginning of the perfect life she’d been searching for.

  CHAPTER 16

  Cort

  Cort was only vaguely aware that the door to the gymnasium was not locked. His Secretary or anyone for that matter who might have walked in right then usually knocked first, but what if they decided not to? That would have been quite the sight to see he and the beautiful new Yoga instructor lying naked together after the most amazing sexual experience he’d ever had.

  It felt good to lie there nude with the cool air conditioning blowing down on him, his sweaty body beginning to cool down, and the gentle brush of air against his now sore groin. His heart was just beginning to settle back to its normal rhythm. He thought for a moment he was going to have an actual heart attack, and he didn’t care. He just had to be with Teagan. He’d been dreaming of this for days and when he finally saw her standing there looking even more ravishing than he remembered all of the feelings that he’d had to keep bottled up inside of him came barreling out all at once, and they merged together into a savage lust that knew no bounds.

  “Well, I have to say I think I’m going to like Yoga,” Cort joked.