by Hilary Storm
Eaven calls her parents to let them know the situation. They drive in for the evening. As soon as Eaven’s little sister shows up she attaches herself to Talon. I try to get her to warm up to me. “Hey kid.”
She looks at me like I’m a freak. I can’t help but smile because her facial expression says everything. She doesn’t want me to invade in on her Talon time. I decide to leave that one alone for now. I make my way back to Ivy and the people she considers family.
I have nothing but respect for Eaven’s parents. They took in Ivy just like she is one of their own. They look devastated when Ivy tells them about the attack. It only gets worse when we tell them what the police found in the apartment this afternoon.
I sit close to her the entire time she fights to get the words out. I hold her hand when her words begin and by the time its over, I’ve wrapped her back up in my arms. I can’t stand the fact that she is hurting. I swear I’ll kill him if he comes near her again.
I look over at Eaven’s dad and I see his face scowling at me. I don’t know if it’s because of the situation or the fact that she is finding comfort in my arms. I lock my eyes with his trying to prove that I won’t back away. He eventually averts his eyes when Ivy breaks my hold and sits up straight in her chair.
“It will be good for me to go on tour. It will give you time to work with the police to find Dylan.” She stands and begins to hug each of them goodbye.
“I’m so tired. I want to go to bed early and I still need to pack. I love you both.” She doesn’t even wait for them to leave before she is down the hall and in my bedroom. Luckily Eaven takes over entertaining her parent’s when I start to move Ivy’s things into the house.
I purposely put all of her things in my bedroom. There really isn’t anywhere else to put them. This is a three-bedroom house, and besides that it’s just logical. She will be with me anyway.
I help her get all of her boxes and bags organized. She doesn’t unpack anything. She just moves some of it into suitcases for the tour and the rest of it is neatly stacked in the corner.
Her phone rings and she turns away from me to answer it after looking at the screen.
“Hey, Aiden.”
“I’m packing to leave. Ev and I are going on tour with the guys.” That’s right, she is coming with me, cowboy.
“Yea. I will keep in touch.”
“Thank you so much for everything. I really owe you…” She is obviously interrupted by him. This guy is always sweeping in. I will not let her need him again.
“Ok. Deal. I promise.”
I work hard to brush off the irritation that his call caused. I need to remember that he saved her that night. No matter how much I hate him, I am glad he was there to help her.
I move in behind her after she tosses her phone on the bed. I let my hand run down her arm and her body stiffens at the contact.
“Ivy, please don’t pull away from me. Let me help you. I want to be here for you.” I seriously hate that bastard for hurting her like he did. He has taken away her confidence. She looks empty and lonely. No matter what I say, she looks lonely.
“I promise we will find him. We will make sure he pays for what he did to you,” I say into her forehead as I stamp multiple kisses trying to reassure her. She bows her head further into my chest and I feel her relax a fraction. She isn’t completely melting into my arms, but this is progress. I can work with this.
I don’t miss the fact that I am here comforting a woman. This is usually not my thing, yet there is nothing that could pull me from her in this moment. I want to absorb all of her hurt and take her back to how she was before he stole everything away from her.
“Thank you.” She speaks softly into my chest. I pull her away from me so I can look into her eyes. I want her to understand what she means to me.
“You have to know that I’m here for you and there is no place I’d rather be. You don’t need to thank me. I’m yours.” I lean in until we are face-to-face, eyes to eyes, lips to lips. She watches through her gorgeous blue eyes until I turn slightly to let our lips touch. She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. I make this kiss gentle and easy. She needs to know that I have a gentle side to me as well. I’m just finding out about it, but it’s there. I wrap her in my arms and we stand there for a long time.
I start to sing to her and our bodies automatically begin to sway. She lets her fingers entwine with my left hand and then she pulls our hands up close to her chest. She tucks our hands close to her body, and I let my other arm pull her in as tight as I can. I close my eyes and realize how much I like having her this close to me.
Ivy
I could push him away like my mind is telling me to do, but I’ve decided that going on tour is the best idea for me. I don’t want to be here in case Dylan tries to contact me. If I’m on tour we will be constantly moving from city to city. There will always be security around, and I want to feel safe again. I want this helpless feeling to fucking vanish.
I’m not helpless. I’m a fighter. I don’t let anyone get the best of me. I could never go back to my apartment, so now I’m homeless, and totally dependent on Taron. This isn’t going to fly with me either, but for a short time I’ll pick the best of two evils and go with it. I have always said that I would never depend on a man like my mother always has. I want to make my own way.
I don’t have any other options at the moment, so I will give in and become totally dependent on this man that can both infuriate me and have me wet within seconds of each other.
The real fact is, I need him right now. I need him to feel again. Without him, I let myself slide into the numbness that is so easy to turn to. I don’t like that I need him, but I do. I can’t let him know this. He doesn’t need to know how important he is to my emotional well being.
Moments like this give me hope that we can be together. His voice calms me as he sings softly in my ear. The soft side of Taron is beautiful and I cherish every second he spends holding me as we move to the music in his head.
I let my mind begin to wander and decide that I need to put some distance between us. I need him to be able to feel and escape all of this, but I refuse to give into him completely. That is just too dangerous for me right now.
“We should probably hit the sack. Our flight is early.” I pull away knowing my feelings are all over the place. I need to regroup and figure out what I want out of him. I want to be friends. I want forever. What the hell do I want? I want forever with no chance of heartbreak. We aren’t promised that in any relationship. It’s just that this one seems that odds are especially stacked against us, so I lean to being friends again.
“I’ll take the couch.” I grab the pillow and move to the door. I hear him moving around behind me so I look back to see him also grab a pillow.
“Me too.” He is going to be impossible.
“No. I told you we can’t be more than friends.”
“And I told you that ship has sailed. I’m not sleeping anywhere but with you tonight.” This is that part that infuriates me.
“Taron, I’m not sleeping with you. I’m serious.”
“Ivy, I’m sleeping next to you. I’m serious.”
We begin the stare down of the century as we both refuse to budge. I’m not ready for anything more than sleeping. I can’t let him in bed with me again.
“Fine. I’ll sleep on Eaven & Talon’s floor.”
“Fucking great! I’d love to piss off my brother tonight. Let’s do it. Let’s sleep on the fucking floor to prove that you want to be friends. I’m good with wherever you decide. Just know that if you are in this house, I’m with you. If you are anywhere near me, I’m sleeping next to you. So quit fighting me.”
I think about his comment. He is a pain in the ass. He will never quit. For the purpose of getting to sleep tonight, I give in. I do the one thing that Ivy doesn’t do, and I let a guy win again and THAT pisses me off.
“Why do you have to be such a pain in the ass?”
“That’s what I do best!”
The smirk on his panty sniffing face makes me smile. He is going to get his way and we are going to sleep together.
“We are going to SLEEP.”
“Do you think that I’m a cold hearted dick? I know we are sleeping.”
I climb into bed and wrap up in the sheets that smell like him. I lay my head on the pillow that carries the scent of his gorgeous body. I close my eyes and pray for a full night’s sleep. I feel him slide into bed and know that he is compromising with me by not wrapping me in his arms. This is a small win for me. I’m glad he is respecting that I want to be friends. A win. Now I just have to figure out why it doesn’t feel like a win.
I wake feeling refreshed and a little more alive. This is progress. I open my eyes and all I see is tan sculpted abs. I’m sprawled out across his stomach and his breathing is forcing my head to move slightly with each breath. I move my arm and find that it’s wrapped a little lower than his waist. I feel his morning glory bump into my arm every time he inhales. It’s getting closer and pressing a little harder each time he takes a breath. I wonder if he is awake. I want to take a peek so bad, but it would lead him on.
The old Ivy would have done it. The old Ivy would have done more than take a peek. I move my arm slowly and purposely edge the sheet out of the way. I remain perfectly still and watch as he continues to grow. I fight the urge to wrap my hand around it and squeeze him through his black boxer briefs.
I finally decide to lift his waistband and take a peek. This quickly backfires because now he is escaping. If I were a bitch, I would just let it snap back. I’m pretty sure I want to be here again, so I slowly lower the band until it smashes him. I sit up quickly and throw the sheets over him hoping that if I act like I’m getting out of bed he won’t try anything. I look over and see the biggest fucking grin on his face and I know that I’m busted.
~Nine~
Taron
I wake up to the best sight a guy could ask for. I want to yell out my usual entrance into a party…WHO’S READY TO SEE SOME DICK, but I hold back. She would get so pissed if I scared her right now.
Besides I want to see how far she will go. I will her to lean in and begin the day the best way I can imagine, but she doesn’t. She jumps out of bed quickly and abruptly. I can’t help but grin anyway because I know she will cave again. She is worth the wait. This is something I know for sure. I won’t push her too hard, but I will have fun.
“Good morning gorgeous!” I watch as she gathers some clothes and begins to rush to the bathroom.
“Uh. Mornin.”
“Do you want me to help you with your shower?”
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Oh baby, I will definitely be thinking about you in the shower.” She glares back at me and I see a little fire in her eyes. She looks like she wants to say something, but instead she presses her lips together and stomps into the bathroom. I wait until I hear the shower before I move for coffee.
I’m going to break through that thick barrier she put around herself again. I wish like hell that I could have been there for her like she needed me to be. The memory of her in his arms haunts me throughout the day and night. The shit going through my head right now is killing me. I can’t believe I left her alone and she was nearly raped. Every time I look at her swollen cheek, I’m reminded that I failed her. Not to mention I pulled a jealous fit in the middle of her crisis. If I would have only said something to her when I saw them at the apartment. It’s probably just as well, because the words that would have come out of my mouth wouldn’t have been comforting at first.
Ivy has busted straight into my life and I can’t risk losing her on all levels. I want her to be happy and hopefully that is with me. I will wait for her to come around, but I have a feeling that I won’t have to wait too long.
I pour us both a cup of coffee and begin to walk back into my room. I see Eavan begin to come out of my brother’s room and I brace myself because I’m standing in my underwear in a straight view from where she’s standing.
“What the hell, Taron. Put on some damn clothes. You think you can just walk around here naked?”
“This is NOT naked, but I can arrange that if you’d like.”
“Uh… no. DO NOT get naked or I’ll get your brother and he’ll kick your ass.”
“This is how I roll, Ev. Get used to it. On tour, you might just see my dick.” I love teasing her. She gets so frustrated and I enjoy watching her struggle to be bold and brave.
Her face blushes and turns bright red. She lowers a brow and begins to glare at me. I flash her my smile that usually works when I get in trouble with the ladies, but she isn’t backing away. I start to laugh at her.
“Laugh all you want. If you flash your dick at me then I’ll take a picture of it. Then don’t be surprised if you see it blasted on the internet. I can use my outstanding Photoshop skills to edit the photo first and you can be assured that I won’t be adding to your size if you get what I’m saying.”
“Damn. You’re harsh. I’ll keep it in my pants. Just know that if you pulled a stunt like that, I’d just have to prove it to everyone that the photo was edited and I’d just have to do it with you around in public, so we might just want to come to an understanding.”
“Yes! You understand that I don’t want to see your shit and we will be great. Besides, your brother has you beat big time from what little I can see.” Oh the challenge in that comment. I just smile at the girl that loves my brother more than anyone else in the world. This is the point that I let her win. She has come so far with her confidence in the past few months. It seems that those two just complete each other.
I edge into the bedroom and quickly see something I really like. I watch her brushing her hair. She’s wearing one of my shirts and I let my eyes travel down her long legs. I set the coffee down and begin to make my way over to say a proper good morning if she’ll let me.
Ivy
He is a constant tease. He’ll never quit trying, and honestly that’s probably what I need to feel better again. He reminds me that I’m sexy just long enough for me to consider jumping on him. Then I remember how my face still looks. How the bruises are sore and ugly as hell. That is not sexy. I love that he still tries, but I’m not an idiot.
I really need to escape. This tour will be a great way to live again.
I let the hot water rinse over my body. Memories of Taron wash over me as I let the soap run down my chest. I internally struggle with my emotions and it pisses me off that I can’t get my head on straight. I need to feel life again. I’m Ivy Adams. I don’t mope around. I grab life by the dick and swing from the rafters. It’s time to have a little fun. I can do this.
I exit the shower and glance over my body. My skin looks better, but not perfect. There is definitely a real ugly bruise on my side. I throw on a t-shirt and open the door. The steam begins to drift out of the room and I take a few more minutes to brush out my long hair.
I can feel him watching me, so I enjoy a little tease of my own. I bend over to get my clothes making sure that he can see between my legs in the process. I hear him approaching so I slowly stand up knowing he is about to invade my space again. I feel his hips touch first. He is careful not to overwhelm me with his hands. I know he is holding back and I appreciate it. I turn my face until we are touching.
I lean back into his chest and close my eyes. I hear him inhale deeply next to my hair and feel his face brush up against mine.
I melt when I feel his finger slide down my face and then slowly graze my arm all the way down. He doesn’t try to grope me. He just slides a few fingers in between mine and gently squeezes. A tear runs down my cheek and I let it fall. There is no way I can just be friends with him.
That ship has sailed.
He’s flirted his way into my heart, and to be honest I don’t want to fight it anymore. He can be gentle and caring. He has proven it when he stood by my through Eaven’s hell, and now he stands by me through my own.
“It’s about time to leave
for the airport,” he whispers.
“Ok,” I say through heavy breath. “I’ll put some clothes on and I’ll be ready shortly.” I smile because I know this is only just the beginning and I’m ready to escape the reality of home.
We make it to the airport. The Rebel Walking agent sent us a private jet to travel on. It’s extremely nice and by far the best treatment that I’ve received when traveling. I sit in the seat and try to prepare for this trip. The trip that I will never forget for as long as I live because memories like this will stick with a person forever.
Just as we are about to take off, Eaven grabs my hand. “Leave it all in the past! Only forward from here.” She is reminding me that I’m not alone in this. She gets what I’m going through even though I refuse to share specific details with her. She has always been here for me. I love this girl and would do anything for her.
“Yes. Only forward.” I smile and feel the stress begin to leave my shoulders. The weight of the world on my shoulders gets lighter the further we fly away from Missouri.