The Rebel: A Bad Boy Romance

by Aria Ford

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Kelly

  The wedding happened a month after Reese had visited. I had wanted to have it as soon as possible, so that I was still not very pregnant, but before the baby put in his or her appearance.

  I was in Wyoming. I stepped out of the hotel and into the blast of hot air from the mountains, my nose reveling in the scent of heat and dust. This was the place I loved. The place we had met and I had always loved it. It was completely right.

  “Kelly…” My mother’s voice was at my shoulder. I smiled down at her.

  “What, Mom?”

  “Don’t you think you’d better wait for the car to turn around? I mean…this wind in your hair…”

  I chuckled. I was wearing my dress—a sheath of cream silk that fell to my ankles, the sleeves wide straps, the back low and the front a high “v,” the straps ending in the middle of my shoulders. I loved it. I had a breezy veil and my hair was loose.

  “You know what?” I smiled. “The messier the better! It wouldn’t be me otherwise.”

  My mother giggled. “You’re so right.” she pressed my hand. There were tears in her eyes, something I never would have expected. My mother was crying!

  I kissed her brow. She was wearing a white suit in a linen so fine it could have been silk, with a sort of olive silk blouse underneath. She looked stunning. “I love you, Mom,” I said.

  She sniffed. “I love you too.”

  Then we were in the car and heading to the church. My grandfather was there, waiting to take my arm. As I walked in to the small, old-fashioned house of worship, my eyes were drawn to the front. There, in a well-cut black suit, which in itself was something I had never seen him do—was my Reese.

  The sun shone on his dark hair, and he turned and smiled at me, his eyes the intense dark stare that drew me in from when I first met him.

  Reese. My heart was so full of love I could barely breathe. There he was. My Reese. My big stubborn, strong, soulful man. I stood beside him and my grandfather slipped back to his seat. I looked at the priest and the ceremony began.

  It was shorter than I had expected…in the rehearsal it seemed like we’d be up there for an age, but every word had such sanctity here, in this place, with Reese beside me that it seemed like a magic poem, every sound significant.

  “…and do you, Reese Morgan Bradfield take thee Kelly Gowan, to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health…”

  “I do.” His words were so definite. They rocked through my heart and I smiled, though my eyes blinded with tears.

  The priest smiled.

  “And do you, Kelly Gowan, take the Reese Morgan Bradfield to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death you both shall part?”

  “I do.”

  I had never meant anything more in my life.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss.”

  We kissed.

  Reese turned back the veil and leaned forward and his mouth was gentle on mine, so gentle, and my body melted into his. We kissed and stepped apart and turned to our loved ones in the church.

  “Congratulations!”

  “Well done!”

  “Best wishes!”

  We were walking through the crowd before we knew it, and roses and confetti rained down as we headed down the stairs toward the waiting car. I looked up at Reese and he looked at me and we were both laughing, our joy flowing out of us like fragrance from roses.

  The reception was at the farm—we had put days into fixing up the terrace and decorating it just for that. It looked elegant and beautiful and I was so proud of it.

  “Cheers!”

  “Congratulations!”

  We had a small reception—my guests were Mom, Grandpa, and Miller; his were his cousin Jack and a few army guys. We all fit around two tables on the terrace, and the meal was provided by the local catering firms.

  “Cut the cake!” my mom shouted at some point during the meal. I laughed.

  “Oh! I’d forgotten!”

  Reese grinned at me. “I love you,” he mouthed.

  “I love you too.”

  We cut the cake—a magnificent creation from the specialist bakery. I wanted chocolate and Reese fruitcake, so we did a layer of each. We cut it and the guests applauded and my heart soared.

  So much joy packed into one evening scarcely seemed possible, but it was, and it all went by too fast. Later, when the guests had all gone, Reese and I stayed on the farm. I turned to him.

  “Reese…” I murmured.

  “My love.”

  We kissed and there, under the stars with the velvet sky above, I knew I was the happiest person around.

  I could feel my body responding to his kiss and I felt a slow ache grow inside me, a sweet, beautiful need. I breathed a sigh and he laughed.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” he whispered.

  We went inside together and headed to the bedroom.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Kelly

  Reese leaned against the door and kissed me and I kissed him back. It felt different, even though we had done this so many times. I was in my gown, he in his beautiful suit. He was so strong, so handsome. I reached up and stroked his head.

  “You are so amazing,” I whispered.

  He laughed. “You are the most beautiful girl ever,” he whispered as he kissed me. “And I want to show you that.”

  I felt my heart thump. “Mm?”

  “Mm.”

  He pushed me back onto the bed then, so gently that I laughed a little breathlessly as I fell back onto the plush covers. His hands were on my body, so gentle, tracing my side, stroking my waist. I felt him lower his weight so that he was beside me. I looked up into that smiling face, so handsome in his suit, and I felt my heart tighten with amazement.

  “I love you,” I said, blinking my eyes.

  “I love you too.”

  He reached for my hair, stroking it as his mouth consumed mine, tongue playing in between my lips, tickling and teasing. I gasped and felt my body come alive under his skilled touch. He stroked the pale skin of my neck and his hand moved lower, searching out the button.

  I gasped as he unfastened the gown, his hands moving down my back as his mouth moved lower too. He reached my belly button with the undressing, though his mouth lingered at my breast. I was wearing bridal underwear, and he leaned back, looking at me.

  “I wish I had a picture of that,” he sighed. I blushed.

  “Maybe I could manage that,” I offered. He chuckled.

  “Now all I want is to undress you.”

  “Mm. Me too.”

  His hands were so gentle as he took down the strap of my bra, one at a time. Then he leaned over, closing his lips on my nipples, first one as he worked down the silk cup, then the other. His hands squeezed me gently and then he moved down, unclipping the bra at the back with knowing touch.

  He kissed a trail of kisses down my body, and then he reached my panty line. He paused, those naughty dark eyes on mine. Then he took off my briefs and kissed me between my thighs.

  I tensed, the sensation rocking through me. His lips skillfully worked at my sensitive spot until I thought I would go mad.

  “Oh! Oh! Oh…”

  He chuckled, and then he was undressing faster than I would have thought possible. He was soon bare to the waist, and I stared, drinking in the sheer wonder that was his male exquisiteness. I wanted him so badly then. I wanted him so much it hurt.

  He was naked soon, and he lay beside me. His hand moved to between my legs, and I sighed as his fingers stroked me momentarily. Then he knelt and moved down the bed.

  “Yes?” he whispered. He was kneeling between my thighs. His eyes stared into mine, and I could see the perspiration on his forehead, evidence of how hard he restrained himself, how much he held back to pleasure me. I sighed.

  “Yes. Oh yes.”

  Then he was inside me, his hard, throbbing malenes
s pushing imperiously right the way through. I gasped as he filled me and then moved back, pushing in again and again and again…

  “Kelly.” He was growling incoherently, saying my name. He moved in me, and I could feel him shiver.

  “Reese!”

  We came together as our bodies abandoned all civility and moved with the wild, abandoned motions of longing. I was gasping and gasping, the heat rising and rising and then…

  “Oh!”

  I screamed as I came. The most magnificent sensation I had ever felt crashed through me like a tsunami. I held on to him, shuddering and crying. He collapsed on me, and we lay still.

  Later, he rolled off me and I noticed his eyes too were damp.

  “Reese,” I murmured as I stroked his hair.

  “Kells.”

  We lay beside each other, his arms around me and drifted off to sleep. We woke later and made love again and then, later still, we fell into a deep, exhausted sleep and only woke when the first gray light strayed through the window, falling tenderly on my eyes.

  EPILOGUE

  Time passed faster than I ever would have expected. I spent a fortnight on the farm—a honeymoon of sorts, the best sort I would have imagined, what I’d longed for, and then I went back to work.

  The months were happy and expectant, and I started to look more pregnant around New Year. Then, three months later, my baby daughter was born.

  “Kelly!”

  Reese was there in the delivery room and, when I opened my eyes, exhausted and slightly dizzy, he was there before me, face flushed, eyes a picture of torment and concern.

  “Reese,” I said weakly. I chuckled. He looked as if he thought I was going to be eaten by tigers. “Have you seen her?”

  “Have I seen her?” he giggled. “I couldn’t stop looking. Wouldn’t have. But I needed to be here…” he was bending over me, kissing my face all over and I laughed and pushed him away. “Are you okay?”

  “I am,” I said with a big happy smile. “But if you suffocate me I might be worse for wear.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” He sat right back on the chair beside the bed. His handsome expression was twisted with such a shamed look that I felt bad.

  “I was joking, dearest. I’m so glad to see you. Just sleepy.”

  “I’m sure you are!” he said, eyes wide with horror. “You’ve been having a baby for five hours! That’s so long!”

  “It’s not long,” the doctor, who was hovering, said; impassively. I chuckled.

  “I guess it’s not. But I love that you were so worried for me,” I said to Reese.

  He grinned. “I thought they were going to give me sedation!”

  I laughed. “Probably should have,” I said, then coughed. I was tired. Everything hurt.

  “Can I see her again?” he asked. I chuckled weakly.

  “Of course. They’re just checking her. Doing whatever they do. They’ll bring her hear in a moment.”

  They did. I couldn’t quite believe it as the nurse put her into my arms. I looked down at her face. She was red-faced, sleepy and with those tiny, elfin features that seemed impossibly perfect. I couldn’t describe how my heart felt as I looked down at her. Nothing could ever have prepared me for it. Three parts adorations, one part a fierce intensity of devotion that almost scared me. I looked at Reese. I could see in his eyes that he felt the same thing.

  “Can I hold her?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I whispered. I really was tired. My arms wobbled a little as he took her small weight from me and I lay back on the pillows, hair sticking to my perspiring forehead, as I watched my Reese and our tiny, perfect daughter.

  “She’s so beautiful,” Reese said, wonder light in his voice. “What…” He paused. “What do you want to name her?”

  I bit my lip. I had thought about this a lot. I had the perfect name. I wasn’t sure if he would like it, but I had to give it a try.

  “Hayley,” I said.

  “For your grandfather, yes?”

  I nodded, my voice tight with tears. My grandfather’s name was Greg Hayley. It was the perfect choice of a name for her. Like him, I thought she would be courageous and gentle both.

  “It’s perfect,” he said.

  I nodded. “I think so too.”

  And that was decided.

  When I came out of hospital, I went straight to the farm. I was surprised by how Reese had worked on it—even since I was here a few months ago, it looked more well kept, and inside it was starting to feel like a proper home. My home.

  The months passed more fleetingly than I could have imagined and before long it was New Year again. Mom came to visit, and Grandpa came up too. We all celebrated together.

  As I sat at the table, opposite Reese, I couldn’t believe I was so lucky.

  Later, we kissed in the darkened bedroom. A fire was burning in the grate, the glow of coals the only light beside the fitful light of distant, huge stars. I was in his arms and we were warm and kissing.

  Beside the bed, Hayley was asleep in her crib and the room was silent and calm, the only sound besides our breath the sound of crickets, rasping in the scrubby bushes by the kitchen door.

  I looked into those dark brown eyes and felt my soul soften in their warm, loving depths.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  We kissed.

  I lay in his arms in the sweet safety of our house, my baby beside me, and felt amazed by the way my life had all turned out.

  Because life is simpler than you think, sometimes: the signs are always there, written on our hearts, to guide us. And love is simpler still. As simple as kisses, as close as a tender touch.

  The End

  TAKEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  AYA

  Carefully prodding the dark purple blotch that spread across the right side of my face, my fingers trembled violently. My heart beat dangerously fast against my ribs, pummeling the bones while my lungs struggled to take shallow, weak breaths. Under the bright, white lights of the bathroom the person in the mirror looked disgusting and pathetic.

  “Aya! Get your ass out here and clean up for my guests!” Blanching at the hoarse, brittle shout, I sucked in air through my teeth. Goosebumps formed on my bare arms and across my chest as a bolt of fear pierced my heart. I caught my own eyes in my reflection, my orbs bright and shimmering from tears that were always building but never fell. Red lined my eyelashes, and if I looked close enough I could see a faint, tiny white mark on the side of my nose.

  It was the only physical scar I had. Sliding to my bruised cheek, my eyes burned as the flesh ached and throbbed. Every piece of me was tender, like a slab of chicken that had been beat until it was so thin it was see through.

  Shuffling slowly from the old, run down bathroom of this decrepit apartment, my legs struggled with each small step I made. The thin board someone called a door creaked loudly as I pushed it open, and I couldn’t help but wince again. Even such an ordinary sound gyrated against my ear drums like sand paper. A thick, wet wall of heat rushed to greet me, and I gulped down the tightness in my throat.

  Trevor was nowhere to be seen as I wandered through the kitchen and into the living room, but my shoulders still stiffened. His phantom touch caused my jaw and neck to tingle, a residue of his rough treatment only hours ago. Glancing around, I pursed my lips together when I spied a tray filled to over flowing with cups, spoons, and forks. Even from a few feet away the stench of cigarettes burned the tiny hairs in my nostrils.

  My skin crawled all the way up my arm to my shoulder when I picked up the tray. The smell of spoiled milk and beer wafted up, forcing me to close my eyes for a second. Refusing even to breathe, I set the tableware on the counter next to the sink and resisted the urge to wipe my hands on myself.

  Glancing down, I shuddered lightly as disgust swept me in its embrace once more. My shirt had been stained when Trevor bought it second hand, and now it didn’t have a single speck of white left on it.

 
; Just like me. Dirty. Used. Tainted. Twisting at the thoughts, my face throbbed before I shook my head hard. Reaching for the faucet, I ignored the pressure that built behind my eyes as I tried to bottle up what I was feeling. Water gurgled from the faucet, but even that was brown and stank of sewage.

  Holding my breath, I washed each dish under freezing cold water. Cuts slit open the thin skin covering my fingers, as if the water had turned to ice after leaving the spout. Globs of old drinks splashed up onto my shirt, and my throat tightened with the urge to gag.

  “Don’t fuck this up for me, Aya. You understand?” Stiffening at the hot whisper against my ear, I bit my bottom lip hard as my head bopped automatically. Trevor’s greasy fingers groped my backside, and his breath was heavy as it flowed down my bruised jaw. “Good. You wouldn’t want a repeat of this morning, right?”

  The threat hung heavy against my already abused face, and I shook my head. Stringy, dirty, red hair flopped over my shoulders, and I couldn’t move a single muscle until Trevor released me with a groan. My mind turned slowly, my heart hammering against its cage as my thoughts made themselves known.

  These guests were important to Trevor, but Trevor wasn’t important to anyone. My brows came together at that, and I gently put a spoon in the drain with blue tinted fingers. He wasn’t even drinking; that was how important this was to him.