Banded Together (Rebel Walking #2.5) (3 page)

"FUCKING
STOP.
 
This is bullshit, Ivy, and
you know it."

"
YOU
STOP."
 
Just as I begin to yell more to prove my
point, my phone rings.
 
I decide to
welcome the interruption and answer it.

"Hey Ivy, I'm
going to need you Saturday.
 
We need a
photographer for our wedding and I want up close and personal
pics
....."
 
The
irony isn't lost on me and
Taron
hasn't lifted his
glare from me once.
 
I do my best to
ignore the hurt and anger coming from this man that I truly
do
love, but no matter what I do I can
still feel him boring into my soul.

"Geez Ivy,
can you be a little more excited?"
 
My heart skips a beat when I realize my reaction isn't what it should
be.
 
This is a special time for
Eaven
and this situation is consuming my thoughts so much
that I'm not showing her how happy I really am for her.

"I'm
sorry.
 
Of course I'm excited for the two
of you.
 
You are the perfect couple and
I've always been your biggest fan.
 
It
will make me so happy to share your day with you.
 
I don’t mean to sound like I'm not excited;
I'm just really tired."

"Is my
brother there?"
 

"Yeah,
just a sec."
 
I hand the
phone to
Taron
and leave the room to escape his
temper.
 

A hot shower is
calling my name.
 
I need to escape from him
for a while so I lock the door behind me.
 
Taron
has been known to join me in the shower
nearly every time I try to take one.
 
Today, I need to think.

The bathroom
begins to steam up as I watch myself in the mirror.
 
I run my hands over my stomach and tears fill
my eyes.
 
This baby has become
my everything
and I refuse to let her get hurt by a father
who might decide he’s bored with us.

The memories of my
mother crying nearly my whole childhood flood my thoughts.
 
I have no intention of letting my daughter go
through that.
 
I don't plan to leave
Taron
but I won't trap him, either.

The mirror is
almost completely covered in steam, so I swipe it clean just enough to see my
face.
 
I notice the look in my eyes is
such a change from a few months ago.
 
Taron
has almost healed me.
 
He's been here for me through everything, but I just can't marry
him.
 
I can’t bring myself to trust he
won't break our hearts in the future.

I move into the
shower and let the water burn my skin.
 
It isn't long before the door opens.
 
Despite my efforts to keep him out he always finds a way in.
 
He slides the door open but I don't turn to
face him.

"You think
locking the door will keep me out?
 
We're
in charge of the bachelor/bachelorette party Friday.
 
I'm going out for some things.
 
I'll be back."
 
I hear the door close to the shower only to
see him move to the other one closest to me.

"Ivy,
don't
fucking shut me out.
 
We can table this for a while, but you
won't
be shutting me out."
 
My eyes meet with his and the disappointment in his eyes makes me feel
so guilty.
 
Can I do anything
but
hurt him?
 

"I love you,
woman.
 
What more do I have to do to
prove to you that I'm here for you forever?"

"
Taron
, I know you do.
 
I just can't marry you."
 
My
head falls so I don't have to watch his face.

"Yes you
can.
 
You
choose
not to for whatever fucked up reason.
 
Ivy, look at me."
 
I look and finally glimpse a tiny ounce of
understanding from him.

"I'll wait
for you.
 
I'm not going anywhere, so take
your time to get used to the idea."
 
He pulls my face toward his and stops right before our lips touch.

"Quit
fighting the fact that I love you and want to spend forever with
you."
 
He pulls me against him even
though I'm soaked from the shower.
 
His
kiss is deep and powerful, almost like he's trying to prove how much he loves
me in this one kiss.
 
He backs away,
letting his eyes travel down my chest and stomach.

"I'll be
back
this evening.
 
I
need to get things going with Luke so we can get started on this new album soon."

"Okay.
 
I'm gong to call
Eaven
and see if we can get some shopping done for her wedding."

"Text me when
you head out."

"I
will."
 
He turns to walk out of the
bathroom but something just feels unfinished.

"
Taron
."
 
He stops moving but doesn't turn around.
 
"I
do
love you.
 
Please know it has nothing to do with my love
for you.
 
Right now, you and our baby
mean everything to me."
 
My voice
cracks as tears fill my eyes.

"I know you
do, I'll see you tonight."
 
He never
looks back, walks right out of the bathroom and gives me all the space I
thought I needed.
 
If
it’s
space I need, then why do I feel this
way?

Chapter Three

Eaven

"Sir, you
can't go in there."
 
How did I know this would be a disaster?
 
I knew once he saw the skimpy lingerie on the
hangers that he'd have a hard time staying out of here.

"I'll make it
quick."
 
The sales lady might as
well call the police if she wants him out.

"Hey,
you."
 
I lean my head out of
the door just as he turns the corner.
 
His smile makes me so happy.
 
This
man deserves to be happy and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with
him.
 

"Hey,
yourself."
 
The grumble in his
sexy voice lets me know
exactly
what's getting ready to happen and I'm looking forward to it.
 
He hits the door to my dressing room just as
I back up to make room for him.

"You're
supposed to wait outside for me to come show you."

"There is no
fucking way you're stepping out of here looking like that.
 
This...."
  
He runs his finger around the edge of the
material on my chest.
 
"And
these..."
 
His hand travels south
until he touches the fabric barely covering me.
 
"And this....."
 
Both of
his hands wrap around me until he has my entire ass in his hands.
 
"And definitely
this
, is all for me."

His movements and
words are so barbaric, yet romantic all at once.
 
I love that he doesn't want to share any of me.

"Then you'll
have to sit there and watch.
 
No
touching.
 
I guess we'll be buying this
one since you practically violated me in it."

"Hell
yes
we're buying that one.
 
You look sexy as
fuck
in red."
 
There
really isn't much to this 'outfit', which is exactly why he loves it.
 
I had planned to buy it anyway.

"Okay.
 
You sit and just nod your head yes or
no.
 
No touching so we can actually leave
sometime today."

I reach for the
black lacy one.
 
The bra is completely
see-through and the panties are g-string with sheer lace in the front.
 
After catching a glimpse in the mirror, I
realize it’s actually very sexy on me.
 
I
meet his eyes in the mirror as I rotate to examine the different angles of
it.
 

"What about
this one?"
 
He lowers his eyelids
with a slight movement of his mouth.
 
He
wants to say something, but chooses not to.
 
I decide to tease Mr. Sexy just a little by bending at the waist to
reach for the next bits of material to try on.
 

"
Mmmmm
."
 
I could ask if that's a yes, but the image of him adjusting himself
tells me he likes what he sees.
 
I start
to slide each strap down my shoulders and watch his eyes through the
mirror.
 
His smile always does something
to me and I wonder what he's thinking as I continue to remove the tiny straps.

I slide the
panties down and give him a quick view of my slit—his eyes are no longer on
mine in the mirror.
 
I'm pretty sure I'm
unleashing the beast with every move I make.

"You need to
just buy what’s in here so we can go,
NOW
."
 
Watching his face, I enjoy how flustered I'm
making him.
 
Talon never fails to make me
feel beautiful and sexy.
 

"You can wait
‘til we get home."
 
I know he can't
and he's getting ready to prove it.
 
The
thought of having sex in a 'public' place is completely turning me on.
 
He stands and unzips his jeans, pulling my
backside against him.
 

"I gave you
the chance to walk out of here, now we do it
my
way."
 
His hands move
over me and send sensations through my sex-craved body.
 
It's about time he showed me ‘his’ way.

"Bend over,
baby.
 
I want to watch your gorgeous ass
while I enter that sweet pussy."
 
He
turns me to the chair he was just sitting in and I gladly assume the position,
waiting for the thrust that I've been provoking.
 
He enters me slowly but completely, filling me
up only to pull back quickly.
 
I try to
remain quiet with each thrust as he sets the pace.
 

God, he feels
soooo
good.
 
The
sound of his breathing begins to echo throughout the tiny room.
 
He grabs both of my shoulders and takes me as
rough as I was hoping he would.
 
My
moaning can't be contained any longer and the sound of my satisfaction fills
the building.
 
We both hit our release
together and I have no idea if he was quiet or not.
 
My mind is complete chaos and I love every
second of it.

His hands begin to
roam again.
 
This is the sweet side of my
guy; he loves to cuddle and wrap himself all around me.
 
I could live like this forever.
 
People get caught up in the fact that we'll
be traveling and never make a home, but they just don't understand.
 
Wherever he is,
that's
my home.
 
We can sleep
in a car and it’ll be home because I'll be in his arms.

"I love you,
future Mrs. Walker," his deep voice grumbles in my ear and I can't help
but be excited about the wedding just a few days from now.

"I love you,
too.
 
Do you think we should buy them
all?"

"Sure, but I
like you best when you’re completely naked."

"I know you
do."
 
I use my own panties to try to
clean up the best I can.
 
I guess I'll go
commando for the rest of the day.
 
We
gather the six nighties and start to walk out.
 
He pulls me back for one last kiss.
 

"Thank
you."

"Thank you
for what?"

"For being the
hottest girl in the world and saying yes to forever with me."
 
How do you even respond to that?
 
I have no words, so I decide a kiss is the
best way to show him how I feel.
 
Our
lips connect and I shove him back into the room.
 
This kiss is a deep, passionate, full-on
tongue battle with no air until I step back.

"You want to
go at it again?"
 
His serious face
cracks me up completely.

"Um...
no.
 
We need to leave before they
call the police on us, if they haven't already."

"Yeah.
 
I don't think I could handle you in
handcuffs."
 

When we turn the
corner out of the dressing room, only the two sales ladies are nearby.
 
The smiles on their faces tell me that they
heard us.
 
This is humiliating, but so
freaking worth it.

"Talon, I
can't go up there.
 
You go pay."

"Take my hand
and walk with me.
 
Be proud.
 
I promise these people are just jealous of
what just happened."
 
He leaves me no
choice, grabbing my hand and leading me to the counter.