?I heard the rumblings as soon as we reached campus the next day. With my arm thrown over my girl's shoulders and her books in my other hand I kept my head straight and my face blank. Nosy fucks were whispering and speculating. It was high school all over again. I walked Skye to her class and with a kiss bade her goodbye for at least the next hour. Cunning and Donner when I saw them just slightly inclined their heads in my direction, letting me know without words that my orders had been carried out. Good, the rumblings were just the beginning. I felt slightly better about things by mid morning. I had no guilt over what I'd done. I only wish I could own the shit. But if I did, Donner and Cunning would go down with me and I couldn't have that. As far as I'm concerned we're even now, call it tit for tat. By lunchtime the whole campus was abuzz with the news. Someone had pictures, which had been blown up and plastered all over campus. Shit, this was even better tha
The stupid dog keeps growing and she kept glaring at me with every pound he gained. Tough, she wasn't allowed outside without me, or the mutt. I wasn't sure how long that shit would last though knowing her penchant for disobeying me. But for now, I could rest easy knowing he was on the job when I had to be elsewhere. She was finally all better from the mold scare and the doc said there were no lingering side effects so I was no longer scared shitless every time she breathed wrong. I still watched her like a hawk though because that shit had scared the shit outta me. I never knew allergies could have such a lasting effect; it was months before she was given the all clear. My only problem now is that this was my last year and she still had a couple to go. I'd already worked out in my mind that we'd stay here so she could finish. Home wasn't going anywhere and another year or two wasn't gonna make that much of a difference with the Avery men holding down the fort.
"Talon." "Yeah?" Damn my baby's always yelling about something. She came barreling into the room. I started to laugh at her because she was a sight. She still had slight sunburn from our time in the Greek Isles, which is where I'd taken her for her birthday. With stuff plastered all over her she looked like a vaudeville character. Then I saw the tears in her eyes and the laughter died. "What?" I was out of my seat and heading for her."I'm pregnant."My mind flashed to the time a few months ago when I'd felt certain that I'd bred her. I wasn't sure what to feel, joy, fear, what? I was almost finished school but she still had a few years left. That wasn't a problem though but this was a big ass change, wait a minute. "Why are you crying, you mad about the pregnancy?" What the fuck? She was shaking her head before I was through talking. "It's not that, it's...the doctor says that when a woman becomes pregnant while on the pill plus the other medication
*** Even more months later *** "Talon he's the doctor he has to look there." "Fuck naw babygirl nope. I'll deliver my kid myself before I let that happen. Where's the female I hired? How the hell can she be gone when you need her?" "I can't deal with your brand of crazy right now okay. This baby wants out now...nonna, help.""Talon, son...""Hell no nonna, you bring him back in here I'm knocking his ass out." "Son, he's a professional it's not like he's going to be asking her out to dinner and dancing after the birth." What can't these people understand? I'm in a private birthing room waiting for my son to be born. The doctor I hand picked after the asshole she was going to before put himself on my shit list had some kind of fucking emergency so she wouldn't be attending the birth. What the fuck kinda doctor had emergencies? The fuck! In comes this swinging dick who looked like he was younger than me and shit, all smar
It felt like hours before we heard the sound of her feeble cry. Junior had already been taken care of and was crying for food, now all my attention was on my baby girl. I followed the nurses out of the room when they took her away. "Where are you taking her?""She needs to be incubated she's too small. Don't worry, we'll take good care of her." My ass, I wasn't letting my kid out of my sight. I didn't have time to tell the guys what was going on. Someone else would take care of that. I was in a quandary. I needed Skye but I knew she'd want me to stay with our girl so that's what I did. They tried getting rid of me but that was a lost cause. I left the room long enough for them to set her up in the little glass dome but I watched through the window. As soon as it was safe again I was back at her side. She looked so tiny, like the size of my palm, but at least her color was a little better. Mom came in a little later to check on us and spot me so I coul
Talon Avery paced back and forth in front of the school library. His tense posture and scowling expression kept friend and foe at bay, though it didn't deter any from keeping track of his every move. When a lethal weapon was barely contained, it paid to be on the alert, and damn near everyone on campus was aware that Talon was about to blow his top and unleash his infamous temper on all and sundry. Thankfully it was a known fact that only those in the direct line of fire ever felt the full force of his wrath. Skye Abbott fielded her fifth call in as many minutes, heart racing and pulse going haywire. Reading the face of her cell, she saw that it was her BFF Stephanie calling. *** TALON *** I can feel everyone's eyes following my every move as though they were expecting me to lose it any minute and go postal. If I were being honest with myself, I would admit that they had every right to be apprehensive, but I'm not feeling very magnanimou
And now this, the very thing I'd told myself would not happen, had blindsided me. I'd laughed to myself when I listened to the other females go on and on about the hot Talon, sure that I wouldn't fall prey to his charms. From the stories I'd heard, I was pretty sure I would be immune to his brand of suave. One dog in my life was enough to last me a lifetime; thank you very much. But with that one look, I knew I'd only been fooling myself. I'd convinced myself that no one person could be as perfect as they all seemed to think; I was pretty confident that they had to be exaggerating. I'm afraid I had only been setting myself up for this. It seems being burnt once hadn't taught me anything after all if the pain in my heart was anything to go by. I don't remember feeling this gutted by Robert's betrayal. There had been disappointment and humiliation, yes, but not this sense of total loss. Which made no sense whatsoever because I'd known Robert all my life; this Talon Avery
It was in the cafeteria the following afternoon that I had finally been introduced. It had damn near killed me to wait through class after class and then a meet with coach, but I was on the hunt as soon as I was free. I watched her from across the room before approaching. I needed to see if I would have that same strange reaction. Like lightning striking; damn if it wasn't worst this time around. Up close, those eyes of hers were killer, and her body no longer shrouded by her parka was even more amazing than I'd first thought. Nice and easy there Avery, don't jump the girl at the table with a hundred people all in your shit. I had no doubt they were all tracking my every move since I was going against my norm. "What's up, Kevin?" I cuffed my boy on the shoulder as he sat next to Stephanie at their usual table. I usually sat across the room surrounded by a bevy of vultures. All those girls and women who wanted my attention or sought to recapture it, there wasn't enough r