Graceful Scars Page 9

  “You know…” He stopped and looked back at me. “I am pretty hungry.” He smiled. “So I think I could pencil you all in.” I pushed my chair back and collected my purse before meeting him at the door. I stepped out of the office first, then he followed suit.

  “I knew you would cave.” He smiled down at me as he draped an arm across my shoulder, squeezing me against him. I pinched his side causing him to yelp as we walked to the parking lot.

  Lunch went by with ease. Everybody was all smiles and full of laughter, including myself for the most part. Every now and then I would get inside my own head and think about whether or not I was going about things in the right way. The phone call with Abigail made me second guess what I had been doing. I wanted to get better, but there was a part of me that was still running…running from what happened, scared of admitting everything to the people around me, and terrified of allowing myself to move on with my life. Starting a new day wasn’t as hard as it once was, but pushing completely forward without hesitation was worse than a nightmare.

  “Did you hear me, Tegan?” Talon’s voice was at my ear.

  “I’m sorry, I was thinking about something.” I felt the blush heat my cheeks before I finished the sentence.

  “I thought I saw those wheels turning.” His crooked smile teased me. I dropped my head and let out a small laugh. Talon could read me easier than Adalynn, or anyone else for that matter.

  I turned my head and looked out the window of the back seat of Adalynn’s car, watching the scenery change as we made our way to the studio. Zoey wanted to man the radio, as always, so she graced the passenger’s seat while Talon sprawled his long legs out beside me in the back.

  His warm hand enveloped the one of mine that I had resting against the seat between us. “How about you come over tonight and I cook us dinner?” The sensations that raced through me from the close proximity of his mouth to my ear had goose bumps rising on my skin.

  Turning my head towards him I replied, “That sounds nice.” With his mouth so close and his beautiful dark eyes boring into mine, I bit down on my bottom lip because I desperately wanted to kiss him. The glimmer in his eyes was taunting me, begging me to make the first move but I didn’t want an audience. I leaned my head back against the headrest and glanced in the rearview mirror to find Adalynn smiling like a fool back at me. I bashfully smiled back when I felt Talon’s hand smooth over my thigh and give it a little squeeze.

  My belly growled as soon as I stepped foot into Talon’s apartment. The aroma of whatever he was cooking smelled delicious. I had never been there before and was completely surprised by the décor. Nothing about it was cheap or looked like a bachelor lived there; I’m not saying it was decked out in girly stuff, just that it looked more like a mature adult’s house. The hardwood floors were dark with light streaks running through each board. The cabinets in the kitchen matched, along with the island. The counter tops were grey granite and the appliances were stainless steel. His apartment definitely put mine to shame.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He smiled at me as he stirred a large pot that was sitting on the stove.

  “Hi,” I replied shyly as I hung my coat up on the coat rack just inside the door. I smiled because his coat rack was in the exact same spot as mine. Call me silly or what have you, but I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to what else we had in common.

  He motioned towards two large stools on the opposite side of the island from him. “Have a seat. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.” He glanced at the clock and then back at me. The stools weren’t your average stool. They were stainless steel, just like his appliances, and had a full back that wrapped around giving you a place to rest your arms if need be. The material was black with button hole indents all over the back of the seat; very new age.

  I took a seat on the stool directly across from him and folded my arms over one another, resting them on the granite top. “What ya cooking?” I stood on the metal piece that connected two of the legs of the stool to try and see what was in the pot that was resting on the stove.

  “Tisk, tisk.” He quickly shut the lid on the pot. “No peeking.” He chuckled at my pouty face. “That’s not going to work, either.” His voice dropped as he leaned across the island, grabbing my chin with his hand, and pulled my lips to his for a quick peck.

  I sunk back against the back of the stool as he moved away from me, leaving a tingling on my lips in his wake. That’s when I took in the quietness of the apartment. “Where’s Zoey?” I looked around without seeing any sign of her or her things.

  “She’s staying with a friend for the night. One of the girls from your dance class actually, Layla.” His back was to me as he spoke.

  “She’s a lovely girl! I had no idea they were close friends.” Layla was one of the sweetest, laid back girls I had ever met. She and Zoey were opposites in some ways, while completely comparable in others.

  “It’s new. They recently started chit-chatting after Zoey bombarded her about some song she was listening to one day before warmups.” Talon chuckled.

  “I can only imagine.” I laughed as well.

  I sat there in silence as he fiddled around the kitchen, grabbing two plates from the cabinet to his left and placing them on the kitchen table behind me. It wasn’t a large table, but it sat four people easily. It was also a beautiful dark wood that matched the floors and cabinets almost perfectly. My eyes scanned the living room as he walked away from the table. The layout of his apartment was much like mine, only larger and quite a bit more up-to-date in comparison. A black sectional couch stretched around the far wall, ending a few feet away from the kitchen table. Everything on the couch was leather except the sitting area: large plush grey cushions beckoned for me to lay on them and smaller navy blue, dark teal, and charcoal grey pillows lined the backrest. A large navy blue rug covered most of the wood floors in the living room while a pretty good-sized television hung on the wall with a gas fire place directly below it.

  “I love your place, Talon. It’s very cozy and clean.” I continued inspecting the connected rooms.

  “We like it here.” The proud tone of his voice made me smile. He took pride in everything he owned and did; I adored that about him.

  Talon began fumbling with a drawer and was leaning over to try and turn off the stove at the same time, looking a little stressed, so I offered a helping hand. I hopped down from the stool and rounded the island, grabbing hold of the drawer he was fumbling with and opened it. “I got it,” I smiled at him as I pulled a fork and spoon from the drawer. “Which one do we need?” I held a spoon in one hand and a fork in the other as I smiled widely, knowing it would give away a tiny bit of info on the dinner he had prepared.

  “Fork.” He nodded his head towards my hand that was holding it.

  “Interesting…” I arched an eyebrow and put the spoon back in the drawer before grabbing another fork.

  I laid the forks on the plates over on the table, “Anything else I can do?” I turned to face Talon.

  He shook his head and smiled. “You can grab that wooden board over there and place it in the center of the table if you don’t mind.”

  I did as he asked.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked as I took in his face full of humor.

  “You.”

  I looked down at myself and back up at him. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”

  “You can’t simply sit down and let me do all the work. I think it’s cute.”

  I blushed.

  Little did he know it wasn’t solely due to me wanting to help out. If I sat too long I always found myself getting lost inside my head and I desperately wanted to avoid that.

  Talon brought the pot of delish-smelling goodness over to the table and sat it on the wood board I had placed there. Never thought about doing that before. “Wine or beer?” He asked as he walked back towards the refrigerator.

  “Beer.”

  “I like your style.” He twisted the tops off of two beers as he brought th
em to the table, and placed one in front of me and one in front of where he would sit. He walked back over to the island and tossed the bottlecaps in the hidden trash can, grabbing a serving spoon on his way back to the table.

  I reached for the handle on the top of the pot and Talon swatted my hand away. “Oh, no…I got this.” He removed the top and quickly stuck the serving spoon deep into the pot. “I hope you like it.” He smiled shyly as he brought a heaping spoon full of chicken and broccoli Alfredo into the air and slowly dumped it on my plate. A timer went off over by the stove so he quickly hopped up. “Now dinner is complete.” He headed to the stove, turned the timer off, and pulled a tray of garlic bread from the oven.

  How did I miss him putting that in there?

  Talon carried an oval-shaped bowl full of bread to the table. “Would you like a piece?” He offered before sitting the bowl down.

  “Sure.” I smiled as he placed a piece on my plate.

  When we finally got settled at the table to eat we chatted about the studio, what I wanted to do in the future, how Zoey was doing in school, but we never touched on his parents. I even talked about how mine were half away across the United States, but nothing. Not even a mention of their parents being in their lives…ever. It was always him and Zoey. My heart felt sad for them. Everyone should have parents, good parents, that is. I had a friend growing up who would have been better off without parents because his were too abusive, verbally and mentally. Maybe that was the case with their parents. I hoped not.

  I rinsed the last dish and placed it in the dishwasher beside the sink when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me flush against his front.

  “Thank you for helping clean up,” Talon whispered against the shell of my ear. Those simple words forced my eyes to close, sending tingles throughout my body from the vibration of his voice traveling through my eardrum.

  “You’re welcome.” My voice was breathy.

  Talon dragged his nose down the curve of my neck, inhaling as he went. I rolled my head to the other side, giving him more access to do as he pleased. It felt good as he made his way down to my shoulder, nipping it ever-so gently.

  “Talon…” I breathlessly moaned.

  “I like the way my name sounds falling from your mouth,” he whispered, causing my skin to be engulfed with goose bumps.

  I sank back against him as he secured an arm around my waist and began sliding the other up my torso, over my shirt. I was waiting for a freak-out to happen, but it didn’t. I dropped my head back against his chest as he spread his hand wide against the front of my neck, smoothing it over my skin. I felt my knees begin to wobble so I reached back and grabbed hold of whatever would keep me upright, which just so happened to be the waist of his jeans. Talon let out a deep groan, blowing his breath against my neck.

  “I’m trying so hard to be good here, Tegan.” I felt his head drop against the back of my head. After a few moments I felt him shake his back and forth.

  I turned in his arms and slid my hands up under his Henley. “I know.” I braved looking into his eyes from beneath my lashes. The look on his face was pure admiration, and it was directed at me. Pulling my hands from under his shirt I stretched up onto my tip toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. Without hesitation I connected my lips to his and flicked my tongue against the seam of our lips. He easily got the point I was trying to get across and deepened our kiss, lifting me by my ass in the air. My legs circled around his waist as he linked his hands together beneath me, holding me perfectly in place to make it easier for the two of us to devour one another.

  I felt the room moving beneath us as he took each step towards the hallway and then down it. Our tongues continued to dance as we turned the corner into what I assumed was his bedroom. I felt my nerves start to form and did my best to push them away. Was I ready for where we were about to go? Would it get that far?

  Forcing the thoughts out of my head I closed myself off from any more of them. Saying that I had feelings for Talon didn’t do justice to how I truly felt about him. We had a connection unlike any other I had ever experienced. If I could find love in someone, it would most likely be him. If I could make love with someone, I was hoping it would be him.

  Talon lowered us to his bed and sat back on his knees. The look he gave me was his way of questioning what was next and I had no idea how to answer that. If I allowed myself to honestly think about it I would free fall into oblivion with nowhere in sight to land, so I leaned forward and pulled his lips down to mine. He braced his weight against the mattress with one of his forearms pushed deep into it while his other hand found its way under my shirt, lightly touching my side as he smoothed it across my skin. Closing my eyes I took in every sensation that his touch made me feel as he pushed my shirt up until I had to lean forward so he could pull it the remainder of the way off of my body.

  “It’s okay to breathe, baby.” His voice was low and soothing.

  I opened my eyes and let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Talon’s eyes were fixated on my face, not my chest where I expected them to be. Was I well endowed? No. But I had more than most dancers had.

  Blinking to refocus my eyes on his face I smiled up at him. His eyes seemed even darker in the dim light coming into the room from the hallway. A gentle smile adorned his lips, drawing me into them, and as if he was reading my mind he met me halfway, wrapping an arm around my back and splaying his hand out in the center to hold me up. I cupped his face in my hands as he quickly unhooked the clasps of my bra and moved back just enough to allow it to fall down my arms, leaving it hanging at my elbows. Removing my hands from his face, my bra slid the rest of the way off my arms. Talon kept eye contact as he reached for the back part of the collar on his shirt and pulled it over his head. He tossed it, along with my bra, onto the floor before pulling my body into his. The warmth of his bare chest against mine sent chills dancing across my skin. I gasped as he brought his open mouth down to my collarbone and left a lingering kiss against it before making his way up the curve of my neck and across my jawline.

  Talon softly ran one of his large hands across my stomach and began an upwards journey until he found my breast. I bit my lower lip and sucked in a sharp, shaky breath. No one had touched me since him. Talon went completely still as he cupped one of my breasts in his hand. My gasp must have been louder than I had wanted it to be so I moved forward and took his bottom lip between my lips and sucked it slowly to prove how much I wanted this. The groan I was awarded with had my insides clenching in desire. My fire was ignited and I was hoping he could help me allow it to burn instead of letting it fizzle out.

  The sound of the zipper lowering on my jeans seemed to be magnified by the silence in the room. I felt moisture begin to bead at the base of my neck and knew I was on the verge of losing myself, and not in a good way. As always these feelings hit me like a freight train, out of nowhere. I took a few silent deep breaths and exhaled them as nonchalantly as possible, hoping Talon wouldn’t notice. Allowing him to remove my jeans I felt the signs of a nervous tremor starting in my shoulders.

  No…no…no…Please, God, No!

  I pleaded to myself but came up short as the sound of Talons zipper going down and his pants hitting the hardwood floor sent me into a full-fledged attack.

  At first I held it back as well as possible, but when his body came down on top of mine the temperature in the room spiked and I forcefully pushed at his chest.

  “Get off of me!” My voice cracked on the end as tears flooded my eyes. I sounded foreign even to myself, but the look on Talon’s face as he moved off of me, faster than someone running from a fire, let me know he had no clue what the hell had just happened.

  I quickly pushed myself up from lying flat and kicked my feet against the mattress, pushing myself towards the headboard. My back smashed against it as I curled into myself, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

  “No…no…no…” I started to chant as my line of visio
n became even more blurry, and not solely from the tears.

  I kicked him hard in the gut and pushed myself up from the floor. The fear tightened my chest, making it hard to breathe, but I willed myself to press forward, summoning all my strength to press forward and swing the locker room door open, fleeing toward the exit.

  Grabbing the metal bar I pushed it forward with all the force I had and fell flat on my face in the gravel rocks of the back parking lot. “Oh, my God!” I yelled as crimson red covered some of the gravel where my hands hit. My chest was heaving as I forced myself to get back up and move forward. I had to get away from that man before he had the chance to hurt me.

  Getting back to my feet I swiftly stepped forward and rolled my ankle on a rock beneath me sending a sharp ache up my leg and forcing me to crumble back to the ground. I cradled my hurt ankle as my tears freely flowed down my cheeks. I was still alone in the parking lot but the sound of the door slamming against the building let me know that he wasn’t far behind me.

  I scooted myself back until I was flush against the small gated area that held the trashcans. My silent prayer that the tall wooden planks would keep me shielded from him was cut short when he stepped around the side closest to me. “There you are.” A wicked smile spread across his dirt-streaked face.

  “Please…” I cried. “Just leave me alone!” My voice hitched at the end as he brought his body down in front of mine, pinning me against the wood behind me with his hand wrapped around my throat.

  “Stop screaming and it won’t be as bad.” I couldn’t bring myself to look into his eyes, not until he squeezed his hand so tightly around my throat that I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head at any minute.

  With his free hand he stuck it down through the top of my leotard between my breasts and pulled it hard, shredding the material in one swift movement. I shrieked and a hand came down hard against my face, knocking the wind out of me. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth but I had no strength to spit it out. I tried to scream but his fist hit me hard in the chest, causing my vision to fade to black. The last thing I heard was the sound of a zipper being undone and him whispering, “It’ll all be over soon.”