Authors: Hilary Storm
I'm coming home with you because my
ass will be grass when she finds out I
have you on this flight.”
“Are you going to tell
me
what the
hell is going on?” Holden leans over me
to ask Talon.
“Just know that we need to install
security at the house. The girls will be
s ta yi ng there while we are gone.
Holden, you will need to stay with them
until all of this blows over.”
“Who is with them now?” Holden
beats me to ask the most important
question.
“Probably cowboy.” The thoughts
going through my mind when he says
cowboy begin to piss me off even more
than I am already.
“Little brother. I'm getting really
fucking pissed about this and I need you
to tell me right now. Quit being a pussy
whipped mother fucker and tell me!”
My voice rises above everyone else on
the airplane. “I need answers.” I say
through gritted teeth. He knows my limit
has been reached.
“Dylan tried to rape Ivy last night.
He was inside her bedroom when she
woke up. He forced himself on her until
cowboy came to the rescue.”
My skin began to crawl at his first
word. My gut is clinching at the fourth.
Everything goes downhill from there.
My entire body starts to shake in anger.
I grab the seat in front of me and try my
hardest not to stand up and kill anyone
who tries to stop me from screaming at
the top of my lungs.
“You have to calm down. She
needs you calm. She needs you to reign
in your barbarics and be there for her.”
Holden puts his hand on my shoulder and
squeezes. This is what he has always
done to straighten me up since we were
kids. I shrug his grip off.
“Taron, chill. You made me tell
you. Now you know why we have to go
home. We need to make sure the girls
are safe.”
Ivy
I figure out two things tonight.
Macy really likes wine and I'm tired as
hell.
I slip away to his bedroom and
start to snoop around. There isn't much
left in here. I grab a t-shirt from the foot
of his bed and pull it over my head. His
scent comforts me and this helps with my
constant ache to be near him. I drop my
shorts to the ground, and pull back his
comforter. I slip between the sheets and
melt into the softness of his bed. His
pillows are fluffy and the perfect kind to
cuddle. I flip one long ways in front of
me and prop another under my head. I
close my eyes and let his scent linger
while I inhale and exhale.
I feel him slide in behind me. A
smile forms on my lips when I feel him
press into my backside. He is happy to
see me.
He grabs my wrist from behind
and quickly yanks it to the middle of my
back. His other hand reaches around my
head and covers my mouth. He leans in
close to my ear.
“Did you think I would leave you
that easily?” His tongue leaves my ear
wet and my stomach twists at the sound
of his voice.
I start to squirm and try to scream.
He tightens his grip when I begin to
f i g h t . My heart begins to race
uncontrollably. Hysterics over take me
and I bite down as hard as my teeth will
grip. I use my legs and try to kick him. I
can’t get my scream to release from my
lips.
I continue to struggle and thrash
until a roar finally escapes me.
“Ivy, baby, I’m here. Come on.
Wake up! I won’t let anything happen to
you.” The sound of Taron’s voice pulls
me out of my personal hell almost
immediately. His arms envelop me from
behind and he holds me tight. The tears
and sobs begin to pour out of me and I
can’t get control of the speed that my
heart is pounding. I didn’t want him to
see me like this, but instantly feel relief
in his arms. The arms that I wish had
never left me that terrible night.
The harder I cry, the tighter he
squeezes and I feel wetness from his
face brush across mine.
Why is he here? He is supposed
to be in concert tonight.
“I’m so fucking sorry I left you that
night. I’m here now.” I can hear the
lump in his throat constricting the sound
of his voice.
I pull his arms up so I can wrap
mine around his. We both lie there
silently in voice, but actions speaking
loudly. I know this can’t be forever, but
I wish I could use this moment to slip
back into in the future.
I
finally
let
myself
relax
completely and close my eyes to inhale
and exhale his scent again. The only
difference is that this time he is here
wrapped all around me.
I feel him all over. This is what
I’ve been dying to feel. Craving with
every ounce of my soul. I draw strength
from his hold on me and eventually the
tears quit falling.
This is getting dangerous. I can’t
need someone like I feel I need him. I
won’t be that vulnerable. I can’t fall in
love with a guy who is incapable of
loving me back. I make a deal with
myself to end whatever this relationship
is in the morning. Right after I cherish
his hold on me through the night.
I will tell him we can just be
friends. He should be thankful for that
anyway. No strings. That’s what he
needs to go on tour. I can’t be the reason
he doesn’t succeed. I won’t hold him
back, just like I won’t let my heart be
vulnerable to him.
~Seven~
Taron
What the hell have I done? How
did I miss this? She is completely
broken. My tough as hell, feisty girl, is
broken and I helped break her.
I hold her through the night. I can
feel the tension as her body struggles to
calm down from my touch. She finally
relaxes and drifts asleep a couple of
hours after I slide in the bed with her.
There is nothing in the world that
could pull me from this bed in this
moment. I hold the woman that is slowly
breaking her way into my heart. A place
I don’t let anyone into. I don’t want to
leave her again.
I hear someone in the hallway, but
don’t move. I don’t want to ruin this. I
haven’t slept at all as I plot my revenge
on the asshole who did this to her. I
could go to jail for murder very easily. I
have never felt a hatred for anyone like I
do right now. I have no respect for him
or anyone who would force himself on a
woman. That fucker will rot in hell.
She begins to stir and I watch as
she realizes where she is. She starts to
pull away from me and I ease her back
into my arms.
“Taron, I can’t.” She starts to tug
at my arm to get me to release her. I
don’t let go and I know she’s getting
ready to pull away from me. That’s
something I’ve learned over the past few
months. She doesn’t let people in.
There are very few people that have
been there for her.
“Please,” she begs.
I release my hold knowing this
ride is just fucking getting started.
“Why can’t you let me hold you?”
She sits up and refuses to look at me.
“You held me all night.”
“Why does it have to end? She
turns to face me and this is when I see
how empty her face looks.
“Because you need to go.” I laugh
at her.
“Babe, I hate to tell you this, but
you are in my bed.”
“I know. I’m, sorry. I won’t let it
happen again.”
“Ivy, you are always welcome in
my bed, especially if I’m in it.”
I watch her expressionless face as
I try to get a rise out of her. She pulls
her pants on and begins to slip on her
shoes. She is getting ready to bolt.
“Where are you going?”
“Aiden is taking me to my
apartment to get my things.”
“I’ll take you.”
“No, Taron, you need to go back
on tour.”
“My
flight
back
isn’t
until
tomorrow.” I watch her conflicted
expressions. She is internally analyzing
what her next move should be.
“We can’t do this, Taron.”
“What? I can’t help you move
your shit?”
“You know what I’m talking
about.”
“No, Ivy, I don’t.”
“We can’t be more than friends. It
will never work.”
“That ship has sailed.” I’m not
letting her off this easy. She is going to
p u s h me away because things are
complicated right off the bat. We will
have issues, but who doesn’t?
“Taron, please. I don’t have the
energy to fight you today.”
“Then don’t.”
Ivy
I don’t have the strength to fight
him. I need to keep my distance from
him. When I’m in the same room with
him, he owns me.
I tread lightly as I walk through the
house. I hope Aiden is either gone or
s ti l l sleeping. Taron may be pissed
since he was sleeping over here.
“If you’re looking for cowboy, I
sent him home last night.”
“What did you say to him?”
“Nothing. I just told him I was
here and that I would take care of you. I
just said it quickly when I walked in and
headed straight to find you.” I hope he
wasn’t an ass to Aiden. After everything
that he has done for me, I won’t tolerate
Taron attacking him anymore.
We go to my apartment with Eaven
and Talon. Just being back here is
making me feel the full emotions of it
all. My mind can’t take all of this right
now. I stay close to the door and attempt
to get some of our kitchen stuff packed
up.
The guys insist on carrying
everything out. Eaven packs up my room
for me and it isn’t until she screams out
that I even consider going into my room.
The guys are downstairs and I rush to my
room even though I’m scared to death
right now. I could never leave Eaven
when she is obviously in trouble.
“Oh. My. God.” Her scream is
hysterical.
I run in and find her backing away
from my closet. Her eyes are fixated
inside of it. I let my eyes focus on what
she is seeing and I see a large square of
sheet rock cut out of the wall. It’s
propped up to appear as if it’s never
been separated from the wall. My heart
begins to race as I finally realize exactly
how Dylan got in. How many times did
he come in here?
Eaven yanks my hand as she runs
by. Her pull is the only reason I begin to
move. The shock of seeing how sick he
is froze me in the very spot I saw into the
closet.
We barely make it out of the
bedroom door when we slam into two
solid walls of muscle.
“Call the police. He is crazy.”
Eaven is still screaming when both guys
position themselves in front of us.
“Where is that mother fucker?”
Taron moves away from me and barrels
into the room. Eaven and I are in each
other’s arms and both back away until
we reach the front door. I’m struggling
to breathe again. Memories begin to
replay in my head and nightmares of him
in my room haunt my thoughts.
I listen as Eaven explains what we
found to the police. She seems to calm
down as she gives the information for
them to come to investigate. Her words
become just a sound in the room as I
begin to close myself off.
Anxiety begins to over take me. I
can’t shake this feeling that something
really bad is going to happen again. I
watch for the guys to return, but they
aren’t coming back quick enough for me.
I need them to get back here so I can
calm myself down. I just want to hold
on to something stable and strong until
the panic passes. I can hear them talking
about pictures and videos and my
stomach begins to twist in pain again.