Talon's Heart (11 page)

Now I'm walking to practice with my girl who's doing a lot better thanks to yours truly riding rough shod over her ass. She’s proven to be more stubborn now since she’d met my family, which leads me to wonder just what the hell the women in my family had told her. If they’d given her any pointers on how to run my ass they were a bit late. She didn’t need any help in that department it seemed to come naturally to whichever woman the Avery men ended up latched onto.

She's all bundled up because it's cold and she has a flask full of hot chocolate to keep her warm.

"Fix your hat Skye."

"My hats fine Talon if I pull it down any farther I wouldn't be able to see where I'm going." She batted at the hand I tried fixing it with.

"I told you to wear the one with the ear flaps, it's cold out here. You don't need to catch a cold on top of everything else."

I fixed her scarf tighter around her neck and ignored the eye roll, whatever. I wanted her in the stands while I practiced and since it was so cold I needed her to be warm. I'd already fixed it so she could sit in the box where it was warm but still, you could never be too careful. She hasn’t been out of my sight in days and I don’t know how long it would be before that changed. I’d given some serious thought to moving since that ass had found us but she said that was a bit extreme even for me, so I’m leaving it alone for now.

"You have on your long johns right?" We'd got her some silk ones just the other day because mom said they were the best.

"Yes grandma, you're such a mother hen, you've asked me that three times in the last ten minutes."

She got up on her toes and kissed me, I guess she thought that would soften the blow of being called an old woman or something. I pulled her in and took the kiss up a notch, rubbing my growing hardness against her middle.

“I just don’t want you getting sick again that’s all baby, now be a good girl and let me take care of you.” I pulled her along behind me, her little hand clutched securely in mine. She muttered under her breath but let me lead her across the lot to the field. I checked over the stands quickly to make sure no undesirables were there but there were just a few of the cheerleaders hanging in the stands. “Where’s Steph?” Her friend sometimes kept her company but most days she was on her own. Seems I’m the only jock who insisted his woman came to practice.

“She had something to do stop worrying I’ll be fine…

"Avery what the fuck is this, what's she doing here?"

"What the fuck?" I turned to look at coach who seemed to have lost his fucking mind.

"After all that trouble last week, new rules, no skirts allowed." I looked up in the stands where the cheerleaders were obviously visible.

He huffed over to Skye and I as we made our way across the field. The rest of the team was here for the warm up so they were witnessing this shit. Granted coach was accustomed to my fuck 'em and leave 'em reputation but even his dumbass had to realize this was different. And realizing that shit he ought to know there was no way he could get away with treating her like this.

I looked at Skylar and saw that she was blushing from embarrassment, fuck this shit.

I took a deep breath, if I knocked his old ass out my woman might start to think that that was my answer to everything then I'd have to deal with another lecture, so I chose to walk away.

"Come on babe we're outta here." I turned her around to leave as the guys watched the drama unfold.

"Avery where the fuck are you going?"

I didn't answer the asshole if I did I would totally lose my shit. Twice in as many weeks would not look good. My family would be back here again, I'd probably get arrested, because if he fucked with me I was gonna stomp a mud hole in his ass.

So I kept walking with my girl’s hand held tight.

"Talon what are you doing, you have to go back you can't just leave the team..." Her voice was soft and barely above a whisper but I still heard the hurt. I squeezed her hand reassuringly in mine.

"No, he doesn't get to fucking talk to you like that, he's out of his fucking mind."

I kept walking until the asshole caught up to us and grabbed my shoulder from behind. Kevin was right behind him with the other guys pulling up the rear.

"Fuck off coach, fuck off and fuck you, who the fuck are you talking to like that?" I shielded her body from him because sure as shit if he said anything to her I’m not sure I could hold back. If someone had spoken to mom like that dad would’ve castrated the fuck already. I wasn’t too far away from that very thing myself. Who the fuck did he think he was to talk about her like that? I felt the blood racing under my skin as her hand trembled in mine. The interference from the guys just then probably saved him from a fist to the face.

"That was out of line coach, way wrong man." Kevin piped up soon to be followed by the rest of the guys.

I didn't want them fucking up their shit on my behalf. Football is just something I did while I was here because I loved the game. It wasn't my career choice, not meant to be my lifeblood, but some of these guys were here on scholarship, they needed to play. If they pissed the asshole off he was just fucked up enough to destroy their lives no matter that they were right.

"All of you get on the fucking field right now." He barked at the team.

No one moved, I wanted to say something but held my tongue instead. No matter what, I was done, he could apologize until the cows came home which was his usual course of action after one of his fuck ups but I will never play for his ass again.

No one was ever going to disrespect her, not as long as I was around and I planned to be around for a long time.

I grabbed Skylar's hand and kept going the rest of them could figure it out.

She argued the whole way back to the condo; honestly, I think she was more upset by this shit than I was.

"Babe seriously, stop stressing this shit, I'm good." And I really was, she came first no question. He’d basically asked me to choose between her and the game, I chose; fuck him.

I liked having her there with me, where I could see her, it kept me settled and made for a better game all around. Then we could walk back together when I was finished with practice and she could talk my ear off asking me a million questions about the game, which she never grasped anyway. She got to do her studying or reading or whatever and I got peace of mind knowing she was right there and no one was fucking with her. It was more of a protective measure than anything else; the fact that it made my life easier was just a bonus. I knew about the whispers around campus that I was whipped but so what, I did shit my way, always had always will.

She started crying halfway home. Fuck me. No. I turned her into my chest and prayed no one came along and got into my shit. I was at the end of my rope, the next motherfucker might not get off as easy as coach had.

I hugged her hard as she bawled her little heart out. She felt so slight standing there in front of me, her little shoulders shaking. I'm gonna knock coach the fuck out. Piece a shit.

"Come on babe stop it now, he's not worth your tears, come on baby you know I can't bear to see you cry." My gut hurt like shit, what is this strange hold these women have on us men? Do they know how weak their tears make us? I hope she never figures that shit out because my ass would be done for then.

"But I'm m…mm...messing up your life, first the fight....and...now this, you should probably just leave me."

"Don't ever fucking say that shit to me again." I pushed her away by her shoulders so I could look into her eyes.

"Don't you get it yet baby? you're mine, mine to love and protect, he doesn't get to talk to you like that and then order me around on a football field like a little bitch. I walked because I chose to walk, you're not at fault, not for this and not for your ex douche showing up here and starting shit. You want me to go pound that old fucker into the ground, you keep crying."

She tried to stem the flow of her tears, biting her lip and rubbing her eyes; then she wiped her nose in my chest.

"Gross babe." I teased her to lighten the mood but inside I was a writhing mass of fury.

"What? there wasn't anything there, it just itched." She grinned through her tears, best damn sight in the world. I made my face as stern as I could while holding back my laughter.

"Uh huh, whatever, this is now your jersey, you can turn it into sleep wear like you've done with the rest of my shit that you filched."

"What! You’re complaining because I wear your shirts and boxers?"

"Nope, that shit is hot." I kissed her hair softly at least she'd stopped that crying shit that was tearing my guts out. We went back home with her arguing with me the whole way. It didn’t matter what she said though, she might be able to overlook other people’s bullshit but I’m not. That shit was dead.

I pulled her over to the couch and down on my lap. I wasn't going to dwell on what had just happened with coach, it's like I'd told her, when it came to her, everything else paled in comparison, there was no competition. It's almost like an involuntary reaction, like something in me was just naturally wired that way where my girl was concerned. I held her head against my chest sneakily testing for fever; it was never far from my mind that I’d almost lost her just a short time ago. And though she fussed at me for overdoing it I couldn’t help myself.

When we’re close like this it was very obvious how little she was compared to me. How delicate and gentle, it was almost sad how sweet and trusting she was. It just made me want to work that much harder to protect her from the shit that went on around us. She thinks she’s a big girl, that she can handle things, or so she’s always telling me. But I don’t see it that way I doubt I ever will. She’s my babydoll whether she accepts it or not.

 I wasn’t sure what the hell to do with myself now that I had the evening free. I couldn’t do what I wanted to, which was ravish her ass, she was still not ready. And though I’d promised myself to be patient it was getting harder and harder as the days go by. But I’ll wait until she was ready no matter how long it takes or how blue my balls get. Better think of something else.

There was one thing I could tackle now that we had the time, I could revisit a topic we'd been haggling over for the last week. This time I meant to get it sorted once and for all, and of course I mean to get my way. My baby doesn't listen worth shit I believe I've mentioned this before. Funny, it had always looked like my dad ruled the roost, but if mom and Bianca were putting him and Rye through the same hoops as this one did me, then they weren't ruling shit. I'm gonna change that shit though, it was the only way I’m gonna survive this love mess.

"Now we can talk about thanksgiving, it's next week, you're coming home with me right?"

We've been having this...discussion, for a week now; she'd called her parents and they'd put pressure on her to come home. There was no way I was going to let that happen but I didn’t want it to look like I was forcing her. I wanted her to know she had choices even though she’s always accusing me of being a dictator where she was concerned. I’m not really I just couldn’t have her going back to a place where she’d suffered such hurt and not so soon either. The fact that it would be a cold day in hell before I let her anywhere near Stark was kinda secondary.

She's forever trying to please everyone so I was trying to take it easy on her, which meant all I said was that since it will be our first thanksgiving together, when I sat down to dinner at my family home, her ass had better be in the seat next to mine.

Straight and to the point right, it's almost like I made the decision for her, she didn't even have to take responsibility for it. That didn’t do the trick though because she was still trying to convince me that it was a good idea for her to go home. I let her have her say but I think she already knew the outcome. No fucking way.

She keeps coming up with all these different scenarios where we either spend the day before with her family, then fly home to mine. Or we spend half the holiday with one and then head to the other. My answer!

"We're not traveling all over the fucking country thanksgiving week." Of course I could have the jet take us wherever, but I wanted her home with me and that's that. Now if her parents wanted to join us, fine, but she was coming home with me or all hell was gonna break loose, she just didn't know that yet. I had no problem hijacking her ass if it came to that either.

She brought me back to the present with an elbow jab to the stomach.

"Oomph."

"Not this again, I thought we decided to split our time..."

"You really want me in the same town as that asshole so soon after what happened?"

"He won't be there I promise, please, my mom and dad are giving me a really hard time, I don't want to disappoint them..."

"So you choose to disappoint your future husband, I don't think that's the right foot to start off on babe."

"Talon, don't start."

"Babe...let's do this, I'm trying to give you time to come to the right conclusion on your own, but since you seem to be having trouble with that I'll do it for you. You're coming home with me, and just so you know, this will be the first of many so give your parents a heads up. If you want I can call them and give them the news, let them guilt trip me." I moved to grab the phone just in case she thought I was bluffing.

"What're you talking about? you can't make that decision. And what do you mean the first of many, you don't think I'm going to spend thanksgiving with my family ever again?"

"You won't ever be gong back there if I have my way."

"What...why?"

"Because they were gonna marry you off to that asshole, as far as I'm concerned they didn't do a very good job looking out for you, now it's my turn. You're not going...answer me this, this cousin of yours, she gonna be at the dinner table?"