Tear Down These Walls

by Sarah Kay Carter

  Jerkily, Kellen nods, “Yeah, the thoughts and dreams I have had about you……would definitely make you blush all over.”

  “So,” Teagan starts off softly, “It’s all about sex.”

  “No!” Kellen emphasizes. “It’s not. I adore you. You’re so important to me.”

  “But you don’t want to date me,” Teagan whispers.

  “I am not saying that either,” Kellen retorts.

  Teagan quickly looks up. “What?”

  “Teagan…..I have a lot of baggage,” Kellen groans. “Stuff that I haven’t told you about, yet. A relationship with me is a really tricky thing. You may not even want it if you know everything.”

  “Why? What won’t you tell me?” Teagan asks, putting her hand on him.

  Kellen puts her hands into his and holds them. “We will conquer that when we get home. For now, just know that I care, okay?”

  “I care about you too,” Teagan whispers.

  “Good,” he whispers, before kissing her gently.

  Suddenly, there is loud knocking. “Get out of there!”

  Teagan bursts out giggling and Kellen laughs with her “Come on, or we are going to get kicked out of the bar.” He grabs her hand and pulls her to the door. When they open it, the bartender is standing there. “We aren’t that type of establishment.”

  “What?” Teagan quips. “I had to pee.” She laughs even more and drags Kellen out with her. When they walk back into the bar area, there is immediate whistling, clapping and cat calling. Teagan’s face gets beat red. Kellen pulls her into his arms and kisses the back of her neck. Teagan bows to everyone while Kellen just smiles like he knows something they don’t.

  They walk over to Dwayne and Georgia who are standing back with their group. Justin is right next to Dwayne. Teagan locks eyes on him, and she can feel the anger emanating from him. She just smiles smugly.

  Georgia stops clapping long enough to congratulate her friend. “Wow Teagan, I would have never guessed!”

  “Oh, pffff,” Teagan scoffs. “His pants didn’t even come off.”

  “They were about to, though,” Kellen chuckles mischievously.

  “Well, you will put the hotel room to some good use,” Dwayne laughs.

  Slapping him, Georgia says, “That’s supposed to be a surprise!”

  “What’s going on?” Teagan asks curiously.

  “It’s our gift to the wedding party,” Georgia sighs. “We got everyone individual suites at the hotel where the reception is to be held. That way, no one has to drink and drive.”

  “Awww,” Teagan says. “That’s sweet and very smart.”

  “Yeah, it has a Jacuzzi for you and everything,” Dwayne interjects, winking at them.

  Teagan smiles, “You should see Kellen’s bathroom. He has a Jacuzzi bathtub, and his shower turns into a steam room.”

  “Wow,” Georgia raises her eyebrows, impressed.

  “I still want to get Teagan into the steam room,” Kellen remarks, as he pulls Teagan’s hair to the side. “It needs to see some action finally.”

  “So…you’re rich then?” Justin snips.

  Kellen shrugs, “Depends on what you mean by rich.”

  Justin smiles, “You’re one of those guys that buys flashy things to show off.”

  Kellen stands up tall. “I am worth about six or seven million,” Kellen states. “But no, I don’t buy flashy things.”

  “You snagged yourself a millionaire,” Georgia quips. “Good girl.”

  “I actually didn’t know anything about that,” Teagan replies, looking at Kellen speculatively. “It isn’t about the money. I didn’t even know about it until just now. It wouldn’t matter if he were poor. I care for Kellen because he’s a remarkable man.”

  “You’re an equally extraordinary woman,” Kellen replies softly.

  “Awwwww,” Georgia draws out. “Maybe we won’t be the only ones getting hitched.”

  Teagan’s eyes bulge. “Georgia! Shut up!”

  Her friend shrugs, “What?”

  Kellen pulls Teagan close. “I will be the luckiest man in the world if she becomes my wife, but I want her to be sure that I am the one for her first.”

  Teagan leans her head against his arm. “I feel the same way.”

  “How long have you guys been dating?” Justin asks, his eyes darken.

  “Not too long,” Teagan replies. “But when you connect with someone, you can’t control how you feel, especially when it rocks you to your core.”

  “And you definitely rock me to my core,” Kellen states, kissing her cheek.

  “I brought the shots over,” Georgia cheers. “Let’s make a toast.” They all lean over and grab a shot. Raising hers, Georgia exclaims, “To finding love that lasts!” Everyone says, “Cheers!” and downs their shot. Suddenly, a dance song comes on. Georgia yells, “I love this song. Come on, Babe, dance with me.” She grabs Dwayne’s hand and drags him to the dance floor.

  Turning around, Teagan smiles at Kellen. He rolls his eyes, “Come on.” Teagan giggles excitedly as he leads her to the dance floor. Kellen immediately pulls her against him, and they start to dance.

  She wraps her arms around his neck and beams up at him, swinging her hip against his. “Thank you,” Teagan says. “I do love to dance.”

  “It’s not a hardship to dance with you,” he replies. “Your body pressed up against mine….I can handle that.”

  A little mischievous, Teagan presses herself against him more. Kellen laughs. He glides his hands down her lower back to her ass. Teagan swats his hands away. “Behave!”

  “No, you’re my girlfriend,” he murmurs. “My hands will wander.”

  “If your hands wander now, what will they do when we are alone?” Teagan inquires slyly.

  A heated glint appears in Kellen’s eyes. “Well, then they will have a mind of their own. I can’t help what they do.”

  “Oh really?” Teagan teases, smiling.

  “Nope.” Kellen presses his hips into her, and Teagan’s breath hitches. Bending down, Kellen whispers, “Now would be the time to show off what you can really do when you just let go and move. It will piss him off.”

  Grinning, Teagan turns around and puts her back to Kellen. He wraps his arms around her. Teagan puts her arms back and runs her fingers through his hair. She starts to swivel her hips back and forth suggestively. Kellen moves right along with her. A more intense song comes on, and they continue to press up against each other. Teagan gets lost in the way that he runs his hands along her body, not missing any curve. After a few songs, she looks over to the side.

  Justin is watching them intently. Teagan locks eyes with him, and they stare at each other. He stands up taller, crossing his arms. She rolls her eyes and spins around to grab Kellen. Teagan pulls him down and kisses him passionately. Kellen eagerly meets her. Teagan loves it that he never misses a beat.

  A few seconds later, Teagan’s arm is pulled on. Georgia smiles and says, “We’re going to get a drink. Do you want something?”

  “Sure,” Teagan gasps, pulling her lips away from Kellen’s.

  “Hold on,” Kellen interjects. “I will be right back.” They watch him walk over to the bar.

  “What’s he doing?” Dwayne asks.

  “I have no idea,” Teagan replies.

  They hear the bartender yell, “A round of drinks for the bar for Dwayne and Georgia’s wedding!” Everyone cheers.

  Georgia grins and giggles. “He’s too awesome!”

  Kellen bends over and says something more to the bartender. The bartender nods and starts to do something. Kellen comes walking back over to the group, grinning. “Come on, the bartender is bringing our stuff over.”

  “Okay,” Teagan laughs, completely curious.

  They make their way back over to the tables. A minute later, the bartender comes over with a bottle and a stack of plastic shot glasses. Dwayne picks up the bottle. “Jim Beam, nice.”

  “We have a lot of people here,” Kellen states, puttin
g out the shot glasses. “Time to celebrate.”

  “Kellen,” Teagan starts with a concerned look. “I’m not going get that drunk again, like on my birthday.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it,” he assures her. “There are, what, fifteen people here? This bottle won’t go too far.”

  Dwayne opens the bottle and says, “Well, here we go.” He starts to fill up all the shot glasses. When they are full, they pass them all out.

  Teagan raises hers up and shouts, “To a beautiful bride and the man who loves her! To this weekend and the rest of their lives. Congrats Georgia and Dwayne!” Everyone downs the shots. Teagan grimaces and says, “I like shots that taste good. That’s awful.” Everyone laughs, and Teagan smirks along with them.

  Two hours later, Dwayne looks at his watch. “All right, we have to go. There is still a lot to do.”

  “Yeah, I’m tired from waking up so early,” Teagan yawns. “Need sleep.”

  “Amongst other things,” Kellen purrs.

  A smile spreads across Teagan’s face. She looks up to see Justin glaring at Kellen. She replies loudly, “Okay Baby, let’s get going.”

  “We need to call a cab,” Kellen states. “I don’t drink and drive.”

  Georgia pulls out her phone. “We can share one. Our place is right by Teagan’s parents’ house.”

  “Okay, that sounds good,” Kellen replies.

  The whole ride home is filled with laughter. When they finally get to Teagan’s house, Dwayne says, “Thanks for coming out.”

  “It was fun,” Teagan declares happily. “We will see you tomorrow.”

  “I need help decorating the banquet hall,” Georgia states. “You in?”

  “Of course,” Teagan says. “That’s what I am here for.”

  Dwayne looks at Kellen. “I promise, we can find something else to do.”

  “Okay, sounds good man,” Kellen puts his hand out to Teagan. “Come on, Honey, let’s get to bed.”

  “Bye guys,” Teagan mumbles, her voice heavy with exhaustion and a bit of liquor.

  “Bye!”

  Kellen takes Teagan’s hand, and they walk to the front door. “Did you have fun?” Kellen asks quietly.

  “Yeah,” Teagan answers. “Did you?”

  “Yup.” They sneak into the house and up the stairs. When they get into Teagan’s room, she immediately kicks off her heals. Kellen sits on the bed and takes his shoes off, too.

  Teagan takes out a pair of pajamas and says, “I’m going to get cleaned up.”

  “Okay, I will get ready in here,” Kellen replies.

  She smiles and leaves the room. After taking off her make-up, brushing her teeth and putting on her pajamas, Teagan walks back into her room. Kellen is sitting on the bed in pajama pants with no shirt on. Teagan smiles, “Are you trying to lure me in with your muscles?”

  “No, I never sleep with a shirt on. If it bothers you, I can throw one on,” he replies.

  She shakes her head, “No, I was only making a comment.” Teagan sets her stuff down and walks over to the other side of the bed.

  Kellen stands up. “I am going to brush my teeth.”

  “Okay,” Teagan whispers. She watches him leave and then climbs into bed. A wave of nervousness suddenly sweeps over her. She lies down and stares at the door, waiting.

  A few minutes later, Kellen walks back in. He takes one look at Teagan and smiles. “You look scared. Do you want me to sleep on the floor? I honestly don’t mind.”

  “No,” Teagan squeaks. “That’s stupid. I just have never slept next to a guy before.”

  Looking a little shocked, Kellen chirps, “You never slept next to Justin?”

  “He always tried something, so no,” Teagan replies.

  “Well,” Kellen starts, as he walks over. “I will keep my hands to myself.”

  “Okay,” Teagan murmurs, as he climbs into bed.

  He reaches over and turns off the light. The only light in the room cascades in from the window. Kellen pulls the covers up and rolls over to face Teagan. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Positive,” she whispers, as she turns to face him. They lay there staring at each other. “What are you thinking right now?” Teagan asks quietly.

  Smiling, Kellen says, “You don’t want to know. We should go to sleep.”

  Teagan blushes and says, “Okay, good night.”

  “Night.”

  She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. After a few minutes, she knows she can’t fall asleep, so she opens her eyes. She jumps slightly when she finds Kellen staring at her. “Why are you watching me?” She inquires in shock.

  Kellen smirks. “You’re beautiful. I just couldn’t help myself.”

  “Oh stop,” she snorts. “I’m not so pretty that you have to watch me sleep.”

  “Yes you are,” Kellen replies softly. Suddenly, he grabs her and pulls her over to him. Teagan’s heart jolts, and she stops breathing. He smiles. “Don’t worry; our clothes are going to stay on.”

  “What are you doing?” Teagan asks in high pitch voice.

  He brings his face to hers and brushes his lips against hers. “Giving you a good night kiss, you know, since we are dating and everything.” He returns his lips to hers, and Teagan molds her body against his. They lay there for a minute, just kissing each other.

  Finally, Teagan pulls away. She looks at him and says, “What do you want to do?”

  “I just wanted to kiss you,” he replies. “We can go to sleep now.”

  “Okay,” Teagan squeaks. She looks at him for a second and then rolls over. Deep down, Teagan knows if she continues to face him, she will just start kissing him again. Kellen places his hand gently on her side. “Good night,” Teagan whispers.

  “Night, Beautiful,” Kellen replies.

  Teagan closes her eyes, and a small smile crosses her lips before she falls asleep.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning, Teagan awakens to a brightly lit room. She closes her eyes for a second and then snaps them back open. Not only is Kellen in bed with her, but she is also snuggled away in his arms. Their legs are wrapped up in each other, and he is fast asleep. Teagan tenses up for a second but then relaxes. Being that close to Kellen feels really amazing. She brings her nose to his chest and smells him. He smells so good that she can’t help but quietly sigh and smile to herself.

  She lies there for a while watching him sleep. Suddenly, she realizes she has to go to the bathroom and slowly pushes away from him. Kellen moans and reluctantly opens his eyes. Smiling, he says, “Good morning.”

  “Hey,” Teagan whispers, pulling away from him more.

  Kellen lets her go and rolls onto his back. He yawns and rubs his face with his hands. Teagan gets up out of bed. “Where are you running off to?” Kellen groans with a stretch.

  “Bathroom,” Teagan replies. “I am sorry I woke you.”

  “It’s fine,” Kellen yawns. He sits up and runs his hand through his hair. Teagan longingly wants to crawl back into bed and run her fingers through his hair instead.

  She quickly shakes her head. “I will be right back.”

  “Okay,” Kellen murmurs, throwing back the covers.

  A few minutes later, Teagan returns. “My parents are gone,” she notes. “They went to work.”

  “Oooooo,” Kellen teases. “We’re home alone…in your childhood bedroom. What kind of shenanigans can we get into?”

  “Oh stop,” Teagan laughs.

  He stands up and walks over to her. “You have to get out of those pajamas somehow,” he quips.

  Teagan raises an eyebrow, “Oh , I do, do I?”

  “Mhmmmm,” Kellen hums, as he grabs her. He pulls her tight against his body.

  “Kellen!” Teagan gasps, stepping back. “You…well you are….”

  “Aroused?” He quips back, giving her a devious smile.

  “Yes,” Teagan mutters awkwardly.

  Laughing, Kellen sighs, “This happens to guys in the morning.”
<
br />   “Oh,” Teagan replies. “It doesn’t have to do with me.”

  “No,” Kellen states. “It has a lot to do with you. I woke up with you against my body. That is the best wake-up call a guy could have. This is just evidence that I am still thinking about it.”

  Trying really hard not to smirk, Teagan snaps, “Well, think of something else!”

  “Like what?”

  “Dead puppies.”

  “Like covered in flies and all gross?”

  “Yes,” she replies.

  He looks up and to the side. After a second, he smiles. “Nope, still thinking of you.”

  “Stop it,” Teagan laughs.

  “Make me,” Kellen chides, winking at her.

  “Oh my gosh!” Teagan exclaims. “I’m going to make coffee.” She turns around and leaves the room. As the coffee is brewing, Kellen finally makes his way down to the kitchen. “Thinking of dead puppies yet?” Teagan inquires, giving him a look.

  “Nope,” he laughs. “But I am calmed down now.” Kellen walks over and gives her a kiss on the lips. “What are the plans today?”

  Teagan shrugs, “I have to call and check with Georgia. I know the rehearsal is at five.”

  “She wanted you to help decorate the hall,” Kellen reminds her.

  “I’m looking forward to that,” Teagan replies, going to the refrigerator.

  “You would,” Kellen chuckles. “You are such a girly girl.”

  “Hey,” Teagan snips, turning around. “You seem to be attracted to this girly girl.”

  Crossing his arms, Kellen states, “Yes, I am.”

  Teagan blushes and she turns away. Looking through the food, Teagan asks, “What do you want for breakfast?”

  “What can you make?”

  “Anything really,” Teagan replies.

  “French toast then,” Kellen states.

  She grabs out the eggs and milk. “Sounds good to me. Did you sleep okay?”

  “Perfectly well,” Kellen declares. “It was nice to sleep with you in my arms.”

  “Yeah,” Teagan whispers. “It felt good.”

  “Well, see now we definitely have to have those sleep overs in my room.”