Certainty (RiffRaff Records Book 7)
Page 11
She shook her head, pulling my hips against her by wrapping her legs tighter around me. “No, please don’t st—”
The beeping of keypad on the door made us break apart. I instantly stepped away and adjusted my dick while Marley put her hand over her mouth and hopped off the table. By the time Jett entered the room, her back was to the door, her hands working in the dirt. And I was leaning casually against the table, my attention on my cell.
We appeared cool and casual, but my heart was pounding and I could see her chest rise and fall with rapid breaths.
“I got all the way off the compound before I realized I forgot my cell.” He quickly descended the stairs, stepping between us and searching the table. “I swear I left it right here.” He frowned looking under the few things I hadn’t scattered in my attempt to get closer to Marley. “How did all this end up here?” He reached down, picking up his phone off the ground, a confused frown on his face.
Marley barely glanced his way as she answered, “A spider crawled out of this pot, and Talon flipped shit.”
“Pussy.” Jett chuckled his whole way up the stairs and back out the door. Both of us sagging in relief when we no longer had an audience.
“I should go.” I dragged a hand down my face. “I can’t control myself around you.”
Marley sighed, wiping off her hands. “It takes two, Talon.”
“It does.” I took a step away from her. “But if Jett hadn’t interrupted us…” I shook my head. “This is the way it needs to be, baby.” I’d been seconds away from ripping her shirt from her body, from placing my mouth over her breasts. From letting everything happen exactly the way she wanted it to.
I lost my mind.
I lost all control.
And I should know better.
“I’m not going to be able to change your mind, am I?”
“No.” I leaned forward, kissing her lips one last time. “Everything I do, I do for you.”
“Can you not be so noble?”
I sighed. “When it comes to you, baby, absolutely not.”
And then I turned and left the basement, left Marley, left my greatest temptation.
Talon + Marley
Six months ’til her eighteenth birthday
Marley: I can’t believe you guys are finishing postproduction in Florida. All the ’rents are going through baby Wyatt withdrawals.
Talon: What about you? You going through Talon withdrawals?
Marley: Are you fishing for words of affirmation?
Talon: Yes. Are you quoting a book on relationships?
Marley: The Five Love Languages. Aunt Dilly made us all take the tests when we were kids. I’m acts of service.
Talon: Then how the hell are you and Jett so close? He leaves you to work alone a lot.
Marley: He’s physical touch and I let him hang all over me.
Talon: Not the answer I wanted to hear, baby.
Marley: And I swear he works more than it seems. He handles all the new employees. He works on marketing every day. He isn’t always super involved in the hands-on stuff I do in the basement, that’s all.
Talon: I want to be hands-on in the basement.
Marley: You feeling a little lonely there? You were hands-on in the basement. Then you moved to Florida.
Talon: I crave you. Which shows that me spending the next few weeks in Florida is probably the right choice. I had to put three states between us.
Marley: Am I really that big of a temptation?
Talon: Are you kidding me? You spend every night alone in that barn. You would’ve had to change all the codes, daily, to keep me away. I want to do right by you, M, and right is waiting until you’re eighteen for things to go any further.
Marley: You’re like uber moral.
Talon: Right, I’ve been crushing on you since you were sixteen. I stuck my tongue down your throat and put my hands on your ass when you were seventeen. I’m super fucking moral.
Marley: Now I’m craving you.
Talon: Don’t tempt me. I have the use of a private jet.
Marley: Restraint not big in Clashing Swell?
Talon: Not even remotely.
Marley: I’ve gotta go. Jett keeps asking me who I’m texting. He wants to play Xbox and you’re distracting me.
Talon: Tell him to put a shirt on.
Marley: He’s wearing a shirt.
Talon: Good.
Marley: Just no pants.
Talon: He’s not wearing pants? What does that even mean? Who walks around without pants in the middle of the day?
Marley: Jett effin’ Matthews.
Talon + Marley
Five months ’til her eighteenth birthday
Talon: Why were you just talking to Brody?
Marley: Uh, because he’s testing some new product for me. Geez, jealous much?
Talon: Jealous? No. Pissed? Yes. Stop sending him packages. It’s not safe. Why would you want to risk your whole operation to keep Brody in weed?
Marley: It’s not a risk. And medical marijuana is legal in Texas and Florida, so technically I’m not doing anything illegal.
Talon: Uh, how about all the growing you did before Jett turned eighteen and you guys got permitting? That was hella illegal.
Marley: No, it really wasn’t.
Talon: M, are you high right now? Or do you really have no knowledge/regard for the law?
Marley: We had a license before Jett turned eighteen.
Talon: What? How?
Marley: How is not important. But I’ve always told you I know what I’m doing, but you never believed me.
Talon: I feel like I am the only person on this planet that worries about you.
Marley: Jett worries about me. And my parents worry that I’m sleeping with Jett. It’s an odd vicious cycle.
Talon: Your parents should pay closer attention to what’s happening on that compound.
Marley: Too little too late I’m afraid. We’re all heathens, hell-bent on debauchery in our own little ways.
Talon: Don’t say debauchery, it’s making me hard.
Marley: Really? Is it the word itself? Or my superb vocabulary that’s doing it for you.
Talon: It’s the fact that I haven’t had sex in like a year.
Marley: You’re basically a monk.
Talon: I’m well aware. But I met this girl, and I can’t seem to get her out of my head. No one else will do, I’m afraid.
Marley: Must be some girl.
Talon: She really is.
Marley: Are we doing this now? Like outwardly flirting? You aren’t going to text me in two hours telling me you’re sorry and that you shouldn’t have said any of that?
Talon: I tried to stay away, and I couldn’t. So this is where we’re at, M. You and me, long-distance flirting BFFs until your eighteenth birthday.
Marley: I miss when we were BFFs that lived on the same plot of land and made out when we happened to be alone.
Talon: Yeah. Me too. Your exquisite little ass fits so perfectly in my hands. And the way you whimper against my lips when you want more. Fuck I miss you.
Marley: I like knowing that you miss me. That no one else will do.
Talon: No one else will ever do, baby. I can promise you that.
Talon + Marley
Four months ’til her eighteenth birthday
Talon: Did you see him do it?
Marley: Yes. Wyatt walking is the cutest! He looks like a tiny blond bobblehead. Like he’s going to fall over any second. I love the suspense.
Talon: You’re a little bit odd.
Marley: Do you miss having them around?
Talon: Yeah, but Brax and Dane are still here so I’m not too lonely. Florida is growing on all of us. No one is really in a hurry to leave on tour.
Marley: When does the tour start again?
Talon: Next month, but the dates are all spaced out. Brody couldn’t handle being away for too many days at a time.
Marley: You going to be back in Austin anytime soon?
Talon: Yeah, I emailed you the new schedule. Check it.
Marley: Hold please.
Marley: You’re playing a show in Austin on my eighteenth birthday? Did you plan that?
Talon: I might have.
Marley: That’s really sweet, thank you.
Talon: I’m excited to see you, baby.
Marley: I am too.
Marley: You realize that even after I turn eighteen, I’ll still have a few months left in school.
Talon: Yes.
Marley: That’s not going to freak you out, right? You aren’t going to suddenly push me away ’til my graduation, are you?
Talon: Are you kidding? My dick gets hard when I get a text notification. There is no pushing you away at this point, baby. Plus, graduation doesn’t matter. I’m sure you’re like the smartest, most grown-up senior the world has ever seen.
Marley: My Uncle Jacks says I came out of the womb more grown-up than him.
Talon: That’s probably true. I’ve seen video footage of him back in his heyday.
Marley: You’re going to be back in your heyday soon.
Talon: The tour?
Marley: Groupies throwing themselves at you…
Talon: Nah, I pass them over to Brax. He can easily handle more than one at a time.
Marley: Gross.
Talon: You are the only girl that is ever on my mind. The only girl I want to talk to, the only girl I long to spend time with.
Marley: Thank you.
Talon: And yet, I have to share you with Jett effin’ Matthews.
Marley: He’s my phantom limb.
Talon: He’s a very real pain in my ass.
Marley: He’s sitting right beside me. He’s wearing a shirt and shorts. I thought you’d like that fact.
Talon: Is he demanding to know who you’re texting?
Marley: No, he’s product testing. Someone took away the usual guy we use.
Talon: Someone has your best interest at heart.
Marley: Someone needs to stay in his lane.
Talon: Someone’s lane is whichever lane he needs to be in to ensure that his girl and his best friend don’t wind up in fucking prison.
Marley: Someone is a tattletale.
Talon: I didn’t tattle. I simply pointed out that maybe it wouldn’t be the smartest idea to have packages of cannabis delivered to a residence owned by RiffRaff Records that happens to be housing Clashing Swell and a BABY.
Marley: Landry put her foot down, like you knew she would.
Talon: Someone cares about you a whole hell of a lot, you know? Someone misses you a whole hell of a lot too.
Marley: I miss you too.
Talon: Good night, M.
Marley: Good night, T.
Talon + Marley
Three months ’til her eighteenth birthday
Marley: You’re going to feel the strong urge to lecture me, but I need you to fight it.
Talon: Is Jett sitting next to you without any pants on again?
Marley: No. He’s across the room making coffee without a shirt on.
Talon: What happened?
Marley: Jett and I are expanding, in a big way. And I didn’t want to tell you before because we hadn’t finalized the plans or anything. We’re building a new facility across the street.
Talon: Okay. That’s a lot to take in.
Marley: You want to lecture me right now, don’t you?
Talon: Well. Baby. I’m concerned, and I have about a million questions.
Marley: We have permitting. There is no reason for concern anymore.
Talon: Is your name on the permit? No. Because you’re still underage. That’s concerning, you can see that, right?
Marley: Maybe we can put concerned on the back burner? And we can start with the questions. Not a million though. No one has time for that, Jett and I have a breakfast meeting with our GC.
Talon: Where across the street? Will it be visible from the compound?
Marley: Yes, it will be visible from the front of the compound, where all the parents’ houses are.
Talon: Won’t they notice your cars in the parking lot? Maybe you should tell them what’s going on before it all comes out one night during a family dinner. They seem to really hate that.
Marley: They won’t notice. We’re having a tunnel system constructed under the red barn that’ll end at the new facility.
Talon: Are you fucking kidding me?
Marley: No.
Talon: Marley.
Marley: Talon.
Talon: You’re the craziest, most brilliant mastermind I’ve ever met.
Marley: Thanks. But the tunnel was Jett’s idea.
Talon: I wasn’t talking about the tunnel, that tunnel is a ridiculous idea. I’m talking about everything else. You’ve built a massive corporation, from the ground up. Like, it sprouted from the dirt.
Marley: I’m feeling pretty proud of myself to be honest. And of you. I was really expecting a long lecture.
Talon: It’s clear to me that you’re always going to do what you want, and I need to pick my battles. I want to know that you’re being safe. I worry and it sucks because I can’t be there to watch over you.
Marley: Well, I mean, after the tour you will be here. Right? You’ll come back to the compound at the end of the summer? Not that I’ll listen to you any more than I do now. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Talon: Keep me humble, baby.
Marley: I didn’t want to set any unrealistic expectations.
Talon: Thank you. And I guess I haven’t really thought about what happens after this next little tour is over. You’ll be eighteen and starting college, running a massive corporation from a secret tunnel with your cousin/brother. I don’t actually know where that leaves me though.
Marley: Where do you want it to leave you?
Talon: With you. Where do you want it to leave me?
Marley: With me.
Talon: It would make sense for me to head to the compound after the tour. Spend some time with my godson, and my girl.
Marley: It’s surreal, hearing you call me your girl.
Talon: Yeah?
Marley: I liked you for so long. And I always thought it was just a dumb crush. That you would never be interested in me.
Talon: I was interested in you waaaaaay before you ever even noticed me. I thought you were cool, and beautiful. Then the next time I got to see you, I heard you speak. And I thought you were smart and sassy. Then I texted you, and you were witty and kind. Every step of the way, you’ve been better than I could have ever imagined. My classically cool little badass.
Marley: Would you still think I was classically cool if I printed out that text and framed it by my bed? I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.
Talon: I wish you could see you the way I see you, baby.
Marley: I wish you were here.
Talon: So do I, more than you could imagine.
Chapter Sixteen
Talon
Before
I thought that touring was what I’d always wanted for myself and for Clashing Swell. Playing to sold-out stadiums was an indescribable feeling that filled me with so much pride and happiness. But then we’d leave the venue and hop on this godforsaken overpriced bus, and my mood would plummet. I think it was because the four of us had spent most of our lives floating in the middle of the ocean, waiting on the next big wave. We weren’t used to this type of confinement, and we all began to feel claustrophobic and stifled.
It didn’t help that Brody missed his family, and I was in a secret “friendship” with his wife’s younger cousin. I’d never lied to Bro, ever. We’d shared everything with each other since we were kids. I’d always shot it to him straight, and he did the same for me. There was no one else on this planet that I cared about more. Except Marley. Oh and Wyatt. I’d die for that kid. I guess Brody was starting to slip in ranking, but you got the gist. I loved him. He was my ride or die.
Not telling him abou
t Marley was kind of eating me up inside. The lie was making me act weird, quieter than normal. Brax didn’t care. He most likely didn’t even notice; he was pretty self-absorbed. Dane noticed but didn’t seem to mind, because he was a really quiet guy and was probably happy for the extra silence.
These were all thoughts that circled through my head as I tried to unsuccessfully listen to a podcast in my bunk. I’d had to rewind the damn thing four times and start over. I was lying in my cubbyhole, apparently half listening to a panel discussion about the advances in medical grade cannabis, because I wanted to know what Marley knew. I wanted her to be able to talk to me about her work.
I’d started it over for the fifth time when Brody walked by, pulling back my curtain, and then took one of my earbuds out of my ear. “Hey, man, whatcha listening to? Want to watch a movie or something?”
I rubbed my eyes, trying to adjust to the light now streaming in. “Uh, this podcast.” I stretched my arms over my head the best I could in the small space. “But I can’t seem to concentrate.”
“Is it some boring smart person shit?” He grabbed my cell the same second it decided to start ringing.
I lunged, trying to get it back from him, but I wasn’t fast enough. We both watched as Marley’s name flashed across the screen. “Fuck…” I cursed under my breath and sat up, my stomach instantly in knots. Well, that solved that problem, didn’t it? I wouldn’t lie to his face. If he asked me why Marley was calling me, I’d tell him. And then find out if my best friend was no longer my best friend.
I squared my shoulders, preparing to look him in the eye and take whatever beating he thought I deserved. Instead he calmly put my phone down on my mattress and then walked away toward the front of the bus.
I sat there, kind of in shock at his reaction. Should I follow him and try to explain? Or call Marley back? I was tossing each option around in my mind when I was suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled out of my bunk. I stumbled as Brody half dragged me down the short hallway to the bedroom at the back of the bus.