by Kar, Alla
“Did he come back?” Taylor asks without looking at me.
“He texted and said he would be back tomorrow. He’s spending the night with his dad.”
Taylor scoffs. “Asshats.”
We both know they aren’t asshats. They both want to keep me safe and Taylor is in the way of them taking over my life. Taylor sits on the edge of the bed, his legs spread wide, and cups his face in his hands. “I knew we shouldn’t have gone to that MMA fight. I told Cindy we shouldn’t have gone.”
Frowning, I offer my hand to Taylor. “Grab your jacket. I’ve got the blankets ready.”
Taylor lifts his face. “Where are we going?”
“Stop asking questions and follow me.”
With enough blankets to warm an army, we set off toward the barn. The sun is setting over the hills and the temperature is dropping by the minute. The weeds cling to my jeans as we wade though the grass.
Taylor’s hand is clenched around my own. He looks frightened which isn’t something I see very often from him. With Taylor’s help, we get the barn doors open. The smell of hay hits my nose and so many memories flood my brain. I made out with my first boyfriend for the first time in here. My first beer, which I threw up thirty minutes later in one of the horse stalls. Smiling, I help Taylor shut the door behind us.
“This way.” I gesture toward the ladder that leads us toward the second floor. There are extra hay bales up here. With old boxes of Christmas decorations. But, to the right side, is a pile of hay. This is where I spent most of my time. I perfected my card skills here with my dad. I spent the night so many times. It was my peaceful paradise.
Ducking down to miss the beams across the ceiling, I start to crawl toward my spot. Once we get there, we lay the blankets down, put our pillows into place and curl against one another. We sit in a comfortable silence. The crickets are loud. The horses stomp their feet in the stalls below us.
“I’m sorry about today,” Taylor whispers into my ear. The hand that’s wrapped around my waist starts to make circles against my hip.
“You’ve already said you were sorry.”
Nuzzling my neck, he bites down where my shoulder meets my neck. “I’m really sorry about today. I know none of this is your fault.”
“Yet, we still have to endure it.” I fiddle with a piece of hay. “You know, you don’t have to endure anything, Taylor. They’re after me. Not you.”
Taylor growls and pushes me toward the floor. Hovering over me, he trails his eyes over my face. “There isn’t one person I’d rather spend the rest of my life with than you, Layla. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
I smile up at him and run my finger over the scruff on his jaw. “What did Henry say to you today?”
Taylor frowns and runs his thumb over my bottom lip. “Let’s not worry about that right now.”
Of course not. “Taylor. I’m not sure where my life is going anymore. I feel so helpless and clueless all the time. Is this ever going to stop?”
Taylor slowly nods and presses his lips against my forehead. “I promise you it’s going to end. I’m going to make sure of it.”
“My big bad fighter,” I whisper. “Are you going to tell me why you aren’t fighting anymore, Taylor? Two weeks ago I couldn’t have paid you to stop fighting. What gives?”
He closes his eyes. “Let’s not talk about fighting anymore, Layla. Let’s just be with each other. Please. Let me hold you.”
Gah, who in their right mind could say no to that? Nodding, I wrap my hands around Taylor’s neck.
Taylor’s smile is widening and I know what that means. “I’ve never had sex in a barn, Layla. You want to be my first?”
Holding back my smile, I lift an eyebrow. “Are you asking me if we can have sex in the barn, Taylor? That doesn’t sound like you at all. Most of the time you just start taking off my – ,”
“Like this?” he interrupts, pulling my hoodie over my head. He trails his fingers up my side to cup my neck. “You make me this way. I was trying to be a gentleman and you start lecturing me on what I normally do. I guess I’ll never learn now.”
I laugh. “Yeah, right. I think the entire world knows you’ll never be a gentleman. I don’t think it’s in your blood.”
Taylor grins and fingers the edge of my shirt. Slowly, he pulls it over my head until I’m lying there in front of him in my pink bra. A featherlike touch trails the cup and slowly outlines my nipple through the lacey fabric. “Remember the first night I met you?” Taylor whispers into my ear.
I lean into his touch and nod. “Of course.”
Tugging on my pants, Taylor unzips them and pushes my jeans down to my ankles.
“God, I wanted to be that guy you were hustling, so bad.”
“Why?” I whimper. Taylor’s hands have made it to my thighs now. A warmth grows in my lower stomach.
He clutches my underwear and rips them down my legs and off my feet. “Because, I had been watching you for so long. Those legs,” he groans, “your hair. Your confidence. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Then I realized what you were doing. You were hustling all of those guys.” Grunting, he starts to take his clothes off piece by piece. My body ignites watching him strip. “That’s when I knew you were going to be mine.”
Taylor leans in and locks lips with me. He kisses me senseless until my head is dizzy. “Why would that make you want me? I would think it would scare you away.”
His tongue ring darts out and flicks my ear. “No, baby. It made me want you uncontrollably. I could see in your face that you’ve had a hard life. You’ve adapted to survive. Just like me. I realized we were just alike but in a different sense. We both do what we are good at to survive.”
Nodding, I clutch onto Taylor’s side. “How long had you been watching me, stalker?”
The side of his mouth moves up slowly. “Two weeks. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I approached you. Then to my surprise, you brushed me off.” He laughs and tugs down his boxers. “Which, of course, made me want you even more.”
“You wouldn’t be a male if it didn’t.”
Taylor sucks on my belly and moves toward my hips. “You smell so good, hustler,” he whispers against my skin. It’s freezing but I’m suddenly burning up. “You want me inside you?” he asks.
Of course, I want nothing else. Nodding, I grab his hand and push it down toward my core. He growls and presses his palm against my sex. The warmth of his hand spreads through me like a virus. “Ah, always so ready, hustler.” Positioning himself on top of me, he leans down and takes my lips with his own. When he pulls away, my head is spinning. His fingers move back toward my entrance and his fingers fill me up and stroke me. I’m dissolving in wetness.
Reaching down, I run my hand around him and his length. He growls and quickens his rhythm between my legs. Pressing against his shoulder, I swing my leg around until I’m straddling him. He lifts a brow but watches me closely. Scooting back toward his ankles, I place my hands on either side of his slender hips. Then I take him in my mouth, moving up and down, sliding my hands up and down his shaft. He groans and interlocks his fingers into my hair, guiding my mouth up and down him. Feeding himself to me.
I can feel I’m driving him to the brink. He’s shuddering beneath me, growling and fucking my mouth. He gains control of himself and begs me to stop. “Layla,” he groans. “I’m going to come if you don’t stop, baby.” Gently, he guides me up and then turns my body and lays me on the floor.
Taylor tongues my nipples and makes his way between my legs. Then, I’m gasping for air, tugging on his hair. I yell out and move my hips to the movement he provides. Sparks of lust are shooting through my body, making me shake with anticipation. I’m melting into his mouth. I can feel the edge of my consciousness threatening to wash over me. But right when I’m about to come undone, he stops. “Damn, baby,” he whispers. “You ready for me?” he asks, his voice rough against my ear.
He doesn’t wait for me to answer, because it’s obvious I’m rea
dy. I’ve been ready. A minute later, he pushes inside me, whispering my name into my ear.
We move together, our tongues intertwined. He lifts himself higher, thrusting harder and faster. His hands cup my hips and keep my pelvis lifted easily. The position is making me wetter and wetter. Christ. The all-too-familiar wave is back. I let go and it washes over me, through me, bursting from me. Taylor’s eyes are locked with mine and a cocky smile is riding on his jaw. “Feel good, baby?” he whispers.
He knows it does. I smirk and close my eyes, waiting for his release. My voice, unrecognizable, whimpers and every nerve is alive. Taylor pushes into me, hard, a few more times before he releases and lowers his lips to mine. He lies on top of me, whispering sweet nothings into my ear.
All my problems float to the top of the barn and evaporate into the air. Taylor kisses me all over and takes me in his arms. How could I ever doubt this?
Chapter Six
Taylor
Something kicks my leg and I sit straight up. Where in the hell … oh, the barn. My eyes adjust to the light streaming in through the barn window. Then I notice someone standing in front of me.
Dan. He’s fucking pissed, too. Of course we fell asleep. And of course this looks fucking bad for me. Making love to the farmer’s granddaughter can’t put me on his favorite people list.
“Wake up,” he snaps.
Layla groans and shift underneath the covers. He bare back is showing and I see the rage cross over Dan’s face. We’re naked as the day we were born. “Layla,” I whisper, nudging her side.
She swats me away. “Ready for round three, already? Give me a break, Tay.” Fuck. My. Life.
“Layla,” I yell.
She opens her eyes and twists around to face me. The sheet falls from her top and I quickly cover her back up. She furrows her brow. “Since when does nakedness bother you … ” she trails off and glances in front of her. “Fuck. I mean, shit. Ugh, crap.” She grapples at her clothes and covers herself up. “Grandpa, I – ,”
“You had sex in the barn.” He presses his lips into a tight line. “Get your asses up and show some respect. We leave for one afternoon and this is what happens. I wasn’t born yesterday,” he says, spitting out some tobacco. “I know you kids have sex, but not in my barn. Get your asses up and out of here. Now.”
Shit. He turns around and climbs down the ladder. Layla covers her face in her hands. “Shit. Fuck. Damn,” she growls. “I can’t believe we just got caught, Taylor.” She glances over at me and then starts laughing.
I’m not sure it’s that funny, but I smirk at her. “Get your ass up, Layla. We need to get out of here.” I grab my T-shirt, hoodie and jeans. Layla is still laughing.
“I’ve never been caught. Out of all the times I’d sneak out. Never. And now that I’m an adult, not only do I get caught but I get in trouble like I’m thirteen.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove Layla’s shirt at her. Even though Dan isn’t on my favorite’s list, it is his barn. “It’s his house, Layla. We should have done it in our room. It’s a respect thing.”
She nods and mumbles to herself while she gets dressed. We hurry down the ladder. I’m helping Layla down when I hear someone whispering. Looking over my shoulder, I see Damon feeding the horses.
Wait a fucking minute …
“Did you tell on us?” I ask.
Damon turns around and looks straight at Layla. “What are you talking about?” he asks before grabbing an apple and handing it to the horse.
“You told on us. Her grandpa wouldn’t have climbed all the way up the ladder for no reason. You told, you fucking bastard.”
He grits his teeth. “I didn’t tell on anybody.”
Layla scoffs. “That’d be a first.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Damon asks, throwing his hands in the air. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you, Layla. And you take his side, again.”
“I’m not taking sides, Damon. Taylor is my side. Don’t you get it?” she’s screaming now. “I love Taylor. That’s not going to change. So whatever plan my grandpa and you have to win me over to your side is going to fail miserably. So stop trying.”
“I can’t!” he screams, tossing a bucket of feed against the far wall. “I can’t stop fighting for you because I’m meant to be with you. You just can’t fucking see it. He’s in the way, blocking any chance of you being with me. Of you being where you’re supposed to be.”
I scoff. “No, you’re not meant to be with her,” I say. “You’re not meant to be with her and you will never be with her. I don’t care if you grew up here with her. I don’t care if she promised you her hand in marriage when you were sixteen. I don’t fucking care. She is supposed to be with me.”
Damon’s contemplating fighting me, I see it on his face. His fists tighten at his sides and he takes a step forward. No, I won’t fight him. We both know I’ll wipe the fucking barn floor with his ass. And we both know he wants me to fight him because Dan wants me to fight. He wants to see me let loose and show that I’m unsuitable for Layla.
Not. Going. To. Happen.
Grabbing Layla’s hand, I pull her toward the barn door. “Where are you going, Taylor?” Layla asks.
“To the house. I’m not fighting him. Not again. He knows I’ll beat his ass.” When we get out of the barn, Dan is standing against the outside of the barn. A smile is tugging on his face. He doesn’t say it but I know he’s proud of me for not fighting. He’s proud that I walked away.
***
When Layla lays down after lunch for a nap, I sneak out of the guest house and toward the main house. Dan is still outside working, Damon up his ass, of course. The door squeaks when I open it and I lock it behind me. Sarah is in the kitchen washing the dishes for lunch.
Tapping my fingers against the counter to get her attention, I shove one hand down into my pocket. She turns and presses her hand against her chest. “Oh, Taylor, you scared me, hon. Everything okay? Where is Layla?”
“Everything is fine, she’s taking a nap. You need some help with those?” I toss my head toward the sink.
She waves me off. “I’m finished now. How about some tea?”
“I’d love some.”
While Sarah makes us some tea, she talks about how much Layla has grown. How much she misses her. When she places the tea in front of me, she puts a photo album in front of me and slides her chair next to mine. Her gray hair is tied in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She runs her fingers over the album before opening it all the way. “This is Layla’s album. I have everything in here. From each grade’s yearbook picture, to her first card to me. I have all the pictures her mother had in the house. I took every single one that wasn’t framed. I wanted Layla to remember her childhood good or bad. It deserves to be remembered.”
She flips the page and points toward a cheerleading picture of Layla. She’s about ten. “She’s always been special. When other girls were playing Barbies Layla wanted to play cards with her dad.” She chuckles. “I always liked her dad. Dan never did but no one was ever good enough for Layla’s mom.” She hides her smile and flips the page. “I heard about this morning.”
Ugh, great. “Mrs. … Sarah – ,”
She waves me off. “Don’t apologize. You love my granddaughter, I can tell. Dan just forgets what it feels like to be young. You know,” she smiles and her cheeks turn a dark pink, “Dan and I didn’t wait until we were married, either. He likes to forget that. When you’re young … love is magical. It’s so consuming. And I’m certain Layla and you will live a happy life together.”
Taking a sip of my tea, I lean back in my seat. “Dan wants Layla to end up with Damon, doesn’t he?”
Sarah turns her eyes toward me. “He always has. Damon is … suitable for Layla. I know you fight. While it isn’t what I hoped my daughter’s fiancé would be doing, I can see you can take care of her. More than Damon and we all know she needs protection now.”
“So, you know about Seth?”
She nods an
d wipes underneath her eye. “I hated what my son-in-law did in his free time, Taylor. I hated that he let himself get out of control. But, he loved my daughter so fiercely. Just like he loved Layla. I see that same love in your eyes.” She touches my cheek. “I know you love Layla. And to be honest, that’s all I needed to know. I saw your tattoos and piercing and it frightened me at first. Then I realized … you love her. Just like she loves you.”
Smiling over at her, I lean in for a hug. She smells like flowers. “Thanks for believing in me.”
She smiles. “I know Dan likes Damon, Taylor. But, it won’t be long until he knows you love her, just like I do. Give him some time, okay?” I nod. “Oh,” she swats the air. “I’ve been over here yakking your ear off. Here,” she shoves the album to my chest, “take this and look. She is such a beautiful girl. I’m going to take a nap. Old lady needs a break.”
I help her up and watch as she waddles toward her bedroom. After sifting through a few pages of pictures, I tuck the album underneath my arm and walk outside.
It’s freezing and I zip my jacket up higher. Something flapping underneath my truck’s windshield wipers catches my eye. Grabbing the small, yellow note, I glance over it.
Like the remodel? Meet me tonight at the fairground, at seven and fight me again. Or it’ll be more than your truck next time.
A fucking enraged scream sticks in my throat. I crumple the paper up and shove it into my pants pocket. He’s not going to stop until I fight him again. Dan’s words roam around in my head. Pressing my clenched fists to my forehead, I screw my eyes shut. I have to fight him. I have to. If not, he’ll hurt Layla next time. Or Cindy. Or Brett. Someone. Turning toward the house, I swallow the lump in my throat.
I know I don’t need to fight him because of Dan. But, who the hell am I kidding? I’m fucking Taylor Jacks. I’m going to beat the fuck out of him and be done with this once and for all.
***
The sun is setting when I pull into the fairgrounds. The fair is over so there are only the workers walking around. A few rides are being taken down and a shitload of trash is littering the ground. I left Layla watching a movie with Cindy and I hope it doesn’t take longer than two hours to fight this bastard.
