Page 35 of Made For You
Until I finally pointed out, “We usually only have this meal for special occasions.”
“That’s true,” she replied.
I looked around the table to find all my siblings carrying similar perplexed expressions. All except Alex.
Collectively, we all turned our attention to her and Nate.
“Alex?”
“Um… well… you see…,” she rambled, until Nate finally put her out of her misery.
“We eloped yesterday. Your mom and dad stood as our witnesses.”
It seemed I wasn’t the only impulsive one in the family.
Congratulations rang out, and I wondered if my quickie wedding to Talon would have received the same outpouring.
Alex, Nate, and their little ones left right after dinner, and I left not long after them, explaining to my family that I wanted to spend some time with Draco. The reality was that I felt out of sorts in the house I’d grown up in. Everyone seemed happy with where their paths in life were headed, and I felt… stuck.
“I love you, Mom,” I mumbled as she wrapped me in a warm embrace.
“I love you, Sunshine. You know you can talk to me anytime, even as an adult.”
“I know. That’s why you’re the best.” I smiled as I leaned back.
“I know when you’re hiding something. As long as it’s not something that puts you in danger, I won’t pressure you to tell me. Just know I’m here.”
There was no doubt my mom could pick up on the out-of-sorts temperament I was giving off. Growing up, she had the ability to know what we were up to even before we did.
“I love you,” I repeated and then settled into my car.
I tried not to look back at the house as I crested the hill on the rubble path leading to the exit of the farm. I couldn’t bear to see my mother’s concerned face. I knew the skin between her eyebrows was wrinkled into a V and her lips pursed just a tad. Even from this distance, I’d be able to make out that expression she wore often.
And I knew, without a doubt, she’d be hurt when she found out what I did in Miami. I’d only done something worse once before, and I almost paid dearly for it.
Chapter Ten - Talon
It had been three days since Aurora boarded that private jet to head back to her small town, and I hadn’t stopped thinking about her since. Which was fucking annoying. I couldn’t sleep, so I ended up working out into the late hours of the night. Every muscle in my body ached from the overuse. I had bags under my eyes like I did when I rode out a hurricane in my houseboat. Something I ten out of tendon’trecommend. And I was far more irritable than normal. Which was saying something, because most of the employees, and probably people on the street as well, thought I was an asshole on a good day. Now, they were turning and walking in the opposite direction if they saw me coming.
Dean was the only holdout though. He knew I was more bark than bite.
The sunrise started illuminating my office in a myriad of oranges and pinks. I had been working hard for the last two hours, trying to keep myself busy, so the clock on my laptop reading 6:00 a.m. didn't surprise me.
Leaning back in my chair, I tilted my head toward the sun, its warmth radiating through my suit and over my body. It was instantaneous, those thoughts of Aurora. Her name meant the dawn, and that’s exactly what she felt like when I stole that kiss from her after we recited our vows. Bright, warm, promising. I could have simply pecked her lips. Something innocent, like a first kiss, but I wanted more. The greedy part of me didn’t care it wasn’t necessary. I wanted her mouth, her lips, her tongue. I wanted every fucking piece of her in that moment.
And after a split-second decision, I claimed it.
I hadn’t expected her reaction. That soft mewing noise she made when my tongue slipped past her lips. I wasn’t 100-percent sure she even knew she made it. But I remember thatharmless sound like I’d just lived it. I could close my eyes and witness the entire exchange all over again. It plagued my thoughts.
“Fuck,” I mumbled as my mind drifted off to thoughts of Aurora again. She’d been front and center lately, and it was disrupting my work.
Leaning forward on my desk, I grabbed my cell phone. I hadn’t given her a way to contact me, not that I had any doubts she’d be able to track me down if she wanted. It was more I’d simply forgotten. But I had her number and her address. I had all her personal information down to the classroom number she was assigned at the high school. It was easy to find without having to call Dean to track it down. A simple internet search gave me most of what I needed to know. Which was something I was going to have to recruit Dean and my lawyers to take down. Once word got out about our nuptials, the press was going to swarm her like angry bees.
I really lucked out having a friend who dabbled in practically everything. He had his hands in so many different fields that I think even he confused himself sometimes with all the investments he made over time. I tried my best to help him keep track. The man refused to have an assistant.
“Good morning, Mr. Beckett,” Olive’s overly chipper voice called out. She hovered right behind the threshold of my office.
I didn’t offer a reply. My eyes darted upward to meet hers while my body continued to hover over the desk.
