Tame: Carter Kids #3 (10 page)

The lights flickered above us.

The music filled my ears.

Emotions so deep coursed through my bloodstream, and I was fairly certain that Noah's hands on my body were all that were keeping my feet on the floor.

"I'm giving you everything I have this time," I promised him. Every single piece. I wanted to expose the ugliest parts of my soul because I knew he was the one person who would accept those parts.

Noah had stopped dancing.

He was staring down at me like I was a huge crossword puzzle.

He cupped my face in his hands and blew my mind with his words. "Let's do it."

"Do what?"

"Get married."

"What – like right now?"

"Why not? We're in Vegas. We're all the family each other has. What's stopping us?"

My heart was hammering so hard I thought it would burst through my chest as the music continued to blare around us.

"Okay, I think you've had far too much to drink."

"I love you. Drunk or sober. I want to marry you. Drunk or Sober." Noah grabbed my arm and pulled me flush against chest. "Come on, Thorn. Make an honest man out of me."

"You're crazy," I exclaimed, wiping a bead of sweat from my brow. "You're completely insane."

"I know," he shot back, grinning. "But it's like I told you before; the crazy in me needs the crazy in you."

"I…" I took a step back from Noah, and held my hands up in the air. "I can't… I don't…"

What was he asking me here?

"Are you serious?" I implored him with my eyes – I fucking begged him to be serious. My heart was screaming ‘get into his arms, bitch’ but I was so stumped I couldn't move. "You want to marry me?"

"Don't fight me on this," Noah shot back, prowling towards me. "Settle down with me."

His eyes were dark as coal, blazing with heat and fire, scorching me.

Snaking an arm around my waist, he pulled me back into his embrace. "Let me keep you."

"Okay," I breathed, nodding vigorously. "Okay, let's do it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Noah's lip turned up ever so slightly.

It was like he could hear my subconscious screaming ‘kiss me’ because he ducked his head towards mine and claimed my lips with a kiss that scorched me.

I felt so safe in his arms. Like his were the only lips mine were supposed to touch.

And I did.

I kissed him back hard, desperately.

Clinging to his broad shoulders, inhaling the smell of him.

My hand drifted upwards, my fingers knotting in the hair at the nape of his neck.

Uncle Max was going to kill me.

Hope was going to flip when she found out that I got married behind her back, and yet nothing was going to change my mind.

I was going to marry Noah Messina.

"Teagan Messina," I whispered, breaking the kiss. "Mrs. Teagan Messina."

Noah laughed. "It has a ring to it." Taking my hand in his, he smiled down at me. "Are you nervous?"

I shook my head and allowed Noah to lead me off the dance floor. "Not about you…"

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone familiar at the edge of the dance floor. "Hang on," I muttered, turning around to get a better look. "I think I saw someone I know."

"No you didn't." Noah's hand tightened on mine as he pulled me closer to the exit. "Let's just go."

"Noah, hold on, will you?" I pulled hard on my hand and Noah reluctantly released me.

I searched the room for the person I was sure I had recognized, and when I found her, my temper flared the same color as her hair.

Reese Tanner…

"That bitch," I hissed seconds before launching myself across the dance floor.

A pair of strong arms clamped around my waist, pulling me back.

"She's not worth it," Noah whispered in my ear. "Come on. Just walk away."

"You're not surprised she's here." Swinging around, I shoved against Noah's chest and stepped back from him, giving myself some breathing space. "Why aren't you surprised to see her, Noah?" I repeated, furious.

"Because she's a fucking whore, that's why!" Running a hand through his hair, Noah let out an impatient growl. "Thorn, that woman has spread her legs to pretty much every fighter in the MFA. Last month she was hooking up with Horacio Vaughn. This month it's the heavyweight champ Anthony Cole. Next month it'll be some other poor bastard."

"And you?"

Noah's eyes darkened. "Don't go there, Teagan."

Guilt churned inside of me. "I'm sorry."

"Moral of the story, she's not worth it," he continued in a gruff tone. "Let's just go."

"Not worth it?" I shook my head. I couldn't let it go. "That woman took advantage of you, Noah!" She did more than just take advantage of him. She'd drugged him and forced herself on him, setting in motion seven long years apart for us. "I can't walk away…I have to say something."

"Teagan, don't!"

I didn't know why I was wasting my breath. She'd never listened to a damn word I said before so why would she start now?

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I chased after my girlfriend who was hunting down the
one
woman on the face of this earth that I wished would drop off it.

Yeah, I'd known there was a chance Reese would be here tonight. There was always a chance she'd show up at these fucking things, which is why I
always
avoided them like the plague.

I couldn't stop Reese from fucking her way through every name card on the MFA, but I sure as hell could avoid her. Teagan, however, had different ideas…

"Reese fucking Tanner," Thorn sneered, barging her way through the crowd to where Reese was sitting. "I've got a crow to pluck with you!"

Reese, who was sitting on the lap of Anthony Cole, looking like the devil incarnate dressed in a blood red dress, looked a little frightened as Teagan approached. Her eyes momentarily widened in shock before she quickly snapped the shutters down and glowered back at Teagan.

"Walk away, bitch," Reese warned, curling her arm around Cole's neck.

"Oh, I plan to," Teagan shot back. "When I've scratched your poisonous eyes out of your plastic face." With that, Teagan snaked a hand out and grabbed Reese by the hair.

Dragging her off Cole's lap by the hair, Teagan managed to knock Reese to the floor before climbing on top of her.

A part of me wanted to jump in and pull Thorn to safety, but I refrained from doing so. She could handle herself. My girl was putting a beating on Reese and pride was swelling inside me.

Cole moved towards the women who were brawling it out on the floor and I took a step towards him and shook my head.

"Touch her and you won't make that fight in December," I warned him.

Anthony Cole didn't have shit on me and he knew it.

This was the last year he'd be sporting that shiny belt because I was coming for him.

"I bet you thought you were so clever!" Teagan hissed as she scratched and tore at Reese's face. "Doing that to him. And the text message you sent me?" A scream ripped through her throat as she grabbed Reese on either side of her head and slammed her skull against the floor. "Clever."

"You're crazy," Reese snarled, catching Teagan on the cheek with her nails.

Teagan fell back and Reese managed to climb to her feet.

Reese's face was marked with scratches and blood. Her hair was in complete disarray and her red dress was torn at the arm. "I'm going to sue you for this!" she hissed, clutching her cheek in her hand.

"Haven't you heard, bitch?" Teagan shot back viciously. "I'm certifiable." Scrambling to her feet, Teagan hacked back a huge ball of phlegm and spat it into Reese's face. "Try and sue me. I fucking dare you."

"Get her away from me," Reese screamed, rushing over to Cole. Throwing her arms around him, she sobbed into his chest. "She should be in a mental institution!"

"And you should be in prison," Teagan shot back, seething. "Being someone's bitch-wife."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a line of security heading for us, headed by Nick.

"Shit," I groaned, wrapping my arm around Teagan's middle. "We need to go, Thorn."

"You better watch yourself with that one," Teagan hissed at Cole as I hauled her away. "She's like a rampant bout of herpes. You'll never get rid of her."

Teagan fought against my hold every step of the way as I carted her out of that ballroom.

"Let me go!" she screamed, hissing and flailing her arms and legs. "I wasn't finished with her. I wanted my pound of flesh and that bitch hasn't nearly suffered enough for what she's done to us, Noah."

"It's over, Thorn," I snapped, struggling to keep ahold of her. She was like a fucking octopus in my arms. I'd never seen a woman squirm like her.  "Let's just go before we both get arrested."

"I had her," she hissed.

"I know, baby," I soothed when we reached the sidewalk outside. "You got her good."

"I'm so mad."

"With me?"

"Yes with you," she hissed. "You should have let me kill her."

"And let you get arrested?" I cocked a brow. "Oh yeah, cause that's what a good boyfriend would do."

"This is all your fault." Shaking off my arms, Teagan stalked off in a huff. "Don't talk to me again."

"Of course it is. Everything usually is." Running a hand through my hair in exasperation, I called out, "Come on, Thorn. Where are you going?"

"Fuck off," she hissed as she walked a little faster.

"God fucking dammit to hell," I muttered as I chased her crazy ass down the strip. "You're a crazy woman," I growled when I caught up with her. Clamping my hand around her arm, I pulled her back into my embrace.

Surprisingly, this time she came without a fight. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her in for a hug.

"Thanks for not letting me get arrested," she mumbled, burying her face against my chest.

"No problem."

"And I'm sorry for telling you to fuck off."

"Again, no problem."

"I'm a pain in your ass, aren't I?"

"A huge one."

"But you love me anyway."

"That's right." I smirked, knowing she needed to hear me say it. "I'm in love with your crazy ass."

"So…" She looked up at me and smiled sheepishly. "Do you still love me enough to want to marry me?"

"Yeah, Thorn." For my sins… "I do."

As I stood in front of an obese version of Elvis with an over the top hairpiece and Teagan by my side, I couldn't stop myself from shaking my head.

This was without a doubt the tackiest, craziest, most insane thing I'd ever done but I swear it felt right all the way down in my bones.

I didn't give a shit if Elvis or the Pope officiated this.

All I cared about was getting her signature on that marriage certificate.

The newlywed's whose wedding Teagan and I had just witnessed were sitting behind us, snapping away like crazy on their cellphones.

They'd wrangled us into their impulsive nuptials and we were now returning the favor.

If I hadn't drunk so much, I would have known better than to allow cameras in here, but I was buzzed and excited and desperately in love with the woman whose hand was in mine. 

The woman I had committed crimes to keep.

She was putting her life in my hands, giving me her word and pledging me half of her soul.

"I knew a boy when I was seventeen," Teagan announced when it was her turn to wing a speech together.

Swaying slightly, she turned her body to face mine and smiled so bright my heart squeezed in my chest.

"And that boy taught me a lot about myself."

Swallowing deeply, she exhaled a shaky breath.

"That boy taught me how to live in the moment. He taught me how to go after what I wanted. He taught me that it was okay to lean on someone else – that it was okay to admit when I was wrong."

Her voice caught in her throat then, and she quickly looked away and took a few deep breaths before continuing.

"That boy turned out to be more of a man than all the others and he cemented himself inside the deepest parts of my heart without me even noticing."

"Thorn…" I managed to croak out.

My voice was thick with emotion.

My legs were shaking liked fucking crazy.

I was bursting with pride, standing here, hearing these words coming out of her mouth.

"You're my solider, Noah Messina," Teagan whispered, smiling. "You always have been. And I want you to know that you can build your foundations of trust on my love for you because there's nothing more real and permanent than what I feel in my heart for you."

Officiating Elvis cleared his throat. "And you?" Waggling his bushy brows, he said, "You got anything you'd like to say to this pretty little lady?"

"Yeah," I muttered.

Pulling at the collar of my shirt, I forced myself to calm the fuck down and just tell her how I felt.

Without the slightest idea of what I would say, I decided to take a page from Teagan's book and wing it.

"Teagan, choosing you wasn't something I had the privilege of doing…" Pausing, I looked down into her hazel eyes and sighed. "Because there was no choice. You forced your way into my life and you blew it up. You were reckless and wild and crazy beautiful and I fell completely in love with you. There was no choice. You've always been the realist thing I've ever had…" My throat tightened and I had to take a minute to calm myself before continuing.

"I will take care of you," I promised. "I will be faithful to you. I will lay my life down to keep yours alive. Whatever you need, I will be the one to make it happen."

Squeezing her hand in mine, I added, "I love you, Teagan. I don't know what else to tell you other than I'm in and I won't ever be out."

"I'm in, too," Teagan sobbed. Wrapping her hand around my neck, she pulled my face down to hers. "God, Noah, I'm so in." Pressing her alcohol flavored lips to mine, she moaned softly. "And I always will be."

"Do you have rings?" Elvis asked, breaking the moment between us.

Sighing heavily, I pressed my forehead to hers.

I hadn't thought about anything.

"Sorry, Thorn," I muttered, feeling stupid.

"It's fine, just keep going. We don't need rings," Teagan told the officiator. Turning her attention back to me, she grinned and whispered. "I have an even better idea."