Infinite Desire (16 page)

“What
the hell is going on here?” I hear the all too familiar voice of my father
booming behind Luanne. Savannah comes running up behind him, coming to a stop a
few feet away.

Rolling
my eyes, I run my fingers through my hair again, this time fisting it and
letting out a loud groan. “Seriously! What the fuck is this?” I ask, waving my
hands between her and my father. “You two think that showing up to my
engagement party and wishing us a happy life would make all the shit from our
past just fuckin’ disappear?”

Stalking
towards me, my father stops a few inches away and stands beside Lulu. “What is
this? This is us trying to move on and stop living in the past, but you seem to
want to drag this out forever. What do we have to do to get past this?” He
shouts at me, his veins in his neck pulsate with every word.

I
let out a puff of air before speaking, “We will never get past this, but you
can’t seem to get that through your fuckin’ heads. I have Lulu over here
telling me how painful it is to see me happy, well guess the fuck what? I’m
happy that seeing me with Savannah is painful. You deserve any suffering you
endure. I don’t want anything to do with either of you so do me a favor and go
back to Nashville.”

My
father shifts his eyes from me to Lulu as he processes everything I’ve just
said. I’m done with this whole fucked up situation, pushing past my father I
take long strides towards Savannah.

“Come
on baby, we have guests to attend to.” Taking her hand we start to make our way
back up to the party.

My
father’s hand gripping my arm falters my steps. His tone is ice cold as he
tells me, “We’re not finished here Kayden. I’ve given you space, and half of my
God damn company for Christ’s sake! I allowed you to treat me like shit for
years. It. Ends. Today!”

Is
he fuckin’ serious?

Savannah’s
face is beet red, and she looks like it’s taking everything in her to not tell
my father what she really thinks. “This really isn’t the time or place to be
doing this; we have guests we should really be getting back to.”

Even
when I’m pissed the fuck off, she can turn me on, seeing her here beside me,
willing to face any demons that comes my way, even when I don’t want or need
her to; it makes me love her even more.

Looking
to Savannah, Luanne snaps, eyes burning with anger “This has nothing to do with
you, so I suggest you butt out, and allow
us
to discuss this!”

Savannah’s
mouth falls open momentarily before snapping shut and she fires back at Lulu,
“Excuse me? I think this has everything to do with me since you seem to think
my engagement party is the time and place to try and hash all this shit out?!”

Ignoring
Savannah, Lulu rolls her eyes, and turns her focus back onto me, “There’s never
going to be a good time to deal with this Kayden. So we might as well do it now
and get it over with. It’s no secret that a part of me will always love you,
your father knows this, and accepts it, because he knows my heart is his! So
don’t try to throw in his face what I said to you in an attempt to cause a rift
between us, because it won’t work.”

Stepping
in front of me, Savannah stands directly in front of Lulu poking her in the
chest with her index finger, “Don’t you ever speak to me or Kayden like that
again. You’re nothing but a trashy, gold-digging skank. You should be grateful
I didn’t cause a scene and toss your asses out the moment you stepped onto my
property. Kayden has nothing to say to either of you. I’m telling you one time
and one time only, get the fuck off of
my
property or I will have your
sorry asses removed by force!”

There’s
the feisty Savannah I know and love. She’s been MIA since everything with Zak
and Jacob, but little by little she’s returning.

Shoving
Savannah, Luanne burrows her eyes into her, “You do not want to mess with me
Bel Air Barbie, because I’ll show you how us country girls handle preppy little
bitches like you when you fuck with us!”

Savannah
lets out a laugh as she takes another step towards Luanne, “Bitch, you ain’t
seen crazy. Keep runnin’ your mouth and you’ll find out just how country
I
am.”

Luanne’s
two seconds away from getting knocked the fuck out and not by Savannah.

My
father grabs Lulu’s arm and tugs on it, “That’s enough. I’m not going to stand
here and listen as my son run us into the ground. He’s just like his mother;
he’d rather spend his life running from his problems rather than face them head
on. He’s nothing but an unappreciative, spoiled asshole; we’re wasting our time
trying to get through to him.”

Losing
what little control I have left, I push past Savannah, and fist my father’s
dress shirt, “Say whatever the fuck you want to about me! But don’t you ever
talk about my mother you piece of shit! You’re the reason my mother is the way
she is! You broke her! When she needed you, when Melody needed you, YOU were
fuckin’ this whore! So yes, I hate your fuckin’ guts, and don’t appreciate one
thing you’ve ever given me! You are dead to me! You hear me!” I spit at him, as
I shove him backwards forcefully.

At
this point, my temper is boiling and I’m seeing red. Before I can control my
anger, I double my fist and throw a punch connecting with Victor’s nose, his
head snaps back forcefully and blood flies everywhere. He stumbles backward,
cursing and cupping his nose with a look of utter shock.

My
ears are ringing from the anger pulsating through my body. I faintly hear Savannah
and Luanne shouting at me, but I’m too far gone. He’s pushed me over the edge.

 “Oh
my God!” Luanne shouts running past me, “What the hell is wrong with you?
You’re still the same hot headed asshole you’ve always been! You think punching
him will solve your problems? He’s your father for Christ’s sake!” I’ve never
seen her this angry before; if looks could kill, I’d be dead where I stand.
But, I don’t give a shit.

She
lunges at me beating on my chest screaming at me, “Why can’t you just move past
this, it’s been eight fuckin’ years Kayden, eight years!”

“Keep
your hands off of him!” Savannah shouts at Lulu, pulling her off of me. “I
swear to God, if you so much as raise a hand at him again, I will knock your
ass out!”

I’m
done with all of this, and can’t mentally take any more of this shit. Snapping
my head over to my still stunned father, I hiss at him through clenched teeth,
“Get her and leave!
Right fucking now
! I will not ask you again.” 

I
breathe a sigh of relief when they quickly make their way back towards the
house.

I
snake my arm around Savannah, holding her flush against my waist. “Come on
baby, we have guests to attend to. I’m not wasting another second on those
two.”

I
feel the tension in Savannah slowly slip away, and her breathing return to
normal. “I’m sorry Kayden. I should’ve thrown them out the minute they got
here.” She says in barely a whisper.

Just
as we’re rounding the corner, I spot my father and Lulu a few feet ahead.
They’re making their way up the grassy hill, and Victor’s holding a
handkerchief to his nose.

Spinning
around, Lulu shouts back at me, not caring that there are guests all around,
“Your sister would be so disappointed in you. She looked up to you, worshiped
the ground you walked on.” My father yells at her to shut up, before quickening
his pace.

A
group of people overhear Lulu’s outburst, and are now staring down at Savannah
and I.

I
rake my fingers through my hair, let out a frustrated sigh and trudge up the
hill. I ignore Lulu’s ranting and decide to not feed into it anymore. She’s a
poison. The more I’m around her, the more I turn into someone I don’t like. Her
and my father, they are toxic and will only destroy my life if I permit them to
be in it. I do not want give our guests anything to sell to the press, so I
keep my mouth shut.

First
thing tomorrow, I’m finishing this. I’m going to buy out my father’s half of
the hotels’ and cut him out of my life permanently. Savannah is all the family
I need.

As
we’re making our way past the few guests who witnessed what just happened, I
spot Savannah’s parents running down towards us. Everyone turns their attention
back to the party, giving us privacy.

“What
in the hell just happened?!” Paisley asks with a look of panic on her face.

I
know I look like I feel. Shit. My shirt is un-tucked and my bow-tie is undone
thanks to Lulu attacking me. Savannah’s trying to make light of the situation
by putting on a fake smile.

“Oh,
nothing. Just had a few words with Victor and Luanne, but they’re leaving now.”
Savannah says nonchalantly, folding her arms under her breasts.

Maverick
stares at us; I can tell he ain’t buying Savannah’s story, “Nothing? I don’t
call this nothing. Kayden’s father just left with his fiancée, with blood
pouring out of his nose! Now I need to do damage control and make sure what
happened here tonight doesn’t leave this house.” He’s fuming.

I
feel awful. They threw Savannah and I this party, and because of my temper I’ve
ruined it. I should’ve just walked away and not even given them the time of
day.

Holding
Savannah’s hand, I focus my attention on her parents, “I’m so sorry about all
of this. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us. This is my fault, if I
would’ve told you guys about everything with my father, none of this would’ve
happened.”

I
can’t take the look of disappointment in their eyes and quickly divert my eyes
to Savannah. Her smile is slowly disappearing, as the reality of what just
happened sinks in.

Needing
to get away from all of this, I kiss Savannah on the cheek, “I need to go.”
Turning to Maverick and Paisley, I apologize again before I speed walk up the
hill. Savannah is yelling to me to wait, but I tune her out.

This
is how we celebrate our engagement; we show our family and friends that we are
completely fucked up. This is not a good way to start a future by allowing the
past to blow in like a tornado and destroy everything in its path.

I
don’t know where I am going to go, I just know I need to get out of here.

Savannah

Sitting
in my mother’s car I drive at almost a crawl down one of the streets in their
gated community. I’ve been driving for over twenty minutes trying to find
Kayden. I don’t know which way he went, so I’m trying to cover every street to
find him. Of course he has his cell, but won’t answer the freakin’ thing.

The
party is still in full swing back at my parents’ house. My mother and father
talked to the guests and let them know that the issue between Kayden and Victor
was private and is not to be spoken of with any press, which I’m thankful for.
The last thing Kayden wants is to see this in the tabloids.

Brooklyn
was beyond pissed off after I filled her in with the short version of
everything that happened. She wanted to come with me to find Kayden, but I told
her it was best if I go alone. He’s a mess right now; his father and Luanne
definitely did a number on him tonight. Trying to use Melody against him was
low, even for them.

Giant
drops of rain are starting to fall, splashing on the windshield. Thank God my
parents rented out a huge party tent for the backyard to cover the DJ and
dancing. I gaze up at the now dark sky, which started out bright blue this
morning, but swiftly changed to thick grey clouds.

As
the rain begins to fall harder, I speed up. I need to find him. I swear I could
kill Kayden for just taking off like this; we have a house full of guests. I
understand he’s pissed off about what happened with Victor and Luanne, but
running away isn’t going to solve anything.

What
if he called a cab and I’m just wasting my time driving around trying to find
him. Turning on my blinker, I take a right and head down yet another street.
“Where the hell are you Kayden?” I ask out loud. With each passing minute, I
grow more frustrated.

Why
the hell did they have to come? Did they really think our engagement party was
the best place to try and repair their extremely damaged relationship? I could
kill them, while I’m at it, for ruining something my mother worked her ass off
putting together.

Today
was supposed to be fun, a celebration of our engagement. But thanks Victor and
Luanne, they managed to ruin everything just by walking through the damn door.

Through
my wipers swaying back and forth, I spot a silhouette of a man walking down the
side walk with his hands in his pockets. My stomach does flip flops when I get
closer and see its Kayden.

Pushing
the accelerator I speed towards him. I pull up beside him and leaving the car
running as I jump out and sprint towards him.

“Kayden!”
I shout out at him, his head is down and he’s soaking wet.

Stopping
he looks at me over his shoulder; droplets of water drip from his hair that’s
now drenched and hanging in front of his forehead.

“Savannah…what
are you doing?” He asks, with his voice sounding defeated. Running towards him
I jump up wrapping my arms around his neck, and peer up into his eyes that are
now a dark emerald instead of a bright sea green. 

“What
I’m doing is getting my fiancé and dragging his ass back to our party!”

With
one arm wrapped around his neck, I slide my other hand through his wet hair.
Kayden’s eyes are searching my face as he holds my body tightly against his.

The
rain has changed to a full on downpour, but I don’t care. I will not leave this
spot unless Kayden leaves with me.

“I
can’t go back there Savannah.” His Drawl is thick and husky. His hands feel
like fire on my cool, wet skin as his palms press against my back. He’s holding
onto me like I’m his lifeline, keeping him afloat in sea of sorrow he’s trying
desperately not to drown in.

Seeing
the pain he’s in is unbearable. I try to fight the tears, but my eyes defeat me
and they freely fall, “I need you to come back with me, please. We face things
head on, together Kayden. I’m done running and I will not allow you to run
either.”

Breaking
our connection, he tilts his head towards the sky, letting the rain bounce off
of his face.

I
cup Kayden’s face between my hands, forcing him to look at me, “I love you.
Nothing will ever change that. My parents love you too, Kayden. This little
incident will not change that. I am not leaving here without you, so please
come back with me. We can go back and enjoy our friends and family and put all
the crap from earlier behind us. Let’s not give them the satisfaction of
ruining our party.”

“God,
you are persistent.” A small smile stretches across Kayden’s face, “I’ll go
back with you baby. I just wish I would’ve said something to your parents’; we
could’ve avoided all of this.” He wipes the pad of his thumb across my cheek;
my tears are mixed with the rain drops sliding down my face. “I feel awful, I
should’ve just ignored Victor, not allowed him to get to me. Instead, I let my
temper get the best of me.”

Staring
up at the man I love and seeing him guilt stricken is the worse feeling ever.
If anyone should feel bad it should be his father and Luanne, not him.

“You
did nothing wrong, Kayden. Anyways, who doesn’t enjoy a little drama, it’ll
help make the party that much more unforgettable.” I tease, trying to lighten
the mood.

I
shiver as the wind picks up and chills me to the bone. “You’re freezing.”
Kayden drawls, hugging me tighter. “You’re going to end up getting sick because
you came chasing after my sorry ass. Come on darlin’, we have a party to return
to.”

Still
holding me tightly against his chest, he carries me down the sidewalk towards
the car. Just before he sets me down, I yell, “Wait!”

Kayden
cocks an eyebrow up towards the sky, causing a raindrop to drip off of it,
“You’re freezing, but you’re telling me to wait?” he laughs.

Sliding
my fingers into his hair, I pull his lips down to mine. I’ve always wanted to
be kissed in the rain, ever since I watched the
Notebook
, and it looked
so romantic. I just never knew it’d be so freakin’ cold!

I
open my mouth, allowing Kayden to slip his tongue into it. I caress his tongue
with mine, and moan into his mouth as our kiss deepens. The fire in his kiss
instantly warms my body, making me forget all about being soaking wet and cold.

Cupping
my butt with one hand and my head with the other, Kayden lifts me further off
of the ground and carries me towards the car, his lips never leaving mine.

Pressing
me against the car door, Kayden fists my hair and moans into my mouth. He
starts to pull away from me, but I hold onto his head keeping his lips against
mine. I bite onto his bottom lip, clamping it between my teeth. I relish the
feeling of his now hardening erection pressing against my stomach. Smiling
against his mouth, I look up at him, giving his lip a little tug before letting
it go.

“Ya
ready to get outta here now?” He asks with amusement in his voice. He backs away
from the car, and adjusts his slacks before opening the passenger side door for
me.

I
flash him a devilish grin, “Yes, but I don’t think I’ll want to hurry back to
the party once we get there.”

Kayden
flashes a panty dropping smile at me, “You sure know how to make a guy forget
all of his problems. Your kiss does crazy things to me; it’s like every ounce
of anger immediately disappeared the second your lips were on mine.”

His
smile sends butterflies fluttering frantically in my stomach, and hearing him
say those words instantly makes me feel at ease. I love knowing that just by
loving Kayden I can help defeat some of the demons eating away at him.

Jumping
into the car, I crank up the heat. Kayden runs around the front and quickly
slides into the driver’s seat; shaking his head, he sends water droplets flying
across the car.

I
rest my hand on his forearm as he grips the shifter and slides it into reverse,
“You good now?” I ask, watching his face intently to see if he’ll answer
honestly, or just tell me what I want to hear.

“I’m
okay, and I’m sorry for takin’ off like that. Now let me get you back before
your parents send the Calvary after us.”

The
entire drive back, Kayden holds my hand, and every so often he glances my way
giving me a small smile. I can tell that he’s trying to put what happened
earlier behind him, and not just for me, but for himself too.

After
all the trials and tribulations we’ve gone through, there’s one thing I know: I
will always fight for him and he will always fight for me. Kayden’s used to
fighting his battles all on his own, but from here on out we face all of our
demons together, as a united front. Together we can conquer anything.

~~~

Slipping
off my dress, I toss it onto the bathroom floor. Padding across the tile floor,
I retrieve a towel and dry my hair. Turning my head, I watch Kayden as he peels
off his drenched dress shirt and slacks. His body is damp and his tan skin is
glistening in the overhead lighting.

Watching
him always takes my breath away; he is perfection. I swear I’m the luckiest
girl in the world, because in just a few months, I’ll be Mrs. Kayden Knox.

“Like
what you see?” He asks coyly, as he slips on a pair of jeans.

“Ha!
You know I do.” I say in my best seductive voice. I can’t stop smiling at him
as he stares at me with a cocky grin on his face. I whip my hair back and forth
then lean against the counter, “Ya know, I’m suddenly feeling too ill to rejoin
the party downstairs. Lying in bed, resting with you, is just what the doctor
would order to cure what’s ailing me.” I laugh, as I flash him a sexy smirk.

Kayden
rolls his eyes and lets out a husky laugh as he finishes buttoning his jeans.
He slides his fingers through his damp hair, and makes his way across the
bathroom towards me.

His
jeans are hanging low on his hips, and his delicious V is showing, beckoning me
to run my tongue along it.

“Even
though I would love nothin’ more than to tie you up to that bed and do all
kinds of naughty things to ya, we have guests who are expecting us back
downstairs within the next five minutes.” His husky twang sends shivers down my
spine.

He
slides his hand ever so slowly over my skin, leaving a path of fire wherever
his hand touches, and stops when his hand reaches the small of my back. He lets
out a low growl as he pulls me flush against him; I savor the feeling of his
taut muscles pressing against my body.

Pursing
my lips I stare up at all 6’3” of him, I swear I could gaze into his pools of
green all day; he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’m amazed at how gorgeous
he is without even trying. I channel my inner actress and tell him, “But…I
think I’m feverish,” dramatically pressing the back of my hand to my forehead.

“Do
I need to take your temperature, my sweet Savannah, to see if you’re yanking my
chain or truly ill?” He teases, holding his hand to my head to check for
himself.

Slipping
out of Kayden’s embrace, I grab his hand and pull him into the bedroom, “Yes,
that’s exactly what you need to do,
but
I think you need to use your
rectal thermometer to get an accurate reading.” I tell him matter-of-factly, as
I plop down onto the bed, relishing in the look of pure shock and desire on
Kayden’s face.

Leaning
over me, Kayden rests his hands on the mattress, pressing his lips to my
collarbone, causing my entire body to erupt with want for him. I tilt my head
back and relish in the feeling of Kayden’s lips on my skin.

Sliding
my fingers across Kayden’s back, I gently drag my nails over his skin, working
my way from the dimples in his lower back, up to his shoulder blades.

“I
want you right now…believe me, baby.” Kayden murmurs against my skin, his
breath warming my still cool skin.

Holding
onto his back, I keep him hovering above me, not allowing him to move, “Then
take me.” I whisper, as I flutter kisses across his shoulder.

I
wrap my legs around him, pressing them into his ass; I really hate the fact
that I’m naked right now and he’s wearing jeans.

“God.”
He moans, with his voice husky with sex, “We have to get back to the party…”

I
shift beneath him as I slide my hand along his bicep. I give it a light squeeze
and narrow my eyes at him, “Like I said, I’m sick, so I can’t go back down
there.” The corner of my mouth curves up, as I flash him an impish grin.

Kayden
laces his fingers into my damp hair, gently tugging on it, causing my neck to
be fully exposed to him; he trails a path kisses along my neck, before nipping
at my jaw.

“I
swear you are the most insatiable woman on the damn planet. No matter how badly
I want you, we owe it to your parents to go back down there.”

“But…”
I start to protest, but Kayden presses a finger against my lips quieting me.

“Shhh.
I will however make sure you’re very well satisfied, or at least satisfied
enough to get you through the next couple of hours.”

I
press my hand against his cheek, and get lost momentarily in his predatory gaze.
His eyes make me melt instantly as they move slowly over my face. He’s staring
at me with a look of pure want and I know that even if he wanted to leave right
now he couldn’t.