Taming Lo: A You and I Novel (23 page)

I savor the moment, the feeling flooding through my
chest, the heat coursing through every inch of my body. For the first
time, I let myself feel it all. The love. The pain. The fear. The
happiness. It all blends together into one terrifying and yet
blissful concoction.

What happened in my past is finally being left where it
belongs; in my past. I know that by loving someone the way I love
Dax, there will always be risk. But I trust him. Even though I can't
explain it, deep down I believe him when he says he will never hurt
me.

“
Just
one more thing.” I finally pull away from his mouth, working
hard to catch my breath and calm my rapid heartbeat.

“
Anything.”
He smiles, slowly lowering me to my feet, making sure that I feel his
massive erection as I slide down his body. Heat immediately floods my
cheeks and quickly spreads throughout my entire body but I refuse to
let that distract me.

“
Are
you busy next weekend?” I ask, smiling sweetly up at his
incredibly handsome face, my fingertips playing lightly against his
chest.

“
Why
do you ask?” He cocks his head to the side, leaning down to
place another quick kiss to my mouth.

“
Because
I happen to be the Maid of Honor in my sister's wedding next weekend
and I could really use a date.” I say, laughing when a bright
smile breaks across his entire face. “How do you feel about
Indiana?” I scrunch my forehead.

“
Indiana.”
He says, leaning forward until our noses are almost touching. “As
long as you're there, it's my new favorite state.” He smiles
against my mouth before pressing his lips to mine once more.

Epilogue

Lo

One
Year Later...

“
Are you sure
about this?” Dax laughs from his spot next to me, tangling his
fingers in mine as the tattoo artist prepares to ink my skin for the
very first time.

“
Aren't you?”
I ask, turning my face towards him. “You aren't planning on
getting rid of me anytime soon are you?” I joke.

“
After all the
money we just spent on the wedding?” He shakes his head. “Not
a chance.” He laughs when I hit him with a playfully shocked
expression.

“
Shut up.”
I smack at him, laughing. “If it's just the money you're
worried about, perhaps I should have a dollar bill tattooed on my
wrist instead.”

“
Hell no.”
He says, leaning towards me. “You're mine now Mrs. Riley and I
want the whole fucking world to know it.” He smiles, turning
his attention to Luis, the tattoo artist. “Make it nice and
bold.” He laughs when I hit him with wide eyes.

Luis just smiles and continues prepping my arm. Though
he seems nice enough, he is not much of a talker. He's a middle aged
guy, maybe mid-forties. He has tattoos covering almost every inch of
his body. His large frame, bald head, and piercing covered face, only
make him that much more intimidating.

I really have no room
to complain. Dax tried to convince me to wait until we were back home
so he could take me to
his
guy,
but I just couldn't resist the
temptation when we came across this little shop while out exploring.

It's not everyday that a girl gets to marry a man like
Dax Riley, or gets to spend two incredible weeks in Puerto Rico
either. I feel like this is the perfect way to mark the occasion.
Especially since we leave tomorrow.

The second the needle hits my skin, I jump, having not
prepared myself for it to hurt quite so much. Dax immediately laughs
at my reaction and shakes his head.

“
Baby.” He
crinkles his nose at me in the cutest way.

“
I am not a
baby.” I whine.

“
No?” He
questions, laughing when I scrunch my forehead in discomfort.

“
Don't be an
ass. This hurts.” I have to resist the urge to reach over and
slap him.

Given that a man is currently covering my wrist in
permanent ink, the last thing I need is to have some random scribble
running up my arm because I couldn't stop myself from taking a swing
at my adorable and yet, infuriating husband.

“
The last time I
checked....” He leans down to my ear and speaks so low that
only I can hear. “You like a little pain.” My cheeks
immediately flush crimson and a flood of heat washes over my entire
body as his breath tickles my neck.

“
Mean.” I
pout, the second he pulls back, his bright smile telling me he knew
exactly what his little statement would do to me. I'll give my
husband one thing, he definitely knows how to turn me on.

“
It's only mean
if I don't follow through later.” He promises, his eyes
narrowing in on my face. The tattoo artist clears his throat causing
both of us to burst into laughter. Clearly we are not being nearly as
discreet as we thought.

“
Sorry man.”
Dax leans back in his chair, my free hand still wrapped in one of
his. “She's insatiable.” He laughs louder when my eyes go
wide.

“
Oh my God.”
I shake my head. “Please ignore my husband. He thinks he's cute
when he tries to embarrass me.”

“
Trust me.”
Luis laughs, placing the needle back against my skin. “I've
heard worse.” He says, turning his concentration back to my
wrist.

****

“
So, what do you
think?” I ask Dax, holding my wrist out for him as we exit the
shop less than an hour later.

“
I think I like
seeing my name inked on that gorgeous skin of yours.” He gives
me a seductive smile.

“
Me too.”
I admit, looking down at my arm where
DAX
is inked in small cursive letters
across my wrist. While getting the tattoo was less than pleasant, I
have to admit, I rather enjoyed sharing the experience with the man
at my side.

Every moment since I met Dax has been an incredible
roller coaster. We have shared more ups and downs than most couples
do in a lifetime and yet somehow, we have managed to come through it
all stronger than ever.

Dax entwines his fingers with mine and gives me a sexy
lopsided smile before turning his attention forward, leading me back
in the direction of our hotel. These last two weeks have been the
best of my life and while I am so sad to see our Honeymoon come to an
end, I am also more than ready to return home and start my life as
Mrs. Dax Riley.

Peering up at my stunning husband's profile, I can't
help the smile that spreads across my face. I never dreamed that I
would find what I have found with Dax. A love that knows no
boundaries. A trust that has no doubts. A life full of promise.

For the first time since I was a child, I find myself
eager for the future. Ready for whatever life throws my way. Because
at the end of the day, I know that as long as this incredible man is
by my side, there is nothing I can't face.

“
You're staring
again.” Dax laughs, catching me looking at him out of the
corner of his eye.

“
Just enjoying
the view.” I smile wider, squealing when he stops abruptly and
spins me into his arms.

“
Well then by
all means Mrs. Riley, stare away.” He says, leaning down and
taking my mouth with his, right in the middle of the busy sidewalk.

A few people mumble complaints as they step around us
but Dax pays no attention and only deepens the kiss, showing the
world once and for all that I am his, and he is mine...

The End

Taming Lo
Playlist

A special thank you to all these amazing artists for
their gift of music

that inspires me every single day.

Woman Woman- Awolnation

Bad Reputation- Kelly Clarkson

Heart Stops- Secondhand Serenade

Where We Land- Ed Sheeran

Tight Rope- Kelly Clarkson

Gold- Imagine Dragons

Take Your Time- Sam Hunt

Jailbreak- Awolnation

If I Have To- Avery Wilson

All I Want- Deanna Johnson

I Of The Storm- Of Monsters and Men

Flashlight- Jessie J

Fly- Avril Lavigne

Gravity- Sara Bareilles

Acknowledgments

There are so many incredible people to thank that I
honestly don't even know where to begin. It is not possible to name
each person individually that has supported, influenced, and helped
me throughout this amazing process of creating the You and I Series.
I found myself falling in love with each character as I created them
and I knew well before finishing Bentley and Anna's story, that I had
to give Lo her own story as well. There is something so incredibly
strong and beautiful about Lo. So thank you to everyone who has taken
the time to let all of these characters be a part of your world. I
will never be able to express how very much that means to me.

As
always, I have to thank my husband, children, and family for their
love, patience, and support. Each and every one of you has impacted
my life in more ways than you could ever imagine and I love you more
than words could ever say.

Myra,
thank you for sharing this journey with me. Thank you for always
supporting my writing and for believing in me when I didn't believe
in myself. You truly are someone I could not imagine doing this
without. Wine glasses up..... Cheers girl!

Melissa's
Mavens- You girls ROCK! I have the BEST street team ever! For you to
take so much of your own time to support and share my work means more
to me than I will ever be able to express. You don't do it for
monetary gain but simply because you love my work and that is beyond
incredible!

Angel, Anita, Cassandra, Alisha, Amanda, Christina,
Dena, Erin, Kelly, Olivia, Lisa, Lorena, Rachel, Tobi, and Myra---
THANK YOU! Thank you for being amazing beta readers. Thank you for
being amazing street team members. Just THANK YOU!!

Thank
you to all the wonderful blogs and authors that have taken the time
to read and review my work and for all of your amazing feedback. I am
so blessed to be a part of such an amazing community. Your support
and kind words mean so much to me. Don't ever stop doing what you do!
Blogs are the backbone of successful writers. I personally would not
be where I am today without all the amazing Authors and Bloggers that
have helped me along the way.

Last
but not least, to my readers, THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart,
THANK YOU. Because of you, I get to live my dream of being a writer
every single day. This past year has been so full of ups and downs
but one constant has remained, your unwavering support and love.
Thank you for taking the time to read Taming Lo. Lo is a character
that is near and dear to my heart and I hope that you enjoyed her
story.

We
are only blessed with so many moments on this earth, I hope you make
each and every one count. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you
can't do something. Always follow your dreams. Never settle for less
than what you truly want. And never believe that there is anything
you can't do.

Dream Big. Love Bigger

XOXO

Melissa

Available Now

If
you haven't read the YOU AND I SERIES yet,

Don't
forget to pick up your copy of

YOU
AND I ALONE

YOU
AND I TOGETHER

and

YOU
AND I FOREVER

~Find
out how Anna and Bentley fell in love and where it all began for Lo
and Dax~

To
view a complete list of all Melissa Toppen's books

please
visit

www.amazon.com/author/melissatoppen

Or
for additional information on upcoming projects visit

www.mtoppen.com

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