"Keeley!"

She ignored whoever was calling her name and flew out of the house as if it was on fire. She ran down the dimly lit steps and hurried past the crowd hanging out on the front lawn. The chilly night nipped her skin, but she welcomed the feeling. Maybe it would numb her heart.

She continued to run, not knowing where she was going, but quite frankly, she didn't care. All she knew was that she needed to get away. Far, far away. She jogged past one house, then two, then three-not stopping till she was four blocks away and out of breath.

Gasping for air, she collapsed onto a nearby bench, still stunned by what she had witnessed. Brent and the blonde-haired girl up against a wall. Talon and the redhead flirting on the couch. Jesus! What in the world was in the beer at that party? Crushed up Viagra?

An overwhelming sense of betrayal rushed through Keeley. How could they do that to her, especially Brent? He was the one who made a big deal about sticking by his side at all times. How could he hold her hand and then five minutes later make out with some blonde bimbo? He was such a hypocrite!

Had they even noticed that she had left? Probably not. Most likely, they were too busy making out with those girls. She bet Talon was enjoying the redhead, reveling in her attention. Knowing him, he had probably already made his move on her. Keeley felt her eyes prickle as she imagined him gently cupping the girl's jaw and drawing her mouth down to meet his in a heated kiss.

Oh god.

Keeley tried to push the image away, but it stayed firmly planted in her mind. All she could see was Talon's mouth moving against the redheads, slowly at first, and then becoming more wild and passionate as seconds passed.

Keeley drew in a ragged breath, trying to release some of the pressure in her chest. She needed to stop thinking about Talon and the redhead. What did it even matter? It wasn't any of her business who Talon made out with. All of a sudden she remembered that afternoon and how he had kissed her neck. Was he going to kiss the same spot on that girl? Was he going to do more?

Oh god.

Were they going to have $ex? Was Brent going to have $ex?

The thought made Keeley nauseous.

Tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes, blurring her vision. Why had she even decided come on this stupid trip? She would have been better off at home, curled up reading a good book with Tucker.

"Keeley!" a familiar voice rumbled in the distance. "Keeley! Where are you?"

"Talon?" she croaked in disbelief. He was standing fifteen feet away from her, looking around franticly. His blonde hair was mussed and he was breathing heavily as if he had been running.

It took him less than three seconds before he spotted her. He marched over, his expression thunderous. "Did you not hear me calling your name? I've been running after you since you left the house!" he growled, a tinge of panic seeping through.

"You followed me?" she whispered hoarsely. Did that mean he hadn't made out with the redhead? A slight ray of hope peeked through her darkened mood.

"Of course I followed you! And what the hell are you even doing out here?" The level of his voice rose with each word he said till he was shouting. His body was so tense, Keeley could practically see the anger rolling off.

Why was he upset? She hadn't asked him to follow her out of the party and ditch the redhead. Realization washed over Keeley, dashing any hope she previously had. Of course. He was angry because he just lost his chance with the girl. Her throat burned at the thought.

"Jesus Christ, Keeley!" he bit out. "Do you know dangerous it is to be roaming the streets by yourself at 11 o'clock at night? You could easily have been mugged or kidnapped or worse! Do you have any common sense?" Talon yelled at her.

She bent her head and blinked furiously, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to erupt. Her emotions were too raw at the moment to be able to handle his wrath.

"And where the hell is your precious Brent?" Talon continued to rant, oblivious to her feelings. "Shouldn't you be at the party holding his hand or something?"

The reminder of Brent and the blonde-haired bimbo tipped her over the edge. Tears started to form in Keeley's eyes, streaming down her face in silent misery. All the feelings she kept bottled up poured out of her. Anger. Betrayal. Hurt. Jealousy. A noise escaped out of Keeley's mouth as she cried harder.

Talon looked at her sharply, noticing for the first time how distraught she was. Immediately, his anger morphed into alarm. "What the hell happened? Did that tool do something to you?" he demanded tersely.

Keeley buried her head in her hands as great sobs wracked her body, stripping her the ability to answer.

"I'll kill him," Talon hissed under his breath, taking her silence as confirmation. He dropped down to the ground and knelt in front of her, placing his hands on either side of her body. "Are you okay?" he asked in a low voice.

More tears ran down Keeley's face as she nodded, her movement rough and jerky. "H-he was k-kissing some g-girl and they w-were up against a w...ww...w-wall...." She gulped in air, her voice hitching at the thought.

"Oh," Talon mumbled, looking uncomfortable when he realized that Brent had hurt her emotionally, not physically. He shifted his weight and turned away when Keeley wiped her running nose with the back of her hand.

"A-and I f-feel so f-foolish for t-thinking he would ever l-like me! I-I'm just a little k-kid to him," she wailed and dissolved into more tears.

For a few minutes, Talon listened to her cry, uncertainty written all over his face. Finally, he raised his arms and wrapped them lightly around her in an awkward embrace. Uneasily, he patted her back and said, "There, there."

"S-S-Seriously?" she asked, peering at him through watery eyes. "That's a-all you can s-say?"

"Well, I don't know what to do in situations like this!" Talon said defensively, continuing to pat her back like he was burping a baby. "I'm not good with crying females."

"What do you do w-when your m-mom cries?"

She felt his body vibrate as he chuckled. "Hand her off to my dad."

"W-what does your dad do?" she asked, her tears starting to dry up.

"Buys her a brand new Louis Vuitton purse."

Keeley paused. "T-That'll work."

"Yeah, I bet it would," he remarked dryly.

Keeley laughed softly and pulled away to wipe her face. "I bet I look hideous," she said, half-joking, half-not.

"Well, you certainly don't look your best," Talon drawled, looking relieved that she had finally stopped crying.

"Jerk," she muttered hoarsely.

Suddenly, Keeley's cell phone started ringing playing the Old MacDonald tune. Talon's face broke into a wide smile. "You kept that?" he asked, looking pleased.

She ignored his comment and fetched the phone out of her jean pocket. She went utterly still when she saw who was calling.

Seeing her expression, Talon grabbed the phone out of her hand and answered. "What?" he snapped to Brent. His face darkened as he listened to whatever Brent was telling him. "She's fine." He paused listening some more. Talon looked directly into Keeley's eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Do we want to go back to the party?" he asked.

Keeley shook her head vehemently. No way in hell did she want to go back to that house bursting with pheromones.

"We're good." Pause. "No, I have her." He stayed silent for a couple moments before saying in clipped tones, "It's fine. We'll see you later. Bye."

Keeley frowned when Talon pocketed her phone. He seemed to have a perpetual need to hold onto it.

"Well, what do you want to do now?" Talon asked her. "It's only 11 o'clock."

Keeley just shrugged her shoulders. She didn't care as long as it meant avoiding Brent. She really didn't want to see or talk to him for a while.

Talon sat there, tapping his fingers against his leg. He looked around and then suddenly said, "I have an idea." He rose from his sitting position. "Wait here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back. Don't move," he ordered and rushed into a nearby supermarket.

"Don't move," Keeley snorted as she crossed her arms. "Heard that one before. If he ends up pinning some girl in the check out line I'm joining a convent."

He returned several minutes later with three large grocery bags and a mischievous smile. "Let's go, baby doll." He held out his elbow in a silent invitation and Keeley twined her hands through, following his lead.They walked down the street, past a couple of buildings till they came to a beach. Talon guided her to a small fire pit filled with wood. He pulled out matches, graham crackers and a chocolate bar.

"We're going to make s'mores?" she asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

His blue eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "Correction, baby doll." He pulled out a yellow package. "We are going to make peep s'mores."

Keeley sent him a doubtful look. "Isn't it the same thing?"

Talon gasped looking horrified. He reached over and placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

"What are you doing?" Keeley demanded to know, swatting his hand away.

"Checking to see if you have a temperature. Clearly, you are delusional."

Keeley rolled her eyes. "You're delusional if you don't think you have a problem," she said dryly. "You're addicted to those things. How many hours can you go without eating one? Three? Four? Do your hands start to tremble when you don't get your next fix?"

"I do not have a problem."

"Right," Keeley snorted. "Famous last words. I can see the headlines now: Peep Thief Strikes Again! Ransacks Local Grocery Store in Search of Yellow Birds!"

"Peep thief?" Talon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Keeley shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, if the peep fits...."

"Just sit your feisty butt down and prepared to be amazed," Talon ordered, striking the match.

Ten minutes later they were sitting next to each other in the sand, eating peep s'mores.

"Okay," Keeley said after taking a large bite, "I have to admit these are really good." The sugar on the outside of the peep melted to make a caramelized crust, giving a little crunch to the gooey treat.

"Of course they are baby doll," Talon replied smugly. "I'm never wrong."

Keeley rolled her eyes as she took another bite. "You have the ego the size of a small country."

"Is the country named after me?"

"I was wrong. It's a very large country," Keeley muttered, licking the remnants of chocolate and marshmallow off her fingers.

With a content sigh, she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She stared into the fire, thinking that about her day. It certainly turned out unexpected. Roasting peeps with Talon was probably the last thing she thought she would be doing. She was still amazed that he left the party to be with her. Brent hadn't done that. Her brother wouldn't have either. A sense of pleasure coursed through her veins. Talon had watched out for her; protected her.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. A small smile graced her lips as she watched him pull a puffed peep off a stick and stuff the whole thing in his mouth. It must have been too hot because he grimaced and sucked in air, trying to cool it. She softly giggled at his antics. He looked absolutely ridiculous like that, his lips pursed out, panting for air. Keeley shook her head in amusement. What was it about him that made him so endearing?

Not wanting to get caught staring at him, Keeley turned her attention back at the fire. She watched as the flames swirled and moved, reaching for the sky. Was Nicky right? Did she like Talon? Her heart jumped at the thought, begging her to say yes, but her mind resisted. She had only known him for two weeks. Two weeks. How could she fall for someone in that short amount of time? Maybe she was just infatuated with him. He was someone new, a novelty. The feelings would eventually fade as she got to know him better. Immediately, her heart rejected the idea. Talon wasn't a passing fad. He challenged her. He surprised her. He made her laugh. He made her want to get to know him better.

She watched him eat another peep and then a thought occurred to her. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, my eyes are naturally this beautiful," he quipped.

She rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "Why peeps?"

He stilled. "What do you mean?"

Keeley noted his body language and her curiosity soared. "You have unnatural obsession with them. Why?"

He turned away from her, the fire creating deep shadows across his face. "When I was little, my grandfather and I would share a pack of peeps as he told me stories of my great-grandfather," he said in a strained voice.

Understanding dawned. The peeps were almost like a comfort blanket for him. Keeley's heart warmed when she realized he hadn't shut her out. He was starting to trust her with his feelings. "He sounded like a really awesome grandpa."

Talon's eyes grew distant. "He was the best."

"How did he die?" Keeley asked in a gentle voice.

His adam apple moved up and down as he swallowed a couple times, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Lung cancer," he whispered, visibly choked up.

Keeley's eyes misted. He obviously loved his grandfather very much. She scooted closer and placed her hand over his. Without taking his eyes off the fire, Talon turned his hand over and entwined their fingers together in a tight hold. Keeley squeezed his hand, letting him know that he wasn't alone; she was there.

"His cancer wasn't a big surprise," Talon went on, seeming to obtain comfort from Keeley's gesture. "He smoked at least a pack a day for years but it still hurt when..." his voice faltered, not being able to finish the sentence.

"That must have been tough. It sounds like the two of you were really close," she murmured, praying she was saying the right thing. She remembered when Nicky's dad had died. It had felt like she was constantly walking on eggshells.

"We were. We spent a lot of time together when I was little. He would take me to different war museums and exhibits on the weekends." His expression grew wistful. "I loved those times. We would spend the whole day just wandering around, looking at all the artifacts. Everyone in our family thought we were crazy for spending hours there."

Keeley looked at him in surprise. "Even your dad? I thought he would at least be interested. After all, he carries the family name."

Talon shrugged his shoulders. "All my dad cares about is football. He never understood why I'd rather hang out with Grandpa, looking at old war memorabilia, than throw a football around."

Keeley felt a wave of sympathy for Talon. It sounded like his grandfather was the only one to really understand him. "I'm sorry. Your dad should have at least tried to understand your passion." Keeley leaned into Talon, giving him a silent gesture of support.

Talon looked down at her, his eyes shining bright with gratitude. He brushed a stray tendril off her face, gently hooking it behind her ear. He let his thumb trail lightly down her neck as his hand dropped away. "And what about you, baby doll?" he asked in a husky voice. "What are you passionate about?"

Me?" Keeley breathed in surprise.

"No, the peeps," he responded dryly. "Yes, you."

"I don't really have a passion. Kind of pathetic, isn't it?" she asked ruefully.

"Oh come on, there has to be something," he cajoled. "What are you good at?"

"I'm not good at anything!" Keeley exclaimed with a hint of bitterness. "The only thing I excel at is reading. Whoop-dee-doo," she muttered sarcastically. "It's frustrating when everyone around me has a passion or a hobby and I have nothing. Nicky, for instance, already knows she wants to be a nurse. She's even taken a couple of nursing classes at the community college. And my brother Zach-"

She suddenly stopped midsentence when she noticed that Talon's head was reared back to give her the once over. Keeley's eyes narrowed. "You're picturing me in a nursing outfit right now, aren't you?" she asked indignantly.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a sly smile.

"Perv," she muttered, swatting his arm.

Talon leaned into her, letting his mouth briefly brush against her ear. "Only for you, baby doll," he whispered, his voice caressing her like velvet.

Keeley shivered involuntarily. Why did he keep teasing her like that?

"You were saying about Zach?" Talon prompted. There was a wicked gleam in his eye as if he already knew how much he affected her.

"R-Right. Zach," Keeley stuttered, trying to focus. "Football. He absolutely loves it. He already knows he's either going to play in the NFL or become a football coach. I feel like such a failure compared to them." She bit her lip, debating whether or not to tell him her true feelings. She didn't want to sound like a horrible person.

"What is it, baby doll?" Talon asked, picking up on her internal struggle. "You can tell me."

"Sometimes, I wish for them to fail," she admitted, feeling awful for even saying the words.

"Why?" he asked, his deep voice rumbling in Keeley's ear.

"Because it seems like everyone I know has a direction for their life. Why don't I? It makes me feel inferior. Shouldn't I already know what I want to major in?"

"Not everyone does. It could be a good thing you don't. My cousin decided to change her major mid-way through her junior year. Now she's in her fifth year of college, and still has another year to go before she can earn her degree."

"That sounds awful."

Talon chuckled, his voice reverberating in his chest. "My uncle was furious when she told him. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He did not want to pay for two extra years of college, especially because he has two other kids to support."

Feeling completely safe and at ease with Talon, Keeley lowered her head till it was resting against his shoulder. "Did he end up paying?" she asked, fighting back a yawn.

"Yeah. My uncle pretends to be a harda$s, but he's really a softy at heart." Talon smoothed her hair down and rested his head against hers.

The conversation lulled after that, both content to lean against each other in comfortable silence. Lost in their own thoughts, they watched as the bright orange flames burned down into a pile of glowing embers.

After a while, Talon lifted his head and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. "You ready to head in, baby doll?" he asked, his voice gruff as if he had just woken from a trance.

Keeley nodded and let Talon pull her up into a standing position. They walked hand in hand to Brent's apartment, which was only a couple blocks away.

"How are we going to get in?" Keeley whispered once they stopped in front of his door. "It's one in the morning. I feel bad if we have to wake him."

"I don't," Talon snorted. He pounded on the door, the noise echoing in the empty hallway.

Seconds later, Brent opened the door, his face somber. "Keeley?" he asked cautiously. "Can we talk for a minute in the hallway?" He glanced at Talon who was still holding her hand. "Alone."

Talon scowled and opened his mouth to object, but Keeley intercepted. "That's fine," she told Brent. She let Talon's hand go and gave him a gentle push to the doorway when he wouldn't budge. "It's fine, Talon," she whispered to him. "Go."

Talon relented and walked in the apartment, but not before giving Brent a hard look.

"Keeley, I'm so sorry about what happened at the party," Brent began, looking contrite. "Carrie and I just started dating and I wasn't-"

"It's fine," Keeley interrupted, not wanting to hear about Carrie. If he was seeing someone why hadn't he mentioned her? She certainly wouldn't have come down to visit him if she knew.

Brent shook his head. "No, it's not. I shouldn't have left you by yourself. I'm really sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Deep down, Keeley knew Brent wasn't a bad guy. He would never intentionally hurt her, but what he did at the party stung. He shouldn't have abandoned her in that fashion. But at least he was willing to apologize. She studied his face intently, searching for true remorse. Satisfied, she finally said, "You're forgiven."

Brent smiled, a look of relief flashed across his face. "Thanks Keeley. We better go in before Talon decides to bust down the door."

Keeley chuckled. "He is pretty protective."

"He's like a pit bull guarding his favorite chew toy," Brent joked, opening the door. "I set up a sleeping area for you two in the living room. There are blankets, pillows and a futon."

"Thanks Brent."

"No problem. Night Keeley."

As Keeley watched him walk away, she realized that Nicky was right. She didn't know Brent anymore. He wasn't the same guy in high school who would buy her ice cream and listen to her problems. She had been crushing on a memory. It was a bittersweet moment for her. Slowly, Keeley walked into the living room, digesting her sudden epiphany.

"Looks like we'll be sharing a bed tonight, baby doll," Talon said with a sultry smile, interrupting her thoughts. He was stretched out on the futon with piles of pillows and blankets surrounding him.

"The only thing we'll be sharing is air," Keeley countered. She yanked one of the blankets off the futon and went over to the couch in the corner of the room.

"Stop denying yourself. You know you want some of this," he responded confidently, winking at her.

Keeley rolled her eyes at his cocky behavior. She wouldn't even sleep with her ex-boyfriend. Did he really think she was going to sleep with him? "Goodnight Talon," she said dryly while turning off the light, plunging them into darkness.

Talon huffed loudly. "Night, baby doll."

For a while, the room was eerily silent except for the ticking of a clock.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Minutes dragged by, but Keeley couldn't fall asleep. The couch was lumpy and the clock was too loud. She pulled the blanket over her head, hoping to at least drown out the sound.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

She rolled over onto her side, trying to get more comfortable.

"Trouble, baby doll?" Talon's deep voice breaking through the silence.

"Can't fall asleep," she grumbled.

"My body getting you too hot and bothered?"

Keeley scowled into the darkness. "Don't flatter yourself. I can't get comfortable on this couch."

"Well in that case, why don't you come down here and join me? I bet I can make you feel really comfortable."

"I don't want to take the chance," Keeley replied evasively, ignoring his insinuation.

"Chance you won't be able to keep your hands off of me?"

"Chance of you wetting the bed," she retorted, remembering what his mother had said.

"I was a little kid!" he cried out.

Keeley snickered and turned over.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

She groaned and flipped onto her stomach. She was never going to fall asleep this way.

"Once upon a time, in a land-"

"Talon, what are you doing?" she interjected.

Keeley heard the rustle of sheets as Talon shifted on the futon. "Shh, baby doll. I'm telling you a bedtime story."

"You don't have to do that," she protested.

"And miss a chance to show off my amazing story telling skills? I don't think so. Now be quiet and be prepared to be amazed." He cleared his throat and began, "Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a dashing young lieutenant by the name of Fallon. He was everything a girl dreamed about-"

Keeley snorted.

"-smart, funny, rich and most importantly, extremely handsome. One day, the captain of his unit called him into his office. He had an important mission for the charming man. There was a beautiful young lady that needed rescuing. An evil man named Kent had kidnapped the girl, and held her hostage in his large fortress. Eager to save the damsel in distress, Fallon gathered his firearms and jumped in his Hummer MV-"

And in that moment, as Keeley listened to Talon tell her a bedtime story, all her resistance faded away. It was official. She liked Talon.

*******

"Next stop Main Street. Main Street next stop," an electronic voice announced over the intercom.

"Home, sweet home," Keeley declared. She glanced at Talon who was still passed out in his seat next to her. She didn't know how he could still be so tired. They had slept till noon and then gotten a quick bite to eat before catching the train back home.

"Talon. Wake up," she sang in his ear.

"Go away," he mumbled.

"Talon," she said again, this time louder. When he still didn't move, she nudged his side with her elbow.

His eyes immediately flew open. "Anyone ever tell you that you have exceptionally sharp elbows?"

"Anyone ever tell you that you sleep like the dead?"

"Well, maybe if you hadn't tired me out last night I'd have energy to stay awake," he replied loudly, the glimmer in his eyes letting her know his implication was on purpose.

"Maybe if you were doing it correctly, I would be passed out with you instead of wide awake," Keeley countered.

Talon burst out laughing, his eyes glowing with delight. "I'll take that into consideration for next time." He gave her a quick wink.

'Next time?' Keeley thought to herself. Was there going to be a next time? Were they going to hang out now that they were back home? Or were they going to go their separate ways?

The train pulled into the station and the two got their bags with relative ease.

"Do you need a ride home, baby doll?" he asked as soon as they walked onto the platform.

Keeley shook her head. "My brother is picking me up."

"Zach?" Talon asked, his blue eyes widening.

Keeley peered around Talon's large body. "He should be here. I texted him what time the train arrived."

A string of curse words flew out of Talon's mouth. He grabbed Keeley's shoulders with both hands, forcing her to look at him. "Keeley...I-I..." he faltered and rubbed a hand over his face, "Damn. Okay, listen, I...." he trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Keeley gave him an odd look. "What's wrong with you? It's not like you're meeting my parents or anything."

"Keeley-"

Keeley's eyes lit up as she saw her brother. She waved her hand in the air, trying to gain his attention. "Zach!" she shouted.

Zach gave her a chin nod and headed towards them.

"Keeley," Talon said urgently, "listen to me. I have to tell you something-"

"Hey Keels," Zach greeted, approaching them.

Talon's eyes closed for a brief second, his face a mixture of resignation and dread.

"Talon, I want you to meet my brother Zach. Zach, this is-"

"JT," Zach hissed, finishing her sentence. "What the hell are you doing with my sister?"

*******

A/N Most of you already guessed it but yes, Talon is JT. Can you guess what the J stands for? *Hint: He says it in a previous chapter*  Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote and comment! Have a great day! :)