Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 555 -

*Natalia*

I was doing my best not to dwell on Bianca's presence at the bakery, but it was hard. The way she had approached Tallon made my blood boil. She acted as if I wasn't standing right there with him.

His cold treatment of her did reassure me that he had no lingering feelings for her, but that didn't solve the problem. Bianca was clearly willing to insert herself into our business even when she clearly wasn't wanted. I couldn't help but think that she had only gone to the bakery because I had mentioned it to her the day before.

I felt like I was being paranoid, but I couldn't help it. There was something about Bianca that put me on edge. I think it was the intensity in her eyes when she had looked at Tallon, or even when she had said his name. There was something deeply concerning about the way she talked about him, and it filled me with dread.

I looked up from my plate of barely-touched food and saw that Tallon was glowering too. He had been visibly angry when Bianca started talking to him. She was still in the bakery after our cake tasting and tried to approach him again, but Tallon had ignored her completely and put his arm around me before hurrying out to the car.

I had the feeling that there was more to their breakup than he had told me, but I didn't want to pry.

The silence was too uncomfortable and I needed to break it somehow. "I'm glad that we were able to settle on a cake," I said.

"So am I," Tallon said. He looked up at me and smiled. "Even if we did end up choosing three flavors."

I smiled. In the end, I hadn't been able to make up my mind, so we decided to get a six-tier cake with three alternating flavors. We got a basic vanilla tier, and Tallon and I each chose our favorite option. It was a perfect compromise. I sighed. "It's just too bad Bianca ruined the mood," I muttered.

Tallon returned my sigh and leaned back in his chair. "I won't let her interfere," he said firmly. "She won't be a problem for us, I promise you that."

His tone left no room for argument. I wanted to be reassured by it, but I wasn't.

I shook my head. Tallon was underestimating how determined a woman scorned could be, but I knew firsthand. If Bianca had some kind of ax to grind, I didn't think we'd be able to stop her easily. The thought of her doing something to hurt or embarrass Tallon filled me with a kind of anger that I had rarely felt. It was almost frightening how defensive I felt.

It wasn't just that our wedding was important to both of us or that I wanted it to be a smooth start for our marriage. Bianca's sudden appearance felt like a threat to my relationship with Tallon, and that infuriated me.

I wasn't going to let anyone come between us. I had already made that clear. If this woman thought that she was going to come out of the woodwork after nearly a decade and stir up trouble, she had another thing coming.

I must have been glaring down at my plate because Tallon made a frustrated little sound that drew my attention. He was frowning when I looked up at him.

Tallon stood suddenly and walked over to me. He pulled my chair back and knelt in front of me, looking up into my eyes.

"I am not going to let that woman, or anyone else, ruin our day," he said seriously. "Nothing will come between us."

He placed his hands on my knees and waited for me to respond. After a few seconds, I smiled and started to giggle. He smiled victoriously and reached up, kissing me lightly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him in place as I deepened our kiss.

Tallon made a surprised sound and leaned into me. I couldn't help but cling on to this contact. This is what mattered most, after all. Tallon and I were in love. That's why the wedding mattered. That's why I was so nervous about Bianca's sudden appearance. I wanted my wedding to set the tone for our marriage. I wanted it to be perfect.

Tallon stood up slowly, pulling me to my feet with him. He continued to kiss me as he backed me into the nearest wall. I could feel how warm my face had gotten, and I was embarrassed by the desperate little sounds that were slipping out of me, but I didn't want to stop.

He slid his hands up my outer thighs and pushed my dress up around my waist. I dug my nails into his back, careful not to hurt him, but trying to urge him to keep going.

I whined and arched against him, but frustratingly, he pulled away from the kiss. He began kissing my jaw, making me moan more.

As he kissed down my neck, he pushed my dress up further. His hands skimmed over my sides, making me shudder.

I was surprised that he was taking things so far right here in the dining room, but I wasn't about to complain. I needed the reassurance that Tallon wanted me, and this was certainly showing how strong the attraction was.

He pushed my dress over my head and bit lightly at my collarbone. I arched my back and gasped at the feel of his body pressed against mine. The heat growing between us was incredible... and I wanted more.

I pulled him as close as I could and kissed him. He grabbed my waist and lifted me up, pinning me to the wall firmly. I wrapped my legs around him, hooking my ankles behind his back to hold myself up. Tallon gripped my upper thighs and held me effortlessly. The show of strength sent heat coursing through me. I needed to feel him closer and I needed it now.

"Take me to bed," I said breathlessly.

"Too far," he muttered.

He pulled me away from the wall and started walking. I wasn't paying attention to where we were going. My focus was on nipping at the side of his neck and making him groan.

It made me feel strangely powerful to get such a reaction out of him.

We passed through a doorway and I realized that Tallon had brought me into one of the rarely used sitting rooms in the house. He lowered me onto a couch and wasted no time in pinning me down.

I lifted my hips to allow him to remove the last of my clothing and pulled him in eagerly as he settled himself between my legs. I needed to feel him closer. We both needed to reaffirm our connection.

The rest of the world didn't matter. Nothing outside of this room mattered, not right now. Tallon was the most important person in my life, and I believed that he felt the same way about me.

I just wanted to be with him right now. The wedding could wait. Bianca wasn't important. Tallon's body against mine was everything.

His powerful thrusts pulled desperate sounds from me as we moved together. My nails dug into his shoulders as I tried to urge him on. He kept his rhythm slow and steady and I did my best to keep pace with him, even though I wanted to move faster. I also wanted this to last, so keeping the pace slower was the best option.

I let my hands rove over Tallon's body, loving the feeling of his taut, warm skin beneath my fingers.

He held himself up on the back of the couch as he moved and gazed down at me. His intense attention made me feel like I was on display, but the feeling was welcomed because it was Tallon.

I would never grow tired of the way he looked at me. He made me feel so precious and beautiful.

I adjusted the angle of my hips and moaned wantonly as Tallon hit the perfect spot inside of me. He grinned at my reaction and snapped his hips forward with greater speed and force.

The increased pace made me shake and gasp beneath him.

Just as I was about to finish, Tallon stopped moving. I wanted to scream in frustration. I opened my eyes and stared at him in confusion.

He kissed me firmly, then pulled back. There were emotions warring in his expression, and I got the feeling that he wanted to say something. I reached up and gently ran my fingers down the side of his handsome face.

He didn't have to speak; I understood what he wanted to say. It was the same thing that I had been thinking. As long as we were together, everything else would work out. We could make everything else work for us, as long as we had this connection between us.

I pulled him into another kiss and he started to move again, a little slower, but with much stronger thrusts.

I held onto him tightly as he hit that spot inside of me that drove me wild. It only took a few seconds for me to come undone. I threw my head back and cried out breathlessly as my body began to shake.

Tallon held onto my legs and continued to move until my quivering brought him over the edge as well.

We held onto each other as we both rode out the pleasure.

After a few minutes of panting, Tallon pushed himself back and sat heavily beside me. I pulled my unsteady legs under me and leaned against his side.

"I love you," I said softly.

He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "I love you," he replied.

I smiled. "I can't wait to be your wife," I said.

Tallon smiled and gripped my chin lightly, lifting my head for a gentle kiss.

"Be patient, my love," he said. "You're going to be the most stunning bride that anyone has ever seen."

"Only because I'm marrying such an incredible man," I replied.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Tallon stood and held his hand out to me.

I took his outstretched hand and he pulled me to my feet, then wrapped his arms around me and kissed me deeply.

I put my arms around him and returned the kiss with a rapidly growing heat.

When I pulled back, he was grinning lasciviously at me. "I believe you told me to take you to bed," he said.

I smirked. "I did." I reached up and ran my fingers lightly through his hair. He leaned into my touch and grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer. "Then let's go," he said. "Because I am far from finished with you tonight."