Chapter 26

Women, Taker would never understand them.

It was obvious they were, for all wants and purposes, engaged, she just had to hear him say it. He hadn't and wouldn't, he didn't see the need to state the obvious. If he could have put a semi-permanent tattoo on her forehead that said 'in a committed relationship', he might've considered having it done. Once she had started eating, Taker did too, smirking slightly to himself. Just wait...he eventually was going to inform her he wanted enough sons to start his own basketball team.

If Taker thought he was having a basketball team full of sons, he was out of his mind. Lavani was not good with kids, never had been. She would have two at the most and it wouldn't be for quite awhile. They definitely had to talk about everything before getting married and making this huge commitment to each other.

Once dinner was finished, Lavani cleaned up while Taker went to the bedroom, both of them exhausted from the trip. She did the dishes, cleared off the table, counter and stove before shutting the lights off, padding toward the bedroom to join him. They were completely alone, just the two of them, and Lavani didn't want it any other way.

While she had been downstairs cleaning his kitchen, Taker had been drawing her a bath. He did have romantic moments and, as far as being a kidnapper went, he was undoubtedly the worst one in history. When she padded into the bedroom, he walked over to take Lavani by the hands, gently guiding her into the bathroom.

They were both tired from the trip and Taker knew love making could wait until they were better rested. Right now, he wanted to relax her and himself. He had used her favorite bubble bath, scattered a few candles about the room and kept the lights off. It wasn't anything overly fancy, but it would do.

It was a rather large tub with jets in it, which were already going, building the bubbles and aroma of lilacs throughout the bathroom. It was so beautiful. Lavani felt Taker's hands push her t-shirt up until his hands came in contact with the smooth skin of her sides, leaning back against him.

His touch felt amazing.

Lavani couldn't help melting against him every time his hands came in contact with her. Once her shirt was off, Taker turned her around to brush his lips against hers and Lavani reached out to unsnap his jeans, the belt already off from earlier. She pushed them down and then allowed him to remove her panties before taking his hand.

Walking up the few steps, Lavani stepped into the tub with him following, bubbles instantly engulfing her. Taker sank down behind her, inwardly wincing at how hot the water was, but she enjoyed rather hot baths, so he'd suffer in silence. He reached out to pull Lavani back against his chest, running his wet hands down her arms until he could lace his fingers with hers, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"If kidnapping is the way to get a vacation like this...I'm going to be doing it more often." Taker murmured, knowing no 'kidnapping' would be required once he had beaten John Layfield into a vegetative state.

"I look forward to it."

Lavani moaned, snuggling against him and reached up to turn the faucet off once the tub was filled, leaving the jets on though. She moved to straddle his lap, running water up his muscular chest and shoulders, sighing when he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Lavani broke it and pressed her finger to his lips, toffee eyes darkening to a chocolate brown swirling with desire.

"As your prisoner, I think I'm required to give you anything you want," She paused, brushing against him and could feel how hard he was beneath the water. "So tell me what you want from me and I'll do it."

Talking was overrated and he showed her what he wanted, his hands disappearing beneath the water. Taker raised her ever so slightly, one hand guiding himself until he was pressing against her. He stared down at her, seeing her lips curved into a little pout and then leaned back, draping his arms along the edge of the tub. Hmm, maybe talking wasn't overrated because she did look like she wanted to be told a few things.

"Ride me, Vani." Taker ordered, feeling her hands pressing against his chest.

Whatever he wanted, Lavani gave him with a smile on her face, both of them using the tub to their advantage. Two hours later, they lay in the huge king sized bed wrapped in each other's arms completely naked. Her head rested against his chest over his heart, an arm draped over his waist while his hand ran up and down her spine, his cheek pressed against the top of her wet head.

"This is perfect." She whispered, snuggling further against him and never wanted to move as Taker pulled the comforter up over both of them. "Mark, I don't want to wait to marry you." Slowly looking up to meet his eyes, Lavani smiled as she ran the pad of her thumb across his lips. "I want to be your wife as soon as possible."

Well that wasn't exactly what he had been expecting to hear so soon, not after them both stating the need to wait earlier. However, Taker wasn't going to deny he wasn't pleased to hear it. He held her tightly against him, catching her thumb between his lips and then let go, bending down to kiss her forehead.

"Before we go back to work, we will be married." He promised quietly. "If that's what you truly want." Taker was giving her the option of changing her mind, not about marrying him, but the time.

~!~

Over the next few weeks, so many things had happened and that included getting married to Taker. It was a small ceremony, they had found a chapel in the town they were currently in and were wedded. She wore a long sleeved white dress that went to her knees while Taker wore black jeans with a black thermal long sleeved shirt. It was simple, sweet and to the point.

Taker had gotten a beautiful ring made for her and it actually matched the necklace she wore. The stone was all different colors, pure diamond and set on a silver band. It was a multicolored stone that was in the shape of a teardrop, everything about it related to her.

She was now Mrs. Mark Calaway/Mrs. Undertaker and it felt amazing. It was the night before they were supposed to go back on the road and Lavani was in the bedroom packing up their things, deep in thought about what was to come. She just hoped everything went according to plan because, if John found out she was married to Taker before the right time, the whole plan would go up in smoke.

If John found out she was married to him before the plan went through, he would do one of three things. He would either walk away, knowing he had been played and count himself fortunate that he was still breathing. He would seek revenge and try to harm Lavani as a way to both punish her and get to Taker. Or, he would point blank refuse to budge on the contract/title match and continue being a pain in Taker's ass.

The second two options were sure fire ways to wind up dead. He walked into the bedroom, freezing in the door to stare at her. His wife. Lavani was his wife. Taker folded his arms over his chest, just watching her, hoping this wasn't a dream. Lavani had stopped to stare down at the ring, hardly believing it was true.

She didn't feel any marriage remorse setting in, Taker was her soul mate and always had been. Even with Vince trying to keep her away from him during his Ministry Days and barely succeeding to do so, going so far as to toss his daughter at Taker for storyline purposes instead of her, they still wound up together. Everything about the ring on her finger felt right and Lavani couldn't help smiling. Admiring how it glittered on her finger under the bedroom light, Lavani moved it back and forth to see the different colors reflecting.

When Taker realized what she was doing, he felt himself beginning to smile. He wore a simple wedding band, not about to sport anything overly gaudy like he had seen other married men do. Married men, he was married and he glanced down at his own plain ring, on the inside her name etched along with the date of their marriage in the metal. He walked up behind her, encircling her waist with his arms and watched her continue to admire her ring.

"Like it?" Taker chuckled, knowing she did.

"Of course I do, like I wouldn't?" Lavani retorted, not able to wipe the smile from her face. She was Taker's wife.

It was crazy, wonderful and surreal all at the same time.

Leaning back against him, Lavani felt his lips and nose brush against her neck, letting her eyes drift shut at the incredible sensation of the little hairs from his goatee tickling her soft flesh. Nobody ever made her feel the way Taker did and nobody ever would. One of the many reasons why she wanted to marry him, to be bound to him, even after death.

"If you don't stop distracting me, I'm never going to get this packing done." Not that she wanted to because Lavani really did not want to go back on the road, just wanting to stay nestled here with her husband for the rest of their days. "I love you honey, but you're a distraction and we have a very early flight."

Hell, her ring was also a distraction, but Lavani wasn't about to say that aloud, smirking when Taker merely pointed to the ring on her finger before continuing his assault on her neck. That ring was the distraction, how dare she insinuate that he could be the reason she wasn't thinking or operating on her full mental capacity. Taker smirked slightly against her skin, hearing her exasperated sigh and finally pulled away.

"Fine, finish what you were doing." He mock sighed, shaking his head dejectedly. "Not even married a week and already you're telling me no." He couldn't resist the jibe, laughing outright when Lavani whirled around to stare up at him, her mouth open. Chuckling, he tapped her chin lightly. "Flies will get in, darlin'."

Raising a slow brow, Lavani suddenly pushed the suitcase full of neatly folded clothes off the bed to the floor and reached up to bring her husband's lips crashing down on hers. Her husband. Lavani still couldn't get over it, giggling against his lips when Taker instantly took over the kiss, her back landing on the bed moments later.

There was no way she could deny him anything and the packing could definitely wait until later. She wouldn't get any sleep and neither would he, but sleep was overrated quite frankly. Lavani felt her shirt being removed and blinked when Taker suddenly pulled back, leaning up on her elbows with swollen lips and darkened caramel eyes.

"NOW who is refusing who, dear husband of mine?"

"Me." Taker snickered, grunting when two tiny fists came crashing down on his chest and immediately caught them. "Domestic assault? Really, Vani?" He drawled, pulling her against him before rolling onto his back, taking her with him.

He let go of Lavani's wrists in order to slide his hands down her back until he was cupping her ass in his palms, arching his hips against her. Married, they were married. He could repeat that to himself a hundred times, which he had, plus some so far, and it still seemed surreal.

"You are impossible, I hope you know that." Lavani grunted, her golden auburn hair pooling around both their faces in a curtain, and kissed him passionately until they were both breathless. "I love you, but you are truly impossible." Tapping his cheek lightly, Lavani hopped up from his lap and left him laying there while she picked the suitcase up, beginning to refold the clothes. "Why don't you go hop in the shower while I finish this up?" She suggested, both of them already having a wonderful steak dinner earlier and had actually fell asleep curled up on the couch for a few hours afterwards.

Food comatose was a bitch.

He arched an eyebrow, considering that. Finally, Taker simply nodded, rolling off the bed and onto his feet. Taker stretched his arms over his head, hearing something popping in his back and let out a contented sigh. He was a bit glad they were going back on the road, it meant no more home cooked meals.

Lavani would wind up making him fat with her cooking and desserts; he was less inclined to work out when he was around her. Unless, of course, she was in the nearby vicinity watching. Taker remembered quite well how she used to stare at him when he was working out, or warming up for a match, the thought bringing a slight smile to his lips.

Lavani couldn't help thinking back to the time she went to work out and Taker had scared her, making her punch him in the chest. It was one of the many times she saw a different side to him, a side she wanted to get to know better and see more often, which she had. Of course, she didn't like the fact he'd gone back to his Deadman persona with the black hair.

As gorgeous as he was, no matter what, Lavani missed his deep auburn red hair and his whole biker look. Granted, he still dressed like that, but it just wasn't the same and the fact he had to wear black eyeliner...it just didn't seem natural to her. Lavani finished packing and zipped the bag, already in her sleeping attire and climbed into bed, shutting the light off. Tomorrow was going to be very tense and stressful, she was going to need all the sleep she could get, as well as Taker.

Long after his new wife had fallen asleep, Taker remained awake, laying quietly on his back. One hand beneath his head, Taker stared up at the ceiling in the darkness, the other wrapped tenderly around her. Lavani lay on her side, her head resting on his shoulder, one of her arms draped over him.

Taker would never move because he didn't want to wake her, but he was glad the numbness had gone past tingling into nothing because that had been irritating. Going back to work no longer seemed high on his list of priorities. He rather liked how things were now and could just imagine all the ways Layfield could mess this up. His eyes narrowed, knowing the gentler side he had displayed openly for her was about to be shelved until this was resolved.