Forever and Ever (Complete #1-7)

by E. L. Todd

  “Is Conrad going to take over the empire, then?”

  “I don’t know…I don’t listen to him very often.”

  He chuckled and his eyes lightened. “You’re funny. I like a girl that can make me laugh. It’s the biggest turn-on.”

  My cheeks blushed slightly. I was used to criticism but not praise. When Slade started to compliment me left and right, it was difficult to adjust. “Can I ask you something, Scott?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why are you just noticing me now? I’ve known you for almost a year.”

  “No, I’ve always noticed you.” The humor was gone. “I was just on and off with this girl before…”

  Oh, now it made sense.

  “And your brother told me you were available, so I decided to swoop in before someone else did.”

  These were words I’d longed to hear but now they meant nothing. The only person I enjoyed being around was Slade. He understood me in a way that transcended words and communication. Just a look was enough to tell him what I wanted and needed. It was a relationship stronger than friendship, even stronger than love. But if you asked me to describe it or label it with words, I’d be speechless.

  “How about we go to dinner tomorrow night? If you’re free, of course.”

  How do I get out of this? If I rejected him, he would tell my brother, who in turn would tell Roland, who would in turn tell Skye… Nothing in this family was a secret, I swear. In order to keep up pretenses, I knew I had to do it. After I saw him once, I could just blow him off and make an excuse. “Sure. That sounds nice.”

  He smiled in a genuine way. “Awesome. You like burgers?”

  “Duh.”

  He laughed. “I have a feeling this date is going to go well.” He pulled out his phone. “Can I score your digits?”

  I glanced at Slade. He looked like an angry bull about to charge Scott to the ground. I quickly turned back to Scott and gave him the number.

  “Excellent. I look forward to it.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven. And are you down for bowling?”

  Bowling? “Uh, yeah, that’s fun.”

  “Cool. We’ll have a good time.”

  I nodded, trying to figure out a way to get away from him.

  “You want to get out of here and get a cup of coffee or something?”

  What excuse did I have to say no? “Well, this is my house…I can’t just leave it.” That was pretty good.

  “Let’s run through the drive-thru at Starbucks then sit outside.”

  Damn. “Uh, sure.”

  “Cool.” He headed to the front door, and I trailed behind him. When I glanced over my shoulder, Slade looked like he might burn down the house and trap Scotty inside it. I quickly shut the door behind me, unable to look at his face a moment longer.

  We sat on the bricks in front of my house, facing the yard. The distant sound of the bass thudded from inside the house. It was nice to hear the sound of the crickets and passing cars.

  “You have parties pretty often.” He sipped his black coffee while one arm rested on his knee.

  “Yeah, I feel pressured to do it most of the time. I know a lot of my friends have apartments and it’s just difficult to cram everyone into a tight space. This will probably be the last one I’ll host.”

  “That’s too bad,” he said. “But you got to put yourself first.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Conrad mentioned you went on a few dates with some old guy?”

  I tried not to laugh. “He wasn’t old. He was twenty-seven. My brother always exaggerates things.”

  “Why didn’t it work out?”

  I shrugged. “He wasn’t my type.”

  He nudged my side gently and winked. “Am I your type?”

  My lips spread into a grin. “Well, I do like your arms.”

  He flexed one bicep. “It’s all that rowing.”

  “Impressive.” I nodded then looked across the lawn again.

  “What do you do to stay in great shape? Your body is a perfect ten.”

  His comment rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps I was used to tame comments from Slade like “beautiful” and “pretty.” He even made me feel beautiful without actually saying it. Just a look or a touch told me what he was thinking. Crude comments no longer made me feel desirable. “I like running.”

  “How far do you run?”

  “Five miles a day.”

  “Damn.” His eyes widened. “That’s far.”

  “You should see the bottoms of my feet. They’re torn up.”

  “Let me give you a foot rub.”

  Was that a joke? “My feet are ugly right now. You don’t want to see them.”

  “Come on, a beautiful girl like you deserves to be pampered.” He grabbed my legs and pulled them over his.

  “Whoa…okay.”

  He pulled my boots off then rubbed my foot through the sock.

  It felt good…really good…but it was still weird. “Thanks…”

  “No problem.” He rubbed the sole of my foot then the heel.

  Skye and Cayson stepped out of the house, followed by Slade.

  “You guys look cozy.” Skye was lighting up the lawn with her smile. I could tell she was thrilled by Scott’s interest in me. She cared more about my love life than I did.

  “She’s got cute feet.” Scott continued to rub them.

  Slade’s eyes were darker than I’d ever seen them. His jaw was clenched tight, and he looked like he might rip Scott’s face off.

  This was super awkward…

  “Let’s leave these guys alone.” Skye tugged on Cayson. “Let’s go home and I’ll give you a massage.”

  “I won’t say no to that.” Cayson held her hand in his own.

  Slade stayed put then a loud growl escaped his lips.

  Scott stopped then eyed Slade. “You alright, man…?”

  Without saying a word, Slade stormed off into the darkness.

  I sighed and felt my heart fall. I didn’t want to sit on these bricks while Scott rubbed my feet. I wanted to share my bed with Slade while we whispered to each other. I wanted to feel his warmth, his embrace. Keeping our relationship a secret was becoming painful and heartbreaking.

  I wasn’t sure if I could do it anymore.

  The next morning, Slade burst through the front door. If I didn’t know him, I would assume he’d come to my house to murder me in cold blood.

  I rose from the couch then cleared my throat. “I know this is—”

  The maniacal gleam in his eyes shut me up. “I. Don’t. Like. This.”

  “I don’t either…”

  “I don’t want you to see him again. Period.” His arms were shaking by his sides.

  “I don’t want to either but—”

  “Did something happen last night?” he demanded. “Did he kiss you?”

  “I want to answer but I assume you’re going to cut me off,” I snapped.

  He growled. “I’m not in the mood for your attitude, Trinity.”

  I knew feeding Slade’s fire with my own wouldn’t help. “He didn’t kiss me.”

  “You looked pretty fucking cozy while he rubbed your feet.”

  “Stop acting like a crazy, jealous boyfriend.”

  He took a deep breath like he was about to roar. “I am your boyfriend. And I will be jealous if I choose. I will be a fucking psychopath if I feel like it. You. Are. Mine.”

  I was winded by his heated words. “You’re my boyfriend?” That was something I didn’t think he could give me. I knew he said he would try, but I was still surprised the words flew out of his mouth. “I thought you didn’t do the girlfriend thing?”

  “Well, I changed my mind.” His hands were clenched into fists. “I didn’t like it when you saw Reid, and somehow, I like this less. I don’t want you to see him anymore. I mean it. I’ll kill him, Trinity. I swear to god I’ll do it.”

  “Okay, I won’t.”

  He released the air he was holding
in his chest.

  “After tonight…”

  The aggression immediately returned. “No. And no means no.”

  “I have to go out with him at least once.”

  “Says who?” He was practically screaming.

  “Everyone will think it doesn’t make sense. Why would I blow him off?”

  “That’s right, because you have a crush on him.” He made a face like a bratty child.

  Skye must have brought that up. “I don’t feel that way anymore.”

  “I don’t give a shit. It’s one thing to go out with a guy that you couldn’t care less about it, but the fact that you had a thing for him makes it unacceptable. How would you feel if I went out with an ex?”

  “I wouldn’t like it at all,” I said honestly. “But I can’t do anything about it now. I have to go out with him.”

  He gripped his skull and paced my living room.

  “Slade, it’ll be fine. Be calm.”

  “I don’t want him to touch you. And kissing is out of the question.”

  “That’s fine.” I’d never seen him get this upset before.

  He stopped pacing and stared at the wall. His hand was fisted in his hair and he seemed lost in thought. Then he turned back to me. “Fuck this. Let’s just come clean and tell everyone. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. If your father hunts me down, then I’ll deal with it.”

  “And you think that’s a better alternative than me just seeing him for a few hours?” I asked incredulously. “We both know we aren’t ready for that. What am I supposed to tell people? That we’re exclusive fuck buddies?”

  “That we are boyfriend and girlfriend,” he said firmly.

  “But that doesn’t mean this will go anywhere…”

  “Trinity, I said I would try,” he spat. “Give me more time. I can’t give you a house in the country and a picket fence right this damn second.”

  “I understand that.” I tried to stay calm so he would stay calm. “But I can’t take the heat and drama our confession will cause unless I know…this is a for-sure thing.”

  “Nothing is certain,” he said darkly.

  “No…but some are more likely than others. I can’t look my dad in the eye and explain what this is unless I can tell him you’re giving me everything I want. Right now, I can’t. I know you’re frustrated and so am I. But that’s not the answer.”

  He sighed then fell on the couch. “You’re right…”

  I walked closer to him. “I’m always right.”

  A slight smile crept on to his lips. He tried to hide it, but it still came through. “I wouldn’t say that…”

  I moved into his lap then wrapped my arms around his neck. He immediately grabbed me and pulled me to his chest, just like he had a hundred times.

  “It’s just dinner,” I whispered. “Then it’ll be done.”

  “Eat fast.”

  “Well, I hardly eat, so that will take even less time.”

  He leaned back into the couch and held me close to him. “Why do you have to be such a looker? Every guy at that party was staring at you like they had to have you. It’s damn annoying.” He clenched his jaw.

  “No one was staring at me.” That I knew of…

  He guffawed. “How are you so blind? I know you aren’t very bright, but damn.”

  “I’m not blind,” I argued.

  “You were the most beautiful woman in the room last night. Actually, you’re the most beautiful woman in every room. Every guy knows it.”

  Slade got sweeter and sweeter as time went on. “I appreciate the compliment but—”

  “Why do you think everyone assumes you want to be a model?”

  I shrugged. “I guess it’s a reasonable assumption.”

  He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the same time. “You’re a stupid girl.”

  I hit his arm. “Hey!”

  He smirked. “Was that supposed to hurt?”

  “Oh, I’ll hurt you if I really want to.”

  He leaned closer to me, his face pressed to mine. “Is that a threat?”

  For a second, I forgot what we were talking about. His ridiculously handsome face and cocky smirk changed the course of my thoughts. His usual scent came into my nose and made me light-headed. Whenever he was close to me, I was always lovestruck. Logic and reason fell out of my head like heavy bricks. “I could take you…”

  He chuckled. “With these bony arms and thin legs? Yeah, right.”

  I pushed him to the couch and pinned him down. “Look who’s bony now?”

  He gave me that smirk I’d come to cherish. I saw it in my dreams and my waking moments. “You know I’m letting you win, right? I’m a gentleman.”

  “Ha, gentleman my ass.”

  His eyes narrowed then he flipped me over, moving on top of me. “If you aren’t going to appreciate it then I’m not going to bother.” He pressed my hands into the cushion and used his body to hold me down.

  I squirmed underneath him, trying to break free from his heavy mass. “God, you’re such a fat ass.”

  “Fat ass?” he asked incredulously. “I don’t think pounds of muscle qualify as fat.”

  “Whatever, fatty.”

  He growled at me. “Keep it up and I’m really going to make you pay.”

  “Ooh, I’m so scared,” I said sarcastically.

  One of his large hands grabbed both of my wrists then he held the other above my ribs. A threatening look came into his eye. “I hope you don’t have to pee.”

  The horror came into my thoughts. “Don’t you dare tickle me! You know how ticklish I am.”

  “Well, you should have thought about that before you called me a fatty.” He inched his hand closer. The anticipation was worse than the touch itself.

  “No!” I squirmed, trying to get away. “Don’t do it.”

  “This is how it has to be…”

  “No!”

  His fingers dug into my ribs and tickled me with no mercy.

  I laughed uncontrollably, trying to fight the sensation that set my body on fire. It made me seize up and flinch like I was having a seizure. Tears moved down my face while his fingers did the work. “Stop!” I tried to roll him off. “Stop.”

  “Never.” He kept going.

  “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry.”

  “Nope, you aren’t going to get off that easily.” His hand moved to my stomach. “I want more than that.”

  “You aren’t a fatty!”

  “And what am I?” He didn’t let up.

  “The sexiest and most handsome man I’ve ever seen!” I continued to roll under his touch.

  “And…?”

  “Amazing in bed.”

  “Good…good.” His hands were torturing me. “What else?”

  “And you have pretty eyes.”

  His hand stopped. “Pretty eyes? You can do better than that.” He tickled me again.

  “You have a huge dick!”

  He smirked. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  “And you make me happier than I’ve ever been in my life!”

  His hand finally stopped. He looked down at me, the shadow moving into his eyes. They constricted slightly, showing an emotion that couldn’t be interpreted. He leaned over me and pressed his head to mine.

  Wordlessly, he lifted up my dress then pulled down his jeans. My panties were yanked off and he moved between my legs, positioning our bodies as close together as possible. His lips sought mine then he slipped inside me, moving slowly. One hand fisted my hair while he rocked me gently, taking his time and not rushing it.

  My hand moved up his shirt and felt the burn of his skin. My nails dug into him gently, leaving marks but not drawing blood. Quiet moans escaped my lips while he did incredible things to my lips and my body.

  He brushed his lips past mine then looked into my eyes as he continued to please me. Then he sealed his mouth over mine in another heated embrace. Taking his time, we moved together on the couch, clinging to each other like we were des
perate for the touch.

  The relationship with Slade was completely different than it was when we first got together. Now the sex was slow and gentle, not maniacal and crazy. When he moved inside me, he always kissed me. His hands wrapped around me and squeezed me like he feared I’d slip away. Getting off didn’t seem to matter to him. The moment stretched between us, hurting both of us as much as it pleased us. It was indescribable. When I tried to understand our relationship, I couldn’t. It was a paradox. When I looked at Skye and Cayson, I realized our relationship was nothing like theirs. But that wasn’t a bad thing. While we were complicated, heated, and stubborn, there was so much underneath. There was passion, trust, and friendship. Our relationship wasn’t traditional, but that didn’t make it bad. If anything, the connection I had with Slade was stronger.

  I tried to pretend I wasn’t attached to him, that if he walked away, it wouldn’t make me blink an eye. But I knew in my heart, while he took me on the couch like he loved me, that I would be devastated if he ever left.

  And I would never recover.

  “What are you getting?”

  When I woke up this morning, Slade made breakfast and put the tray on the nightstand. The smell of eggs and bacon woke me up, and when I saw Slade’s face, my heart ached. He leaned in and kissed me on the forehead…

  “Trinity?”

  “Huh?” My thoughts were shattered as I looked across the table at Scott.

  He cocked an eyebrow. “You alright?”

  “I’m sorry, my mind is elsewhere today…”

  “And where is it?”

  I just wanted to blurt that I was seeing someone and that this date was pointless, but I couldn’t. I knew he would tell my brother. There was no doubt about it. “It’s for my fashion stuff…”

  He nodded then looked back at the menu. “Where are you getting? I’m getting the mushroom burger.”

  I looked through the items even though I wasn’t hungry. “The house salad looks good.”

  “A salad?” he asked incredulously. “I like my women to eat, not munch on rabbit food.”

  To avoid an argument about my eating preferences I said, “Avocado burger looks good.”

  “That’s better.”

  Slade never cared what I ate or didn’t eat. It was nice.