by Todd, E. L.
I felt my cheeks blush.
“Nevermind,” he said quickly. “Just get your ass over here.” He hung up.
Sean looked at his watch. “Dang, we’re late.”
“You were the one who wanted to make love for an hour.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Definitely not,” I said quickly.
“That’s what I thought,” he said with a grin. He grabbed our bags then opened the door. I grabbed a small suitcase that had wheels, allowing it to be rolled. Sean acted like I just stole his favorite baseball jersey. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What?”
“Put that down.”
I rolled my eyes. “It has wheels, Sean. It’s not heavy.”
He stepped up to me, looking down at me. “Put. It. Down.”
“You’re so annoying.”
He grabbed my face and kissed me hard, pushing me against the wall. “You want to make love for another hour?”
“If this is your idea of punishment, you’re really bad at discipline.”
He locked his gaze onto mine. “Let me make myself clear. My wife doesn’t carry anything—ever.”
“But I’m not your wife.”
“You’re as good as.” He grabbed the bags again then stared at me, daring me to touch anything.
I rolled my eyes again. “You’re acting like I’m pregnant or something.”
“It’ll be much worse when you’re pregnant.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t have kids, then.”
He had a big smirk on his face. “I’ll get you pregnant anyway.”
“I’m on birth control.”
“If I come inside you enough times it’ll work.”
His words made my spine shiver even though they were borderline psychotic.
He walked down to the street and grabbed a cab. He threw everything inside before he came back up to the apartment and grabbed the rest of it. I stood there and waited.
“You can lock the door,” he said.
“Wow. What an important job,” I said sarcastically. “I’m so glad I could help out so much.”
“I’m going to fuck your ass on the plane.”
“I still don’t see the bad side to this. The more sassy I am, the more I get fucked?”
“Just lock the door,” he said as he walked down the wall.
I smiled as I turned the key, knowing I was winning the argument. I came beside him then reached the street. He opened the door for me and let me inside before he stuffed the suitcases in the trunk. He came beside me and told the driver the address to the airport.
I adjusted my scarf and placed my hands in my lap.
“I like what you’re wearing,” he said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
I was wearing black boots that didn’t have a heel, skinny jeans, a brown cardigan, and a green scarf. I curled my hair and styled it, making it bigger than usual. Sean always complimented my appearance and told me when I looked nice. Every time I got a haircut, he noticed. “Thanks.”
He placed his hand on my thigh. “But the pants are going to be difficult to get out of on the plane.”
I rolled my eyes. “We aren’t having sex on the plane.”
“You’ve said that twice now. And both times, I fucked you like an animal.”
“I mean it.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“Who are you kidding, babe?”
I knew he was right but I kept up the act anyway. “Just drop it. We’re going to be caught and banned from the airlines.”
“Which will make a great story later.”
“To who? We aren’t telling anyone.”
“We’ll tell our kids when they’re older.”
“Is that a joke?”
He smiled. “Come on, Scar. Lighten up. It’s okay to be adventurous.”
“Having sex in a public place is illegal.”
He shrugged. “Well, I’ve already been arrested once. It isn’t so bad.”
I looked out the window and ignored him. He placed his hand on my thigh then leaned into me. I could smell his cologne. Whenever we were in close proximity, my thoughts turned lustful.
“Okay. I’ll drop it.”
I looked at him. “Really?”
“Yeah. But I have a feeling you’ll want to anyway.”
“I’m not as slutty as you think.”
He laughed. “Yeah okay.”
I was a total slut and I knew it. I guess it was pointless to hide it.
The cab stopped at the airport and Sean grabbed the bags from the trunk before we walked inside. He was carrying everything and I felt ridiculous walking next to him, not holding a single bag. It looked like I was a duchess and he was a servant. I probably looked like a huge bitch.
“About time,” Ryan said as we reached them. “You’re lucky the flight was delayed.”
Sean set down the bags. “Sorry about that.”
Janice smiled at us. “Doing the nasty-nasty?”
I felt my cheeks redden. “We just lost track of time.”
Janice smiled. “Sean has good endurance.”
Ryan looked at her. “What?”
She looked uncomfortable. “I just meant because they were taking so long.”
Ryan stared at her for a moment before he looked away, assuaged by her words. “I have endurance too, baby. I just knew we were in a hurry this morning.”
“I wasn’t comparing,” she said as she patted his shoulder.
Cortland came over with Monnique on his arm. “Are you ready for the weirdest bachelor party ever?” he asked Sean.
He nodded. “I think it’ll be fun.”
Monnique squeezed Cortland’s arm. “I promised I’d give him a private show.”
Cortland smiled. “I look forward to it.”
“I feel like we’re on a couples retreat,” Ryan said.
“You know you wanted me to come,” Janice said.
I realized someone was missing. “Where’s Mike?”
Cortland looked around. “He’s around here somewhere.”
“Here,” he said as he walked up. “I was scouting the passengers for some honeys. You know, since this is going to be the lamest bachelor party of all time.”
“It won’t be lame!” Janice said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Mike looked at Sean. “I miss my brother.”
“The horndog?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Nothing’s changed. I’m still a perv, but I only get my kicks from Scarlet.”
“Maybe we should share.”
Sean glared at him.
Mike raised his hands. “Can’t take a joke either. I got it.”
“Should we check in?” Scarlet asked.
“Yeah,” Sean said as he grabbed the bags.
“You need a hand?” Cortland asked.
“That would be appreciated.”
I glared at Sean. “So you let him help, but I can’t touch anything?”
“Just stand here and look pretty,” Sean said with a smile.
“You’re so annoying,” I said with a sigh.
“Remember what I said about the plane,” he threatened.
I rolled my eyes.
Cortland patted my shoulder. “Just let it go. You’ll lose every time.” He grabbed the bags and helped Sean check in.
Monnique looked at me. “If you think Sean is bad, Cortland is a million times worse.”
Janice glanced at Ryan. “Your brother is the king of chivalry. When we go grocery shopping, he doesn’t let me carry anything from the cab to our apartment. Instead, he makes two trips.”
“Wow. I’m such an asshole,” Ryan said sarcastically. “Why do you stick around?”
“You know why,” she whispered.
Ryan smiled. “Yeah, I do.”
“So, there’s a Chippendale’s on the strip,” Monnique said. “We could go there with just the girls for the night.”
“To be honest, I don’t real
ly want to see any male strippers,” I said. “I’m just not into that. Their thongs and hairy chests just don’t put me in the mood.”
“They aren’t supposed to put you in the mood. You’re supposed to make an idiot of yourself. That’s the whole point.” Monnique said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Why don’t we lay by the pool, get a tan, drown ourselves in alcohol, and go to a club. That sounds like a lot more fun,” I said.
“Let’s do it,” Janice said.
Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. “How about you skip the club scene?”
“But we want to dance,” Monnique said.
“Dance in the hotel room,” he answered.
Mike rolled his eyes. “Seriously, you act like you’re already married. Your sick co-dependent relationships are making my head hurt.”
Ryan glared at him. “I just want my girl to be safe—especially around alcohol.”
Janice’s face turned beet read, and Monnique’s dark skin turned a darker shade.
I remembered when Janice and Monnique went out and got totally drunk while Sean and I were fighting. According to Ryan, they made huge idiots of themselves.
“Monnique and I learned our lesson,” Janice said.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” he said.
Come on, Ryan. We’ll be together. Just get over it,” I said.
Janice nodded. “We’re going anyway.”
Mike smiled. “Now you’re my kind of women.”
“And you think Sean is going to be fine with that?” my brother asked.
“I don’t care if he’s fine with it.”
“And Cortland can deal with it too,” Monnique added.
Ryan sighed. “You guys are a million times worse when you’re together.”
Janice looked at me. “We’ll have to remember that next time we want something.”
Ryan didn’t look pleased.
“The ladies are right,” Mike said. “They aren’t children and you can’t protect them forever. You may as well just loosen up.”
“Tell me that when you fall in love for the first time.”
Janice’s eyes softened at his words.
“Snap out of it!” I said quickly. I have Janice the eye. “He’s trying to trick you.”
“You’re right,” Janice said. “I’m not falling for that.”
Ryan rolled his eyes, totally annoyed with us. “You’re guys are such a pain in the ass.”
Cortland and Sean came back. I was happy to see that they seemed to be normal. There was no punching or name calling. Sean seemed a little awkward but I appreciated his effort. It meant the world to me.
“Let’s get on board,” Cortland said. He held a newspaper, a book, and a bag of snacks for the plane ride.
Monnique touched him on the arm. “Honeybunny, they have food and magazines on the plane.”
“I know. But they don’t usually have the most recent magazines so I got you a few of those. I know you get bored easily.”
“Honeybunny?” Mike asked incredulously. “Are you being serious right now?”
Cortland shrugged. “She can call me whatever she wants.”
Monnique smiled victoriously.
“And what do you call her? Snuggle bunny?” Mike asked.
Cortland smiled. “Big booty ho.”
Mike’s eyes widened in shock. After he recovered, he raised his hand and gave Cortland a high-five. “Word.”
Cortland laughed. “And the nickname fits her perfectly.”
Sean grabbed my hand. “Babe, let’s go.”
“Okay.” I let him guide me toward the check-in counter then through the metal detectors. After we handed our tickets to the flight attendant, we boarded the plane and took our seats. Sean and I had a seat by the window while Cortland and Monnique sat in the aisle next to us. Mike sat in front of us and Ryan and Janice were in the aisle before us.
Sean placed his hand on my thigh. “I wish you were wearing a dress.”
“Without any underwear?”
“That would be even better.”
“Well, it’s cold in Seattle. In case you didn’t notice.”
“But it’ll be hot in Vegas.”
“What’s your point?”
“You bring some dresses?”
“Of course.”
“Are they slutty?”
“Some of them.”
“Excellent. Did you bring slutty lingerie?”
“Why would I?”
“You owe me a lap dance. That’s why.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“If not, I’ll just by some there.”
“If I can hear you, then so can the rest of the plane,” Ryan said without turning around.
I glared at the back of my brother’s head.
Ryan still didn’t turn around. “I saw that.”
“You did not!”
“I know you, Scar.” He grabbed a magazine and flipped through it.
“Damn,” I whispered.
Sean started laughing. “I always thought I knew you better than anyone, but perhaps I’m wrong. Ryan has you pinned down pretty well.”
“No. He just has eyes in the back of his head because he’s a deformed freak.”
“Yeah, I heard that too,” Ryan said.
“Well, I said it pretty loud.”
Ryan finally turned around and looked at Sean. “If you dumped her before the wedding, I wouldn’t hold it against you.”
“Well, that’s tempting,” Sean said with a smirk.
I hit him lightly on the shoulder.
“But I’m too head over heels in love with her to let her go.”
I smiled. “That’s better.”
“And I like your ornery attitude—for the most part.”
“Except when I say no.”
“Well, that word shouldn’t in your vocabulary to begin with—at least not with me.” His eyes narrowed at me, speaking without the use of his mouth.
I looked away, wanting to avoid the topic.
The plane took off and soon we were in the air. Sean kept his hand on my thigh, drawing circles with his finger. I flipped through a magazine while Sean stared at me.
“What?” I asked, still reading.
“Nothing.”
“Why are you staring at me, then?”
He shrugged. “I like looking at you.”
I turned the page. “Okay.”
“I’m marrying you so I can stare at you whenever I want. I think you’re beautiful, Scar. I can’t believe you’re mine.”
His sweet words made me smile. “You’re so sweet to me.”
“I’m just being honest.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I placed my arm through his and rested my hand on his forearm. His skin was warm like it always was. He leaned his lips close to my ear, lowering his voice. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.”
He closed the magazine on my lap. “Are you scared?”
“About what?”
“Getting married.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“People get cold feet and anxious before they tie the knot. I was just wondering if that’s how you felt.”
I was quiet for a long time. Sean was my best friend and I knew I could tell him anything. Even if my words were hurtful he wouldn’t be angry or upset with me. “I used to be.”
“Tell me,” he said as he held my hand.
“Well, when we moved in together and you proposed, I knew that my single life was over forever. I would never sleep with anyone else for the rest of my life. I was also scared you would hurt me again, but the feeling went away.”
His fingers caressed my engagement ring. “What changed?”
“Sleeping with you for the first time in our bed. I realized I wanted to do it forever even though I had to sacrifice a few things.”
“Like what?”
“My privacy. I’ve been alone since I can reme
mber, always independent. It’s hard for me to let other people take care of me—except Ryan. You’re always there no matter what. You’ll always be there.”
“So it wasn’t personal?”
“Not at all.”
“Are you still scared about getting married?”
“No. I want to marry you, Sean. It doesn’t bother me that I’ll never sleep with anyone else, date anyone, or have a first kiss with anyone else. You’re all I want—forever and always.”
He smiled and continued to caress my hand.
“How about you?”
“I was the exact opposite.”
“What do you mean?”
“As soon as I moved to Seattle, I wanted you to live with me. I wanted to get married right away. Since the first time we slept together, I slowly started to realize that we’ve always been together, even when I was with Penelope. You’re the person I call for everything, the person I spent almost all my time with, the person I tell everything to. You’re my other half, what I’ve been missing my whole life. Even when I was with Penelope, I still jerked off to other women. With you, I’ve never done that. My perverted thoughts and actions are concentrated on you exclusively. If that’s how I feel, which is really rare, then you must be the right person for me. I wanted to settle down as quickly as possible. I like having you in the same bed every night, sitting next to you while we watch television, watching all the games with you, going to the gym with you. You’re my best friend and the best sex I’ve ever had.” His fingers brushed my hair and tucked it behind my ear. The slight touch gave me a tingle. “I understand why you didn’t feel the same way. I know you’ve forgiven me for my atrocious actions, but the pain and scars are still there. I’m glad you didn’t run off.”
“I never wanted to break up, Sean. I just got nervous.”
“I’m glad you aren’t nervous anymore.”
“So you really aren’t scared to settle down forever? After what Penelope did to you? You thought you had your life set up, and she completely ruined that dream.”
“I was hurt when it happened, but I’m over it now. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have no regrets. I just wished she had broken my heart sooner. I could have been with you longer.”
“You aren’t scared that I’m going to do the same thing?”
“Not in the least. It’s not in your nature or character.”
I liked knowing he completely trusted me. Penelope fucked him up pretty bad. “Are you scared to know you’re never going to sleep with anyone else? I think that makes every guy’s heart skip a beat.”
