We Belong Together

by E. L. Todd

  “Can I buy you a drink?”

  “Sure.” She gave me a sweet smile.

  “And can your friend buy me one?” A drunk blonde grabbed my arm.

  “He’s got a girlfriend,” I blurted. I turned back to my prey. “I’m Conrad.”

  “Georgia.”

  “Ooh…pretty name.”

  “You should try my peaches. They are sweet.”

  Whoa…what?

  She laughed at the confused look on my face. “Because Georgia is known for their peaches…nevermind.”

  “No, I got it. It just took me a second.” At first I thought she wanted me to suck her nipples in the bathroom, which I would have done in a heartbeat. “So, what are you drinking?”

  “John Adams.”

  “Coming right up.” I headed to the bar and got her the drink. Then I returned. “So, do you live in Boston?”

  “Yeah.”

  Good. So she lived close but not too close.

  “You?”

  “Cambridge.”

  She nodded. “Not too far away.”

  “Nope.”

  She flicked her hair over her shoulder, showing her fair skin.

  “How about we get dinner on Friday night?”

  “I’d like that.” She drank her beer and stared at me.

  “Me too.”

  She gave me her phone number and I stored it in my phone.

  Slade texted me. Trinity is coming. Make sure you give your girl the slippery dolphin. I can tell she’s into that.

  I typed a message back while Georgia stared at me.

  “Is your friend lonely?” she asked.

  I looked at her. “His girl is picking him up.”

  “So, you’re free for tonight?” she asked.

  “I guess so…” If that means I’ll be getting laid.

  “I live a few blocks from here.”

  I immediately texted Slade back. K. I will.

  Slade sent a smiley face back.

  “Do you want to finish your beer?” I asked.

  “Not really.”

  Damn, maybe Slade was right.

  ***

  We pulled up to her house then walked inside. I hadn’t gotten laid in a week so I was eager. Using my hand got the job done, but I always preferred the real thing. And this girl was smoking hot. I couldn’t wait to see her curves underneath that jersey.

  We walked inside and she set her purse on the counter.

  Now that were alone, I came behind her and pressed my crotch into her ass, groping her from behind while my lips sought her neck.

  She pushed back into me, enjoying it, and then a giggle escaped her lips. “Hold on…don’t get too excited now.” She broke apart from me, leaving me wanting more. She gave me a mischievous look as she walked into the living room. “Mom?”

  What? Huh?

  “Thanks for watching the kids.”

  What kids?

  “Sure thing, honey.” An older woman grabbed her purse then spotted me. “Oh, you have company?”

  What. The. Fuck.

  “Mom, this is Conrad,” Georgia said.

  I was frozen in place, feeling awkward and tense. Then I remembered my manners. “It’s nice to meet you.” I shook her hand.

  She smiled at her daughter. “He’s cute.” Then she walked out.

  What the hell did I just get myself into?

  Georgia walked to the couch. “Time for bed.”

  “No!” A little girl screamed. “I want to watch cartoons!”

  “Abby, no. It’s time for bed,” Georgia said firmly.

  “Why do you get to stay awake?” a little boy asked.

  “Because I said so,” Georgia spat. “Now go. I mean it.”

  Both of the kids walked by me. The little girl didn’t notice me, but the boy did. He stopped and stared at me with wide eyes.

  Was I supposed to say something? I’d never been good with kids.

  Then he dropped his gaze and headed to his bedroom.

  Uh…

  When the doors were shut, Georgia came back to me. “Sorry about that…I thought they would be in bed by now. My mom spoils them.”

  I was speechless.

  “Now where were we?” She put her hands on my chest and leaned in.

  I stepped back. “Are you married?” The last thing I needed was an angry husband breaking down the front door with a shotgun in his hand.

  “No.” She didn’t come closer to me. “I’m a single mom.”

  Knowing she had kids made me feel uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure why. I’d never had sex with a mom before…that I knew of.

  “It’s not a big deal,” she said. “They’re asleep.”

  “No, they aren’t,” I said. “They aren’t stupid. They know why I’m here.” The little boy looked at me like I was another stranger he shouldn’t bother getting to know.

  “Look, you’re making it into a bigger deal than it needs to be.”

  “You shouldn’t bring random guys back to your house where your kids sleep. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Her eyes widened in offense. “Don’t tell me how to live my life. I have needs too.”

  “It’s called a hotel.”

  “Like I can afford that.”

  “You could have asked to come to my place,” I argued.

  “You live all the way in Cambridge.”

  “I would have made the drive if you asked,” I snapped.

  “Look, are we going to do this or what? Because I don’t think arguing down the hall from my kids is the best idea.”

  I wasn’t sure what I wanted anymore. I wanted to get laid and I was already here. “Are you sure some guy isn’t going to come after me?”

  “My husband is dead. We’re in the clear.” She said it with no remorse, like it happened a long time ago.

  “I’m sorry.” I didn’t realize she was a widow.

  “It’s fine.” She sounded angry, like it wasn’t fine.

  “I should just go…” I headed to the door.

  “Stay.” She said it quietly.

  I took a deep breath. “I’m not looking for a relationship. If you want a new man to be a father to your kids, it’s not me.” I didn’t want to waste her time or her heart.

  “I always make that assumption when I meet a guy in a bar.” She put her hands on her hips. “No reason to feel guilty.”

  I still couldn’t move. If I just stayed I could have meaningless sex and drive home feeling satisfied. I knew I would feel guilty too, but my cock was doing most of the thinking. Georgia really was beautiful.

  She got tired of waiting. “I’ll be in my bedroom if you change your mind. If not, take care.” She walked down the hall and closed her bedroom door.

  I stood there, debating. The house was dark and quiet. I could hear my own breathing. My horniness steering me, I headed to her room and walked inside.

  ***

  “How’d it go with that girl?” Slade asked when he saw me in the library. “She loved the slippery dolphin, didn’t she? I can tell she’s into nasty shit.”

  “Just regular sex,” I said with a sigh.

  “Was she that bad?” He held a burrito in his hand but he didn’t eat it. “Did she have a dick or something?”

  I glared at him just as Roland joined us.

  “Yo.” Roland bit into a power bar and chewed. “What are you guys talking about?”

  “Conrad fucked a guy,” Slade blurted.

  “She wasn’t a dude!” I argued.

  Roland’s eyes widened and darted back and forth between us. “What did I miss…?”

  I spoke before Slade could exaggerate it. “We went to the game then hit up a bar. I hooked up with some girl and took her back to her place.”

  “Sounds normal to me,” Roland said. “But she ended up being a dude…?”

  “No,” I snapped. “She was definitely a chick.”

  “Then why are you all sad and crap?” Slade asked, biting in his burrito.

  I covered my face
, not wanting to say it out loud. “She had two kids.”

  Slade stopped eating.

  Roland spit his food out.

  “She already popped out two brats?” Slade asked. “She must be more loose than a prostitute.”

  Roland cringed. “You slept with her anyway?”

  I felt worse by the second. “I was already there…the kids were in their rooms…”

  “That’s gross,” Slade said. “I wouldn’t even stoop so low to sleep with a MILF.”

  “Was she married?” Roland asked.

  I didn’t want to say the next part. “She’s a widow.”

  Slade’s face blanched. “I’ve done some fucked up shit, but I have to say that’s way worse than anything I ever did.”

  It was true. “I know…”

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Roland asked. “You want to be a dad or something?”

  “No,” I snapped. “I just invested all that time and I didn’t want to walk away with nothing…”

  Slade’s eyes were wide. “Dude, I’m judging you. And that’s saying something.”

  “She said she just wanted a one-night stand. She knew I wasn’t going to offer her more,” I said.

  “But still,” Roland said. “You could have hooked up with some other chick—who doesn’t have kids.”

  “I’m never going to live this down, am I?” I asked quietly.

  “No,” Slade and Roland said at the same time.

  I rested my head on the table and tried to disappear.

  Chapter Five

  Slade

  My dad asked me to come down and help with the shop for the weekend, and I immediately agreed, wanting to be in the place I belonged. The boys at the shop were awesome and I couldn’t wait to take over.

  I went to Trinity’s house then walked inside.

  She was sitting at the kitchen table, cutting out images from magazines and pasting them into her scrapbook where she did her sketches. She looked up when she noticed me. “Hey.” A bright smile was on her face, one she only gave me.

  “Hey, baby.” I kissed her forehead then sat beside her. “How’s it going?”

  “Good. I found a dress that I love. I just want to make a few changes.”

  “Cool.” I tried to be interested in her passion for fashion even though it was hard. But if it was important to her, then it was important to me. “We’re going to stay with my parents for the weekend.”

  “Who’s we?” she asked, pasting the image to the paper.

  “You and I.” Whom did she think I meant?

  “What are you doing down there?”

  “Working with my dad at the shop. So pack your stuff.”

  She flashed me a confused expression. “Why would I come? You’re going to be working the whole time.”

  “So you can be with me.”

  “It’s okay…I have a lot of things to do.”

  “No,” I said. “Where I go, you go.”

  “It just seems like a waste for me to stay with my parents when I’m not going to see you anyway,” she argued.

  “Why would you stay with your parents?” I asked.

  “Where else would I stay…?” Condescension was in her voice.

  “With my parents.”

  Her eyes widened. “Absolutely not.”

  “What?” I demanded. “They don’t care.”

  “I do. That’s so awkward.”

  “I’ve brought tons of girls over,” I argued.

  She glared at me. “Is that supposed to convince me?”

  “You’re making a big deal over nothing. I’d offer to stay at a hotel with you, but we both know how you feel about that…”

  “Slade, I’m staying here.”

  “No, you’re coming with me,” I snapped.

  “Why do you want me to go with you so bad?” she hissed.

  “I need sex.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You want me to be there just so you can have sex with me at night?”

  “And sleep with you,” I said. “You know how grumpy I get when I don’t have you in the morning and night.”

  “So romantic…”

  “Hey, you said I could ask for things in this relationship. So I’m doing it. I want you to come with me.”

  “I can’t even begin to explain how uncomfortable I would feel having sex down the hall from your parents.” She shook her head and shivered.

  “We’ll be quiet.” Obviously.

  “You don’t get it, Slade,” she hissed. “Your parents are like family to me.”

  “We had sex at the ski lodge.”

  “But no one knew we were together,” she argued. “And they were on a different floor.”

  “Why are you being so annoying about this?” I asked. “Look, my parents know how I am. I fuck around—a lot. Now I’m dating you, therefore, I have sex with you. This isn’t brand new information to them. They know we screw like rabbits.”

  “It’s different doing it in their house,” she argued.

  “So, every time we go home to visit we’re going to be in separate rooms?” I asked incredulously. “My parents aren’t like yours. My dad is cool. He doesn’t care. My mom doesn’t care either.”

  “Well, I care. They could be my in-laws someday.”

  My heart sped up but I kept a stoic face.

  “Slade, no.”

  “Trinity, yes.”

  “You can use your hand for a few days.”

  “I hate using my hand and you know that,” I said with a growl. “Now stop being a pain in the ass and just do as I say!”

  “I want your parents to like me.”

  “Are you an idiot?” I demanded. “They already love you.”

  She sighed then rubbed her temples. “I hate you right now.”

  “And I hate you all the time. Now pack your shit and let’s go.”

  “They’re really fine with it…?”

  “Yes.” I rolled my eyes. “Now let’s head out.”

  ***

  Trinity looked out the window and remained quiet for the drive. My hand was on the steering wheel and the other was on the armrest. I didn’t turn on the radio and let the silence play out.

  “You can turn on music if you want.” I was trying to put her in a better mood.

  She kept staring out the window.

  “How about I pull over and fuck you the way you like? Would that cheer you up?” Sex seemed to be a universal language we could both understand. It made bad situations good, and it reminded us how right we were for each other.

  She swatted my arm. “Go to hell, Slade.”

  “What?” I asked. “I was being serious.”

  “Which was why I hit you,” she snapped.

  I rolled my eyes. “I was just trying to be nice…”

  She grabbed my jacket from the backseat and covered herself with it.

  I turned on the heater. “You cold, baby?”

  She nodded and looked out the window.

  I reached my hand out and held hers. She didn’t pull it away, which I took as a good sign. “We should go out and have fun while we’re here. Hit up a nice restaurant or something.”

  “Sure,” she said with a shrug.

  I stopped trying to coax her into a conversation and fell silent. The miles passed until we reached the city. The traffic was a bitch but I was used to it. I found a parking spot in front of the building then killed the engine. “Here we are.”

  “Yay…” She eyed the building warily.

  We got out then grabbed our bags. I carried everything, not wanting her to strain herself and her leg. We took the elevator to the top floor then headed to the door.

  She took a deep breath, like she was scared.

  “Baby, chill.”

  “How would you feel if I asked you to stay with my dad and have sex with me down the hall from his room?” she demanded.

  I shrugged. “I like a challenge.”

  She swatted me on the arm.

  “Stop hitting my arm,” I snap
ped. “Slap me across the face. I like it better.”

  She took my advice and hit my cheek.

  I narrowed my eyes and growled at her. Then I grabbed her wrist and yanked her to me, giving her a hard kiss on the mouth. Then I released her.

  “You’re so weird…” She rolled her eyes.

  “You make me hot. That’s not weird.”

  She eyed the door then turned back to me. “Can we just go inside and not have this conversation on their doorstep?”

  “Could you seal that pretty mouth around my cock and stop talking?”

  She slapped me again.

  I took the hit then turned to her, grinning. “I’m going to fuck you so hard tonight.”

  She looked away like she was indifferent, but I knew she was just as hot as I am.

  I put the keys in the door.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed. “You don’t live here anymore. You can’t just walk inside.”

  “They know I’m coming.” I got the door opened and walked in.

  My dad was sitting on the couch, my mom beside him. His arm was around her shoulders. “About time. I didn’t think you were coming.”

  “I had an unexpected detour.” I gave Trinity a knowing look.

  My parents stood and came to us.

  My dad spotted Trinity behind me. “Oh, hey. I didn’t know you were coming.”

  Trinity gave me a murderous glare, and not the playful kind she usually gave me. This was cold and threatening. If she had a knife, it’d be imbedded in my back right now.

  Oops, I forgot to tell my parents about Trinity. It slipped my mind.

  My dad hugged her. “I’m glad you’re staying with us. What a nice surprise.”

  She hugged him back, trying to hide her pissed face. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  My mom went to her before me. “It’s nice to see you. Pretty as always.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Janice.” Trinity hugged her back.

  My mom came to me, giving me a frightening look that would even scare my dad. She and I hadn’t talked about Trinity or the fact I was sleeping with her. Trinity’s car accident saved my ass, as wrong as that sounded. But now my mom unleashed her fury. “How dare you!” She slapped me hard across the face. “I raised you better than that.”

  I took the hit and clenched my jaw.

  My dad grabbed her arm. “Baby, let it go. It all worked out okay…”

  “But it almost didn’t. You can use any other girl but not Trinity.” My mom continued on. “That was unacceptable and you know that. If you do anything to hurt her, I’ll skin you alive and take away all those tattoos you love so much!”