Love Conquers All (Forever and Always #16)

by E. L. Todd

  9

  Cortland

  When I reached Flynn’s apartment, I banged my fist on the door like I was a giant. I wasn’t sure if he was home, but if he wasn’t, I’d hunt him down. I was on a mission.

  He opened the door, his hair messy like he’d been sleeping all day. “Cortland?”

  I punched him square in the nose. “You piece of shit.”

  “Fuck!” Flynn stumbled back then felt his nose. He stood up straight then wiped the blood away. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “You.” My eyes were wide with anger. “Nobody fucks with my friends and gets away with it.” I reached for his neck but he stepped out of the way.

  “I don’t want to hit you but I will,” he threatened.

  “Give me your best shot.”

  He stepped away. “What’s this about?”

  “Is that a serious question?” I snapped. “I can’t believe you dumped her like that, leaving her high and dry. She didn’t even do anything wrong. It’s not her fault you don’t trust her and you’re a damn hypocrite.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” he yelled. “I didn’t dump her.”

  “She thinks you did.” My arms were shaking because I was so mad.

  “Well, I didn’t,” he snapped. He wiped more blood away. “She told you that?”

  “Yeah. And then she cried in my arms, shaking.”

  Flynn lowered his hands. “We just had a fight…”

  “And you kicked her out of your apartment? Now she has nowhere to go so she has to live with me?”

  Confusion spread across his face. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You asked her to move in with you, and then after she breaks her lease, you just change your mind? Now she has nowhere to go. I’m not sure why I liked you. You’re a fucking coward.”

  He looked at the floor then ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t know any of that…”

  “What?”

  “She didn’t tell me she put in her lease papers. And we aren’t broken up. I didn’t say that either.”

  “She seems to think you are.”

  He sighed then gripped his head. “I was just mad at her and needed my space. I didn’t mean I didn’t want to live with her. I just didn’t want to move her stuff yesterday or today.” He grabbed his keys and his wallet and stuffed them into his pocket. “I’ll talk to her now.”

  I grabbed his arm and stilled him. “Make sure you fix this.” I threatened him with my eyes. I wasn’t a fighter, strictly a lover, but when it came to my friends, I was a completely different person.

  Flynn pulled out of my grasp. “I will.”

  10

  Hazel

  When the knock sounded on my door, I was surprised Cortland was back so soon. He’d only been gone an hour. “Come in.”

  The door opened, but it wasn’t Cortland who entered my apartment. It was Flynn.

  I stared at him, trying to process his appearance. “What are you doing here?”

  He shut the door then joined me on the floor. His hand grabbed mine and he squeezed it. “Baby, I’m sorry for everything.”

  I was glad he was back in my apartment. I was elated he was holding my hand. Just seeing his face made me melt into a puddle. I thought he didn’t want me anymore, but here he was, apologizing. “It’s okay.”

  “You forgave me easily…”

  “I thought I’d never see you again.”

  His eyes softened. “Hazel, we didn’t break up. That’s not what I said.”

  “But you said you didn’t want to live with me anymore…”

  “I meant for the past two days. Of course I want you to live with me.”

  “Really?” I couldn’t hide how happy I was.

  He sighed. “I’m sorry I gave you the wrong impression.”

  “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

  Flynn kissed the side of my head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was just overreacting…”

  “I’ve never seen you act like that…”

  “I know.” He rubbed my knuckles with this thumb, just like he usually did. “I’ve never behaved that way before. I’m innately trusting of other people. I’m always calm and understanding. But…I just love you so damn much. I guess it made me a little crazy.”

  My eyes softened. “Flynn…”

  “I know how much that guy hurt you. I just don’t want him to bother you, to be anywhere near you. You’re so wonderful and he never appreciated you. He doesn’t deserve to even look at you. It pissed me off that you accepted something so much less than you deserved. You shouldn’t have even opened the door for him.”

  “He did hurt me—a lot. But that doesn’t bother me anymore.”

  He stared at our joined hands.

  “When he told me she dumped him, I thought it would make me happy, make me feel avenged. But it didn’t. The last six months of our relationship were bad, but there’s also a year and a half before that where we were happy. I see two versions of him. And when he was hurt…I didn’t feel good because of it. I pitied him. Even though it didn’t work out between us, that didn’t mean I wanted his new relationship to fail.”

  He turned to me and studied my face. “You’re such a good person.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that.

  “He really is an idiot for letting you go.”

  “He said the same thing.”

  “At least he finally pulled his head out of his ass.”

  I squeezed his hand. “Nothing else happened between us. We just talked.”

  He sighed. “Baby, I know. I was just being a jerk. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Cortland told me your lease is up.”

  “Yeah…” I looked around at my empty apartment.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I did.”

  “No, you didn’t,” he said firmly. “I would never leave you high and dry like that. I really wished you had talked me.”

  “I just assumed you wanted nothing to do with me.”

  He sighed. “I really hope this doesn’t change our relationship. I worked really hard to gain your trust and now I feel like I’ve broken it—lost it.”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Baby, I’m never going to break up with you. So every time we fight, which I suspect we’ll do a lot of as time goes on, it doesn’t mean we’re over. If I walk out, it just means I need space.”

  “You can’t make a promise like that…”

  He gave me a firm look. “Yes, I can.”

  I held his gaze until I had to look away.

  “Hazel, you’re the one to me. I made that clear.”

  “But you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. What if you meet—”

  “Never going to happen. The only girl I see in every room is you. I’ve been around and know what’s out there. Believe me, you are the gem of the pile. You’re untarnished and shine like the lights of a million stars. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, you’re the person on my mind. Please don’t doubt my love for you. It’s solid.”

  I guess I would never get used to Flynn’s love for me. I only accepted the love I thought I deserved, but if he loved me, then perhaps I deserved it. Flynn’s kindness and patience made him unreal. He was the definition of perfection, with the exception of his outburst a few days ago.

  He kept staring at me. “One day, you’ll believe me. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it if I have to.”

  “I believe you,” I said immediately. “I just…it’s hard to take in sometimes.”

  He kissed my forehead then continued to hold my hand. “When do you have to be out of the apartment?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  He looked at the room, seeing the absence of furniture. “Where’s your bed and couches?”

  “I sold them. I thought I didn’t need them…”

  “So where have you been sleeping?”

/>   “On the floor…”

  I knew he was pissed at himself because the darkness settled in his eyes. He squeezed my hand slightly. “I’m sorry.”

  “It wasn’t that bad.”

  “I’ll give you a nice backrub when we get home.”

  “You owe me a lot more than that,” I teased. I gave him a playful look.

  “Looks like I have a debt I need to pay.”

  “Yep.”

  He glanced at my empty room. “I wish I could make a payment now. Making love on a pile of clothes doesn’t exactly seem romantic.”

  “I can wait until we get to your apartment.”

  “Our apartment,” he said firmly.

  “Oh. Sorry.” When I leaned into kiss him, I noticed the dried blood around his nose. “What happened?”

  “Cortland punched me.”

  “What? When?”

  “He came by my apartment and threatened me since I abandoned you. And I’m glad he did because I had no idea you were practically homeless.”

  “And he punched you? Cortland? My Cortland?”

  “He was pissed, Hazel. As soon as the door was open, he made his move.”

  “Damn…” He must have been really mad.

  “I deserved it,” he said simply. “I shouldn’t have acted like a child.”

  “You didn’t act like a child,” I said gently. “Honestly, if I came by your apartment and your ex was drinking tea with you, I wouldn’t like it either. I’d be threatened and heartbroken.”

  “Well, that’s never going to happen so don’t worry about it.”

  “You guys don’t talk at all?”

  He shrugged. “We’re friendly if we run into each other, but we don’t hang out or anything.”

  “When do you run into her?”

  “I have some mutual friends with her. It happens from time to time.”

  “Oh.”

  “But like I said, we’ve been broken up for three years. She’s ancient history.”

  I knew I was getting jealous over nothing. “You want to help me move my things?”

  He looked at the piles of clothes and shoes across the floor. “Not really.”

  I chuckled. “It’s pretty bad, huh?”

  “Why did you wait until the last minute to pack?”

  “I was too depressed.”

  He brought my hand to his mouth and gave me a gentle kiss. “I’ll make sure you don’t feel that way again.” He stood up then pulled me to my feet. “Now let’s get this over with. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can go home and start our lives together.”

  Flynn grabbed a box and started packing my belongings. I stared at his back and watched him, marveling at the muscles through his shirt. He was being childish when he got upset with me, but I didn’t care about it anymore. He apologized and I apologized. We were back together, and I was happier than I ever thought I could be. I needed to thank Cortland next time I saw him.

  11

  Ryan

  Was Janice really serious about this threesome thing? I knew my girl was kinky, but that was…super kinky. I never thought she’d be into that. But it was hot nonetheless.

  When I came home from work, she was looking through the mail in the kitchen. She wore yoga pants and a tight work out shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail.

  “The electric bill is here.” She tossed it on the table then threw away everything else. They were just ads and pizza coupons.

  “Okay. I’ll pay it later.” I tossed my keys on the counter then wrapped my arms around her waist. I liked her sporty outfits. Those yoga pants made her ass look off the hook. I loved Victoria’s Secret.

  “You look hot in that.” I kissed her neck.

  “I did run four miles.”

  I grabbed her ass. “I can tell.” I gave it a good smack.

  She moaned then purred against my ear. “I got a few names for our get together.”

  “What get together?” I asked. I dropped my arms then looked at her.

  “You forgot?” she asked incredulously. “I assumed you wouldn’t stop thinking about it.”

  “The threesome?”

  “Duh.”

  “So…you were serious?”

  “Yes. You weren’t?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  I eyed her suspiciously. “Me, you, and another girl? Not a guy?”

  “I know you better than that, Ryan.” She laughed lightly. “I couldn’t get you to be naked around another guy if I pointed a gun at your head.”

  This sounded too good to be true. “And you’re okay with that?”

  “I think it’s hot. I’m not a lesbian or anything, but I would like to be adventurous.”

  I couldn’t believe this was happening. It was every guy’s fantasy.

  “You want to see the girls?”

  “You already asked them?”

  “A few of them go to the same gym as me.” She picked up her phone and pulled up her Facebook. The friends she showed me were hot—like really hot. “I prefer Adrianna. She has nice legs.”

  My head was about to explode. “Let me get this straight. You want me to have a threesome with you and her? Like, for real?”

  “Why is that so hard to understand?” I could tell she was irritated with me.

  “Because…I shouldn’t even have to explain why. No girlfriend would be okay with that.”

  “Well, you and I are very unique. We’re a bit more adventurous than other couples.”

  So she was being serious. She really wanted this to happen. It was a dream come true. “Did Adrianna already say she was interested…?”

  “Yep. She thinks you’re hot.”

  “Well, who doesn’t?”

  “Don’t be cocky,” she snapped. “I’ll text her and tell her to come over tonight.”

  Tonight? Like in a few hours? “That soon?”

  “She seemed really excited when I talked to her about it.”

  My heart was beating a million miles a minute. Could I really go through with this? I’d been in a threesome before, but this was different.

  “I’ll call her.” She picked up her phone and walked away.

  I panicked. “Wait. No.”

  She hung up. “No? What’s the problem?”

  “I…” I was probably a fucking pussy for saying no to my fiancé’s desire to have a threesome, but I couldn’t go through with it. I’d actually be having sex with someone else, not Janice. I…couldn’t do it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “But you seem so excited before…”

  “When I thought you were joking.”

  “Ryan, what’s the big deal? You’ve had a threesome before.”

  “But…I wasn’t in love with any of the women.”

  She eyed me. “But I said it was okay. It’s not like you’re cheating on me.”

  “I just…I don’t want to have sex with anyone but you. It’s just weird. I don’t feel comfortable doing that.”

  Her eyes softened. “Ryan…”

  “I don’t want to do it. But if any of the guys ask, just say it happened so they don’t call me a pussy.”

  She sighed. “Well, Adrianna will be disappointed.”

  “Well…what if she still came over?” My perverted side came out.

  “Huh?”

  “What if just the two of you fooled around and I watched?”

  “Ryan, I’m not a lesbian.”

  “You were going to fool around with her as a threesome,” I said. “What’s the difference?”

  “I was going to watch you be with her and give you something at the same time, not make out with her and have sex with her.” She put her hands on her hips.

  “What if I just do stuff to you…?”

  “Adriana’s only interest is being with you. She’s down to fool around with me for a little bit, but I knew she wouldn’t be interested if you weren’t taking part in it.”

  Now I felt a little hurt. “The idea of me having sex with someone doesn’t
bother you?”

  “Not in this context. I’d be there too. It’s just a fantasy.”

  “But I would be inside her…”

  “Ryan, if you went behind my back and fucked some girl I’d be devastated, but this is different. This is something we’d do together.”

  I still felt uneasy.

  She smirked at me. “You really are a pussy. I’m telling the guys everything.”

  “Wait. Hold on.”

  “I suggested a threesome and all you care about is how hurt you are that I’m okay with you being with someone else this one time? You’re going to be ripped apart.”

  “You wouldn’t dare…”

  She smirked. “Yes, I would.”

  “How about we just drop the subject—forever?”

  “When we have a son, you’re going to have to tell him that your wife wanted to have a threesome but you said no. What would he think of you then?”

  “First of all, that’s just weird. Second of all, I really love you and I don’t want to be with anyone else. I’m happy with our sex lives. I’ve made love to you hundreds of times and I still love it. And we spice it up in different ways. I’m satisfied, but I’m starting to think you aren’t.”

  “I am,” she said firmly. “But I know what kind of lifestyle you had before. I just don’t want you to get bored with me.”

  And now I understood the truth. Janice was always a fireball in bed, and I just thought she was hot for me. I never thought it was an act, that she was trying to compete with every other woman I’d taken. My eyes softened and I came closer to her, my hands moving to her hips. “You could be horrible in bed and I’d still be here.”

  “But you wouldn’t be happy.”

  “You can lay and do absolutely nothing and I would be totally satisfied. You know how men judge if a girl’s good in bed?”

  She waited for me to reveal the answer.

  “If she’s hot. That’s all that matters. So, sit there like a lump and let me do all the work. You’ll still be the best.”

  She smirked slightly but didn’t say anything.

  “I don’t compare you to all the women I’ve been with, so don’t compare yourself. I don’t miss that lifestyle at all. I’m never bored with you. Everything I have with you is special and meaningful. I wouldn’t have proposed if I wanted to be with other women.”