Love Hurts (Forever and Always #17) Read online

  Love Hurts

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Copyright © 2014 by E. L. Todd

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN-13: 978-1497369122

  ISBN-10: 1497369126

  Love Hurts

  Book Seventeen of the Forever and Always Series

  E. L. Todd

  1

  Mike

  Last night was a blast, but I couldn’t remember much after one am. I vaguely remember Sean driving Cassandra and I home while Scarlet followed in my Jaguar.

  But from what I did remember, it was awesome. My dad cooked burgers on the grill when he wasn’t the star on the dance floor. My mom was all over him like they were school kids again. And Cassandra hardly left my side. Her ring sparkled under the lights from overhead, casting rainbows. As soon as I saw her put on the ring, I knew I picked the right one.

  When I finally opened my eyes, I realized I had a massive hangover. I saw the clock. It was noon. My arm naturally shot out across the bed, looking for Cassandra. She was sleeping on her side. I relaxed when I felt her next to me.

  She stirred at my touch. “Mike?”

  “I’m here, baby.”

  She turned over then cuddled into my side. “God, I’m so tired.”

  “What time did we get home?”

  “I don’t know. I was asleep on the drive.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to dispel the migraine behind my eyes. “Last night was fun.”

  “So much fun.” Her voice cracked with exhaustion.

  I grabbed her left hand and felt her engagement ring. “I never want to see you without this.”

  “Deal.”

  “Even when you go to the gym.”

  “I can do that.” Her arm wrapped around my waist.

  “You doing okay?” I asked. “You need some water or something?”

  “No. I’m just tired.”

  I hoped the excitement from last night didn’t stress her out too much. I wasn’t sure how pregnancies worked, but I needed Cassandra to be relaxed and comfortable as much as possible. My hand massaged her back, loosening the muscle. She moaned quietly while I touched her.

  “I should be doing something nice for you…”

  “You can when you feel better.” I kissed her forehead and felt my heart burn. I couldn’t believe this gorgeous woman was mine. “I’m going to make you breakfast. What do you want?”

  “Pancakes,” she said immediately.

  “That didn’t take you long to decide,” I said with a laugh.

  “I love pancakes.”

  I kissed her again. “Coming right up.”

  She sat up. “I’ll help you.”

  I held her steady. “Just rest. I got it.”

  “I can tell you don’t feel well either. Actually, you look like you feel worse.”

  “Thanks,” I said sarcastically.

  She smiled. “Just get back to bed.”

  “I’m fine. Really.” I needed to take a pain killer to get rid of the pain in my head.

  “Okay.” She lay back down.

  I pulled on some clothes then went into the kitchen. After I swallowed some pills dry, I cooked breakfast while I watched the news. I didn’t know how to cook a lot of things, but I could make pancakes, eggs, and bacon. That wasn’t too difficult for me.

  When everything was ready, I put it on a tray and took it into the bedroom.

  “Breakfast in bed?” she asked in surprise.

  “Yep.” I placed the tray in the center of the bed.

  “After last night, I didn’t think you could get any better.”

  I pulled down the sheet and kissed her stomach. “I’ll always take care of both of you.”

  Her eyes softened. “I’m going to try and stay pregnant as long as I can.”

  I smirked. “I wouldn’t mind that. Or I could just knock you up again immediately afterward.”

  “I don’t think I could handle that.”

  I sat beside her. “You can handle my ten inches.”

  Her cheeks blushed. “Well, that’s different. That’s nothing but pure pleasure.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” I handed her the plate and we ate quietly.

  Cassandra always made quiet noises when she chewed. Her manners and grace were impeccable. She’d been eating more as she progressed in her pregnancy, and I was glad she was. I wanted her to be healthy and comfortable.

  “Mike?”

  “Baby?”

  “You know after I have the baby I’m not going to be…like I was before?”

  “When the baby’s gone, I know your stomach will disappear too. I’m not that stupid.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I mean, my body probably won’t be how it was before. I may not be as thin as I used to be.”

  “I know.” Why was she telling me this?

  “I’ll work out and try to lose the weight…”

  Now I understood. “Baby, I think you’re hot no matter what. Don’t worry about that. That’s the last thing I want you to stress about.”

  “I may have stretch marks or something.”

  “And I’ll think those are hot too. It’ll remind me of this magical time.” I gave her a firm look. “Please don’t worry about that. You could be a hundred pounds overweight and I would still be obsessed with you.”

  “I don’t know about that…”

  “Just don’t worry about it.”

  She held my gaze for a moment before she finally looked down. She ate her last piece of bacon then wiped her mouth with a napkin. “We need to plan the wedding.”

  “Okay.”

  “And I mean, fast. Within a month, at the latest.”

  “What’s the rush?” I asked.

  “I don’t want to be a cow on my wedding day.”

  “A cow?” I asked incredulously. “That’s the last word I’d use to describe you.”

  “You know what I mean, Mike.”

  “A month is cutting it short…”

  “I think we can do it.”

  I patted her thigh. “Whatever my fiancé wants.” Fiancé. I liked that word. But I preferred wife more. I’d have to be patient.

  After Cassandra finished her food, she lay back down. “Thank you for breakfast, baby.”

  “You’re welcome.” I took the tray away and put it on the nightstand. “What do you want to do today?”

  “Lay here and do nothing.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I cuddled next to her and closed my eyes.

  “But we need to plan this wedding.”

  “Today?”

  She nodded. “There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be done.”

  I wasn’t excited about that because of my migraine, but I’d give Cassandra whatever she wanted. “Okay. I’ll invite everyone over.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Anything for you.”

  She sat up then leaned over me. “It’s time for me to show you my appreciation for everything.”

  She didn’t owe me a damn thing, but if I was about to get sex, I wasn’t going to object. “Oh really?”

  She pulled the sheets down then removed my boxers. She was already naked so I didn’t need to pull anything off. I moved my hands behind my head and stared at her.

  Cassandra straddled my hips then sat on my crotch. My cock was hard the moment she moved toward me. It grew on her
command. It was between her folds and my excitement increased.

  Her swollen belly protruded out, and it was hot to watch. Her breasts were slightly larger than they used to be and I loved staring at them too. Her long and tangled hair moved down her chest. Everything about her was hot.

  She leaned over me then slipped me inside her.

  I moaned when I moved in slowly, stretching her and feeling her slickness. No matter how many times I did this, I never grew tired of how good she felt. It continued to catch me by surprise.

  She rocked her hips and placed her hands on my chest, holding on. When she was on top, she was usually more aggressive then I was. In a minute, she was panting and moaning, getting herself off using my body.

  I continued to keep my hands behind my head, enjoying how good it felt when she fucked me like this.

  She bit her lip then took me harder. “Mike…”

  That was music to my ears.

  She moaned loudly, practically screaming. “Yes…yes.”

  I was losing it. Seeing how much she wanted me made me shatter. It was so damn hot. “Baby…”

  Her cheeks flushed and she panted, her high starting to dwindle. She leaned over me and pressed her head to mine. Then she gripped my hands and kept them pinned to the pillow. I liked this dominant side of her.

  “Come for me,” she said through her heavy breathing.

  Like on command, I exploded, moaning the entire time. It was one of the best orgasms I ever had. I breathed through the pleasure until I was completely finished.

  We stared at each other while we caught our breath.

  “I couldn’t tell if that was for me or you,” I said.

  She smirked. “I can’t either.”

  I released her hands then cupped her cheek, giving her a warm kiss. “We’re going to have a great life together.”

  Her eyes softened. “We are.”

  Everyone came over in the evening. Cassandra and I were too tired to make dinner, so we just ordered pizza. That was our savior.

  Ryan sat at the table with Janice on his lap. Judging his drooping eyes, he was still tired. Janice leaned her head on his shoulder, cuddling with him like they were about to watch a movie.

  We didn’t have enough chairs so Cassandra sat on my lap, not that I minded. She was heavier than she used to be, but it was nothing substantial. My muscular thighs could handle it. But I did get hard when her ass was pressed to my crotch. There was nothing I could do about that. And I knew she noticed it.

  Scarlet was on Sean’s lap because there was limited space. But I was certain none of the guys minded.

  Sean kept rubbing his temples.

  “Hung over?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. “Just tired. After I dropped you off, Scarlet and I went back to the house and cleaned up.”

  “Awe,” Cassandra said. “That was so sweet.”

  “Everyone stayed behind and helped with our wedding,” Scarlet said. “We don’t mind helping.”

  “I was too drunk to do shit,” Ryan said. He ran his fingers through his hair then closed his eyes for a second.

  “Someone is still drunk,” I said.

  “A little,” he admitted.

  “It took him a half an hour to come last night,” Janice said. “And I was on top.”

  Ryan looked at her. “I don’t remember that.”

  “I’m glad I was so memorable,” she said sarcastically.

  “Did we have sex last night?” I asked Cassandra.

  “If we did, I was asleep,” she said.

  Sean laughed. “Wow. You couldn’t even get her to stay awake.”

  “And I bet you didn’t get laid at all,” I snapped.

  Sean shrugged. “Scarlet probably humped my brains out while I was asleep.”

  “Nope,” Scarlet said. “At three in the morning, I’m not waking up for anything.”

  “Burn,” I said.

  Flynn and Hazel walked through the door, looking worse than all of us combined. Flynn’s eyes were squinted, and Hazel’s hair looked like a squirrel was living in it.

  I eyed them. “Did you guys just wake up…?”

  “Yes.” Flynn sat down then pulled Hazel into his lap. “We had a bunch of sex when we got home last night.”

  We all looked each other, realizing how lame we were.

  Cortland opened the door then came inside, looking better than everyone. His eyes didn’t look heavy and his hair was perfect. He looked like he had a good night’s rest.

  “Why do you look so good?” I asked.

  “You checking me out?” Cortland asked.

  “No. But you don’t look hung over,” I said.

  “I didn’t drink,” he said. “I wanted to make sure everyone got home okay. I drove your parents home, Monnique, and some of Cassandra’s friends.”

  Oh. I couldn’t recall any of that.

  He clapped my shoulder as he walked by. “And you’re welcome, by the way.”

  “Thank you, Cortland,” Cassandra said for both of us.

  Cortland fell into a seat then leaned back. He eyed all of us. “You guys look like hell.” He turned to Hazel and his eyes widened. “Wow…what happened to you?”

  “I…” Hazel rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know.”

  Flynn smiled. “She didn’t have time to fix her sex hair.”

  Cortland kept eyeing it. “It looks like you have a beehive on your head.”

  Hazel hit his arm. “Go to hell, Cortland.”

  Flynn shrugged. “It looks pretty ridiculous.”

  She glared at him. “Not everyone can look perfect all the time like you.”

  He smirked. “You think I look perfect?”

  “Why are you surprised?” she snapped. “You’re so full of yourself.”

  “No, I’m cocky,” he argued. “Totally different.”

  “But equally annoying.”

  Cortland smirked. “When did the romance die?”

  “It’s still going strong,” Flynn said. “She acts like she hates me, but she loves me like crazy.”

  “Not right now,” Hazel snapped.

  “Watch this.” Flynn winked at Cortland. He turned to Hazel then cupped her face, giving her a slow and gentle kiss. She tried to pull away but he held her steady. Within seconds, she was melting into him.

  He ended their kiss, showing her red and calm face. “See? She’s crazy about me.”

  Hazel crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.

  Only one seat was available but we all knew who it was for. Cortland kept eyeing the door, waiting for Monnique to appear. The last time I was with both of them, everything seemed fine. They really were friends and could get along just fine. If Cassandra and I broke up, I couldn’t be around her. It would hurt too much. And I knew from experience.

  Monnique finally walked inside, a baggy sweater hanging off one shoulder. Her hair was pulled back, but it was still curly from the night before. She didn’t look as bad as the rest of us, but she didn’t wear any make up or did anything special to her appearance. She wore black leggings with army boots. She returned to her formal self after quitting her job at the magazine, but she adopted a new style of clothing.

  “Hey,” she said to everyone.

  “Muh,” Sean said.

  Hazel cringed. “Blah…”

  She laughed then sat beside Cortland. “I guess everyone is still hung over.”

  “What gave us away?” Sean asked sarcastically.

  Monnique turned to Cortland. “Thank you for taking me home last night.”

  “No problem.” He stared at her for a long time, the intensity of his gaze burning into her face. The look clearly said exactly how he felt. That guy was still madly in love with her. I could feel the need all the way over here. I was pretty sure everyone noticed it too.

  Monnique returned his look but she didn’t say anything. All they did was stare at each other, a silent conversation passing between them.

  I didn’t know if I should speak or wait for
them to finish.

  Cassandra beat me to the punch. “We have to plan this wedding quick.”

  “Why?” Scarlet asked.

  “I don’t want to look like humpty dumpty on my wedding day,” Cassandra said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Not possible.”

  “I understand,” Scarlet said. “Well, how do we do this?”

  “Well, first of all, I need to pick my bridesmaids. Obviously, all of you are chosen.”

  “Yay,” Janice said excitedly. “This will be so much fun.”

  “I’m really excited even if I don’t look like it,” Hazel said.

  Flynn eyed her hair then tried to fix it, but it just got worse.

  Cassandra turned to Scarlet. “Will you be my maid of honor?”

  Scarlet look surprised. “Me?”

  “Yeah, of course,” Cassandra said.

  Scarlet’s mouth was still open. “I’m shocked. I assumed you would ask one of your friends.”

  “But you’re going to be my sister-in-law. I thought you were perfect. Plus, now my girlfriends can’t get mad at me.” She smiled at her. “So, will you?”

  “Duh!” Scarlet said excitedly. “But now I have a busy year doing this for two weddings.”

  “Two?” Sean asked. “Who else are you a maid of honor for?”

  “Actually, I’m Ryan’s best man.”

  I started laughing so hard, a few tears escaped.

  “What?” Sean asked. “He asked you?” He spoke like the idea was impossible.

  “So much for it being you,” I jabbed.

  “What the hell?” Sean asked. He turned to Ryan. “I thought you hated your sister?”

  “I do,” Ryan said simply. “I fucking hate her guts.”

  Sean looked confused. “So why did you ask her…?”

  “Because I kinda love her…” He shrugged. “Most of the time.”

  “Well, you would have picked me if it weren’t for her?” Sean asked.

  Ryan shook his head slightly. “Uh…Cortland would have next pick.”

  I laughed again. “God, you’re such an idiot.”

  Cortland fist pounded him. “Thanks, man.”

  Sean leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Whatever.”

  “Does that mean I’m invited to the bachelor party?” Scarlet asked.