Love Lives On (Forever and Ever #24) Read online

  She rolled her eyes. “You don’t get sex for a few days and now you’re a mindless idiot?”

  “I like your dress.”

  “You’re ridiculous,” she said. “You can manage.”

  “What panties are you wearing?” I blurted.

  She ignored me and opened the refrigerator. I got her a sandwich at the deli and she ate it at the counter.

  I stared at her in longing, missing the way her wet pussy felt.

  She stared at me while she chewed. “You’re being so creepy right now.”

  “Come on,” I said. “You basically put a child in a candy store with no one to supervise him. Of course that’s all I’m going to think about.”

  She finished her sandwich then headed into the shower.

  It took all my strength to stay on the couch and not follow her. This was unbearable for me. Was it not unbearable for her? My cock was permanently hard. When I thought about her showering and washing herself off I felt myself want to blow.

  When she finished she headed into the bedroom and got under the covers. Then she started to read.

  Sitting in the living room without her was deadly lonely. I missed her and had been thinking about her all day. I turned off the TV and joined her.

  Trinity looked up from her book and eyed me suspiciously.

  I took my clothes off except my boxers then lay beside her. “Can we at least fool around? That’s okay, right?”

  She shook her head and kept reading.

  “Is this really so easy for you?” I demanded.

  “I admit I miss the physical act but I know the wait will be worth it. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

  “You think our sex is going to be amazing because we hadn’t had each other in a while? I promise you, it won’t make a difference. I’ll be eager to rip off that dress the second I see you in it.”

  “Even so…”

  I sighed then stared at the ceiling. “How about oral sex? That’s not regular sex.”

  “No orgasms.”

  I cringed and cupped my balls like I was in pain. “God, you’re killing me.”

  “Just don’t think about it.”

  “Well, that’s pretty damn hard since I’m around you all the time.”

  She finally abandoned her book. “Maybe we shouldn’t live together for the next two weeks then.”

  “No,” I blurted. “Absolutely not. I’m not doing that.”

  “And if we don’t sleep in the same bed it won’t be so hard for us.”

  “No. I’m sleeping with you. You aren’t taking that away too.”

  “But if it’s that much of a struggle…”

  “Trinity, you’re a supermodel. When have I ever been around a super model and not fucked her?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “The answer is never,” I said. “And now I’m engaged to one and I can’t even have her. It’s only been a few weeks and it’s unbearable. So change it to a week. That’s fair.”

  “That’s too short.”

  “Maybe for you,” I snapped. “When I told Cayson he actually cringed. He said he’s grateful he’s not me.”

  “And I’m also grateful he isn’t you,” she said. “And this is our relationship, not his. You’ll be glad we did it on the night of the wedding. Just be patient.”

  I hated my fiancé right now. I actually hated her.

  She retuned to her book and kept reading.

  “Can we make out?” I asked hopefully.

  “That’ll just get you in the mood more.”

  And maybe it would get her in the mood more too. “Come on.” I leaned over her and pulled the book down. “Come on. Some innocent kissing won’t hurt anybody.” My lips found her neck and I gave her gentle kisses. She didn’t fight it and began to melt. She tilted her head to give me more room.

  Yes, I could do this.

  I kept kissing her and my hand moved under the sheets, searching for the area between her legs. I knew how to get her fired up and beg me to take her.

  But her hand grabbed mine and steadied it. “Slade, no.”

  Man, why was she being annoying? I kept going and my hand felt the nub between her legs. I rubbed it while I kept kissing her, hearing her breathe hard. My fingers coated in her moisture as I got her ready.

  Yes, I was about to get laid.

  My lips found hers and I pulled the blanket off and yanked my boxers down. My cock was happier than it’d ever been.

  “Slade, no.” But she kept kissing me. It was a pitiful attempt to stop me.

  I pulled her underneath me and pressed my naked body against hers. My cock twitched in excitement. I hadn’t been inside her days and I was going crazy.

  Trinity wrapped her legs around my waist. “I wanted our wedding night to be special but it’s clear neither one of us can wait.”

  “It will be special.” I grabbed the base of my dick and prepared to shove it inside her.

  “I just wanted it to be magical, you know? Like it is in the movies where my Prince Charming looks at me and can’t stop. I wanted it to feel like the first time we’d ever been together…” She looked up at me with desire in her eyes. Her hands were still on me and her legs squeezed my thighs.

  Her words hit me hard in the chest. I looked into her face and remembered our night in the bathtub together. She wanted a happily ever after like every other girl dreamed. This was clearly important to her. I could keep going and get what I wanted but…I wanted to make her dreams come true.

  I silently cursed myself as I got off, my dick still hard.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You’re right,” I said. “We should wait.”

  “That’s it?” she asked. “You work so hard to get me to open my legs and when I do you give up?”

  I turned off the lamp then pulled her close to me. “I’ll be your Prince Charming, baby. And I want to be.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Conrad

  I set my bags by the door then turned to Lexie.

  “A bachelor party, huh?” She gave me a playful look as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Vegas?”

  “No. We’re headed to the coast to go surfing. I haven’t been in a long time. Hopefully, I don’t make an idiot out of myself.”

  “Hmm.”

  “What?”

  “That’s just…not a typical bachelor party.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Slade doesn’t want alcohol and strippers. And he already got too drunk last weekend.”

  “Well, it should be fun,” she said. “Wear sunblock.”

  I rubbed my nose against hers. “Looking out for me, baby?”

  “I just like your pretty face,” she said. “Don’t mess it up.”

  “I’ll try.” I kissed the corner of her mouth.

  “So…maybe you and I should call it quits.”

  Did I hear her right? “What? Why do you say that?”

  “Well, you’re headed to the beach for the weekend. And I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of girls there…” She kept her arms across her chest and she had a stoic expression on her face. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

  “No.” That was my immediate answer. “All the guys are in relationships. We aren’t going to go out to bars and pick up women. I just want to hang out with my friends.”

  “Because I don’t care,” she said. “But I don’t want to share. You know, for hygienic reasons.”

  “Well, that’s not what I’m going to do,” I said. “So, let’s just keep things the way they are.” When she said we should walk away from our arrangement, it scared the shit out of me. My heart raced fast in my chest and I thought it would give out. The idea of Lexie leaving made me sick. I wasn’t sure why. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  I pulled her to my chest and gave her a deep kiss. Our tongues emerged then touched each other. I deepened the kiss and squeezed her hips. Then I finally released her. “I had to get that out of the way. If I kissed you like that in
front of my friends they’d all start jerking off in the car.”

  She chuckled. “They don’t strike me as that type.”

  “Oh, they are dogs,” I said. “Don’t worry about that.” I shouldered my bag and walked out. My phone rang in my pocket and I answered it while I locked the door. “What?”

  “We’re at the street, asshole,” Roland said. “What’s taking so long?”

  “I’m coming. Chill out.” I hung up.

  Lexie smiled at me. “Someone’s popular.”

  “They’re just jerks.” I shouldered my bag and grabbed her hand as we walked out. When we made it to the sidewalk, I stopped and turned to her. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Have a good time.”

  “I will.” I cupped her face and kissed her.

  “Come on!” Slade yelled. “What kind of bachelor party is this?”

  “It’s not his fault you aren’t getting any,” Cayson said.

  I let my lips linger on Lexie’s before I pulled away. “Call me if you need me.”

  “Okay.”

  I stared into her blue eyes for moment, and suddenly I didn’t want to leave anymore. I wanted to stay here, with her.

  “Dude!” Slade hocked the horn. “We got places to be!”

  I sighed then stepped away from her. I threw my bag in the back of the truck.

  “Finally,” Roland said. “Feel like I’m watching a damn chick flick.”

  I went to open the back door but stopped and looked at Lexie again.

  She gave me a beautiful smile and waved at me.

  My hand left the door handle. “Hold on.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Slade said with a groan.

  I jogged back to Lexie.

  “What is it?” she asked. “Did you forget something?”

  “One more.” I cupped her face and gave her a hard kiss on the mouth.

  The guys all made disgusted noises.

  “Keep it in your pants, Conrad!” Roland said.

  When I pulled away her cheeks were slightly red. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay,” she said. “You should get to your friends. They seem impatient.”

  “Well, they can wait.” I kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’ll call you the second I get back.”

  “Okay.”

  “Bye, baby.”

  “Bye.”

  I walked back to the truck and got in the backseat.

  “You ready?” Slade asked as he looked at me in his rearview mirror.

  “Yeah,” I answered.

  “Are you sure?” Slade demanded. “You didn’t forget any tampons or vibrators?”

  “Shut the hell up and drive,” I said with a laugh.

  “You didn’t forget your copy of Fifty Shades of Grey?” Slade pressed.

  I smacked the back of his head. “Just drive.”

  “How about your make up?” Roland asked. “You packed that?”

  “Hey, I’m not above kicking your asses right now,” I said.

  “You teased him enough,” Caysons said. “Let’s go.”

  “Whenever a man becomes a pussy, he will be teased,” Slade said.

  “You’re the biggest pussy here,” Roland said. “You’re getting married.”

  “And I humbly accept the taunts,” Slade said.

  I stared out the window and looked at Lexie. She patiently waited for the car to pull away. When we moved to the street, she blew me a kiss. I caught it automatically then pressed it over my heart.

  Roland caught the gesture. “Now that has to be the lamest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  I ignored him, staring at Lexie until I could no longer see her.

  ***

  We grabbed our surfboards and immediately hit the waves. I was rusty because I didn’t surf nearly as often as I once did. Work and school got in the way. But after an hour I got the hang of it again. Slade was pretty good. Arsen was even better. I’m not sure how because I doubted the guy ever surfed in his life. And Ryan came in a close second.

  When the sun started to go down, we returned our surfboards to the rental shack then sat on the beach. At first I thought it would be weird that Ryan was there but it wasn’t. He was definitely the most laid back parent of the group. And this was Slade’s bachelor party, not mine.

  “You’re good on the water,” I said to Ryan.

  “It’s pretty similar to snowboarding,” he said as he dried his hair with his fingers. For being older than us, he was in great shape. It was clear he worked out every day.

  “And why are you so good?” Ryan asked Arsen.

  Arsen shrugged. “Not sure. Beginner’s luck, I suppose.”

  Slade narrowed his eyes. “Why are you good at everything?”

  “I’m not,” Arsen said with a laugh. “I was practically illiterate and Ryan taught me how to read.”

  “That’s an exaggeration,” Ryan said.

  Arsen shook his head. “It’s not.”

  “Now what, son?” Ryan asked. “Are we going to find a nearby tittie bar?”

  Slade raised an eyebrow. “You would actually go? What about Mom?”

  “She knows it’s a bachelor party. And she knows those chicks got nothing on her.”

  “No tittie bar,” Cayson said. “Conrad, Arsen, and I have ladies at home.”

  “I don’t have a lady at home,” I argued.

  They all looked at me with confused expressions.

  Slade scratched his forehead. “So that long and drawn out good bye was…friendly?”

  Cayson looked just as skeptical.

  Arsen had a knowing look in his eyes.

  “I told you, she’s just a fuck buddy,” I said.

  “Uh-huh,” Slade said as he nodded slowly. “That you can hardly leave and who blows kisses at you. Sure. Got it.”

  I started to get irritated. “Lexie and I aren’t serious. I told you that.”

  “And Trinity and I weren’t serious but I was sleeping with her every night and I growled at any guy that stared at her gorgeous legs. Dude, it’s fine to admit you actually like this girl. She’s really cool.”

  “She is really cool,” Roland said. “I like her a lot.”

  “Well, she is a good friend because I know she’s cool,” I said.

  Slade rolled his eyes. “Whatever, man. You’ll figure it out eventually.”

  Ryan watched me. “Would it be the end of the world if you did want to be with this girl?”

  “I’m a terminal bachelor,” I said. “And it’s staying that way.”

  “I used to be the same way before I met my wife,” Ryan said. “And honestly, I was miserable before I met her. Having a different girl every weekend was nice but it got old after awhile. Eventually, it was just pure loneliness. If you’re lucky enough to find someone that you love being around without sex involved, you know you’ve found your best friend. And if you’re lucky enough to be with someone you can’t get enough of sexually, then you’ve found your greatest lover. And if you’ve found both, then you’ve found the one.”

  Everyone took in his words without speaking. My heart started to pound in my chest. His words played in my ear, echoing continuously.

  “My dad is wise,” Slade said. “He’s like an owl.”

  Ryan smirked like he was amused. “Just sharing my life experience.”

  “Well, based on my experience with love, relationships don’t work. And love certainly doesn’t exist.” Thinking about my relationship with Beatrice still hurt. I gave that girl everything and she still screwed me over. Even now I was still bitter.

  Ryan rested his arms on his knees. “Well, I’ve been married for a long time, and I’ve never been happier. Sure, Janice and I fight but those always blow over. Slade is getting married to the one woman he can’t live without. Cayson was pledged to Skye a decade ago. Arsen and Silke had a really difficult road but they are happy now.”

  “Well, good for you guys,” I said coldly. “You’re very lucky.”
r />   Ryan paused for a while. “Maybe you just need to give love another chance. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “I’ll pass,” I said.

  Ryan nodded. “That’s your right,” he said. “But it’s pretty clear you’ve already given love another chance—even if you don’t realize it.”

  “I haven’t,” I said. “Lexie and I are just fooling around.”

  “It didn’t look like it,” Slade jabbed.

  “She’ll never want me like that anyway,” I said. “She even suggested we end our arrangement before we went on this trip.”

  “Why?” Ryan asked calmly.

  “She assumed I would want to hook up with a bunch of women,” I answered.

  “And what did you say?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “So…why would she ask if she didn’t care? And why would you say no if you didn’t care either?” Ryan looked to me for an answer.

  All eyes were on me and I didn’t like it. “Just back off, okay? My relationship with Lexie is none of your business anyway.”

  “We hit a nerve,” Slade said with a chuckle.

  I looked out at the ocean so I could avoid eye contact with all of them.

  “Leave him alone, you guys,” Roland said. “He’ll realize how he feels eventually. Harassing him won’t speed up the process.”

  “Well, when Trinity started dating Reid that sped up the process for me,” Slade said. “And I’m actually glad it happened. It pulled my head out of my ass.”

  I didn’t like picturing Lexie with other men. Whenever she spent time with her ex it sent me into a rage like I’ve never known. I couldn’t tell if it was because he hurt her so much or…I just didn’t like him pursuing her. Maybe I would never know.

  ***

  We all took a shot.

  Slade cringed and wiped his mouth. “God, it burns more every time.”

  We were sitting at a table of the bar of the hotel. Music played in the background and people were nearby at other tables.

  “Can’t handle your liquor anymore?” Ryan asked. “That’s disappointing.”

  “I just don’t like tequila.” Slade pursed his lips and cringed. “Unless I’m licking it off of Trinity’s body.”

  “Good to know,” Ryan said sarcastically.

  “What’s new with you, Ro?” Arsen asked. He didn’t seem affected by the liquor at all. Arsen was like an endless well. I wondered if he drank a lot in prison or his time before that. Maybe he developed an immaculate tolerance to it.