Forever and Ever (Complete #1-7)

by E. L. Todd

  “I wasn’t…”

  I stared into her eyes, looking for a lie. When I didn’t see anything, I grabbed her hips and adjusted her. Then without saying a word, I slid inside her, making her gasp at my unexpected entrance. “Then knock that shit off.”

  Skye didn’t look at me that way again, but she was still clingy with me, constantly touching me and kissing me. Maybe she was just having a hormonal imbalance. I wasn’t sure.

  We arrived at the theme park then walked inside. Skye had her arm hooked through mine, walking so close to me that her breasts shook against my arm with every step she took.

  Slade and Trinity weren’t as affectionate when they were around other people. He didn’t hold her hand or put his arm around her waist. Perhaps it was habitual since they were a secret for so long.

  I walked to the desk to pay for Skye and me, but Skye was still all over me, nibbling on my ear like she wanted me right then and there.

  The attendant stared at her for a second, dirty thoughts running through his mind while he watched Skye practically jump my bones.

  “Two please.” I tried to move away from Skye’s embrace, but she wouldn’t let up.

  “Uh, sure.” He kept staring at her while he fumbled for the tickets, blindly grabbing a stapler. He put it down then hesitantly averted his gaze while he tore the tickets off then handed them to me. “Happy birthday. I mean, have a good day. Uh…”

  “Thanks.” I turned away, pulling Skye with me. “Are you on Viagra or something?”

  “What if I am?” she challenged.

  I didn’t respond, not wanting to participate in this pointless argument.

  Slade came to my side. “How are we going to do the teams? I say girls against guys.”

  Skye was all over me again.

  He eyed her hesitantly. “Or maybe not…”

  I rolled my eyes. “Ignore her.”

  “Kinda hard,” he said sarcastically. “You guys practicing for a porno?”

  “Leave them alone,” Trinity said. “They’re in love.” She gave me a sad look like I was dying of a terrible illness.

  “We’re in love,” he barked. “But I’m not groping you every other second.”

  “Maybe you should,” she hissed.

  His eyes narrowed in darkness. “You want me to take you in the arena? Because I will.”

  “Please don’t,” I said.

  Slade eyed Skye again. “Well, I know what you two will be doing…”

  I moved away from Skye slightly. “Okay, let’s play. Couple teams?”

  Slade sighed while he looked at Trinity. “But she sucks!”

  “I do not suck,” she argued. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

  “If it makes you feel better, Skye will probably be too busy sucking my neck to fire her gun,” I said.

  “Whatever,” Slade said. “Let’s go.”

  We checked in and assembled our gear.

  Trinity held the gun and studied it. “How do you shoot?”

  Slade sighed and rolled his eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Skye pulled her hair over one shoulder then adjusted her vest.

  I couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked. “That’s a good look on you.”

  She smirked. “You like it?”

  “Maybe we should take it home…”

  “You’re into laser tag beauties?” she asked.

  “I am now.”

  We lined up and headed inside when the buzzer went off. We immediately broke off into teams and looked for cover. Skye and I found a secluded area near a group of boxes.

  “Trinity is the weak one, so you go for her,” I said.

  “Why can’t I go for Slade?” she demanded. “I’m just as good as you are.”

  “But he’s fast.”

  “I’m faster,” she argued.

  “We could both go for Slade since Trinity won’t even be able to shoot either one of us.”

  She laughed. “She should stick to magazines and outfits.”

  “Word.” I peeked over the box but didn’t see them anywhere. “Let’s break up. You go right and I go left.”

  “Okay.”

  We headed our separate ways and moved through the maze, trying to discern our opponents.

  “This looks so ugly on me.” Trinity was talking quietly to Slade. “They couldn’t pick a different color than black?”

  “The whole point of black is so you can’t be seen,” he hissed.

  “What about camo?” she asked. “That would have been better. Or pink camo.”

  “Just shut up, Trin.”

  “You shut up!”

  I crouched down behind a box and fired, hitting Slade in the back. His vest immediately lit up.

  “Shit,” Slade said. “They are on us.”

  “Aggh!” Trinity screamed. “What do we do?” She panicked.

  “Calm the fuck down!” Slade yelled. “It’s not real!”

  Trinity jumped up and took off.

  I took advantage of the vantage point and got a few hits in.

  “If you weren’t so fucking hot!” he yelled after her.

  Trinity screamed again. Skye must have found her.

  Slade rolled out of the way like a professional assassin then hid behind some boxes. “You aren’t going to take me alive!”

  “Good,” I called. “I won’t have to listen to the annoying sound of your voice.”

  “My voice is annoying?” he asked incredulously. “Watching Skye suck your neck like a vampire is fucking annoying.”

  I jumped over the box then pointed my gun down at him. Then I fired.

  “Asshole!” Slade sprinted away, moving through the boxes.

  I chased after him, winding through the passageways and obstacles.

  I suddenly spotted Trinity running by, holding two guns.

  What the hell?

  Skye ran by a second later. “Give me my gun!”

  “No!” Trinity kept running. “You’ll just keep shooting me.”

  I saw another shadow run past, tailing Skye. I knew it was Slade, taking advantage of her lack of a weapon to score a few thousand points. I took off and chased after them.

  When I came to a small enclosure, I saw Trinity firing both guns at Skye.

  “That’s my baby!” Slade was shooting Skye too, making her vest light up uncontrollably.

  “Cayson!” Skye screamed. “Help!”

  I decided to take down Trinity since she had two weapons. I pointed my gun at her head. “Drop your weapons!”

  She screamed and dropped them to the floor.

  “It’s not real!” Slade hissed. “Don’t drop your gun! Shoot him!”

  Trinity ran away, wanting to avoid a hit.

  “God, she’s stupid!” Slade yelled.

  Skye crawled and grabbed her gun, while Slade snatched the other one.

  I turned my gun on him and so did Skye.

  “Fuck.” Slade took off and ran away.

  “Go for Trinity since she doesn’t have a weapon,” I said to Skye.

  “It’s payback time!” She went the opposite way.

  I chased Slade through the maze. “You’re just postponing this!” I yelled.

  “I’ve got two guns, idiot!” Slade said, still running.

  “Then why don’t you face me like a man.” I was almost out of breath from screaming and running at the same time.

  We ran into Skye and Trinity again.

  “Don’t kill me!” Trinity said, on her knees with her hands up.

  Skye was shooting her over and over.

  “Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you!” Slade grabbed her hand and yanked her to her feet then shoved the gun into her hand. “Be a soldier, not a pussy!” He shoved her and made her run.

  Then the lights came on and the guns turned off.

  “Gee, I wonder who won?” Skye said sarcastically.

  “Suck Cayson’s dick and shut up,” Slade snarled.

  “Someone’s a sore l
oser…” I laughed.

  Slade glared at Trinity. “If you weren’t so good in the sack, I wouldn’t put up with this.”

  “And what about all the other aspects of our relationship?” Trinity demanded.

  “Like what?” Slade asked. “All the talking? Yeah, I love that…”

  She smacked his arm then walked off.

  We returned our equipment then left the laser tag area.

  “Losers pay for dinner,” I said.

  “And we want pizza,” Skye said.

  Slade rolled his eyes. “Fine, let’s go.”

  “I panicked, okay?” Trinity said, picking at the olives on her pizza.

  “They aren’t real guns,” Slade said. “Cayson wasn’t actually going to shoot your brains out.”

  “Well, it felt real,” she hissed.

  “I knew you were bad at laser tag, but damn…I didn’t realize just how bad,” he snarled.

  “That’s it.” She shot him a nasty look. “No sex tonight.”

  “What?” he snapped. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh no…” I gave Slade a fearful look. “She’s pulling out the big guns now.”

  “You can’t do that,” Slade said, sounding uncertain.

  “Yes, I can.” Trinity gave him a triumphant look. “And I just did.”

  Slade turned to me, looking for help. “Wait…can she?”

  I nodded. “Sorry, man.”

  “No,” he argued, turning back to Trinity. “We’re in a relationship. I get sex when I want.”

  “Not when you’re a dick.” She picked up her pizza and ate it, indifferent to him.

  “Sorry, but you were absolutely worthless in there! I’m just being honest. When Skye hunted you down with two guns, you just kneeled on the floor and let her take you out. Where’s the sassy no-bullshit attitude you always have?”

  “I was scared, okay?”

  “We lost because of you!” Slade said.

  She gave him another glare. “No sex for two days.”

  “What?” he screamed. “You can’t do that! It’s not my fault you—”

  “You want to make it three?” Trinity threatened.

  Slade opened his mouth to argue, but I silenced him. “Just stop talking.”

  Slade’s face turned red, unable to hold back his fury, but he kept his silence.

  “I could never withhold sex from Cayson.” Skye leaned toward me, her arm linking through mine. “He’s too good at it.”

  “I’m good at it,” Slade said. “Better than any she’s ever had.”

  “Irrelevant,” Trinity said.

  “I’ll show you…” He looked off, his mind working furiously.

  We finished our pizza then Slade paid for everything. Then we headed home.

  “Where am I headed?” Slade asked as he drove.

  “Skye’s,” I said. I usually slept there.

  “Okay.” He dropped us off in the front. “I want a rematch. But I’ll have a better partner.”

  “Then it’s not a rematch,” I said.

  “And you can’t replace me!” Trinity said indignantly.

  “I’m taking Roland next time,” Slade said. “Someone who knows a bullet hole from the trigger.”

  “Then have sex with him too,” Trinity snapped. “Because now you aren’t getting any from me for three days.”

  I turned to Skye. “Let’s get out—quick.”

  We bolted from the car and walked away. They stayed parked in front of the apartment, still arguing.

  We walked inside then kicked off our shoes.

  “That was fun,” I said.

  “It was.” She smiled at me, but the sadness returned. Then she blinked it away. “Too bad Trinity sucks, though.”

  “That was actually pretty funny,” I said with a laugh.

  She moved to the couch then I sat beside her. Once I was near her, she snuggled into me, her legs moving across my lap. She was lighter than a feather, so it was never uncomfortable.

  I put my arm around her shoulders then rubbed my nose against her. It seemed like a lifetime ago when Skye was just my friend. I’d always eyed her in envy, wishing I could kiss her and hold her. Every time she was with another guy, it had killed me. But now that pain was gone. I was the one who got to keep her, and now every man looked at me in envy. I was one of the lucky few who had a partner who was perfectly compatible with me, mentally, emotionally, and physically. She was a dream come true, the perfect woman I had fantasized about. But now she was reality. I looked into her eyes before I spoke. “We’re going to have an incredible life together.”

  Her eyes softened when she looked at me, and the depth of her thoughts was endless. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but something was going through her mind. Heartbeats passed and she said nothing. She met my gaze, her lips parted slightly. Sadness emerged, but just for a second, before it disappeared. Her mouth opened to speak but words never came out. She averted her gaze and leaned her head against my shoulder, saying nothing.

  85

  Skye

  My gown reached to my feet, being loose but not too loose. My cap was on my head, and my hair was in curls. I played with the tassel, making sure it was on the right side of my cap. Black heels were on my feet, and I wasn’t looking forward to walking across the stage wearing them. Hopefully, I wouldn’t fall.

  A knock sounded on my door. “Honey, can I come in?”

  “Yeah, Mom.”

  She walked inside then sat on the edge of my bed. I sat in front of my vanity, checking my appearance even though I didn’t need to look anymore.

  My mom smiled while she looked at me. Her hand reached out and brushed a strand of loose hair away. “So beautiful, Skye.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I still remember exactly how you looked the day you were born. Now you’re a beautiful and successful woman. It’s surreal…”

  “Well, I think I get those traits from you.”

  She chuckled. “No, I think you did most of it on your own.”

  I looked back at the mirror and sighed.

  “Nervous?”

  “Yeah.” And depressed. As soon as this was over, Cayson wouldn’t be mine anymore. I’d been looking forward to this moment my entire adult life. Now it was only painful.

  My mom’s eyes softened in pity. My dad told her everything, so she knew about my predicament. But she never mentioned it, knowing it would only make me sad on a day when I should be happy. And her silence also meant she agreed with my decision. It gave me the strength to see it through, but it also made me feel weak. “You’ll be fine.” Her words had several meanings.

  “I know…”

  She kissed my cheek then stood up. “Your father and I are ready whenever you are.” She walked out and shut the door.

  I sat in front of my vanity, staring at my face without actually seeing it.

  We were seated by discipline, so I sat in the business section. Trinity was beside me, so I had her for comfort. She looked beautiful in her gown. Her nails were perfectly painted, and her hair looked like a professional had done it. Her heels were at least five inches tall.

  “You look beautiful,” I said.

  “You do too.” She gave me a smile. “And your breasts still look great, even in a shapeless gown.”

  I laughed, grateful to feel my body relax. I needed that.

  She gave me a look I recognized from years of friendship. “You doing okay?”

  I shrugged. “No.”

  She patted my hand. “I’m here—always.”

  I nodded, grateful for her support.

  Parents lined the chairs in front of the stage. I could see my parents and Roland in the front row, along with everyone else. Uncle Mike sat next to my dad, looking proud and thrilled. Conrad sat beside his mom, happy but not truly.

  I wished I could sit with Cayson, but he was in the science department. I wanted to soak up every second of him, to treasure the limited time we had left. Every kiss and every touch were precious. Never in
my life would I be as happy as I was with him. And soon, that joy would be gone.

  The president and dean of the university addressed the crowd and gave a long-winded speech. If the students were bored, so were the parents. Moms and dads just wanted to see their kids walk across the stage and get the diploma they’d used their life savings to pay for.

  “We would like to recognize one remarkable student on this special day, asking him to give a speech before the diplomas are handed out. This young man is studious and hardworking, going above and beyond in every class. Every professor who’s had him never forgets his face or his work. In addition to his studies, he’s the president of the analytical science club, has volunteered more hours in the Harvard Affiliate Hospital than any other student who has graced this campus, and is one of our top tutors. Help me welcome Cayson Thompson to the stage.” He clapped and stepped aside.

  I had no idea Cayson was giving a speech. He hadn’t mentioned it to me. Everyone clapped and whistled. Cayson’s father, Cortland, stood up and clapped the loudest. His mother stood beside him, tears in her eyes. His sister, Clementine, smirked while she clapped. The rest of our family was on their feet, just as shocked as we were.

  Cayson rose out of the crowd and headed to the stage, his shoulders looking broad in his gown. He smiled as he went, taking my heart with him. Even though I’d been with him for months, he still made me swoon with just a look. I’d always known how lucky I was to have him, but it hit home in that moment.

  Trinity whistled loudly. “We love you!”

  Cayson shook hands with the president then stepped up to the podium. He didn’t have any notes. He’d either memorized his speech or he was making it up. Knowing Cayson, it was the first one. “It’s an honor to be here.” He put his hands on either side of the podium, acting like he’d done it a hundred times. His voice didn’t falter, confident and strong. “When they asked me to speak today, I was surprised. I worked really hard to get here, had nights where I didn’t get any sleep because I had a lab report to do or an exam to study for, but I can think of a hundred students off the top of my head who worked just as hard as I did. So I don’t stand here as one of the selected few. I stand here for all of you.”