Edge of Love

by E. L. Todd

  I smiled. “I guess that’s why you’re so good together.”

  She nodded. “I think so too.”

  “Do you like it?”

  She smiled. “I do.”

  “It doesn’t hurt?”

  “No, but Sean is bigger than Ryan, so that’s probably why it was painful.”

  Cortland raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  I felt my heart fall. “Uh, Janice and I compare notes.”

  Cortland looked at me. “So she knows how big I am, too?”

  “No,” I said quickly.

  “So you asked Janice how big your brother’s dick was?” he asked incredulously.

  I started to stutter. This wasn’t going well.

  Janice recognized my fear. “I volunteered that information. Scar didn’t ask.”

  Cortland shook his head. “That’s still really weird. That would be like Ryan asking how Scarlet’s tits looked.”

  I sighed. “Okay. This is getting weird.”

  Cortland laughed. “It’s been weird.”

  “Anyway,” Janice said. “Back to you and Sean.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “If you don’t like it, then don’t do it again.”

  “I did like it,” I said. “It was just a little uncomfortable.”

  “It takes a few times,” Janice said. “It’ll get better.”

  “I know Sean really likes it.”

  “How?” Janice asked.

  “Because it was over so quickly. Normally he lasts for a long time.”

  Cortland nodded. “It’s hard to control yourself. Don’t even get me started on Monnique. Her ass—there are no words.”

  I laughed. “Does she like it?”

  “Not at first,” he said. “She does now, but only if I’m slow.”

  “Well, you’re a lot to handle,” I said.

  He smiled. “Thanks.”

  “Speaking of which,” Janice said. “Has Sean talked to you, Cortland?”

  “Not since he came to my apartment,” he answered.

  I sighed. “Sean says he doesn’t have a problem with Cortland. He doesn’t care if I spend time with him.”

  “Well, that’s good,” Janice said. “I’m surprised he’s being so mature about it.”

  “But he doesn’t like him,” I added.

  Cortland sighed. “I figured it. Hopefully it changes.”

  “It won’t,” I said. “I know Sean. He’ll never change his mind. Not even when we’re married.”

  “Maybe I should talk to him?” Cortland said.

  “No,” I said quickly. “Just let it be.”

  Ryan came out of the hallway still putting on his shirt. “Morning,” he said as he grabbed a cup of coffee.

  “Hey, maid of honor,” I said.

  He shook his head. “Don’t call me that.”

  I laughed. “Okay,” I said. “But I need your help picking center pieces.” I was only kidding, but I loved teasing him.

  He sighed. “So the torture begins. Does that mean I have to throw a bachelorette party for you with penis ice cubes, blow job shots, and streamers and all that bullshit?”

  Janice laughed. “You seem like you already have it planned out.”

  He glared at her. “Shut up, baby.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. When Ryan caught her look, he abandoned his coffee and walked over to her.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he said as he kissed her. “I didn’t mean that.”

  “No anal for you.”

  He smiled. “You can’t blackmail me like that.”

  “I just did.”

  “I have the same power as you do.” His eyes twinkled.

  “Okay,” she said. “I forgive you.”

  He kissed her. “Thank you, baby. Did I mention that you look damn fine today?”

  She smiled. “I already forgave you.”

  “Well, I’m saying it because I mean it.” He kissed her on the cheek then returned to his coffee. He took a seat next to me at the table then grabbed the newspaper. “What were you guys talking about?”

  “My bridal shower,” I said with a smile.

  He sighed. “It gets worse.”

  I laughed. “It’ll be fine.”

  “No,” he said. “I can’t even hook up with a cute bridesmaid because I’m taken.” Janice glared at him. “Not that I care or anything,” he said quickly.

  I laughed again. “I’m just kidding, Ryan. We aren’t doing any of that.”

  “What?” Janice said. “What about a bachelorette party?”

  “No,” I said. “It would just be you and me and that’s lame.”

  “You don’t have any other friends?” she asked. “That’s sad.”

  I shook my head. “I have friends, but they all live in Boston.”

  “Didn’t you go to high school here?” Janice asked.

  “I didn’t keep in touch with my school friends,” I answered.

  Ryan laughed. “In conclusion, my sister is a loser.”

  I threw a Cheerio at him. “Shut up.”

  He shrugged. “I’m just saying.” He opened the newspaper and looked at the sports section. “What were you guys talking about before I walked in?”

  “Uh,” I said awkwardly.

  “Sex,” Janice said.

  “Ooh,” Ryan said with a smile. “I like that topic.”

  Janice smiled. “We were talking about Sean and Scarlet having sex.”

  He made a disgusted face. “Nevermind.”

  She laughed. “You know what Ryan likes to do most in the bedroom?”

  Ryan stared at her. “Do you think this is appropriate for the breakfast table?”

  She rolled her eyes and ignored them. “He likes making love.”

  “What?” Cortland said. “You’re full of it. If Ryan said that, he’s a liar.”

  I found that really hard to believe. “Ryan? The man who took the virginity of all of Seattle?”

  She smiled. “It’s true.”

  Ryan avoided our gaze and read the paper.

  “Did he tell you that?” I asked?

  “So inappropriate,” Ryan mumbled.

  Janice shook her head. “No, but I can tell. He definitely prefers being romantic than just fucking. He tries to act like he’s a macho man and all that junk, but he’s nothing like that.”

  Cortland laughed. “I still don’t believe that.”

  “It’s really sweet,” Janice said.

  “Sean and I are about half and half.”

  Cortland looked at Ryan. “Is that true, man?”

  He continued to look at his paper. “I never made love before. I enjoy it. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  Janice smiled. “See?”

  I smiled. “That’s actually really sweet.”

  Ryan ignored us. “Whatever.” He folded the paper. “Since we are talking about personal bedroom crap, it’s time for me to reveal a bedroom secret about Janice.”

  I laughed. “This can’t be good.”

  Ryan continued. “She loves it when I go down on her. She asks me to do it almost every day.”

  Janice shrugged. “So? You like it, right?’

  Her lack of embarrassment made me smile.

  Ryan smiled. “Hell yeah, baby.”

  “Okay then.” She smiled.

  Cortland stared at Ryan. “You don’t like getting head more than making love?”

  Ryan shrugged. “I love getting head, but I love making love more.”

  Janice shrugged. “Or maybe I’m terrible at it.”

  “Definitey not,” Ryan said quickly.

  “We’re so weird,” I said suddenly. Everyone looked at me. “I mean really. We are.”

  Cortland shrugged. “Yeah.”

  Janice shook her head. “I think we’re mature. We can talk about sex like normal adults.”

  Ryan nodded. “How is sex different than kissing, sports, or working? It’s something we all do and enjoy.”

  “Weren’
t you just embarrassed a second ago?” I asked.

  “Well, Janice was putting me on display, making me look like a girl. First, I’m a maid of honor, and now everyone knows I love making love to my girlfriend more than getting head.”

  Janice rose from her chair then sat in his lap. She ran her fingers through his hair then kissed him. “I love you the way you are.”

  He smiled. “Good. I love you too, baby.”

  She kissed him again.

  Even though they were gross, they were also really cute.

  There was a knock on the door then Sean opened it and came into the room. When he came inside, he stopped and looked at all of us sitting at the table. His eyes landed on Cortland for a long moment then he looked away. “Hey.”

  Ryan couldn’t speak because he was kissing Janice, so he waved instead. Janice didn’t acknowledge him at all. Sean stared at them for a moment as he took his seat next to me. He didn’t acknowledge Cortland at all. It was very awkward.

  I kissed him on the cheek then rested my hand on his thigh. “Good morning.”

  “Not really,” he said.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why are you so cranky?”

  “You weren’t there when I woke up.” He had pain in his eyes. I wasn’t sure why that was such a big deal. Obviously, I hadn’t packed my bags and stormed out.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you, babe.”

  He sighed. “I—I just thought that you were mad at me.”

  “Why would I be?”

  He lowered his voice. “Because of what we did last night.”

  Janice broke their kiss. “You mean when you had anal sex?”

  Sean rolled his eyes. “Do you have to tell them every little thing?”

  I grabbed his face and kissed him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it bothered you.”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t. I’m just in a bad mood.”

  “Well, I’m not angry, Sean.”

  “I didn’t hurt you?” he asked.

  “No,” I said. “And I want to do it again.”

  He sighed. “I was so worried that I hurt you or something.”

  I grabbed his face. “I promised that I wouldn’t run away again. Remember?”

  He nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  I kissed him. “Good. You should be.”

  He laughed. “Don’t get carried away.”

  I nodded at Cortland. “He says he and Monnique enjoy it.”

  Sean looked away and acted like Cortland didn’t exist.

  Cortland sighed. “Sean, how’s the job hunt been going?”

  Sean ignored him.

  I leaned closer to Sean. “Don’t be rude.”

  He glared at me then looked at Cortland. “Talk to me again and I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

  Cortland leaned back and averted his gaze.

  “Don’t talk to him like that, Sean. That was completely inappropriate.”

  “Then tell him not to speak to me,” he said.

  “I don’t want it to be this way,” I whispered.

  He didn’t meet my gaze. “I never said you had to stop talking to him. But you can’t make me act like I don’t dislike the guy. He took advantage of you when you were depressed then he fucked you without wearing anything. You’re mine, Scarlet. How would you feel if I made you talk to Penelope?”

  “That isn’t the same thing.”

  “Yes, it is. She used me, and Cortland used you. It’s the same thing. You shouldn’t waste your time, Scarlet. I won’t change my mind. I don’t like that fucker and I never will.”

  I glared at him. “This is a very ugly color on you.”

  He returned my look. “I warned you beforehand.”

  “Do this for me,” I whispered.

  “No.”

  “Sean—”

  “I said no.” He rose from the table and was about to storm out.

  “What did we promise each other?”

  He stopped immediately and came back to the table. “I was going back to the apartment. If you want to talk to me, that’s where I’ll be.”

  “Please stay.”

  “No.”

  “Please.” I felt the tears bubble under my eyes. I wanted us to be normal again. I hated this anger between Sean and Cortland.

  His eyes softened when he looked at me. “Okay, babe. Calm down.” He sat beside me then wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I whispered.

  He kissed my forehead.

  Cortland stared at his coffee.

  Ryan cleared his throat. “So, how’s the job hunt going anyway?”

  Sean looked at him. “I haven’t looked.”

  Ryan nodded. “You deserve some time off.”

  “I told him to stay at home with me,” I said.

  Sean shook his head. “No.”

  “It would be fun,” I said.

  Ryan shook his head. “I would go crazy if I was stuck with you all day.”

  “What if you stayed home with Janice?”

  He smiled. “Well, that’s different for obvious reasons.” He ran his hand down her back as she sat on his lap.

  “I just don’t understand why you need to work if we don’t need the money?” I asked. “Especially if you don’t care about your job?”

  “Because I want to.”

  “No you don’t.”

  “I’m not going to change my mind.”

  “Gender roles are stupid.”

  He looked at me. “I would rather have this conversation in private, but if you want to do it here, then fine. I’m the man of this relationship. I will always work. You can’t argue with me about this. It doesn’t matter that we don’t need the money. Deal with it, Scarlet.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Ryan nodded. “I understand Sean’s point of view.”

  “It’s stupid.”

  Sean glared at me. “It’s where I get my self-esteem. I couldn’t make love to you every night knowing I didn’t contribute anything to the relationship.”

  “You do plenty of that without working,” I said.

  He shook his head. “Drop it, Scar.”

  I sighed. “Fine.”

  Ryan leaned forward. “So, Vegas for the bachelor party?’ he asked excitedly. “I’ve been keeping all the one dollar bills from the shop.”

  “You’re going to a strip club?” Janice asked in disgust.

  “Duh,” he said. He looked back at Sean. “Make sure you can get the whole weekend off from your new job.”

  “Wait,” I said. “You weren’t interested in my bachelorette party at all, but now you’re excited for Sean’s? You aren’t even in his wedding party.”

  “So?” he said. “There will be naked chicks there.”

  Janice waved her hand in front of his face. “Hello?”

  He waved her away. “Yeah whatever.”

  She shook her head. “He can be so sweet then turn into a huge ass almost immediately.”

  “I can see that.” I laughed.

  Sean smiled. “I’ll make sure I get the days off.”

  “Yes!” Ryan said. “We’re going to Vegas!”

  Sean laughed. “Naked chicks, here we come!”

  “Hey,” I said. “What about me?”

  He smiled. “I’m just playing along, Scar. You know I don’t care for that.”

  “Good.”

  “Besides, I have you. And you’re a fox.”

  “I’m a hot piece of ass,” I said.

  “My hot piece of ass,” he said as he kissed me. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

  “I just got here,” I said.

  “Well, I miss you,” he said.

  “What do you want to do today?”

  “What we always do.”

  I smiled. “Okay.”

  31

  “I feel like you’re trying to ostracize me from my family.”

  He laughed. “No. It’s just awkward having them around with what I have in m
ind.”

  I walked in the room and took off my jacket. “We did it all day yesterday.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “I thought you’d be satisfied.”

  “It’s a new cycle every day. We have a quota to reach.”

  “I’m not a machine.”

  “My cock says differently.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I caught that.”

  I did it again.

  He pushed me against the wall and pinned my hands back. The moment suddenly became serious. He stared into my eyes as he held me in place. Then he leaned in and grabbed my bottom lip with his teeth, sucking gently. He moved his kiss to my neck and sucked the skin. I felt my body betray me immediately. “If you hadn’t left before I woke up, this wouldn’t be happening.” I bit my lip as I moaned. “I hope you learn your lesson this time.”

  I tried to move my arms but he was too strong. “It couldn’t wait until I got home?”

  He pressed his forehead against mine and looked into my eyes. “No.” He leaned down and kissed my chest then moved back to my mouth.

  “You just want to fuck my ass again.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, let’s go.”

  “You got it.” He picked me up and carried me into the bedroom then laid me on the bed. He stripped off is clothes then peeled mine away. I moved to get on my stomach, but he pushed me back. He was being more dominant than he normally was, but I didn’t mind in the least. He moved up the bed until he was lying on top of me. He kissed me everywhere then parted my legs with his knees.

  “I thought you wanted it the other way?” I whispered.

  He pressed his lips against my ear. “No,” he said. “I want to make love.”

  “Oh?”

  “You sound disappointed.”

  “A little.”

  He smiled then moved between my legs. He kissed me in the tender spot until I was panting for him. Then he came back to me and pressed his forehead against mine. While looking into my eyes, he inserted himself within me slowly.

  I grabbed his face and kissed him passionately while he moved within me. His thrusts were making me shake and moan.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too, babe.”

  “I love you so much.”

  His words made an orgasm build. “I know.”

  “No you don’t,” he whispered. “You’ll never understand.” He thrust inside of me harder. “You are the light of my life. I don’t like to share.”

  His possessiveness made me explode, calling his name in euphoria. “Sean.”