Force of Love (Forever and Always #4) (Ryan and Janice)

by Todd, E. L.

  She was lying in bed, turned on her side. I removed my clothes then crawled under the sheets. I turned her on her back then moved on top of her, separating her legs. She was sleeping but I didn’t care if I woke her up. Her eyes drifted open as I leaned over and inserted myself within her.

  Her moan came out raspy as I started to move inside her. I pressed my forehead against hers and made love to her gently. She slid her fingers into my hair and breathed into my mouth. I rocked her slowly, feeling every part of her with every thrust. We said nothing to each other, just felt connected to one another. When she came, quiet moans escaped her lips. I felt her tighten around me, and I let myself go, releasing inside her.

  I didn’t pull out and move away from her. I stayed on top of her, looking into her eyes. Nothing needed to be said because we were both thinking the same thing. How did we live without each other for so long?

  9

  “So, what’s this about?” Monnique asked as she approached the counter.

  “Good. I was afraid you weren’t going to show up.”

  “You better not plan on taking me to the back,” she said with a smile.

  “Cortland doesn’t have to know,” I teased.

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky that I know you love Janice.”

  I nodded. “You’re a fine woman, Monnique, but you don’t compare to my lady.”

  “That’s how it should be.”

  “And it is,” I said as I grabbed my keys from the counter. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  She walked through the door with me then I locked it behind us. “Where are we going?”

  We turned down the street and walked past the other buildings. A few people were walking past us, eating food from a vendor or walking their dog. It was cold today. The sky was overcast. My sweater kept me warm but my hands were a little cold. “Okay, so you can’t tell Cortland or Scarlet what we’re doing—especially Janice.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

  When we reached store I stopped and stared at it. “This is our destination.” It was a jewelry store.

  She covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god! You’re going to propose?”

  “Yep.”

  She jumped on me and hugged me, screaming hysterically. “I’m so excited!”

  I laughed. “Thank you.”

  “Why didn’t you bring Cortland and Scarlet? I thought they would be your first choice.”

  “Well, Cortland is so close to Scarlet that I can’t trust him not to say anything, and Scarlet is stupid and will let it slip on accident.” I thought of Scarlet’s accidental omission of sleeping with Cortland right in front of Sean. I didn’t want Janice to find out that way.

  “And what makes you think I won’t tell Cortland?”

  “Because I asked you not to.”

  She smiled. “Okay. I won’t say anything.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So what do you need me for?”

  “I need help picking it out.”

  “I can do that.”

  I opened the door and allowed Monnique to walk through first.

  “Hello, sir,” the main behind the class counter said. “Can I help you?”

  “Uh, I don’t know,” I said awkwardly. “Not sure what I want.”

  He smiled. “Take your time, sir.”

  Monnique walked over to the case and started to look. “Oh! That one is beautiful.” I looked at it. It was nice. “No, look at that one!” She pointed at a different one. They looked identical to me. “What does she like? Princess cut? Thick band or thin band?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “I couldn’t think of a way to ask without making it obvious.”

  “I’m sure she’ll love anything you pick out.”

  “She probably will.”

  Monnique looked through all the rings. “Well, this one is gorgeous but—it’s pricey.”

  “Don’t worry about the cost.”

  “Really?”

  “This is for my future wife—she gets the best.”

  “Awe.”

  I looked at all the different cases, examining each ring. After a while they all started to look very similar. Nothing stood out to me. I didn’t see a ring that I imagined Janice wearing every day, a ring that shined when she typed on her computer and sparkled in the darkness when we made love in the bedroom. I sighed. “I didn’t realize this was going to be so difficult.”

  “Well, Sean customized his. Maybe we should do that?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea what she would even like.”

  Monnique was quiet for a moment. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes,” I snapped. “That isn’t the issue.”

  “When are you going to do it?”

  “I have no idea. Probably after Sean and Scarlet get married. I know girls are weird about being engaged at the same time.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.”

  “But I wanted to start looking for a ring now, and I’m glad I did. This is a tough decision.”

  “Just pick one.”

  “I can’t. None of them are right.”

  She sighed. “Well, we can go to another store.”

  “Let’s do that.”

  We left and took a cab to another jewelry store across town. When we walked inside, the rings all looked identical—again. Monnique picked out a few she liked but I didn’t care for any of them. It just didn’t feel right.

  Monnique sighed. “Maybe today just isn’t a good day.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “You can always propose then take her to get the ring later.”

  I shook my head “That isn’t romantic.”

  “Well, you’ve never been traditional, right?”

  “No we haven’t.”

  “It’s something to think about.”

  “I guess.” We left the store and returned to the sidewalk.

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll think about it. Thanks for coming with me—even though we didn’t accomplish anything.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s okay. Sean took forever to make up his mind too.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I’ll see you later, then.”

  “I’m taking you home.”

  She smiled. “It’s okay, Ryan. I’m fine, really.”

  “Don’t be annoying.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Cortland would walk Janice home. I expect him to. I do the same for him. So come on. Let’s go.”

  She sighed in annoyance. “You two are ridiculous sometimes.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” I waved down a cab and opened the door for her. When we were inside, I told the driver the address and we drove to the apartment she shared with Cortland.

  “So, when did you decide to ask?” she said.

  “A few days ago. I made the decision to start looking for a ring last night.”

  “Why?”

  “Janice and I—I just knew.”

  “You haven’t been together that long.”

  “She’s the one. I know she is.”

  “That’s so sweet.”

  “Cortland feels the same way about you.”

  She smiled. “I know he does.”

  “He talks about you—and your ass—all the time.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I like how my ass is considered to be a separate person or being.”

  “You can talk to Cortland about that one.”

  She laughed. “I think I might.”

  “Would you say yes if Cortland asked?”

  “Why? Is he going to?”

  “If he is, he hasn’t mentioned it to me.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “Of course I would say yes.”

  “Good.”

  When we arrived at the building, I paid the driver then walked her to the door. I knew Cortland was at work so I didn’t risk the possibility of being seen. If he did decide to
come home, I knew this didn’t look good—being at the apartment alone with her during the day.

  “Have a good day,” I said.

  “Bye,” she said with a smile. “And don’t stress over it. You’ll find the right one.”

  “I hope so.”

  “You will.”

  I nodded. “Bye.”

  She closed the door.

  I went back to the shop and finished my work day. I kept thinking about Janice’s ring. I wasn’t sure what she wanted to wear. And I couldn’t see myself wearing a wedding ring. I would do it if she expected me to and I would never take it off, but I didn’t like the idea of having metal on my hands. At work, I used my hands all the time. It would just get in the way.

  After I closed the shop, I bought flowers and a few cookies from the bakery. I just felt like getting Janice something. I felt like a failure for not finding the right engagement ring for her, and I wanted to do something nice for her. She was amazing. I couldn’t think of any other girl that would put up with Shelly like that, and I had never met another girl who jerked me off in a cab. She was perfect for me.

  When I came home, Janice was sitting next to Scarlet at the table. When she saw the flowers, she smiled.

  “Are those for me?”

  “You’re the only beautiful lady here.”

  “What about me?” Scarlet asked.

  “Shut up, brat,” I said without looking at her.

  Janice came over to me and wrapped her arms around me. “You’re so sweet.”

  “Speaking of sweet.” I handed her the small bag of cookies.

  “And a treat too?” she asked happily.

  “I need to fatten you up a little bit.”

  She took a bite out of the cookie. “Well, you might succeed.”

  I took a bite out of the cookie she was holding and smiled at her. “It’s pretty good.”

  “What did Ryan do?” Scarlet asked. “A man that brings home flowers and chocolates is guilty for something.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Ignore her. That’s what I do.”

  Janice laughed. “Okay.”

  I placed the flowers on the table. “I’m gonna take a shower, baby.”

  “Okay.”

  I leaned toward her and sniffed her neck. “Yuck. You stink.”

  “What?” she said as she smelled herself. “I do not.”

  “You really do. Come on. Let’s shower.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I walked right into that one.”

  I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hallway.

  “What about your sister?”

  “She won’t hear us in the shower.”

  “But she still knows what we’re doing.”

  “I don’t give a shit. This is my place. She can deal with it.” I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. After I grabbed two towels I closed the bathroom door. “And I’m tired of being quiet all the time. I want to fuck you as loud as I want. You better scream for me.”

  She started to undress herself. “She would probably hear me if I screamed.”

  “Good.”

  She dropped her shirt to the ground and I watched her, mesmerized by her body. Her tits looked perky in her bra. When she removed it I stared at her breasts. Her nipples were hard. Janice had a small smile on her lips as she removed the rest of her clothing. It became a small strip tease.

  “You’re a natural,” I whispered.

  She pulled off her panties then threw them at me. “Those are for you.”

  I held them to my nose and sniffed them. “Yum.”

  “Your turn.”

  “I don’t look as sexy as you.”

  “I beg to differ.”

  I pulled my sweater over my head, messing up my hair, then I removed my shirt. I tossed it at her. “That’s for you.” She caught it in her arms then held it to her chest. When I removed my pants and boxers, she stared at my cock with a hungry expression. I walked over to her then sealed my mouth over hers, kissing her hard. I pushed her against the wall and rubbed my erection against her. She wrapped her leg around my waist and started to moan quietly.

  “We aren’t even going to make it into the shower at this rate,” she said.

  I rubbed my nose against hers. “You’re right.” I pulled away and entered the shower. She walked inside then closed the door behind her. I pushed her against the wall then grabbed her ass, lifting her up. The warm water fell down my back and soaked my hair. She wrapped her legs around me while I held her, her mouth against my forehead. I slipped inside her easily and started to thrust into her as hard as I could.

  “You’re just as wet as a Vaseline bottle, baby.”

  “Ryan—god.”

  “You like that?”

  “Yeah—oh.”

  I continued my pace, sliding in and out of her. I wanted her to scream for me so I fucked her harder, pushing as far as I would go.

  “Ryan!”

  “That’s better,” I said as I breathed heavily.

  “Oh—Oh!”

  “Yeah.”

  When her nails dug into my back, nearly piercing the skin, I knew I had her. Her legs shook as they squeezed me, and I felt her pussy tighten around me, making my thrusts a hundred times more pleasurable.

  “Ryan!”

  “Baby.”

  She pressed her face against mine and she recovered from her high. I continued to move inside her until I felt the orgasm explode in my balls. It rose up my shaft until I felt my body convulse with the pleasure I was feeling. “Baby.”

  When I was finished I held her there, letting the warm water drip down both of us. I could still hear her breathing in my ear. She rested her head against mine while we both recovered from the high. I put her down then started to rub soap across her body. I massaged her tits while she rubbed shoulders and chest. We said nothing as we washed each other. When she looked into my eyes I saw the love burning inside them. I knew I made her as happy as she made me—if not more so.

  “Ryan?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “I was scared for the longest time.”

  “Scared of what?”

  “That you were going to get tired of me and leave.”

  “How could I get tired of you?”

  “Well—you know—you’ve never been monogamous. I thought you might go back to your old ways eventually because you were bored with me.”

  I shook my head. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  “I know that now. You wouldn’t leave me, Ryan.”

  “I’m glad you realize that. You’re the best sex I’ve ever had. Even if I didn’t love you I would still stick around because of that.”

  “I’ll have to keep it up, then.”

  I rubbed my nose against hers. “We could have vanilla sex every time and I would still be hooked on you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I enjoyed you jerking me off in the cab and doing a strip tease for me but…” The realization dawned on me. I couldn’t believe I didn’t put it together before. “Baby,” I said as I grabbed her face. “You don’t have to be adventurous like that to keep me around. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it.”

  “I like doing dirty things with you.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “You aren’t just doing it so I’ll stick around?”

  “No.”

  I kissed her. “Okay. You had me worried there.”

  “I just meant that I feel stupid for ever being scared to begin with.”

  “You should.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I was wrong for feeling that way.”

  “Yeah.”

  She turned off the shower then grabbed the towel. I sighed in annoyance.

  “What is it, Ryan?”

  “It’s just annoying that Scarlet is here. I miss walking around naked. I miss you walking around naked.”

  “Me too.”

  “Get rid of her.”

  She laughed. “You want me to kick her o
ut?”

  “Tell her to go to Cortland’s.”

  “So he can suffer too?”

  “I don’t care about him. I care about me.”

  “You’re always sweet, borderline asshole.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile.

  “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. My mistake.”

  She shook her head then left the bathroom, pulling clothes out of her drawer. I donned the same clothes I was wearing then fixed my wet hair in the mirror. Janice combed her stands with her fingers then braided her hair into pigtails without using a mirror. She looked hot.

  “Why haven’t you done your hair like that before?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “You should do it more often.”

  “Like when I go down on you?”

  “I like what you’re thinking.”

  “Do you ever think of anything else?”

  “With you? No, not really.”

  “I thought so.” She left the bedroom then walked down the hall then followed behind me her. When we returned to the kitchen table, I took out my phone then placed it next to hers and took a seat.

  Janice grabbed her laptop then closed it. Scarlet’s was missing. “Where did she go?”

  “In the bathroom?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Well, she wouldn’t just leave without saying something to me.”

  Both of our phones vibrated and the light lit up the screen. When I looked at hers, I saw that she had a text message from her ex-boyfriend. I couldn’t read the message because it was hidden. After a flash of panic passed through me I looked at my own phone.

  Janice took her phone then locked the screen so I couldn’t see it. She looked away like nothing happened.

  I looked back at my phone. “Uh, Cortland took her out to dinner.”

  “Good. She’s been a zombie all day. She needs to eat.”

  I drummed my fingers on the table. “So, aren’t you going to look at your phone? Maybe it was important.”

  She didn’t look at me. “I’ll look at it later.”

  “When I’m not around?” The words flew from my lips before I could even think.