Until Forever (Forever and Always #14)

by E. L. Todd

Sean finally emerged from his office then shook hands with the suit. After the man walked away, Sean adjusted his tie then approached me. He was wearing a dark suit with a gray tie, looking hot like usual. His arm hooked around my waist. “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”

  “It’s fine. I know you’re working.”

  He kissed my neck then gripped me like he hadn’t seen me in a week.

  “You know I’m right here, right?” Ryan said.

  Sean reluctantly pulled away. “What’s my wife want to eat?”

  “Pizza.”

  “You always want pizza,” Ryan said.

  “I like it,” I said.

  “If that’s what my wife wants, that’s what we’re getting.”

  Ryan gave him a disappointed look. “You’re the most whipped guy I’ve ever met.”

  “Let’s revisit this conversation when you get married,” Sean jabbed.

  I turned to Ryan. “Can I have a moment with Sean? I need to talk to him about something. Marriage stuff.”

  He rolled his eyes. “If you guys are going to have sex, I’m leaving.”

  “No,” I said firmly. “Not that.”

  Ryan looked at his watch. “I don’t have long for lunch.”

  “You own the shop,” Sean said. “You can be gone as long as you want.”

  “Fine. I’m starving, so hurry your ass up.”

  Sean I went into his office then shut the door.

  “Everything alright?” Sean asked as he rested his hands on my hips.

  “Yeah. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Then what’s up?” he asked.

  “I was thinking about what you said…”

  “Yeah?” He studied my face.

  “After seeing your parents get a divorce, Mike get dumped in a blink of an eye, Ryan get engaged, Hazel meet Flynn, and Cortland…go through whatever he’s going through, it made me realize we shouldn’t stop living our lives for other people. Anything can change…”

  Sean waited for me to finish.

  “So, I don’t think we should wait.”

  He smiled. “You want to start trying?”

  I nodded.

  He rubbed his nose against mine. “What a lovely surprise.”

  I rested my head against his chin.

  “You’re off your birth control?”

  “Yeah,” I whispered.

  “Let’s start now.” He pulled me toward the desk.

  “No. Ryan is waiting for us.”

  He growled. “You’re such a tease.”

  “We have afterwards.”

  That calmed him down a little. “Then let’s get lunch over with.”

  I chuckled at his enthusiasm.

  We walked out and met Ryan.

  He eyed us both. “What the hell is Sean so happy about?”

  “We’re going to try to have a baby,” Scarlet said.

  “I thought you were already trying?” he asked.

  “No. I changed my mind but then I changed it back,” I said.

  “Sounds about right,” Ryan said sarcastically.

  “Jerk.” I shoved him gently then headed toward the elevator.

  We went to the pizzeria and Sean ordered for everyone. He leaned close to me and put his hand on my thigh.

  Ryan eyed us from across the table. “Could you act like normal people? Janice and I aren’t like that around other people.”

  “Are you joking?” Sean and I said at the same time.

  “It’s different,” Ryan said. “We aren’t some old married couple.”

  “We aren’t old,” I said, offended.

  “Whatever,” he said. “How’s Mike doing?”

  Sean shrugged. “He took the divorce pretty hard.”

  “Really?” Ryan asked. “I always thought he hated his mother.”

  “He just blames himself,” Sean explained. “I’m not sure why.”

  “Poor bloke,” Ryan said. “He seems like he’s in a better mood though. He was super depressed then he was better overnight.”

  “We noticed the same thing,” I said. “I don’t know what happened.”

  “Or maybe he’s worse but now he’s in denial,” Sean said. “If he acts like he’s fine and over Cassandra then eventually he will be.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But I’m worried about him.”

  Ryan shrugged. “He’s a big boy. He’ll get through this.”

  “Why are you so sure?” I asked.

  “We’ve all been through worse,” he said simply. “And we’ll recover. Just like we always do.”

  Sean looked at the counter and watched the workers. “How long does it take to make a pizza?” he asked in a pissed tone.

  “Dude, calm down,” Ryan said. “What’s the rush?”

  I knew exactly what the rush was.

  Sean gave me him a glare. “My wife and I are trying to have a baby. You think I care about pizza?”

  Ryan cringed. “Suddenly lost my appetite...”

  4

  Hazel

  What are you doing? I sat on the couch and waited for him to respond like a desperate high school girl.

  Writing. What are you doing?

  Wondering what you’re doing.

  I knew there would be a smile on his face. Well, I told you what I was doing. Now what?

  “You wanna come over…?

  A happy face was sent back to me. Then he sent another message. My baby can’t get enough, can she?

  Cocky like usual.

  Right like usual.

  So…you coming?

  I have a feeling I will very soon… I rolled my eyes at the meaning of his words. But I need to finish my word count. I’ll be there in an hour.

  An hour? I didn’t want to wait that long. But I knew he had other responsibilities besides spending time with me. Bring a bag.

  Are you inviting me to a sleepover?

  I’ll dance around in my underwear and have a pillow fight with you.

  Ooh…forget writing. I’m on my way.

  I laughed then put down my phone. Two months into our relationship, I was already in love. It happened pretty quickly, and I didn’t think about my horrific break up with Kyle anymore. It was ancient history.

  I knew my apartment was…nothing spectacular. It was small, cramped, and the walls were as thin as paper. But I was glad Flynn didn’t comment on it or act uncomfortable being at my place. Any other rich guy would insist on going to his place. But he didn’t do that.

  I patiently waited for the knock on my door. I was so excited to see him that I could barely contain my insides.

  The knock finally sounded, and I jumped in enthusiasm. I opened the door then hooked my arms around his neck, giving him a hard kiss. He dropped his bag then reciprocated my affection, squeezing my waist and darting his tongue in my mouth. I pulled him inside, still kissing him.

  He broke our embrace then grabbed his bag. “You really missed me.”

  “I always miss you.” I gave him a playful look.

  “If I’m cocky it’s because you make me that way.”

  “No. You were that way long before we met.” I took his bag and placed it on the couch.

  “So, should we get right down to business or at you at least going to make me dinner?”

  “What makes you think you deserve dinner?” I asked with my hands on my hips.

  “I need energy to rock your world.” He grabbed me again then rubbed his nose against mine.

  “We make love now and eat later.”

  “Bossy,” he said with a playful smile. “But I like it…”

  I pulled my shirt over my head, taking the lead.

  His eyes widened while he watched me. He pulled his own off then his eyes changed. They became dark and serious. His hand grabbed my jeans and yanked them off, taking my underwear too. Flynn guided me to the bed then kicked off his jeans. He undressed with the speed of lightning.

  “You seem more excited than I am.”

  “When you start stripping, I lose all r
esolve.” He moved on top of me then kissed my body, sucking my nipples. “I like these,” he said between kisses.

  I arched my back so he could get more into his mouth.

  Then he moved his mouth between my legs and gave me a few gentle kisses, making my knees quiver and my lips part.

  “You taste good.” He moved away then grabbed his jeans off the floor. He pulled out a packet and ripped it open.

  I gripped his hand. “No.”

  “No? I love you, baby. But I’m not ready to be a dad.”

  “I’m on the pill.” I gave him a hot look.

  “Oooh…” He tossed the condom on the ground. “I hate using those anyway.”

  I opened my legs to him and pulled him to me. “I want to feel you…”

  “You’re going to in just a second.” He pressed his face to mine then slipped inside. I’d been wet from thinking about him all day so it was a smooth insertion. He moaned loudly once he was inside me. “Shit. You feel fucking fantastic.”

  I gasped as he stretched me, loving how good his hardness felt inside me. I gripped his arms then squeezed his hips with my legs. My breathing was loud and I couldn’t stop moaning. I knew my excitement was borderline ridiculous but I wasn’t faking. I loved how amazing he felt.

  “If you keep that up, I’m going to come quick,” he breathed into my mouth.

  I forced myself to be quiet as he started to move into me. My nails dug into his skin and I was afraid I may break the skin. He placed his arms under my thighs and slid in with gentle thrusts. I tried not to scream as it felt so good every time. My neighbors were going to hate me.

  Flynn moved faster as the heat flushed through my body. It boiled at my center, tingling all the cells in my body. I arched my back then met his thrusts from below. The sex was so good and I couldn’t steady myself as he pushed me far over the edge, making me spiral in a catalytic explosion of pure pleasure and desire. “Flynn…shit.”

  His hand gripped my thigh as he pounded into me hard, meeting his orgasm with the same intensity as I met mine. Knowing he was coming inside me was the best part. He claimed me in a way that set my skin on fire all over again.

  He breathed deeply while he hovered over me. “I would have lasted longer if you weren’t enjoying it so damn much.”

  “I can’t help it.” I rubbed his back, trying to make up for the savage way I scratched him before. “You’re so good at that.”

  “Now you just made me cockier.” He kissed my forehead then pulled out of me. As soon as he left, I shivered. He lay beside me then hooked his arms around me. “How was your day?”

  “Fine.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Tried not to move.”

  He smirked. “Your feet still hurt?”

  We had a few days off as required by our contract, so I tried not to do anything. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

  He grabbed my leg and pushed my knee to my chest. Then he gently massaged the bottom of my foot, loosening the tight muscle.

  I whimpered because it hurt and felt good at the same time.

  “How’s this?” he asked.

  “You don’t have to rub my feet…”

  “I know exactly what I do and don’t have to do.” His fingers moved across the skin, touching my heel all the way to my toes. After ten minutes, he switched feet and did the same thing. I rested my head on the pillow and closed my eyes. I felt so relaxed that I could fall asleep.

  He returned my foot then grabbed his bag, pulling his laptop out. “Now that I’ve satisfied you in more than just one way, I’m going to get back to work,” he said quietly.

  I cuddled beside him, resting my face in the crook of his neck and wrapping my arm around his waist. “Okay.”

  “Is that cool?”

  “Yeah.” I was just happy to snuggle with him.

  He started typing.

  I read through the dialogue and noticed it was a play. It was a comedy of some sort. “What are you writing?”

  “A screenplay for a movie. I’m pitching it to HBO.”

  Sometimes I forgot how influential he was. “That’s cool. If you need to work on it, you can leave. I won’t be offended.”

  “No. I like being with you.”

  “Okay.” I closed my eyes and let him get to work.

  An hour later, I was hungry. “I’m going to make a sandwich. You want one?”

  “How about you order a pizza so you can stay in bed with me?” He kissed my forehead.

  “Hmm…cucumber and cheese sandwich or greasy pizza? What should I choose…?”

  “Pizza,” he whispered. “Always go with the pizza.”

  I chuckled. “Pizza it is.”

  He grabbed his wallet and cellphone then made the order. Flynn never let me pay for anything, even if it was something small like ice cream. And every Wednesday night, the mysterious doorbell ditcher would be leave groceries outside my apartment. I told him he didn’t need to do that but he did it every single time.

  We returned to snuggling while he wrote his screenplay. I closed my eyes and didn’t read the words he wrote. I didn’t want to be rude and infringe on his artistic privacy.

  The pizza finally arrived and Flynn answered it after he lazily pulled on his clothes. We sat in bed and ate it like trashy people. There wasn’t enough room for a table in my apartment, so I always ate on the couch or in bed.

  I ate half of it because I was starving. He only ate a few slices.

  “I had lunch with Ryan and Cortland the other day.”

  “You did?” I asked. “How’d that come up?”

  “I stopped by the shop and Ryan invited me. We’re playing ball together too.”

  I’m glad my friends were making an effort to include him. He was very special to me and I wanted him to feel welcome in our group.

  “Did you have fun?”

  “Yeah—for the most part. Ryan is a cool guy.”

  Judging by his words and omission of Cortland, I knew Flynn didn’t have that much fun. “What did he do now?”

  Flynn shrugged. “He hates me.”

  “He does not hate you,” I said firmly. “He’s just protective and he’s taking it a little too far.”

  “No. I know what I saw and heard. He doesn’t like me and never will.”

  “Flynn, you’re just being sensitive.”

  He started to get irritated. “Fine. Don’t believe me. You’ll see for yourself.”

  I rubbed his arm. “Hey, don’t get mad. I know Cortland pretty well. When I told him I loved you, he was very supportive and happy for me.”

  “Well, you’re blind.”

  “Excuse me?” Now I started to get mad. “I know my best friend better than you do.”

  Flynn turned back to his computer. “Forget I said anything.”

  “I may have to,” I said bitterly.

  Flynn shut his laptop then turned off the light. “You have to be anywhere in the morning?”

  “No.”

  “Good. I want to sleep in.”

  “And stay all day?” I asked hopefully.

  “You want me to say all day?” he asked with a smile.

  “Maybe…”

  He cuddled close to me then rested his hand on my hip. “I’ll stay with you as long as I’m welcomed.”

  “Then you’ll never leave.”

  He rubbed his nose against mine. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  5

  Mike

  “How do you like your new office?” I asked.

  She eyed the dark wood and the fancy computer. A window faced the neighboring skyscraper and lots of light flooded in. “Not bad.”

  Luckily, the marketing department was on my floor so I wouldn’t accidently run into What’s-Her-Name. Now I could just walk down the hall when I needed to speak to Laura. “Not bad? It’s better than riding a pole.”

  “How would you know?” she teased. “Have you ever tried?”

  I smirked. “I’m willing to try new things. So, you qui
t, right?”

  “I’m going to work there for a little while just in case I end up hating this job.”

  “You won’t,” I said firmly.

  “Just because you can pull off a suit doesn’t mean I can.”

  “Where are you stripping?” I asked.

  “The Black Flamingo.”

  “Going to be there tonight?” I asked.

  “Why?” she had a playful grin on her face. “You want a lap dance?”

  “I wouldn’t mind one or two.” I winked at her.

  She studied me for a moment. “Mike, what happened?”

  My playful mood disappeared. “Nothing.”

  “Then why are you different? You’re just like the man I met a year ago.”

  “Maybe you found the secret to time travel.” I adjusted my tie then leaned over her desk. “So, you going to be there?”

  “Yep.”

  “My boys and I will swing by.” I headed back to the door.

  “What happened to Cassandra?”

  I stopped but didn’t turn around. “Who?”

  I couldn’t believe my parents were actually divorced. My dad was officially a single man, and my mom was a free bird. How could we stay a family if we were separated like this? My dad said it wasn’t my fault, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it was. It just felt weird knowing my parents weren’t together anymore. Eventually, I’ll have a step-mom and step-dad. It was a hard realization.

  Everyone seemed to notice I wasn’t the man I spent so long becoming. I reverted to my old ways because I’d been right all along. Love wasn’t real. It was for people who were too afraid to be alone. People mistook love for infatuation. Whatever I thought I had with Cassandra was bogus. She didn’t love me. If she did, she wouldn’t have hurt me like that. When I thought we were back together, all that pain had been dissolved. But when I realized the truth, the horrible agony surged back, but it was a million times worse than it ever was. Maybe I couldn’t handle the shock so I looked for an escape. It didn’t matter. This was who I was now. And I wouldn’t go back.

  The guys and I headed to the strip club after work. They were excited to go, more excited than I was, actually.

  “Got a hundred in ones,” Kirk said as he patted the pocket of his jacket.

  “We’re gonna make it rain,” Cameron said. He clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m glad you changed your mind, buddy.”