Force of Love (19 page)

“How can you be so understanding to all of that?”

I was quiet for a moment. “Because I love you like crazy.”

“I’ve never actually thought about going for Cortland—”

I held up my hand. “It’s okay, really. Monnique said she wanted to jump my bones too. So Cortland and I are even.”

“She said that?”

I smiled. “You jealous?”

“A little.”

“You should be. Have you seen the ass on her?”

She glared at me.

“Not that I’ve looked or anything.”

“You really forgive me—even for the dress thing?”

“It’s forgotten.”

“I don’t deserve that.”

“And I don’t deserve you.”

“You’re so sweet to me.”

“And you know why.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“I know it won’t. If it did, I would have to spank you.”

“Oh, oh.”

“That’s right. You better be on your best behavior.”

“I will, I will.”

I laughed then kissed her. “It’s hard to stay mad at you.”

“That’s a relief. It seems like you’re always mad at Scarlet.”

“That’s because I hate her.”

“You do not!”

“That bitch is crazy.”

“Well, I’ll give you that.”

13

As the days wore on, Scarlet was even more miserable than she was before. I tried to talk to her and get her out of the house, but she preferred to stare at the blank television screen or sleep. More editing work was being piled on Janice, which irritated me. The more time she worked, the less time I got to be with my girl. As much as I wanted to take the pain away from my sister, hating to see her in pain, there was nothing I could do. Sean was really hurt but there was no doubt of his love for her. They would work it out—eventually.

“How’s she been?” I asked when I came home the next day.

Janice shrugged. “I haven’t seen her all day.”

“So, really bad?”

“It seems that way.”

I sighed, frustrated with the situation. Janice looked at me expectantly and I realized what I missed. I grabbed her face and kissed her gently. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“How
could I forget to kiss my girl when I got home from work?”

She smiled. “I don’t know.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“Better not. Otherwise I’ll have to jump on you.”

“Hmm…maybe I will forget.”

“I’ll probably jump on you anyway.”

“Even better. I can’t lose.”

“You’re so cute.”

“Cute?” I asked, surprised. I wanted my woman to think I was sexy and manly, not cute like a puppy.

“You’re adorable. You are so sweet but dark and sexy at the same time.”

Okay. That was a little better. “I’ll take your compliment.”

“Good. It was mean
t to be a good one.”

“I don’t think you’re cute.”

“Excuse me?”

“I think you’re a sex-crazed, filthy whore.”

“Uh, thanks,” she said with a laugh.

“I meant every word.”
I opened the refrigerator and pulled out the pasta Janice had made me. After I heated it in the microwave I saw down at the table.

“What are we going to do about Scar?”

I ate my pasta, loving the taste of the sauce. Janice made almost everything from scratch. I had never been cooked food before. Mom never cared if we were fed, and Scarlet lived apart from me for so many years. I didn’t realize what I was missing until now. “Baby, this is amazing.”

Her smile widened and a blush tinted her cheeks. She was still not used to the compliments I gave her. That really surprised me because she was drop dead gorgeous, ridiculously intelligent, and talented at
so many different things. She probably had guys chase her every day since she hit puberty. “Thanks.”

“Where did you learn to cook?”

“My mom.”

“Well, I’m glad you learned from a culinary genius.”

“And she’s a cougar.”

I stopped eating, my interest piqued. “Go on.”

She chuckled. “My guy friends always said my mom was hot.”

“Is she?”

“We look a lot alike.”

“I need to meet her.”

She rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare hit on my mom.”

“I wouldn’t dare hit on anyone, not when I have the perfect girl already.”

Her cheeks blushed again.

“But I would like to see how hot you’ll be when we are older.”

“What your dad a stud?”

I lost my appetite at the mention of him. He pas
sed away when Scarlet and I were fairly young, about to enter high school. From what I remembered of him, he was a great person and father. He was the one who told me I could be anything I wanted to be. He always pushed us to go to college like he did, pursuing science and biological engineering, but when I told him I wanted to be an artist he was completely supportive, saying I have to do what my heart tells me to do. When Scarlet said she wanted to major in English, he was happy. “He and I looked a lot alike.”

“So Scarlet looks
like him too, then? You and she have a lot of similarities.”

“She has a few characteristics from our mom. Mainly her build and he
ight. But Scarlet and I have my dad’s hair and eyes.”

“Why did he pass away?”

“Cancer.”

“I’m sorry,” she said as she squeezed my hand.

“Thanks,” I said quietly.  One of the great things about having Janice in my life was that I didn’t have to be strong anymore. When something was bothering me, I could open up to her about it, telling her exactly how I felt. She didn’t think I was weak. With Scarlet, I always had to be the strong one, acting like everything was okay.

“I’m excited for you to meet my family.”

“Really?” I asked as I spun my fork in the noodles.

“You’ll love them and they’ll love you.”

“That would be nice.”

“I have no doubt,” she said with a smile. “My dad is a great man. I know he would love you like a son.”

I felt the emotion catch in my throat. “I would like that.”

Janice saw my eyes change and my body clench in tension. She sat in my lap then pressed her forehead against mine, looking into my eyes. “You have a family now, Ryan. You’ll never have to be alone ever again.”

“That means the world to me. When Scarlet was gone I never felt so alone. Cortland’s family is great and I liked spending the holidays with them, but it wasn’t the same. I was lonlier than a single glove.” Scarlet would never know how hurt I was when she basically forgot about me for a whole year. I didn’t want her to know the extent of the damage. She proved how sorry she was and made it clear she would never do it again. I forgave her the minute she walked through my door, carrying her entire life with her.

She grabbed my cheeks and kissed me on the lips, making my heart flutter like it always did. She said nothing more as she looked into my eyes, comforting me in a silent way.

“I never thought I would get a happily ever after,” I whispered.

“Why?”

“I didn’t think I deserved one.”

“That couldn’t be further from the truth. You are the greatest man I’ve ever met. I’m so glad I met you.”

“You know what I thought when I first saw you?”

She rubbed her nose against mine. “Let me guess. What would that girl look like naked?”

A small laugh escaped my lips. “No. She’s out of my league but I’m going to try anyway.”

Her eyes softened. “You are so sweet, Ryan.”

“I never met someone so beautiful, successful, and perfect as you. You’re a myth.”

“You are the same way, Ryan.”

I shrugged. “I’m a tattoo artist.”

“What’s bad about that? I’m tired of hearing you say that.”

“I don’t care when people automatically think I’m a loser when I tell them I ink for a living, but when I compare myself to you it makes me wish I went to law school, something that would make me worthy of you. I didn’t even go to college.”

“Shut up, Ryan.”

I flinched at her command.

“Just because you aren’t educated doesn’t mean you aren’t smart. Those are two completely different things. People go to college because they don’t have the skills to do the profession they want. You were already talented enough to pursue your dream without education. You had your own shop and your own business before you were twenty-two. How can someone do that if they weren’t smart? You are very successful, Ryan. Don’t put yourself down because of that.”

Janice was so mellow and down to earth that it baffled me. She was a smart girl who went to Tulane then worked in the big city, taking care of herself right when her eighteenth birthday arrived. It would be easy for her to be stuck up and judgmental but she wasn’t. “You’re such a cool chick.”

“So, you’ll stop putting yourself down? I won’t tolerate it.”

“Yeah, baby. I’m sorry.”

“You better be. I don’t let people say bad things about the love of my life, especially you.”

I stared into her eyes, seeing the blue irises that were freckled with patches of white. They reminded me of Antarctica, an expanse of untouched land, silent and beautiful. The only sound you could hear was the wind, which disappeared as soon as you heard it. When I looked at her I saw the most beautiful thing in the world. “I’m the love of your life?”

“I didn’t make that clear?”

No, she did. I knew she loved me more than anything. It wasn’t because she told me, but because she showed me. All the little things she did never went unnoticed. She was always there for me, taking care of me in a way that I never felt before. She was my crutch. I didn’t realize how broken I was until now because she made me whole, complete. I paid the bills, gave her a place to live, and fed her, but she did so much more for me. When she jumped up in her seat to great me when I came home, I always felt loved. When she looked me in the eye when I made love to her, I knew she never wanted to let me go. When she trusted me even when she had every reason not to, I knew she was completely loyal to me. “You made it crystal clear.”

“I’m glad you believe me.”

“Don’t ever leave me,” I blurted, the emotion escaping my throat.

“I never could.”

“Because I won’t let you. I can’t live without you, Janice. I mean it.”

Her hands ran up my chest, feeling the lines and muscles. She was so weightless on my lap because she was so small. “I couldn’t live without you either, Ryan.”

“I never felt this way for anyone. I didn’t think it was possible. All those stupid romance movies and chick flicks used to be the dumbest thing I ever heard, but now that I have you in my life, I realized everyone is looking for this. I can’t believe I have it.”

“And neither one of us will ever let it go.”

“Never.”

“So, you never answered my question.”

“What did you ask?”

“What are we going to do about Scarlet?”

“Oh, her.”

“Yes, her.”

“I think we should get her out of the house, get her mind preoccupied. Hopefully her and Sean will deal with their issues soon so she’ll leave. I miss being alone with you all the time.”

“I miss having sex on the couch,” she said as she rubbed my shoulders.

“And the kitchen table.”

“Well, we don’t want to break that again,” she said with a laugh.

“And on the washer and dryer.”

“My ass always feel
s warm when I sit on it.”

“And the floor.”

“And against the wall,” she said.

“You know what?”

“What?”

“We are total animals.”

“You just noticed that?”

“I like it—a lot.”

“Me too. I’ve never had sex as good as this.”

“When you are fucking a chick that does strip dances for you, spins around a pole, and gives unbelievable head, you are going to want to leave her satisfied so she comes around again.”

“Mission accomplished.”

Scarlet came into the room, wearing her pajamas and her hair was in total disarray. Janice was still sitting on my lap, feeling my hard on through my jeans. She didn’t move and I wouldn’t have let her anyway. Just because my sister was here didn’t mean we had to behave. Scarlet could deal with it. Scarlet opened the refrigerator, stared at it for a long time, then shut it without grabbing anything. She sighed then looked through the cabinets.

Janice rose from my lap but I held her down. “You hungry, honey?”

Scarlet was quiet for a moment. “No.” She turned and walked down the hallway.

“Wow,” Janice said. “She’s a total mess.”

“She’s nothing compared to Sean.”

“We should do something tonight.”

“The mariners are playing tonight. Let’
s go to the sports bar and watch it. Scarlet loves beer and hot wings.”

“I don’t she’s going to want to come.”

“I don’t give a shit. I’ll make her.”

“And we’ll have Cortland come too. He seems to understand her just as well as you do.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll go to talk to her.”

“Okay,” I said sadly, letting her leave my lap. When she walked down the hallway, I adjusted my cock in my jeans so it wouldn’t strain against my zipper. Now I was even more annoyed with my sister. If she weren’t here, I would have thrown Janice on the floor and took her right in the middle of the room.

I finished my meal then watched television in the living room. Janice didn’t return to me for a long time. I wondered what they were doing in Scarlet’s room. Braiding each other’s hair? When Janice came back into the living room, she was wearing a tight black dress that showed her amazing tits and her thin, long legs.

“Come to papa,” I said as I dropped the remote.

She gave me a sinister smile. “You like?”

I didn’t listen to her. My eyes were glued to her thin waist and her wide hips. I loved holding onto them when I fucked her from behind. My cock sprang to life so quickly that it felt instant.