Forever You Read online

  “We’ll only be out for an hour or so. We’ll just order something for dinner so we don’t have to cook.”

  I run down the stairs. “You two are crazy. I swear you’re addicted to surfing. But have fun.”

  “See ya soon. Love you.” He kisses me, then takes off out the front door. Sean’s already left. I love seeing Garret with a real friend. He’s so happy. Way happier than when I first met him.

  “Did they take off?” Harper yells from the bedroom.

  “Yeah. They’re gone.” I meet her back in her room. “I bet they stay out there for more than an hour. I can’t wait that long for dinner. I have to eat something.”

  She hops off the bed. “Let’s grab a snack and go out on the deck.”

  We go downstairs to the kitchen. She gets a bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa while I take some sodas from the fridge. We bring them outside to the table. I look out and see the guys already way out in the water.

  “I was only gone a few days but I missed being on the ocean,” I say, taking a chip.

  “Yeah, I’m going to miss this when I go back to Moorhurst.” Harper pulls her hair back and secures it with an elastic from around her wrist.

  “Maybe you should stay here in California.”

  She gives me a funny look. “What are you talking about? I can’t do that.”

  “Why not? You don’t like Moorhurst that well.”

  “It’s not that bad. And I get to be on the tennis team. Plus Sean’s in Connecticut. I can’t move.”

  “You’re right. I don’t know why I said that. I guess because I’m going to miss not seeing you every day.”

  “I know. It’s going to totally suck not having you there this year, but you’ll be way happier out here with your new husband. I’m so happy for you, Jade. I know I tell you that all the time but I just love seeing you and Garret together. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.”

  “You’re such a romantic.”

  “I can’t help it. I’ve always been that way.”

  “So how are things going with Sean?”

  “Good.”

  “Good as in you’re not going to break up with him?”

  “I never said I was breaking up with him.”

  “You talked about it before I left.”

  “Because I thought Sean and I had to have the same type of love you and Garret have, but then I realized that I’ll never have that type of love so I need to stop looking for it.”

  “Harper, don’t try to compare our relationships. What you have with Sean is great. He loves you and he’d do anything for you.”

  “I know.” She looks off into the distance, where Sean is surfing. “I should be happy with what I have.”

  “Hey.” I nudge her arm until she looks at me. “Are you happy with him or not?”

  “I’m very happy. I’m just not sure he’s the one. But I’m not going to worry about it. Now that Sean and I have been spending more time alone together I’ve been feeling better about things between us.”

  “Sorry. Garret and I shouldn’t have been spending so much time over here.”

  “No, I didn’t mean to say it like that but—”

  “Harper, don’t worry about it. You and Sean need time alone and Garret and I are fine with that. We can find plenty of things to keep ourselves occupied.”

  She smiles as she dips a chip in some salsa. “Yeah, I know.”

  “I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about—”

  “You guys can get pretty loud. Sometimes we even have to close our windows.” She pops the chip in her mouth.

  “Are you serious?” I feel myself blushing. “I’m so sorry. I promise we’ll be quieter from now on.”

  She’s laughing. “I’m joking. We’ve never heard anything.”

  I kiddingly punch her. “Then why did you say it? Now you’ve got me all worried about it.”

  “Forget I said anything. Be as noisy as you want. The waves are so loud we’d never hear you guys.” She gets this goofy grin on her face. “So tell me, Jade. Is Garret good in bed?”

  “Harper! You know I don’t talk about that stuff. Even with you.”

  “Why not? All girls talk about this stuff.” She glances at Sean who’s now standing on the beach. “Sean’s great in bed. I mean, really great. We’re totally compatible that way. And we’re both open to trying most anything at least once.”

  “Okay, stop. I don’t need to know this. It’s too much information.”

  “So tell me about you and Garret.”

  “I told you. I don’t like talking about it.”

  She puts her hand on my arm and frowns. “That bad, huh? Well, I knew everything couldn’t be perfect between you two. I’m just sorry it had to be your sex life.”

  “What? No! That’s not what I meant by—” I stop, realizing what she’s doing. I smile. “You’re good, Harper.”

  She laughs. “If you don’t tell me anything, I have to assume that means it’s bad.” She sits back in her chair. “You sure you want to marry him? I mean, sex is a big part of your relationship and if it’s that bad—”

  “It’s not bad!” I’m laughing, too, now. I look out at the ocean and just seeing Garret out there on his surfboard gets me all hot inside. I turn back to Harper who’s still waiting for a response. “It’s good, okay? It’s more than good. It’s amazing. Better than I could’ve ever imagined. That’s why we do it all the time. There. Are you happy now?”

  “I knew it. You guys are too perfect.” She smiles as she says it.

  “We’re not perfect. We’re just lucky we found each other. That’s all.”

  We sit outside and talk until the guys come back an hour later.

  “Ready to eat?” Sean asks Harper. He leans down to kiss her and all I can think about is the two of them together. Not the visual I want in my head. This is why I don’t talk to Harper about sex!

  “Dinner’s on us tonight,” Garret says, standing behind me and rubbing my shoulders. It quickly wipes the Sean and Harper images from my head. “What do you guy’s want?”

  We decide on Chinese food and Garret and I head back to our place.

  “Can you call in the order?” Garret asks. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I order the food, then go upstairs to our room. He’s in the shower and the earlier sex talk I had with Harper has got me all worked up. I strip my clothes off and meet him in there.

  “I thought I should rinse off,” I tell him. “You know, from being on the plane earlier. Those things are filthy.”

  He smiles. “Then let’s get you cleaned up.” He takes some soap from the bottle and starts lathering me up, taking his time with certain spots while we kiss. “You know, you could’ve showered earlier. I was gone for over an hour.”

  I kiss his chest. “It’s way more fun with you.”

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  I look up to see his cocky smile and it gets me even more turned on. He lifts me up and pins me against the wall for a quick round of shower sex before the takeout guy arrives.

  “Garret, do you think we have a good sex life?” I ask him as we get dressed.

  “Yeah, why?” He looks concerned. “Are you thinking we don’t?”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just wondered if maybe you were getting bored and wanting to try something new.”

  He comes over and kisses me. “Our sex life is great. I have no complaints.” He stands back a little and smiles. “But I’m always up for something new. You have something in mind you’d like to try?”

  “No. It was just a question.”

  He’s still smiling as he crosses his arms over his chest, staring at me and looking like he’s thinking. “You know, you’re right. We should mix it up a little. I’ve got some ideas. We’ll try them later.”

  “What? No. Really. I’m fine with everything as is. We have a good sex life. We don’t need to try anything new.”

  He shakes his head. “Sorry, Jad
e, but ‘good’ is not at all how I want you to describe our sex life. It’s gotta be better than good. It needs to be incredible. Amazing. Mind-blowing.”

  “It’s already all those things. I just didn’t—”

  “If it was, you would’ve said that before.” He gives me a quick kiss. “I’m glad you brought this up. I’ve been slacking off in this area. Doing the same old thing. But no more. I’m gonna get to work on this. We’ll be married soon and there’s no way my wife is using ‘good’ to describe our sex life.”

  “But, Garret, I didn’t mean—”

  The doorbell rings. “That’s our food.” He lets me go and takes off.

  I did not at all intend for him to take that question about our sex life as a challenge. But I should’ve known he would. The guy loves a challenge.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  13

  The next day, Sean and Harper leave for San Francisco. Garret doesn’t want to surf alone so we’re spending the entire day together, which rarely happens. We usually spend the day with Harper or Sean or both of them.

  We have breakfast out on the deck. It’s a beautiful morning, bright and sunny with a light breeze. I got up early and did laundry and cleaned so I wouldn’t have to do it later. Then I showered and dressed, all while Garret was still asleep. When he finally woke up, he made breakfast like he always does, but we didn’t get to have our morning tradition and now I’m really missing it.

  He’s sitting next to me, shirtless and wearing the gray drawstring shorts he wore to bed. His hair is tousled and looks all hot and sexy. I have this urge to reach over and run my hands through it.

  “Jade, you should learn to surf so we could go together.” He takes my empty plate and sets it aside, on top of his.

  “No, thanks. I don’t want to be eaten by a shark. The news always shows people on surfboards getting eaten by sharks.”

  He laughs. “So every time I out go out there, you think I’ll be eaten by a shark?”

  “Nah, I don’t worry about you getting eaten.” I take a sip of my water.

  “And why is that?”

  “I just don’t think they’d find you appetizing. And obviously they don’t because they haven’t approached you all summer.”

  He slides my chair closer to him. “I’m very appetizing. They just know better than to come after me. I intimidate them with my large stature and big muscles.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” I lean over and kiss him.

  He pulls me out of my chair and onto his lap. “So I think we should discuss the honeymoon thing again.”

  “We’ve already discussed it several times. It’s not a good idea. Like your dad said, you need to hide out for a while. Let people lose interest in you. Otherwise we risk having cameras following us around.”

  “So we’ll go to Europe. You told me you always wanted to see a real castle. Europe is full of castles. We can see as many as you want.”

  “Rich people travel to Europe. I’d be worried you might run into someone from the organization. Just seeing those men at Harper’s house had me in a total panic.”

  He runs his hand up and down my arm. “That’s over, Jade. You can stop worrying about it.”

  “I’ll never stop worrying about it. What if they change their mind and try to take you away from me again?”

  “It’s not going to happen. They have no interest in me.”

  “Then why were they bothering you at Harper’s house?”

  “Because they know my dad. They were just saying hello.”

  “They weren’t just saying hello. Those guys surrounded you and I didn’t like the looks they were giving you.”

  “How about Italy? Or France?” he asks, changing the subject.

  “Next year I’d love to go. But not this year. I just can’t do it, Garret. I want to be able to relax during our honeymoon, not be stressed out. We’ll go next summer for our one-year anniversary.”

  He sighs. “Fine. I guess I can’t really argue with you about it since you’re the one who’ll be paying for it.”

  “It’s not my money. It’s our money.”

  “It’s still strange how you’re the one saying that now instead of me.”

  “Hey, you just mentioned money so you know what that means. You owe me.” I adjust myself on his lap so that I’m straddling him.

  He puts his hands on my butt and tugs me closer. “Whatever you want. I’m all yours.”

  “I’m thinking a massage would be nice.”

  “I can do that.” His hand moves behind my neck and he pulls me in for a kiss. “I love giving you massages.”

  “Only because they lead to sex,” I say, kissing him back.

  He talks against my lips. “I could skip the sex part if that’s what you want.”

  “No, I definitely don’t want to skip that part.”

  He brushes my hair aside to talk in my ear. “Maybe I’ll try something new. Spice things up a little.”

  It drives me crazy when he talks soft and low in my ear like this. Crazy as in I-have-to-have-him-right-now crazy.

  I sit back a little. “I’m kind of worried about this new stuff. Can we just hold off on that for a while?”

  He laughs. “I’m not going to show up with whips and chains if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Good. ’Cause that’s not really my thing.”

  “And what is your thing? What’s your fantasy, Jade?”

  “I never thought about it so I don’t know.” I pause. “I guess I kind of always wanted to have sex on the beach. That’s really lame, isn’t it?”

  “It’s not lame. Why didn’t you tell me this before? The beach is right here. We could do it right now. Well, maybe later when it’s dark out.”

  “It’s too messy. I don’t want sand in all my . . . girl parts.”

  “That’s your only fantasy? Sex on the beach?”

  “Garret, forget I even said it. I’m good with the way things are. I don’t need a fantasy. I don’t need you to spice things up. I’m completely happy. Nothing needs to change.” I run my hand through his sexy, tousled hair. “So what’s your fantasy?”

  He gazes at me. “I’m looking at it.”

  “What?” I glance around. “You mean me?”

  He smiles. “Yes, Jade. You.”

  “I’m not a fantasy. I’m a person.”

  “You’re my fantasy. I can’t get enough of you. Your eyes, your body, your hair, your voice. Everything about you turns me on. I thought the effect you have on me would diminish a little after all these months, but it just keeps getting stronger.” He stands up, taking me with him and carrying me into the house. “The more I’m with you, the more I want you.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’re wearing a sundress.”

  “Yeah? So?”

  “You in a dress is like two fantasies in one.”

  He kicks the door shut, then backs me against it and hoists me up a little. He kisses me, parting my lips with his tongue as he slides my sundress up my thighs. He deepens the kiss as I loosen the drawstring on his shorts, letting them fall to the floor. He has nothing on underneath.

  I secure my arms around his neck and tighten my legs around him. His one hand remains under me, supporting my weight, while his other hand pushes my panties aside to make room for him. He thrusts gently at first, making sure he’s not pushing me too roughly against the door. I stiffen my back and hold on tighter, giving him a signal to move faster and harder, which he does. He keeps going, his breathing heavy, his chest beading up with sweat until we both feel the release at nearly the same time.

  I guess this is what he meant by something new. We’ve never done it against the door before. But I liked it. I liked it a lot. We’re definitely doing that again.

  He sets me down and gives me a kiss. “So you want to go anywhere today?”

  It makes me laugh. “That’s it? You don’t want to discuss what we did just now?”

  “What’s there to say? We h
ad sex. We have sex all the time.”

  “Yeah, but not against the door.” I adjust my sundress, pulling the skirt back in place.

  “I was trying something new. You didn’t like it?” The cocky smile appears. “Because it kind of seemed like you did.”

  “I liked it. It was hot. Really hot.”

  “See? It’s good to try something new. We needed a change of scenery. The bedroom was getting boring.”

  I go over to him as he puts his shorts on. “You still owe me that massage tonight. You’re not getting out of it because of this.”

  “I’ll give you a massage this afternoon if you want. And another one tonight, especially if you keep walking around wearing this.” He tugs on the strap of my dress.

  His cell phone rings and he checks to see who’s calling. “It’s my dad.” He hands me the phone. “You talk to him. I’m gonna go shower.” He takes off for the stairs.

  “Wait. He’s calling you, not me. He’s your dad.”

  “He’ll be your dad, too, in a couple weeks. Just answer it.” He disappears up the stairs.

  I hadn’t even thought about that. Pearce will be my father-in-law soon. Weird.

  “Hi, Mr. Kensington. It’s Jade. Garret’s in the shower.”

  “Hello, Jade. And I told you to call me Pearce.”

  “Yeah, I forgot. Do you want Garret to call you back?”

  “He doesn’t need to. I was just calling to tell you that Lilly and I will be out there this Saturday. I know it’s earlier than I’d planned but we’re going to stay at Grace’s house for a few days.”

  “Grace who? You mean my—”

  Pearce cuts me off. He always thinks people are listening to his phone calls and it’s probably true. Garret said the organization occasionally monitors the calls of their members. And none of them know my connection to the Sinclair family.

  “Grace Sinclair,” Pearce says. “She’s a friend of the family. You’ve met her. She’ll be at the wedding.”

  “Yes, I know Grace. I thought you meant a different Grace. So you’re staying at her house?”

  “Just for a couple days. She’s lonely now that her husband is gone so I thought it’d be good for her to have some company. She’s excited we’re coming. She’ll love having Lilly there. She’s very good with children. Anyway, we’ll drive up to your place on Tuesday. We probably won’t get there until evening so we’ll just head to the hotel. I’ll send Garret the information for where we’ll be staying. Grace is staying there, too.”