Page 39 of Right Side of Paradise
“What the hell happened?”
“She’s okay.” I kept my hand on her back, my skin touching hers, so she knew I wasn’t going anywhere. “This is normal after a release. She probably had a lot of pent-up tension. I see it all the time at work.”
“It was an orgasm not an exorcism.” He looked bewildered and so fucking cute. Even with his face still coated in her release. I almost wanted to kiss him, but there was a time and place…
“A release is a release,” I said, relief flooding me when Harlow’s cries tapered into sniffs. She loosened her death grip on my arm and lifted her head.
“Feel better?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, looking sheepish. “I don’t know what happened. I’m not sad.”
Before she could say anything else, Rico pulled her away from me and held her face between his hands. Anxious eyes raked over her. “What happened, baby?”
“Nothing. I’m okay.”
“You’re not upset?”
“No, not upset.”
Quiet laughter filled the room when he kissed her in the middle of her answer. As soon as he pulled away, her tongue darted over her lips. Again and again until she went back for another kiss.
“You still taste like me,” she whispered against his mouth.
Groaning, Rico dragged her into his lap like she weighed nothing, settling her on top of him with patience.
Watching them like this, the soft kisses and constant touches, made me wonder how we’d ever survived nine years without this. The intimacy and fluidity of their movements would have a stranger thinking they’d been together for decades.
I couldn’t explain how much I adored both of them or how much my heart was set at ease now that we could explore this again.
“Come here, Soul,” Rico commanded, crashing my thoughts.
Harlow was still in his lap when I let him grab the back of my neck and pull me until our lips touched.
I tasted Harlow all over him.
Fuck.
We needed to get out of her mother’s house so I could do what I really wanted with them.
I broke my kiss with Rico and pushed my tongue in Harlow’s mouth, smiling against her lips when she groaned my name.
“We need to get out of here. We have a lot to talk about, and I can’t do what I want to you in your mother’s house,” I said, climbing out of the bed first.
Harlow and Rico nodded their agreement. He kissed her one more time, pulled her dress down and pocketed her thong.
I was the first to go back downstairs while Harlow made a detour in the bathroom to wash her face.
By the time we left, Harlow had agreed to help with the Juneteenth festival coming up, Rico promised to cut his grandmother’s yard sometime this week and I slipped out with a to-go plate for Christian that I wasn’t sure he would get to eat.
We piled into Rico’s Jeep with the roof and doors missing. Amerie flowed through the speakers, the sun kissed our skin, and the ocean breeze carried us home.
The whole time a smile stole across my face.I knew today would be better than yesterday.
Shaking My Head
Two days back in town and I’d already let my stepbrother go down on me while his best friend watched. What the fuck was wrong with me?
Harlow’s Fuck-It List
