Page 19 of Right Side of Paradise
Family Meeting
Soul was the only one in the kitchen when I walked through the back door around six o’clock.
The visit to my condo had only taken a couple hours, but I stopped by my parents’ house afterwards before going to the bar to make sure things were set up for tonight.
I needed to be back there in a few hours, but not before I took a minute to decompress around the only people who wouldn’t make me be social if I didn’t want to.
Instead of greeting me, Soul’s focus went straight for the Tupperware in my hand.
“What’s that?” he asked, sipping on a can of coconut water.
“Dark cherry hibiscus cookies.”
He whistled lowly, his hand out before I could fully close the door behind me.
I handed them over easily, smirking at the way his eyes rounded.
“My dad made them. Said he was trying a new recipe. Save some for Rico and Harlow.”
“Yeah, aight,” he agreed off-handedly, eyeing which one he wanted.
That made me shake my head. It didn’t take much to please that man.
“I put your plate in there,” he shared as I neared the fridge.
I didn’t need to know what was on that plate for my mouth to water. I’d had a light lunch at my folks’ house, but nothing compared to the way Harlow’s mama got down in the kitchen.
“How was dinner?” I asked, my back to him while I put my plate in the toaster oven.
I couldn’t decipher the sound he made so I turned to find his mouth full and a devilish glint in his eye.
“What?”
He shrugged, but the mischief in his smile was more telling.
“Tell me,” I demanded.
“It went good. Ms. Yvie and Grandma Edith said they missed you.”
“And?” There had to be more to it. I loved Ms. Yvie and Harlow’s grandma, but they never made me act the way Soul was acting.
Did Rico say something about this morning?
It wouldn’t bother me if Soul knew. It wasn’t a fucking secret how I felt about Harlow.
But I was still trying to figure out what it meant that I hadn’t tripped when Rico walked in and saw me like that.
If the look dominating his face hadn’t been ravenous enough, his dick getting hard while he watched me come down solidified my suspicions.
Rico had never looked at me like that before.
And I may have been in a rush to leave but not so much that I didn’t notice he’d taken that thong. My cum was all over it, and I’d be lying if I said my mouth didn’t run dry every time I thought about it being in his possession.
A piece of me was in his possession.
“Chris.” I blinked and Soul was an inch in front of my face, head angled so he could watch me closer.
He was close enough to count the hairs on my chin.
“Where did you go?”
“Sorry.” I blinked and told myself I’d deal with Rico later. Finding out what happened at Sunday dinner was more important.
“Is everything okay with your condo? Is that why you’re so distracted?” He was still close, watching every micro expression that flitted across my face.
“Nah, it’s not as bad as we thought. We’re still on schedule.”
“Oh…okay.” He smiled at me. The same easy smile he’d been giving me for over twenty years, and I mirrored his expression without hesitation.
It was so easy to relax around Soul. I didn’t know how he did it. It was a talent I hadn’t been gifted with.
He waited until I had my food in front of me and took the first bite before he said, “Something happened at dinner.”
Calling a house meeting with five minutes’ notice was very on-brand for Rico. Me giving in when I had other shit to do was also typical.
Soul was sprawled on the chaise part of the sectional and Harlow was tucked into his side, closer than she would have been this morning.
Whatever happened at that damn dinner had resulted in the tangling of their limbs and the hand he had resting at the base of her throat.
I loved Soul. I was in love with Harlow. So why did it feel like somebody had just kneed me in the chest?
Fuck, was I jealous?
Rico started talking before I got too far in my head about it.
“Harlow told us she showed you the list,” he said, looking at me. “And now that we all know what’s on it, I think now is a good time to go over our boundaries.”
Harlow cleared her throat, giving me more than a passing glance for the first time since we all sat down. “Soul and Rico agreed to help me check off as many things as I can this summer. But I don’t want you to feel like I expect that of you just because we’re in the same house.”
“I’m a grown ass man, Harlow.” I leaned forward so my elbows were on my knees and stared at her until she broke eye contact. “If I ever felt like you expected something I couldn’t give, I’d let you know.”
Her slender throat worked in a swallow, and I wished I was close enough to wrap my hand around it and feel her pulse jumping for me.
“Oh…okay.” She rubbed at her neck, focusing on my hands instead of my face. “Does that mean you don’t want to do anything?”
“No. But I have conditions.”
One by one, Rico, Soul and Harlow snapped their gazes to mine, all their lips parted in anticipation for what I had to say.
“If we help you with that list, you owe us a date for every item we check off. It can be a group date or a one on one.”
Harlow opened and closed her mouth at least four times before she looked at Soul and Rico for help.
But they didn’t give it to her, and I finally sat back, relaxing into the sofa when I saw the wheels turning in their heads.
“I’m not looking for dates. Wouldn’t that be pointless if it’s not leading anywhere?”
Rico lifted her hand and kissed along her knuckles. “Why does it matter if it leads nowhere? Why can’t we just wanna spend time with you?”
I remained quiet.
She could tell herself those dates wouldn’t lead anywhere, but it was simple math. Eleven things on that list meant a guaranteed eleven dates. That was more than enough for us to make her fall in love with us and never leave again.
Harlow still had questions. “What if we cross off multiple things in one go? Is that one date?”
“Nope,” Soul interjected. “One date for each thing. That’s only fair.”
“Don’t look so stressed, baby,” Rico teased. “We’ll plan good dates.”
Sighing, she silently shook her head. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”
She didn’t need to elaborate for me to catch the side-eye she slid my way before settling back into Soul’s arms.
We went over the list again, shared our boundaries with each other and picked a safe word that all of us could use if needed.
The conversation went on for an hour before Harlow straightened and looked at her stepbrother. “What about in public? Everybody on this island knows you’re my stepbrother.”
“ Ex -stepbrother.” He shifted on the couch. “We’re grown, Harlow. I don’t really give a fuck if people know I’m with you. You’ll never be a secret I try to hide. We’re not doing anything wrong.”
His lips found hers and he managed to get her on the cushion beside him before they pulled away.
The doubt on Harlow’s face had been replaced with ecstasy. Her fingertips grazed her lips, and she stared at Rico like she was trying to remember what they were talking about.
Soul snickered. My reaction was more carnal. And helped me clear up my earlier uncertainty.
I wasn’t jealous. I just craved what they’d already gotten to experience. It’d been hours for them but nine years for me.
And the more my dick lengthened against my thigh the more it felt like I was going to fucking combust. All Harlow had to do was touch me at this point and I’d be done for.
I needed her. So fucking bad. But I had to get back to the bar.
I watched her walk away with Soul to try the cookies in the kitchen and blew out a breath when she was finally out of sight.
How was I addicted to something I’d only had once?
Rico stood up at the same time as me. I was in his way, but I didn’t sidestep to let him pass.
“What’s up?”
“I know you took them.” Rico said nothing. Didn’t acknowledge what “them” was or if he had taken them. He didn’t have to. But his blown pupils intrigued me. They more than intrigued me. “I’m just trying to figure out why .”
He stared at me, licking his lips with a challenge in his eyes. “You want them back?”
Plenty of answers raced through my mind, but I settled on the simplest one before finally clearing his path and heading for the door. “Nah, keep ‘em.”