Page 51 of Right Side of Paradise

Interlude

On a scale of one to ten, fucking your ex-stepbrother was probably the worst thing you could do after finding out your parents were getting back together.

It was reckless.

Impulsive.

Very much not smart.

However , Rico’s face was the best seat I’d taken all day.

When we got Brock back to his hotel, we were close enough to the house to walk back. Christian and Soul were still out, having dinner. Or something. I didn’t know and could truly say it didn’t matter when Rico carried me up to the third floor, yanked my shorts down and told me to sit on his face.

Correction , he grabbed my hips and laid down with me on top of him. And when my mouth hung open in shock at the way he was handling me, he commanded, “Close that pretty mouth and open your legs, baby.”

He did the rest, pulling me up his body and sitting me where he wanted me. All it took was his tongue hitting my center for me to grant him his wish.

I closed my fucking mouth and grabbed the headboard, digging my knees into the mattress for purchase to grind against his tongue.

And fuck, I adored this man’s tongue.

He braced his strong arms around my hips.

Tighter and tighter.

He didn’t come up for air.

Didn’t do anything but eat.

And I didn’t do anything but roll my hips so I could reap the benefits of every inch of that tongue.

If it wasn’t for his grip on my hips, I would have slumped forward when he hummed against my clit and the vibration sent me into another realm.

It was nonstop.

Relentless.

I was past the point of caring about his oxygen supply or if my knees were squeezing the side of his head.

He wanted this, and one thing I knew how to do was give Rico what he wanted.

“What was that for?” I sat up, my breaths still choppy but steady enough to speak.

Rico had his back against the headboard, his languid gaze caressing me. “Because of the way you talked to my father.”

“Please,” I snickered, shoving my hair out of my face.

But Rico wasn’t smiling, his stare turned intense as he used his thumb to drag down his bottom lip. “You think I’m playing but it was sexy hearing you talking about us like we aren’t just something you tryna check off your list.”

“We aren’t ,” I affirmed, walking across the bed on my knees to get to him. I’d get dressed later; I wanted to be near him. “It hasn’t been about that list in a long, long time. I’m still checking stuff off, but…it’s more than that. It probably always has been.”

He grabbed my chin and smiled lazily. “The first time you told me you love me, you were drunk as fuck with a black eye.” Licking his lips, he shook his head. “You could barely stand up straight, but you said it twice.”

Shaking my head, I let out an obnoxious snort. Bits and pieces of that night were all I could gather. All I remembered being was a hot ass mess.

Rico tipped up my chin to get my eyes back on his. “Then you told me again on my birthday. Right before you told me you were staying for longer than the summer. And you were sober.”

My breath caught when his eyes softened, and his cheeks lifted.

“You don’t know how happy that made me. I’ve loved you for so long, Harlow. So fucking long. And tonight, I realized you love me as much as you say you do.”

How he’d gone from eating me out to this tender ass moment was a switch up only Rico Donovan could pull off. There was no reason for me to be sitting here half dressed with this goofy smile on my face.

“I’m your man.” The confidence in his tone left nothing up for debate. “And I’ma always take care of you, Harlow. My dad doesn’t speak for me. He’s dramatic as fuck and wrong. He knows that, but this is how he’s processing it. I want you spending my money and I need you here with us. You hear me?”

What I heard was the wild hammering behind my ribcage, but I nodded. “I hear you.”

“I know you still have to tell your mom. Just know I’m not going anywhere. Whether they really are getting back together or not. I’m not letting you go.”

“I know,” I whispered, leaning in to kiss him. “I’m not letting you go either.”

“Even when it’s not easy,” he added, pulling me onto his lap.

On instinct, I relaxed against him. Something about his embrace made me forget everything else. His warmth became my warmth. His calm became my calm. He poured into me with the simplest touches.

We were going to be alright .

So, I kissed my name above his brow and echoed his promise, “Even when it’s not easy.”