Foes & Cons by Carrie Aarons (i am malala young readers edition .txt) 📗

My hands cup his cheeks. “Sawyer, you’re already making them proud. Do you know how happy both mine and your father are that you want to join the family business? They are over the moon. I know it’s going to be years of work, but you’re going to shine, to excel. A little bit of pressure is good, it will push you. But make no mistake, you’re not going to fail.”

He blinks, then kisses me softly. “What is your biggest fear?”

“Being hard to love.” It comes out instantly, and I want to reel it back in, but it’s the truth.

“What do you mean? I love you so much, it scares me.” His face is earnest emotion.

Giving him a wry smile, I try to explain. “I grew up with a mother who never seemed able to love me. That stays with you. With every one of her rejections, each time she didn’t show up for me or whatever it was, it took a piece of me. Whenever I think about her, about how she couldn’t love me, I doubt that anyone will ever be able to. No matter how many times I hear it from my dad, or you, or my friends, there is still this small part of me that won’t believe it. She programmed me that way. To believe that I’m unworthy of her love. Hell, she hasn’t even called me in over a month.”

“Fucking bitch.” The curse falls easily out of his mouth, and he glances down.

I can tell Sawyer is trying to contain his anger, but his eyes are fierce when those green orbs meet mine again.

“I’ve loved you for a very long time. Probably as long as I can remember. Make no mistake, you are not hard to love, at all. Every part of you is incredible, special, and unique. It’s an honor to be as in love with you as I am. She’s the crazy one, the screwed up moron who is missing out on the best person I’ve ever known. I. Love. You. You got that? And it’s not hard, either. It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

Tears threaten, and I have to nod through them.

We don’t even really get around to what parking is supposed to be for this night. Instead, the two of us sit wrapped up in each other’s arms, smoothing away all of the fears and doubts with the immense love we share.

32

Sawyer

“B, do you want Hershey kisses in the popcorn?”

I call out to Blair from the kitchen where I’m pulling the steaming hot bag from the microwave with one hand. No matter how old I am, I seem to always burn myself on the freaking steam when separating the tabs.

“No thanks.” Her voice comes from the living room where we’ve set up camp.

“Refusing your favorite combo? Are you sick?” I joke, carrying the bowl to the couch.

My parents are gone for the weekend on their anniversary trip, and it’s a no brainer that I’ll spend the entirety of it with Blair. Matt and Glavin are pissed I didn’t throw a rager, but forty-eight uninterrupted hours, alone, with my girlfriend? Yeah, no, I wasn’t passing that up for people puking on my parent’s couches.

Plus, it’s the first time Blair and I will be able to sleep in the same bed together. Well, that’s not true. We used to have sleepovers when we were like, seven, but tonight will obviously be very different. I’m not going to assume anything, but I have condoms in my bedside drawer upstairs.

We settle into the couch with Blair lying back into me, my arms coming around her to hold the popcorn on her stomach where we can both grab some. I grab the remote and flick to the trailer page for Interstellar.

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen this one. It’s trippy, but great,” I tell her, shoving a handful of popcorn in my mouth.

Her body feels amazing snuggled against mine, and I’m pretty much sporting a midi, but I refuse to rush this. We spent the day together here, just goofing off and talking about anything and nothing.

“I thought … maybe we shouldn’t watch the movie.”

I press a kiss into her temple. “What then? You’ll veto if I suggest Game of Thrones. Although I don’t know why, you’d love it, it’s totally nerdy.”

Blair keeps her head straight, not turning back to look at me, when she says, “I think we should have sex.”

The popcorn bowl almost falls out of my hands. “Wh-What?”

Thick eyelashes sweep up and I can just make out her milk chocolate irises glancing up shyly at me. “I want to. I’m ready.”

Instantly, I thicken, my balls tightening with just those words from her. “B, we can wait.” My fingers stroke down the soft skin of her arm. “I’m fine taking things at the exact pace we’re taking them.”

Blair shifts up and over me, so that our lips align and our pelvises connect. There is no doubt she can feel how hard I am, how she did that in just five seconds flat.

“Sawyer, I want to. I want you.” The kiss she lays on my mouth is searching and gentle.

The couch groans as I shift to improve the angle of our bodies as my hands dive into her silky locks. Our kisses become more frantic, the energy shifting in the room. She’s hot to the touch, and my clothes seem to be burning me.

“I’ve thought about this so many times,” I tell her between our tongues dancing together.

“So many dreams of this.” She moans as my fingers push past her shirt and up her back.

My cock strains against my sweatpants, but I can’t get enough room between us to take Blair’s shirt off. Slowing our kisses, I maneuver us up and take her hand in mine.

“Let’s go to my room.” My tone is serious.

I want to make this special, and alone in my house, in my room, is where it should