Addicted for Now (Addicted #3)

by Krista Ritchie

“Hi,” he says, breaking into a breathtaking smile. His chest falls heavily, nearly in sync with my uneven rhythm. “Hi,” I whisper.

AWW. MY BABIES.

“What’s going to happen,” he breathes, “is that I’m going to carry you through this door. I’m going to draw out every single moment until you’re exhausted. And I’m going to move so slow that three months ago will feel like yesterday. And tomorrow will feel like today, and no one in this fucking universe will be able to say your name without saying mine.”

:')

And then with measured unhurriedness, he gradually rests my back onto my comforter and slowly begins to slip inside of me.

this is a CRAZY position. i just tried laying like that with my back down but still sitting on my legs and HELLO?? that hurts bro. lily is flexibleee.

He takes care of me, bending my knees and stretching my legs out from the last position.

OHH. loren, you're a smart man. she can't do it again if her body is uncomfortable from the last position !!!

I know your girlfriend’s secret. – Unknown

HELLO??

A female sex addict? A slut. A male sex addict? A hero.

the double standards of society.

My eyes flicker to Julie once. “And you should start eating your sister’s makeup. Your insides are fucking ugly.”

OKAYYY.

But Connor rubs his lips to keep from smiling further. And when Connor smiles at my sister, I instantly straighten up and lean forward like two orbiting stars are about to touch and kiss. I want to be present when they do.

they're so cutesies.

“Fuck you,” Connor beats him to it. He also says it so casually—like he’s trying to answer an Academic Bowl question. I can’t help but break out into a grin. Lo catches me smiling and gives me a look. I press my lips together to try to contain it, but it’s too hard and I probably seem goofy instead. The corner of his mouth quirks.

HELPME. THEY'RE SO CUTE.

But Ryke Meadows is many things—uncaring is definitely not one of them.

I’ve yet to really see a girl that can keep up with him.

well, you were gone when he went head-to-head with DAISY CALLOWAY. stop, i'm so ready for lo to catch the tension.

Everyone wants more. But I feel like I’m giving everything I have.

stop it.

I’d always bet on Connor Cobalt.

I want the satisfaction of hurting you the way you’ve hurt me.

LO, WHO DID YOU UPSET. i think it's a girl who wanted him, but he chose lily.

“He has good taste,” Rose says. Sebastian makes a show of rolling his eyes. Rose clutches the vase to her chest. “It’s my favorite brand.”

AAAA.

he asks, about to approach Rose and kiss her, but she stares at the wall, not at him. Come on, Rose, let the guy in.

aw, connor baby :')

He pulls out the second box and faces her. But he holds onto the pizza. “And feta.” Lily mouths to me, her favorite.

ROSE IS A STRONG WOMAN. i'd take him back so fast.

“I didn’t do that,” Rose immediately says. Her eyes light with fire. “I’m going to kill him.” I’ve heard her say that about Sebastian too many times to take the threat seriously. “Sebastian?” Connor wonders. Rose nods tersely. She puts the pizza down, no longer interested in eating, and she inspects the vase with delicate hands. Her shoulders drop. He comes behind her and whispers in her ear. When his voice grows, I catch the syllables, but I don’t understand the words. He’s speaking to her in French. She answers back in the foreign language, fluent. He kisses her head, and then she spins around and kisses his lips, standing on the tips of her toes.

STOP ITTT. MY PARENTS. god, i wish i understood what they said. WHATEVER IT WAS MADE CONNOR KISS HER HEAD. my babies ™

She drops to her feet, but Conner keeps his hand tangled in her hair, intoxicated by Rose’s commanding movements. She possesses him, but he’s equally as possessive of her, which I still find strange.

HELLOOOO. connor cobalt. that's all i need to say. + hand. in. her. hair.

“Last year in the Cayman Islands, you said that not even the abominable snowman would want to fuck me.” Lily gasps, “You did not.” “I did.” She punches my arm. I mock wince. Yeah, I deserved that. Connor stays completely impassive. But he holds Rose closer, as though silently saying I’m wrong. Clearly guys with insanely high IQs want to fuck her.

IMCRYINGG. I GOT CHILLS AFTER I JUST TWEAKED OUT. CONNORRRR. guys, he doesn't play.

Rose looks ready to reignite their old argument, but Connor leans in and whispers into her ear again. French. Can’t understand a fucking word. She eases considerably. “I need a translator,” Lily whispers to me. “Or an interpreter.”

same, guys. SAME. you have no idea how much i want to know what connor tells rose in order to CALM HER DOWNN.

“You…and me…” Here it is. “We probably shouldn’t have children.”

well..... (i got a few things spoiled!)

“What are you doing under there?” “I work down here,” I blurt out. I am roasting from head to toe. He laughs a husky laugh. “Lily.” I flinch at the sound of Lo’s voice,

I smile. God, I can’t believe I’m smiling after all that has happened. The fact that this girl can upturn my lips after such a bad day makes me never want to let her go.

I swoop in behind her, my hands planted on her waist, and my lips brush her ear. “Want a ride?” She brightens almost immediately. I don’t wait for her to say yes. I crouch a little in front of her, and I lift her up on my back. She holds tight around my neck, and I keep my arms underneath her legs, willing to carry her as far as she needs to go—just like when we were kids. Some things never change.

THEY'RE SO CUTEE. MY CHILDREN.

He licks his lips and nods to her. “So, I was thinking you’d want to hookup later.” What? “Maybe tomorrow, around eight. Same frat house, same place. If you want to be fucked hard, I’m your guy.”

WHAT?? so... i approve of beating this guy up!

“I mentioned her to my friends a couple weeks ago. We were talking about the girls at Penn who give the best head. Everyone agreed she was the best cocksucker on campus.” And I can’t help it. I deck him. Right in the face.

“You were the one who slashed our tires because we fucked your girlfriend.” We. I cringe, never ever wanting to hear that again. We. Not I. Not me. Multiple guys. And I may have popped a tire or two. I was drunk. I was eighteen.

MY MAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN JEALOUSSSS.

“You touch her, you even think about her, and I’ll have you in the ground before you can say thank you, Loren Hale. You go to the media, the press, and I will ruin you, starting with your soccer career. You don’t even know who I am, you motherfucker.”

“Tell me the first thing that comes to your head,” he says. In an aching whisper, I say, “I love you.”

aww.

He is truly my everything.

Her shoulders slacken and she turns to look at me, releasing a giant breath at the same time. I can’t help but smile. She’s cute, even when she doesn’t mean to be.

“You had sex a few days ago,” Allison repeats. “What exactly happened?” “I put my penis in her vagina.”

BRO, LOREN HAS ME DEAD.

“I’m scared,” I start again, “that there’s going to be a point where you become angry and bitter and resentful every time I tell you to stop, that you realize someone else can give you what you want.”

“What if I can’t ever give you a blow job?” she asks, a little hysterical now. “I mean, what if that’s on the blacklist? That’s not right, Lo! You have needs too!” I’m grinning and trying so hard not to laugh. It’s probably shitty that my smile has spread to new proportions, but I can’t help it. Not when she’s freaking out over this.

HIM SMILING IS KILLING MEEE.

“I’m sorry.” I can’t even pretend to sound apologetic, nor can I stop smiling. “It’s just cute.”

UGHHHH. THEY'RE SO CUTE.

My stomach hits the edge of the counter, and I bend again, losing sight to my wall of hair. Then I feel his hands on my head, rubbing the shampoo into my scalp.

AWW, OMG.

“She just hates women.”

but watch, she'll love rose.... and connor will fall more in love :')

“I thought Rose was making that fucking shit up.”

or maybe not!

I vowed to be better than all her other conquests. To keep Lily Calloway meant that I’d have to be able to satiate her every need. So I practiced. I dated girls for a week or so, nothing too serious, but I made sure the sex was always about their desires, their pleasure, never mine. It helped figure out what would work for Lil—what sets off women the most. And I guess I just became good at it. So in most ways I succeeded.

OKAYYY. bro planned this from the beginning.

“He’s sleeping here?” I say in disbelief and then my lips rise. “Are you finally popping that cherry, Miss Rose Calloway?” She looks about ready to tear out my vocal cords. My smile only grows.

IMDEADDD. soon!

When he looks up, his eyes meet mine and then drift down to my nearly naked body, stopping at my blanket, and then right back up. “Hey beautiful,” I say with a grin.

IMSCREAMING. this series is just connor and lo flirting for hours...!

“Because I asked you out and you said yes,” he tells her with a burgeoning smile. “And you’re madly in love with me.” “I never said such a thing.” He replies in French, and I can’t even process the words. She smacks his arm, and he whispers deeper in her ear, his arm spindling around her waist as he draws her to his chest. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rose so flushed before.

I JUST KNOW MY MAN'S SAYING SOMETHING SO INSANE RIGHT NOW. ugh, loren, go learn french for my own sake.

“The couch isn’t vacant then.” His eyes fall to Rose, waiting for her to offer another solution. Like her bed, but she has solidified to stone.

CONNORRR. damn, he is READY.

Connor nods, accepting the offer, and if he’s disappointed, I can’t tell at all.

it's actually sad that we can't read his emotions because what if that actually made him sad?? rose not wanting to sleep in the same bed as himm.

“Let’s find the bastard.”

FINALLYYYY.

He said he wants to test himself, and there’s no better place than Cancun—with Ryke tagging along.

AYYY. i'm going to cancun in a month!!

“You are so busted,” I say. “I just saw Melissa leaving here.” I waggle my eyebrows for further effect, but he stays unblinking. Catching someone in an incriminating deed is not as fun when they don’t act like they’ve been caught. “So?” He dries his hands on a cotton towel.

ryke does NOT care, omg.

Ryke’s somewhat-girlfriend runs her fingers through her blonde hair again. She wears no makeup, which reminds me a little of my youngest sister. Daisy can pull off that fresh-faced look but still be pretty enough to pose for a magazine.

so, you're telling me that ryke's current girlfriend is blonde and reminds you of daisy..... baby, you're so in denial.

Ryke tugs her into his arms and then whispers something soft (and I imagine sexy) into her ear. She sighs exasperatedly, but her shoulders relax.

who even are you. melissa, no hate, but where's daisy ?? i'm sick and tired.