Till Summer Do Us Part

by Meghan Quinn

Surrounded by happy couples boasting about their weekend plans, talking about their partners like they worship the ground they walk on. What’s that like? Couldn’t tell you.

“She always underestimates the size of my dick. The only time she remembers is when I bottom out inside her and she can practically taste me in her throat.”

“Because you’re not just a robot in a pair of jeans and a beanie. There’s a heart in there.” “Yeah, there’s a heart,” I say. “Beating and everything.” “Fascinating. What’s that like?” “Thrilling,” I answer.

He nods. “Well, you assumed right, but that’s why I think green would be best for that period in our marriage, because green represents wealth, and that doesn’t need to be wealth in a money sense but a surplus of wealth in the mental capacity. Wealth in love. Wealth in marriage. Wealth in joy and happiness.”

his lips so close to my ear that his breath tickles me, sending a shiver all the way up my spine and causing goose bumps to spread over my skin.

“Something we tend to forget when married, that we’re tied together in all aspects. What one partner might do affects the other. Whether good or bad. One move tugs on the other and vice versa. That’s why when we’re making our way through life, we need to be aware that our every move is tied to our loved one. We need to be conscious of that.” Huh. I mean, what a great analogy.

She shakes her head. “That’s too much chewing. Ice cream should be sucked on, not chewed.” “Reasoning you could use on other things you put in your mouth,” I say, causing her eyes to widen, which makes me smile.

I smirk. “So hand in hand, we went into the depths of the corn maze, and when we found a spot that no one was going to traipse through, you dropped to your knees, pulled my jeans down, and went to town. I don’t know if it was because your mouth felt like a fall festival, all cinnamon and cidery, but I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard while being blown.”

Mika said she needs a nice guy. Well, I’m going to make sure I’m that guy for her.

“Who doesn’t have baggage?” I ask. “There isn’t one person on this earth who hasn’t opened a metaphorical suitcase and dumped in it. No life is perfect, no journey unmarred. Everyone’s carrying around something. So there’s absolutely no need to apologize.”

It’s for Scottie. It could be because she’s such a good friend to Mika that makes her okay in my book. But I think it’s just her too. I like her. I’m enjoying spending time with her. And if this helps her unpack her marriage and heal? Then I’m in.

Do not take other people’s flawed opinions about you and turn them into your own.

And then we stand there, holding each other for longer than I expected to be holding him. Yet it doesn’t feel strange. I don’t feel the need to pull away from him. I don’t feel awkward. I actually feel like…like this all seems right. And that realization seems stranger than him actually holding me. When he pulls away,

I’ve caught myself catching glimpses of your lips, wondering why they look so soft when I never see you put lip balm on. When you speak, there is hurt in your voice, like someone took a piece of your soul and hasn’t returned it, yet it makes you who you are—makes you that much more interesting. There have been times

when I’ve wanted to touch your hair, push it behind your ear, just feel it because it’s so silky. You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met before—complex yet simple. Insecure but also very confident. And I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t attracted to you. And I’m not saying this to hit on you. I’m not saying this to try to get you to tear your shirt off. I’m saying this because you deserve to hear it. You deserve the truth. You are beautiful, Scottie.”

And for a girl who has a hard time taking a compliment even though she wants them…I felt that one all the way to my soul.

Dear God. No, it’s not. It’s the whole package. It’s how kind you are to me. How you make me feel special. The way you look at me with those eyes, like I matter. Like I’m of importance. It’s the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you have no problem sticking up for me.

And when I accidentally grazed her breast, fuck, it took everything in me to not move my hand up farther and play with her.

wasn’t not touching you because I didn’t want to touch you,” I say as I tilt her chin up with my thumb and then work my lips down her neck. “I wasn’t touching you because if I did…I probably wouldn’t have stopped.” My lips move up to her cheek, to the spot below her ear again, and then back to her cheek, where I reach her nose.

“If you haven’t realized, Scottie, I’m really fucking attracted to you, and I’m trying to give you space. Trying to let you heal.” I kiss the corner of her mouth, causing her to take in a deep breath. “I’m trying to be a goddamn gentleman, but apparently”—I kiss the other corner of her

mouth—“you don’t want that.” And then I press my lips to hers, shattering the calm that’s been building between us and twisting our situationship into chao...

And this is exactly why I was trying to stay away, keep a healthy distance, because I knew this was going to happen. One taste was all it would take to wake me up and start my craving.

Heat builds and builds inside me, lighting me up and making me so goddamn desperate for the next taste, for the next lick, for so much more than just making out.

Fuck me. Fuck fucking me. I’m turned on. I’m hard. I’m now desperate for more.

Meanwhile, I’m over here reeling. Fucking reeling. Because I just made out with Scottie, and I more than liked it. I loved it. I want to do it again. And again.

But this time, with her shirt off. This time, with her bra off. This time…in fucking private. With every article of clothing off our bodies.

The way he’s looking at me—it’s dangerous. Very dangerous. So dangerous that I fear what it might be like when we get back to the cabin.

“Uh, yeah, every night. I don’t sleep with underwear on, so…eat that.” “I’d love to fucking eat you,” he says and pops a piece of cheese in his mouth. “I didn’t say ‘eat me.’ I said ‘eat that.’” “I know. I heard you.”

“Dude, she’s gorgeous. Has the prettiest fucking eyes I’ve ever seen, and her lips are fucking incredible. Soft, dude. So fucking soft. And she kissed with confidence. I was almost waiting for her to be shy about it, but she wasn’t. She was so goddamn confident. I want…I want another taste. I’m desperate for it.”

“I was planning on it,” he says. I can hear the smile in his voice. “But I was just waiting for her to be ready. She beat me to it with this marriage farce. So now you have to ask yourself: now that you know her and have been around her, what are you going to do about it?” Great fucking question.

Her fingers slide an inch lower so now they’re touching my ass.

And I can’t fucking take this torture, so I grip her cheek, tilt her head up, and bring my mouth down to hers, where I kiss her. I kiss her fucking hard.

She bites down on her lip and looks off to the side—a flash of insecurity—so I grip her chin and bring her attention back to me. “Don’t,” I say. “Don’t get lost in that head of yours. Stay present with me.” I tip her chin up. “Stay here…with me.”

“Let’s get one thing fucking straight,” I say as I move over her. “I’m not Matt, and I love eating pussy, so spread your goddamn legs.”

“You’re so fucking wet.” I swipe at her slit again and then bring my fingers to her eyes. “See that? You’re wet and ready for me.” Then I suck on them. My eyes nearly roll to the back of my head from the first taste. “Motherfucker,” I say right before I swipe at her pussy, lapping up her sweet taste. “Fuck, you taste amazing. Jesus, Scottie.”

“Fuck,” she calls out. “Oh fuck, Wilder.” “Take these piercings, Pips. Fucking take them.” I slide my hand up to the base of her neck and gently claim her, not wanting to apply too much pressure but just enough for her to know who is fucking her…owning her.

I sigh into her kiss and make out with her, because I can tell you right now, this woman, with one night together, has me wrapped around her goddamn finger. I want her world to be rocked. I want her insane with pleasure.

Every relationship, no matter how excellent you are at talking to your partner, experiences a form of miscommunication. It’s human nature. We become guarded, we don’t want to get hurt, we’re unsure of how the other person is going to respond, so we hold our cards close to our chest. We don’t tell the entire truth, which always hurts the relationship in the long run. It’s so incredibly common, so much so that Ellison and I suffer from the same thing at times. It’s one of the biggest issues among all my couples.”

Maybe because my ex never claimed me the way Wilder so easily does.

I bite down on her shoulder, and she yelps as I slide my fingers farther and inside her.

Not to sound like a corny fuck, but she’s blossomed right in front of my eyes, and it’s one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.

He pauses for a moment, his eyes moving between me and Sanders. Then, in an uncertain tone, he answers, “I don’t want to.” And that right there…that’s the problem. That single answer pushes a wave of insecurity through me.

Wilder looks me in the eyes and then glances down at his hands. “I don’t want to.” And that’s the answer I was looking for. That’s the answer I needed. I like him a lot. I do.

“I need you to know that this is not goodbye. That when you get back to the

city, I will most likely be at your doorstep, wanting to see you. Wanting to hang out. Just wanting to talk. I’ve grown accustomed to having you around, and I can’t just go without talking. How do you feel about that?” “I feel the same.” “You do?” I ask, surprised. “Yes. I do.”

I shake my head. “No, because she needs to know that she’s worth another human’s time. She needs to realize that she’s not forgettable.” Mika nods his head. “And you think you can do that?” “I know I can.”

“If there’s one thing I don’t want you to ever experience again, it’s that feeling of insignificance. I’m in awe of you, and I know with certainty that I want to be a better man…for you. You deserve to be worshipped, so I’m going to prove that I can be the man who can do that.”