Forever Never

by Lucy Score

Remington Honeysuckle Ford. Remi Honey to family. Trouble to him. Hell.

As someone who’d spent half a lifetime cataloging everything there was to know about Remi, Brick knew something was wrong.

Instinct had him wrapping his arms around her even though it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. She slid her hands under his coat and melted into him.

There were a lot of things that made Remi different from the average girl. Synesthesia was one of them.

Remi Ford was no longer his concern.

Twelve years ago, he’d torn her heart in two. Seven years after that, he’d shattered it into pieces. She’d yet to forgive either of them for it. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t still appreciate him being the poster child for testosterone.

“No offense, but Chicago is out of your jurisdiction, Sergeant. And my life is none of your business. Remember?”

He stalked into the kitchen, taking up all of the space with his cowboy shoulders and grumpy competence. And that, she realized as she shed her boots and coat, was why she’d come back. To be just close enough to feel safe again. Despite his protestations, Brick Callan cared about her. There was something in his spirit that demanded that all the people he cared about be safe.

There was a spark of something special every time they touched. It fascinated her. Comforted her. Confounded her. But the very thing that attracted her to Brick seemed to repel him from her. She could count on one hand the number of times the man had voluntarily touched her first.

He wasn’t going to upset the balance by getting too close to her. Not again. He had his reasons, not the least of which was the fact that Remington Ford had been born with wings, not roots.

And a place at the table of a family he’d often wished was his own. Wanting more was greedy. And in his experience, greed greased the road to hell.

Remington Ford had five traffic violations. Not a surprise. She’d also been arrested twice. He’d known about the first. Hell, he’d been the one doing the arresting.

Socks and hair were not erotic, he reminded himself. Stay focused.

Remington Ford had never once in her entire life been fine. She’d been wonderful. She’d been devastated. She’d been on top of the world. She’d been shattered. But never something as flat or normal as fine.

“Fine. Baking. I’ll walk you out.” And wrap his hand around his dick the second he shut the door behind her.

By the time he got to the bathroom door in what was now Remi’s new studio, he already had his dick in his hand.

He barely had time to brace one hand on the vanity, barely had a moment to imagine himself peeling down those leggings and bending her over before he was already coming.

The woman reduced him to this. To an emergency jerk-off session in the middle of the fucking work day after a simple conversation.

“I’ve never seen someone do that much good by telling that many lies,”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,”

Remington Ford was a handful of trouble and sunshine.

She couldn’t have been more hypnotized by that obscene length of dick if he’d taken it out and swung it back and forth in front of her eyes.

He liked to think that he took a moment to consider letting her fall, letting her suffer the consequences. But he didn’t. He never would. Instead, she landed neatly in his arms as if he’d been created with the sole purpose of catching her.

“And stop fighting with me. Everyone thinks we hate each other.”

“Don’t we?” He hadn’t meant it. Not really. He hated himself when it came to her. But he could never hate her.

“Uncle Brick hurt my feelings a long time ago and never apologized, and so much time has gone by that there isn’t an apology big enough for me to not be mad at him anymore.”

“First. Don’t run away from me,”

“Or what?”

“Or you won’t like the consequence. Second, I’m sorry.”

“You know I don’t hate you.”

“This big brother routine is not fun,”

That fucking mouth.

“I’m not your brother, Remington,”

“Well, I suppose if you were, it would make a few of my teenage fantasies really gross and incestuous.”

“Was this because of that day…after you graduated? That was a mistake.” “Christ. You think I’m carrying a grudge because a guy is either too dense to be attracted to me or, worse, too much of a chickenshit to act on it? Real nice, Brick.”

“Then fucking tell me,”

“You left me.

Without even saying good-bye. You just abandoned me.”

“I never meant to hurt you. Not then.”

He’d had to go. There was no choice. Staying on the island with a warm, willing, of-age Remi would have taken a level of willpower he hadn’t possessed.

“You forget, Brick. We used to know each other really well. We used to be close. So yeah. You meant to hurt me when you left. We both know it.”

“You lost the right to hear my confidences a long time ago. Let’s leave it that way. It’s safer for both of us.”

“At least you’re consistently irritating,” she said lightly. “Some things never change.”

“Back at you, baby.”

“Don’t wear those shorts again.”

“Why not?” “You know why and because I said so.”

“Oh, I know. But he entertains me. Besides, we’re not really together anymore.”

“You’re not?” “Well, we’re still hanging out. But we’re not having sex anymore.”

“You don’t need someone who can keep up. You need someone who can lock you up.”

“I’m not opposed to either. I assume the right guy will be able to do both,” she quipped.