Page 40 of Liar's Heart
“No” is my immediate answer, but then I concede. “It was good. Really good. But that's not exactly what I mean. I'm doing this for real with him now. I'm not going to kill him. I want him alive, and I want to be with him.”
There's silence on the other end of the line while she digests what I just said. I wait, honestly not sure of what's coming. Finally, she breaks the silence. “What changed?”
I take a full breath in relief. I shouldn't have doubted her. “A lot of things, which I will explain way more thoroughly in person. But the bottom line is that there are much bigger things at play that Alec is responsible for. Ender, Ox, and Roman were trying to stop him, and that's what got Ox killed. And…” I brace myself to get this next part out. “Before Ox died, he told Ender that he wants us together.”
Another pause before a quiet, “Why would he do that?”
I close my eyes. “It's… complicated. And I probably wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen proof, but I did. I'll bring it all with me. Ender’s coming with me, too, and we’ll go over everything with you. Roman too. We’re on the same team, Len. We just didn't know it.”
She sighs. Then asks, “Are you happy?”
And because Len is my person, my soul's sister, I hold nothing back. “I think I could be. He gives me peace, Len. Even when I thought he shouldn't. He heals things in me I thought would stay broken forever. I love him.”
“Does he loveyou?” she implores. “Take care of you? Will he pick you over his father?”
That last question makes me smile. “He already did, Len. A long time ago. I have zero doubt about how he feels.”
“I trust you, Mer. I mean, I want the full rundown, but if you say you trust him and want to be with him, then I'm happy for you. All I've ever wanted was for you to find peace and happiness again, even if it took this wild-ass plan to do it. And, yeah, for that motherfucker to pay for what he did to Ox. Now we just have more help to bring him down.” And then, in a lighter tone, “It's a weird choice to fall in love with your super-hot husband, but, hey, who am I to judge?”
That makes me laugh. “He issohot, Lenny. Like… oh my god. And the shit he says! The dirty-talk game is strong.”
“Oh yeah? What's his dick look like?”
“Nice. Very nice. And he knows how to fucking use it. If I end up fucked to death, please tell everyone at my funeral I died happy.”
That sends her into a fit of giggles. “I'll put it on your headstone.” The laughter dies down. She sobers, then says, “I love you.”
Smiling, infinitely lighter, I say, “I love you too.”
“I should’ve knownthat your house would be the poster child for dark academia. This is on me.” Ender's hands are in his pockets as he looks up at my childhood home. He's not wrong. I've always loved the old, almost gothic feel of the architecture here. The balconies and creeping ivy, dark wood and arched windows.
“To be fair, it's looked like this for over a hundred years. I just didn't change anything when I inherited it.” I hip-check him as I pass, heading for the door. Coyly looking over my shoulder, I give him the most saccharine smile I can muster. “What can I say? I just really like old things.”
I don't look back, but I do pick up my pace as I sense him prowling behind me. The moment I get the door open, he pounces, grabbing my wrist and pulling me over the threshold before closing the door and pinning me to it face-first. One hand lands on the wall next to my head, but he's mostly caging me in with his hips. He's already hard, which is all the more thrilling considering we just fucked on the plane.
As much as I love to joke about the three years between us making Ender elderly, the man loves proving me wrong. His sexual appetite is downright ravenous. It’s been heavenfinally being with someone who can keep up with me after all these years. The past week has been intense, to say the least. All I can say is thank god for my IUD.
He sweeps my hair over one shoulder and bends down to whisper in my ear, his erection slowly grinding into my ass, “Call me old one more time, wife, and we'll see who taps out first, hmm? Think you can keep up?”
I arch my back and push my ass back into him, shivering as his hot breath tickles my neck. “It’ll be hard, but I'll try to pace myself. I'd hate for you to break a hip.”
He laughs, low and mean. The sound sends heat straight to my pussy. “The only thing I'll be breaking is that last virgin hole of yours to the shape of my dick.”
The thought of him fucking my ass has me flat out squirming beneath him. He’s been slowly introducing anal play over the last week, teasing me with his mouth and fingers. I’ve loved every second of it, and he knows it. Just like he knows how much I love it when he talks like this. Tilting my head to offer more of my neck to him, I taunt, “Promises, promises.”
“Use lots of lube.” We jump apart at the new voice. Or rather, Ender jumps back, swinging around and blocking me from the new threat. I have no room to go anywhere, so I just jump, my heart most of all, before I smack the door in front of me and bellow, “LENNON.”
My best friend makes zero effort to hide her laughter. Ender shakes his head in agitation, still amped up from the scare, and asks, “What are you doing here?”
I turn around, hand on my chest, and explain, “She has a key. And a terrible sense of humor.”
Len’s eyes are glossy with tears from laughing so hard. She waves a dismissive hand at me. “Please. You’re just mad I caught you off guard. Though I thought for sure my brother would’ve been into anal. Learn something new every day, I guess. I came by to double-check that everything was readyfor you guys before you got here. Like a good friend. A great friend, even. The best of friends.” Then she offers her hand out to Ender to shake. “Hi. I’m Len. Obviously.”
He takes her hand. “Ender. Obviously. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Same.”
I push around my husband and scoop my best friend up in a tight hug. “Please say you’re staying here with us while we’re here.”
