“You don’t want this?” I ask. My voice cracks as I swallow back the emotion.
I shouldn’t be so affected by his rejection, but memories flood me. He never turned me away when we were younger.
“Oh, Luce.” He steps up and wipes the tear that falls. “I want you more than you know. But we need to take this slow, I don’t want to risk anything going wrong. I’m in this for the long haul, and I want you to be certain you are too.”
I nod, because what he says makes sense, but my body wants more. As I let his words sink in I realize he’s right. My body is starved for good sex, but I need to be certain about us before we go there.
His large arms encompass me. “If you think you can keep your hands to yourself, I’d love to hold you tonight while we sleep.”
I laugh. “I’ll try.”
He kisses my forehead while interlinking our fingers. “That’s all I can ask. Now, let’s get some sleep.”
I nod again, and he leads me back to his bedroom.
The moment I step in, my eyes are drawn to a large painting on the wall. I stare at it for a moment before I realize what it is.
“That’s not mine,” Cody protests before I can say anything. “It belongs to Stormy, the friend of my boss I mentioned. This really doesn’t seem like his style but here it is.”
I glance at him. He’s wearing a serious expression. “It’s… lovely?”
The painting is of two llamas having sex.
Cody laughs.
I turn to him. “It is yours, isn’t it?”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Fuck no. I just love how you try so hard to be polite, even though you clearly don’t like it.”
“Any idea why he has it?”
“I asked my boss, and he said an ex gave it to Stormy, and he couldn’t bring himself to throw it out.”
“So, he hung it up in his bedroom?”
“Not his bedroom. The bedroom of a rental.” I laugh. “Come on, let’s get some sleep.”
He is already in bed by the time I’m done getting ready. He moves the covers back, and I lie down. Then he wraps his arms around me, and I snuggle in.
I want this every night. There is no doubt in my mind. I hope Cody wants it enough too.
* * *
My eyes pop open,and for a moment, I don’t know where I am. Then the events of last night slowly filter through the fog.
I reach for Cody but am met with cold, empty space, so I sit up. I have no idea what his routine is or if he had to be somewhere this morning. Fortunately, I don’t have to be anywhere on Saturdays, so I fall back in the bed and let his scent surround me.
Memories of being in his arms last night make me smile. One date, one night, and I’m already a goner.
Eventually, I hop in the shower and get ready for the day. I’m in the kitchen brewing coffee when Cody walks in the door.
“Good morning,” he says. He’s wearing a T-shirt that stretches over his chest, and a pair of shorts. Sweat beads on his forehead. “I went for a run. I wasn’t sure how long you’d sleep.”
“That’s fine. I made coffee.”
He breaks into a grin. “I’d love some, but I’m going to hop in the shower first.” He stalks over and kisses me before turning down the hall.
He pulls his shirt up over his head, and I watch as his muscles ripple with each move. I’m wondering why we are going slow, when my phone beeps and I jump. I pick it up to see that Connie has sent several messages asking about my date.
