••••
Two days later, he found himself on the path to Blakely’s, walking down the wide tree-lined street, his entire focus on the large porch with three purple plants placed at perfectly even intervals lining the stoop. After jogging up the stairs quickly, he knocked hard before he could change his mind and waited. The muffled sound of footsteps approaching and the shadow of a small form that he could make out through the beveled-glass windows that framed the door showed that she approached.
The footsteps stopped at the door, and he heard her shuffling behind it, checking the peephole. When she pulled open the door, her expression was as it always was, guarded and questioning, but there was a faint softness to her eyes, a hopefulness he couldn’t recall seeing before.
“I thought one of the benefits of living in a small town was that you didn’t have to lock your door?” he said quickly.
“I’ve been gone too long,” she replied, her voice easy, pleasant.
Her brow quirked slightly, she stood, hand on the door, and stared at him. He did the same, taking in her neat hair, the pale green T-shirt that flattered her body and the tailored jeans she wore. He glanced at her feet, which were bare and quite incongruous with her otherwise put-together look. He thought the little slip in her facade made her even more beautiful.
“Come sit with me,” he said softly, tilting his head toward the swing on her porch.
That hadn’t been what he’d intended when he’d decided to come here. He’d been restless, had halfway convinced himself that if he could just see her, maybe lose himself in her sweet body, he’d be all right. But just this glimpse of her had soothed him, made him remember how much he’d missed her, how much he still loved her.
She nodded and gave him a slight smile and then they sat on the bench side by side, close but not touching.
“I got scared, Cody,” she said after they’d swayed for a few moments.
“I think that’s the most honest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“You might be right.”
He turned and looked at her now, the nakedness in her voice making it impossible not to. That same nakedness was apparent in her eyes, and for the first time he could recall, he thought he was seeing the real her. Spurred by something he couldn’t describe, he extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Blakely Bishop.”
He kept his hand extended and she eventually reached out to shake it. Her touch was like a jolt, and was proof, not that he needed any, of the pull that had drawn them together.
“You met me before, Cody,” she said.
“I don’t know that I have. Don’t know that you’ve let me.” He tried and failed to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but the burst of anger and hurt that exploded over through him couldn’t be contained, and he had to look away, suddenly regretting coming here in the first place.
He stood abruptly. “It was good to see you.”
He’d retraced three of the four steps he’d so recently taken when the sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Please. Wait.”
The vulnerability in her voice made him turn. She stood now, staring at him imploringly.
“I love you, Cody,” she said simply.
“What am I supposed to do with that, Blake?” he asked, voice low.
“Whatever you want,” she said. “Nothing. I just… While you were gone I thought… I just needed to say it, needed you to hear it,” she finally said.
Reason bade him to leave, but his heart kept his feet rooted to the ground. “What led to this little insight?”
She captured his gaze with hers. “I always knew, deep down. But like I said, I was scared. And then you were gone and I realized that the only thing scarier than letting you in, than loving you, is being without you.”
“How are your parents?”
When he saw her tense, he regretted the question, but she stepped toward him, her shoulders sighing as she let out a ragged exhale.
“Mostly the same, I guess. They haven’t been able to go back.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Probably not, but I always thought that if they were somewhere else, things might change. But they haven’t. They got a place in one of those retirement communities, a cute little three-bedroom—well, it used to be—but now one of the rooms is completely inaccessible and the property manager told me that if things don’t change, they’ll have to leave.”
“And what will you do?” he asked.
She shrugged. “What can I do? I feel so bad, Cody. But what can I do?”
Her voice broke on the last word, and he closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms.
“You can love them and let them live their lives. And live yours. That’s it.”
“I will. I’ll try anyway,” she said.
“Can I try with you?” he asked.
She pulled back, staring at him, her eyes full of happiness and wonder. “I’d like nothing more.”
Epilogue
“Where’s the rest?” she asked, looking between him and the bag and two small boxes he’d carried into the house.
“That’s it,” he replied as he closed the door.
“Really? There’s nothing else?” she asked, befuddled.
“I have everything I need right here,” he said, sweeping her up in a hug. “And I don’t want you to spend two weeks sanitizing my stuff.”
“Very funny, Sommers,” she said, nipping at his neck.
“Aren’t I always?”
“No. Not even remotely,” she said and then swiped at the spot she’d just bitten and trailed kisses along his jawline. “And I’m getting better.”
He lowered her to the floor and looked down at her, his eyes bright.
“Yes you are,” he said, voice soft, face and eyes earnest.
Then he pulled her close again, his warm, strong hands roving over her back. She returned the caress, reveling in the feel of Cody’s strong body under her hands, reveling in the knowledge that he was here, that he was hers. At the feel of his lips against her neck, she cried out, Cody’s touch leaving her as needy and wanting as it had since that very first dance.
“How about we officially christen this place?” he whispered, his breath tickling her neck and making her shiver with desire.
“If I recall, every room in this house has been christened, multiple times,” she said in a husky voice, slipping her hands under his shirt to stroke the warm skin that covered his rigid muscles.
“You’re mistaken, Ms. Bishop. We live together now, which certainly calls for special recognition.”
As he spoke, he pushed up her shirt and stroked her nipples through the thin lace of her bra.
“Good point,” she said and then huffed out a breath when he rolled one distended bud between his fingers.
He chuffed out a laugh and then stepped back. In one move, he turned her and cupped a hand over her stomach and then began walking toward the bedroom. As they walked, he lifted her shirt over her head and slid her bra from her body, and she sighed at the feel of his hands against her exposed breasts. When they reached the bed, she fell forward and looked over her shoulder, drinking in Cody in all his beautiful, masculine glory, her warrior and the man who held her heart.
Naked now, his erect cock swaying with his movement, he stalked toward her and hooked his fingers in her waistband and pulled her pants and underwear down her legs and off. The chill of air against her bare skin was soon replaced by the heat of his hard body as he straddled her, his lips against her shoulder, the brush of his cock against her ass sending spears of pleasure through her and making her arc into him, seeking more.
As he continued to tease her, biting at her neck, kissing between her shoulder blades, he trailed a hand down her stomach, down her smooth mound, settling between her slick lips.
“Ah! Cody!” she cried when he swiped her clit and then squeezed it gently.
He let out a breathy chuckle but continued his play, brushing his thumb over her clit as he delved two fingers into her, her slick walls easily yielding to his touch. Her core clenched around his fingers and he sighed and pressed his hips into hers, trapping her between the soft bed and his hardness. She was strung tight with need, saw the precipice was in reach.
“Wait, Blake. We’ll go together,” he said in a tight, strained voice.
He returned his hand to her stomach and pushed her up onto her knees. And then he entered her, and they both cried out. The sensation of being with him like this, skin on skin, was still new, and it was incredible. She gripped the covers tight as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, the sound of his grunts, her moans, and the dull thud of their bodies moving together in a passionate rhythm.
He snaked his hand between her legs and began strumming her clit, again making her cry out. Her core clenched, her walls clamped down tight on him as he moved inside her, his thrusts becoming frenzied. The tight tug in her stomach told her that her climax was near, and on Cody’s next hard stroke, she flew apart, crying out her pleasure until her voice was hoarse. His cock went stone-hard and she moaned again when the first blast of cum filled her womb. He hugged her against his chest, holding her so tight that she was immobile as he emptied himself inside her.
The world around her receded, reduced until all that existed was her and Cody, intimately connected, body and heart. She moaned out a protest as he slipped from her body, but it flowed to a contented sigh when he turned her on her side and presented his front against her, staring into her eyes.
They’d come a long way, but she’d never been happier, never looked forward to life more than she did at this moment, secure in the knowledge that no matter what, he loved her and accepted her as she did him.
“What’s that look about, Ms. Bishop?” he asked as he smoothed her brow, his eyes bright and playful.
She smiled faintly and then exhaled a hard breath.
“I hope your sisters aren’t going to mind sharing a room,” she said finally, the logistics of their upcoming visit—and her worries about meeting them—an issue that had nagged at the back of her mind since he’d first broached the topic.
“Are you kidding? They’d sleep in their cars if it meant ten seconds with the woman who got me to move in with her. But is this okay? If it’s not, they don’t have to stay.”
Blakely could admit it was scary. She’d made progress over the last several months and was no longer terrified of unexpected visitors or afraid of what people might think. But this was different; it was Cody’s family, people she wanted to like her, people she wanted to think her good enough for their brother.
“It’ll be fine,” he said, smoothing her furrowed brow. “And they’ll love you. Not as much as I do, though.”
She smiled and then caught his hand in hers, entwining their fingers together and looking into his eyes.
“I love you, Cody Sommers,” she said, knowing she’d never meant anything more.
••••
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Playthings Series
Look for the first three books in the Playthings series:
Devil’s Plaything-
Playthings Book One
A dangerous man. A simple woman. A love neither ever expected.
They call him Devil, the name he was born to and one that he’s more than earned. Devil has no misconceptions about who he is and what he deserves. At least he didn’t until he met her…
Despite hardship, Julie Manchin has managed to make her way in the world, and while her life isn’t glamorous, she’s satisfied with her uncomplicated existence. But when she crosses paths with Devil one fateful night, her small, orderly universe is upended.
Swept up in a whirlwind of passion that she doesn’t quite know how to handle with a man she never imagined, can Julie break through his tough exterior and become something more than Devil’s plaything?
Demon’s Plaything-
Playthings Book Two
The things she’ll do for love…
Dr. Shayla Rodgers has dedicated her life to helping people, which is why she never expected to find herself skirting the edges of the law. But her sense of right and wrong is only eclipsed by her love for her family, so when her brother once again finds trouble, she’ll do whatever it takes to rescue him.
Demon is all for having a good time, and the money and excitement that came with the underground-fight scene used to be just that. But things are changing, and he’s willing to admit that the once-good times have gotten pretty stale. Yet when the lovely Dr. Rodgers arrives, his interest is sparked and he finds that the scene might not be quite so boring after all.