Page 8

C ordelia’s was a restaurant with white tablecloths and waiters dressed in pristine white button-down shirts and black slacks. With all the food they carted around, it was a wonder how none of them had a single smudge or stain on their uniforms. I caught up with Taylor and Cody quickly, and soon enough, Darren and Dex walked inside and joined us.

I watched them for any signs of tension, but thankfully there were none. I wondered what they talked about as Dex led us through the crowd to a large circular table in the back where a woman in her early fifties with bleached blonde hair was sitting next to a younger man. As we approached the younger man stood. He was just as tall as Dex, with the same coloring and features.

“Mother, Stephan,” Dex said, “these are my friends.” He gestured for me, and I moved closer to his side. “And this is my girlfriend, Jamie.”

The woman lifted her martini glass—filled with a clear liquid and two olives—and sipped daintily. She didn’t lift her eyes to meet mine, simply nodded and continued sipping until the drink was completely gone before she lifted a slender hand, signaling the waiter for another.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jamie.” Stephan leaned across the table, extending a hand, and I reached out to take it.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

“I’m Dex’s brother,” he said.

“Yes, I figured. You look too young to be a father,” I replied.

Taylor snorted a laugh, and Stephan smiled. At least I was in the good graces of one of Dex’s relatives. Dex pulled out my chair and we all sat. Waiters came around, taking our drink orders and after so much alcohol, I decided it was time to cool down with some water.

“Mom, Jamie goes to the same school as me,” Dex said.

“Does she, dear?” I lifted my eyebrows as she drained her next drink in half the time of the first. For all she intoned, she could have been talking about the weather.

“What’s your major?” Stephan asked.

“I’m in communications,” I answered. “Well, really a double major. I started out with just one, but last year I added a second. I’m in communications and English.”

“Interesting.” He edged his elbows on the pristine tablecloth and steepled his fingers, resting his chin there as he watched me. “Is there a dream job out there for you?”

I shrugged, scratching my neck as I searched for an answer. “I’m sure there is,” I said. “There always is.”

Cody, knowing full well how uncomfortable talking about future plans made me, jumped in for the save. “How old are you Stephan? Dex doesn’t tell us much about his family. Are you an older brother? Younger?”

Stephan chuckled, unweaving his fingers as he sat back and turned his gaze to Cody. “You flatter me,” he said. “I’m his older brother. I’m working on my residency in New York.”

“Residency?” I asked. “You’re a doctor?”

“Hoping to be,” he replied, lifting his glass and taking a sip.

“So, what brought you here?” Darren asked. “On the cruise.”

“Well, Mother called me a few days ago, said she heard Dexter had planned a cruise trip with friends. He wasn’t picking up the phone,” Stephan looked at Dex who stiffened in his seat, “so, we thought we’d hop on board to surprise him.”

“I’m surprised you could get time off work on such short notice,” Darren replied.

I reached down, sliding my hand under the table and over to Dex’s lap. When I curled my hand around his, he weaved our fingers together and cast me a grateful look.

“It’s not a big deal. Anything for Mother and Dexter.”

Dex squeezed my hand as the waiter came by and took our order. The rest of the conversation went much the same. When my lasagna was delivered, Dex's mom sent a scathing look at the plate in front of me before scoffing and ordering another drink. Halfway through the meal, Dex’s mom was on her fifth martini, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as she picked at the leafy green salad with minimal dressing on her plate, feeling foolish and out of place. I looked down at my stomach and slowly put my fork down and simply held my napkin in my lap.

Cody leaned closer from my other side and whispered, “Are you feeling okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, just not as hungry as I thought,” I lied. In fact, I was fucking starving. But Dex’s mom did not stop glaring at my plate the entire time we sat there. I didn’t know why I wanted her to like me considering she hadn’t said one word to me and hardly even looked at me.

When the dinner was over, I was more than happy to clutch onto the easiest excuse to leave. “I’m kind of tired from all the excitement today,” I said. “I think I’m going to go back and lie down.”

“Hey, I’ll walk you back,” Cody offered.

Stephan looked at us strangely, but Dex leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. “I’ll see you later,” he promised.

I nodded as Cody led me away.

* * *

“That was some dinner,” Cody said, reclining on one of the beds in the suite’s second bedroom as I brushed out my hair.

“Tell me about it. I was so nervous.”

“Is that why you didn’t eat anything?” he asked.

I shrugged, blushing as Cody cracked his neck. “His mom kept looking at my plate, but she wasn’t saying anything,” I admitted quietly.

Cody yawned. “So?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, it just felt awkward."

“Are you still hungry?” he asked.

I put the brush down and turned. “Starving,” I said with a pout.

He grinned. “Food service?”

I smiled back and nodded. While Cody reached for the phone to call and order us something to eat, I went to the bathroom and changed out of my day clothes and into my pajamas. When I returned, he was off the phone and stripping out of his own clothes. I admired him from the doorway, watching as his jeans fell to pool at his feet and his long, pale back flexed when he stretched.

“You should’ve been a male model,” I teased.

Cody jumped and turned, a flush rising to his cheeks and spreading outward. I laughed and moved forward, circling his waist with my arms as I went up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. Cody’s arms fell easily around me and he pulled me closer.

My eyelids drifted closed, and I sank myself into him. My heartbeat thrummed against my breast, my chest pressing against his. His mouth opened and his tongue twined with mine, teasing me, lulling me into a sense of security. Cody’s hands moved from my shoulder blades down my back and up again and down again. His fingers found the edges of my sleep shorts, trailing along the top hem, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

I trembled against him as our kiss turned hotter, wetter. “Cody,” I breathed.

“I love you, Jamie.”

I let those words dive into my soul and set me aflame. “I love you, too.”

I ran my hands up Cody’s bare chest, loving the feel of smooth skin under my fingertips. He cupped my ass and pulled me closer, pressing me against his hard cock. My thighs clenched. One strap from my tank top fell over my shoulder and Cody reached up, pulling the other down as well until my tank top fell below my breasts, exposing them to the cool air-conditioned room, and his head descended.

I moaned as warm, wet lips circled my nipple. He licked it, sucking it between his teeth, sending electricity racing through my veins. “You’re so beautiful, Jamie,” he whispered. I felt beautiful when he touched me.

I wove my fingers into his copper-toned hair and tugged until his face rose once more and I could slant my mouth over his. Cody stepped back, keeping our lips locked, and when the back of his knees hit the mattress, he stopped and pulled away. I tugged my tank top over my head and pushed my underwear and sleep shorts down in one go.

Cody stared down at me. The way he looked at me left me breathless. Like I was the only one in the world—the only one in his world. I wanted that, I realized. I wanted to be his. I wanted him to be mine too. I reached out, letting my nails skim his chest and then down to his mouth watering abs until I came up against the thin cotton barrier of his underwear. Then, with a look up at him, I slowly lowered myself to my knees.

“Jamie…” he protested without heat, "you don't have to..."

Ignoring his words, I tugged his boxers down and wrapped my hand around his length. A strong, low groan reverberated up through his chest. I stroked him, relishing in the velvety texture before I leaned forward and licked the head. I sucked the tip into my mouth and circled my tongue around his shaft as he shuddered above me, his hand finding the back of my head.

I pulled away and traced my tongue up his cock before taking him back in my mouth. I bobbed down, letting him fill my cheeks. I closed my eyes and just descended into the connection between us. I laved, I sucked. I held him. I loved him. I moaned around him and his thighs clenched under my fingertips.

“Jamie,” he choked. “I’m done. If you don’t fucking stop, I’m going to come in your mouth and I don’t want to do that.” But I did, I thought. I wanted him to come apart under my attention. I wanted to feel him flood my tongue with his cum and then I wanted to swallow it while he watched me. But with another sharp tug, he let me know what he wanted.

So, with reluctance, I slowly came away, opening my eyes and staring up at him. Cody bent and helped me to my feet, turning me as he did, and then gently nudged me over. He crawled on the bed after me, his hands moving up my sides. He touched me, his fingers brushing at my core before a finger sank inside. I gasped, arching into his touch, and he inserted another.

My eyes closed and I spread my legs, letting him in. He pumped his fingers a few more times, testing my readiness before he pulled away. With his hands on my inner thighs, I cracked my eyelids and watched as Cody pressed my legs open wider and sank between them. He lined up and pushed, his cock sliding inside.

He groaned, the sound echoing in the room. My blood pulsed with something magical. My thoughts grew fuzzy, my mind heavy as I couldn’t seem to penetrate through the haze of lust that came over us. My hands rose, my nails sinking into his shoulders as he sank into me. My hips undulated and I ground myself against him, wanting more.

“Jamie…” My name was a whisper, a plea, on his lips.

“Cody,” I responded, arching up once more until my breasts brushed against his naked chest.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Jamie,” he said. “I love you.”

Tears pricked my eyelids and I slammed them shut, clutching onto him as a glowing sensation blossomed. I didn’t want to lose it. I wanted to catch it and let it wash over me. I moaned as it hit, the orgasm tearing through me and sinking into my bones, rattling my very core. I clenched and Cody did too, cursing low against the pillows and my hair.

When it was over, I found myself wrapped up in his arms. I cuddled close, pressing a chaste kiss against his pectoral. It wasn’t long before a knock sounded on the front door of the suite.

“And that’ll be the room service,” Cody said with a chuckle. He kissed my forehead and got out of the bed. “I’ll be right back.”

I nodded, watching him go, wondering what was going to happen to us in the future. Would the guys all go their separate ways when we graduated? Would we stick together? Would we come out to their families?

Cody came ambling back—having dressed to answer the door—in his boxers and jeans with a tray of food. I smiled, leaning up and pulling the sheet up so that it wrapped around my body. Still, though, the thoughts pervaded my mind.