Page 21 of Cody (Maine Silver Foxes)

A lina

I stirred reluctantly against the warm bedding and soft pillow.

It took me a minute to figure out where I was.

The subtle noise coming from the area of the kitchen indicated that Cody was doing the dishes.

The domestic visual drew a low chuckle from me because Cody was all man.

His culinary skills had surprised me tonight.

He was a man of many talents, and he was a considerate lover. He’d been just as turned on as I had been, and yet he hadn’t ignored my exhaustion and taken what he wanted. I wondered how many men cared enough about their sexual partners to put a woman above their own needs.

His bed was comfortable, but I hadn’t come here to sleep.

I had every intention of getting up and rolled onto my back to see Cody standing above me with a glass of wine.

I twitched because he startled me at first, but then I relaxed and stretched slightly, releasing a moan. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

His smile widened. “Only for about ten minutes. It gave me a chance to clean up.” He indicated the glass in his hands. “I thought you might like another glass of wine before we continue.”

There was no doubt about what he wanted to continue.

It was there in his eyes, a smoldering heat that darkened by the second.

I snorted at his self-confidence and sat up.

The man was too much! And there was no way I was going to feed his ego by admitting that I too wanted whatever was about to follow.

“I think it was the first glass that put me to sleep.” That, and the fact that I’d put in ten hours of work at my store that day.

One cocky brow lifted at me. “Is that so? Are you sure it wasn’t the intense orgasm I gave you?”

I turned to sit on the edge of the bed and set my feet on the floor.

A mistake, because I was suddenly at eye-level with the prominent erection bowing out the zipper to his pants.

Pants that were opened a little where he’d unsnapped them.

I couldn’t contain my shudder as I recalled what his cock had felt like filling me.

I raised my gaze to his as I reached for the glass.

“That might have had something to do with it.” I wasn’t mean, I’d give him that at least. “Coupled with a long day at the shop.” I rose to my feet in front of him. “I would have helped you with the dishes.”

Cody took my hand and began to pull me toward another area of the house. “I wanted you rested up for the main course.”

I laughed softly and let him lead me to the couch. “I take it the main course isn’t going to take place in bed?” There was no reason to pretend that our evening wasn’t going to end with sex, because that’s exactly what we both wanted.

He emitted a sound between a grunt and a laugh. “We’re going to end up in my bed eventually, baby.”

I folded my legs beneath me as I sat on the corner of the couch, facing him.

“But it could start anywhere.”

“Interesting.” I took a sip of wine, stalling for time because I knew I was going to change the direction of our conversation.

“So, tell me, why are you so opposed to monogamy? Is it that you like variety?” That seemed the most obvious reason.

“Or are you just afraid to commit to one woman?” I figured this was as good a time as any to get to know Cody a little better, to try to understand what made him the way he was.

The furrowing of his brows revealed that he didn’t like my topic of conversation, and he took his time responding.

“You got me a little worried here, Alina. I thought we were on the same page.” He brought the glass of whiskey that was in his hand to his mouth, but his eyes were narrowed on me.

I felt mild disappointment at his inadequate response.

“I’m not opposed to being in a relationship, but I’m not in any hurry either.

” It felt like a lie, because what I was beginning to feel for Cody was more than what I should have felt for someone who was just a casual hookup, and it was happening much too quickly.

“I just broke up from a long-term relationship. I’m open to, ah, playing the field until— if—- the right man comes along.

” I took a calming breath, wondering if I should go on. “Until it’s not playing anymore.”

Until I begin to feel something for you, I didn’t add. Because if I did, and he didn’t reciprocate, then I’d have to walk away.

“So that’s what you’re doing? Playing the field?” He seemed a little more relaxed now.

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” I countered. “Playing the field by sleeping around until the right woman comes along?”

He shook his head. “I don’t see it that way. I’m not looking for the right woman.”

My heart fell at his remark and then fell even further when he continued in a tone that left no questions that he was firm in his beliefs, “There isn’t a woman out there who’ll mean enough for me to give up my bachelor life.”

I knew that he really believed that. There was an underlining message there, a warning. He was too old for change, too set in his ways. Was Cody trying to convince me of that, or was he trying to convince himself?

“Hypothetically speaking, what if you do meet someone—”

“I won’t.” There was a hard note in his reply that matched the hard resolve in his eyes.

He seemed so sure of himself—or he was just that stubborn? Stubborn enough to deny himself that kind of happiness, of loving someone.

“The women I date know the score. The ones who cross the line are cut from my life.”

Wow. My mouth dropped open at his admission, and it hit me that maybe I needed to cut him from my life before things went too far and I ended up hurt.

This wasn’t the first time that Cody had made his lifestyle choices clear to me, and I had to respect him for his honesty.

I finished my wine and set the glass on the side table next to me.

“There was a woman once.” Cody said unexpectedly as he stared off at something only he could see.

I could tell that he regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. I wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to explain anything to me, but curiosity kept my mouth shut. If he was willing to talk, I was going to let him.

“Her name was Maggie. I met her at, of all places, a library,” he snorted.

I couldn’t picture Cody in a library, but I kept quiet.

“She was pretty and sweet, and we clicked right away. Everything moved fast after that.”

I sensed that he was going to cut a lot out of the story.

“Within two months we were living together. I thought we were in love, but then later I found out that every time I went on deployment, she fooled around on me. She tried to convince me that it was all lies, but her pregnancy was proof.” He paused for a second, pinning his gaze on me.

“At that point in our relationship— ” He said the word as if it was poison, “—I hadn’t told her that I’d had a vasectomy. ”

So, the baby wasn’t his. My heart immediately went out to him and the betrayal he must have felt. His tone and expression didn’t reflect a man who was still hurting though. Cody told his story with resigned acceptance and an indifference that I found kind of sad.

After a while he said, “I’m not even sure why I’m telling you this.”

I knew why. Cody was afraid I’d catch feelings for him.

I wanted to tell him that not all relationships ended the way that his had, that Maggie had just been the wrong woman for him.

But I didn’t think it would make a difference.

All he knew was that he’d loved her, and she’d cheated and gotten pregnant by another man.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I said softly when I knew that he had finished telling his story.

“It happened a long time ago, and it taught me a valuable lesson.” He set his glass down on the trunk he was using as a coffee table and got to his feet. “I’ll get you another glass of wine.” He reached for my discarded glass and walked to the kitchen.

The urge to say something, anything to lighten the mood, prompted me to joke, “You don’t have to ply me with alcohol to take advantage of me.” I unfolded my legs and rose to my feet to follow him. Cody shot me a brief grin over his shoulder before turning back to pour the wine.

“So what did Dotty think of you coming out with me?”

The fact that his tone was laced with humor told me the solemn moment was behind him.

It also revealed that he already had a good idea what my mom might have said.

When he turned back to me there was a mischievous glint in his eyes now.

I took the glass he handed me, smiling back at him. I liked this side of Cody much better.

“Mom likes you, but she warned me about you.” We shared a brief laugh. I took a drink, thinking that I needed to slow down on the wine. Two glasses was my usual limit.

Cody nodded, and his expression revealed that he wasn’t surprised.

“I told her that you’d already warned me about you, too.” I hesitated from saying more, thinking about what it would cost me. It occurred to me that getting to know one another was a waste of time when nothing more than sex would happen between us.

I set my wine glass down and released a heavy sigh. “What are we doing here, Cody?”

He said exactly what I’d been thinking. “Getting to know one another?” There was confusion in his tone, as if he thought that what we were doing was obvious.

“Why does it matter?” I demanded to know. I waited for him to answer, but none came. “Do you usually spend time getting to know all the women you sleep with?” I was proud of myself for not letting the bitterness I was suddenly feeling come through.

He took a drink, then set his glass down on the granite counter separating us. I could tell that he was thinking over his answer by the way he ran his palm over his bearded jaw. I sensed that he was having a tough time coming up with a suitable reply.

“To a certain extent,” he finally admitted. “They’re not one-night stands, Alina. We date. Then fuck.” Was that irritation in his voice? Had I made Cody uncomfortable? “It depends on what the woman expects from me. In time, it’s only natural that we become friends.”

Fuck buddies, I wanted to say, but held my tongue. Friends with benefits. And if a woman expected too much from him, his message was clear. He cut her from his life. It was the time we lived in. It was acceptable to sleep around.

I smiled, hoping it conveyed that I understood.

We stared at one another for a long time, and I wondered what was going on in Cody’s mind.

His gaze darted to my breasts before he picked up his glass and threw back his drink in one gulp.

When he set the glass down again, I was surprised it didn’t break.

I could see it in his eyes and on his chiseled face.

The raw, powerful emotion that told me that we were done talking.