Page 16 of Fern’s Date with Destiny (Heart Falls Vignette and Novella Collection #4)

S he should have been embarrassed by how fast she went from heated kisses to desperate need. But God, with Cody, there was no shame, only that delicious ache blooming low in her belly as he hauled her tighter, his mouth never leaving hers.

When he pressed her back against the wall of Rose and Chance’s guestroom, somewhere between just need you and can’t wait another second , Fern clutched his shoulders as if they were the only solid thing in the universe.

His hands skimmed under the hem of her dress, callused palms rough on her thighs, and she nearly whimpered.

“Doing this?” he murmured against her mouth, his voice ragged, “Is going to get us caught.”

“Only if you don’t hurry .”

His grin was pure wickedness as she arched into his touch.

He huffed a laugh, the sound turning into a groan as she slipped a hand between them, cupping him through his jeans. Hard, hot— God, she’d been thinking about this all week. She pressed her cheek to his and whispered, “I promise not to use my prosthesis on any of your delicate bits.”

His breath caught. “You’re evil.”

“You like me that way.” She popped the button on his fly with her right hand—her sure, nimble hand—and wrapped her fingers around him. The way he shuddered, the way he buried his face against her neck and bit gently at her collarbone, nearly undid her.

She stroked him slow, savouring every ragged gasp, every tremor.

His hand braced on the wall beside her head, fingers curling tight in her hair.

They were already half-wild, her panties pushed aside, the hem of her dress rucked up around her hips.

She could feel how close he was. His breath hitched, his hips jerking into her hand.

“Fuck, Fern —” He tried to pull away, but she sank to her knees before he could stop her. His startled, desperate noise went straight to her core.

“Sweetheart, don’t?—”

“Oh, I’m going to,” she promised, all satin and sin. She met his eyes as she licked the head of his cock, just a teasing swirl of her tongue, and his jaw locked.

She loved that. Loved undoing the calm he tried so hard to hold onto.

When she took him deeper, his thighs tensed under her palm. His hand tangled in her hair, not forcing, just holding on as if he’d fly apart without the anchor. She worked him slow, savouring the taste, the heat, the helpless sounds he couldn’t bite back.

He tried to warn her, she knew he did. His hand flexed against her cheek, his hips twitching. But before he could finish the words, he made a broken noise and pulled her up. His mouth crashed into hers, and she tasted salt and heat and him.

“Not like that,” he growled against her lips. “I need to be inside you.”

Her whole body lit up in response. “Then do it.”

He spun her, pressing her forearms to the wall, angling her hips out and up. He pushed her dress higher, and she felt the heat of him as he knocked her feet apart.

“Tell me if it’s too much,” he rasped.

“Try me.” She twisted her head just enough to watch as he covered himself with a condom. Then their eyes met, and whatever restraint he’d been clinging to shattered.

When he pressed into her, she bit her lip to keep from crying out. He filled her in a slow, unhurried yet unstoppable thrust, and her whole body went tight. He stayed still, forehead resting between her shoulder blades, breath ragged.

“Christ,” he whispered. “You feel… God .”

“Move,” she demanded, every nerve ending on fire. “Please.”

He obeyed, and it wasn’t sweet anymore. It was hard and hungry and exactly what she’d needed.

He pushed her hard, and she surged upward until her cheek pressed to the cool wall as he drove into her.

Her whole body went liquid under the force of it.

His hands locked on her hips, body curled over her, and something about the way he held her so securely made her heart feel just as exposed as her body.

“Cody—” She tried to say something else, but all that came out was a keening gasp as her climax tore through her.

He groaned her name into her hair, hips stuttering as he followed her over the edge.

For a long moment, they just stayed there. Her pinned to the wall, him pressed against her back, their breathing ragged and tangled together.

Then her phone buzzed from her discarded jacket on the floor. A second later, Cody’s pocket chimed too.

He dropped a kiss to her neck, voice rough with spent desire. “That’s definitely Chance. Bet you ten bucks he’s warning us the cake is about to be cut.”

Fern let out a strangled laugh. “God, our family is going to kill us.”

“Not if we sneak back quick as if nothing happened.” He eased out of her, hands gentle as he tugged her dress back into place. “We can do innocent.”

She turned, feeling deliciously wrecked, and kissed him softly. “We’re terrible at innocent.”

He smirked. “Worth it.”

They scrambled to make themselves look presentable. Her hair was a mass of hopeless tangles, but she did her best to tease it into submission. Cody dealt with the condom then tucked himself away, glancing around and looking for things to straighten up as he zipped his jeans.

“Okay,” she panted, checking her reflection in the little mirror by the door. “We have about thirty seconds to look like we haven’t been?—”

He kissed her again, slow and sweet, and she melted despite herself.

When they stepped back into the yard at her parents, Rose arched an eyebrow that said I know exactly what you two were doing.

Fern pasted on her sweetest smile.

A chorus of voices started singing “Happy Birthday,” and she and Cody slipped in beside Tansy, who, thankfully, was very distracted by the cake.

More and more people knew about them, but somehow having Tansy in the dark was extra delightful.

Fern got through the rest of the celebration without giving herself away, but every time Cody’s hand brushed hers, she felt it again. A promise humming between them.

Two weeks later on May first, bright and early the morning of her twenty-fourth birthday, she opened the door to find him standing there with a bouquet of roses and that crooked smile that made her knees go loose.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart.” He kissed her slow, the kind of kiss that made her forget her own name.

She pulled back, grinning. “Thanks. You’re forgiven for being so early because the flowers are amazing.”

“You’re even more beautiful,” he said before hurrying on. “But I do have an apology. I need to head out of town for a couple days. There are a couple of horses to pick up in Yorkton.” Her heart dipped, but before she could tell him it was okay, he added, “Come with me.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Come with me,” he repeated. “We’ll get the horses, have a nice meal, stay somewhere that isn’t a teeny cabin at the place I work. Just you and me time.”

She squealed, flinging her arms around his neck. “Give me fifteen minutes!”

She was halfway down the hall before he called after her. “Don’t forget your swimsuit!”

Fern grinned so hard her cheeks ached. This was going to be the Best. Birthday. Ever.

He’d barely had time to admire her rapidly retreating figure flying up the stairs before Sophie Fields appeared in the archway to the left of the foyer. Arms folded, one brow cocked, she appeared to have been waiting there the whole time, ready to pounce.

“Kidnapping my daughter, are you?” she asked, her voice sweet enough to make the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Cody pasted on his most harmless expression. “Just taking her out for a nice dinner. And a getaway,” he added honestly, transferring the roses from one hand to another.

“A nice dinner,” Malachi repeated as he also stepped into the foyer. His mouth curved in a sly smile. “In another province?” Cody opened his mouth to explain, but Malachi winked. “Must be quite the restaurant.”

Damn. Cody lost his amusement. “I’m not messing up any birthday plans, am I? I didn’t think there was a family gathering tonight or anything.”

“No, no,” Malachi assured him, waving a hand. “There are a few other concerns keeping the extended family busy right now, so it was just going to be Fern and us. You’re welcome to take care of our girl.”

Sophie swung a finger at him, but Cody didn’t miss the smile tugging at her lips. “Let her take care of you. Lord knows she’s determined to.”

“I’m nearly ready!” Fern’s voice floated down the staircase.

“Let me take those,” Sophie ordered, reaching for the bouquet. “They’re gorgeous.”

“Rose said they were Fern’s favourite,” Cody admitted.

“They are, but I doubt you have room to take them with you. I’ll put them in water and they’ll still be perfect when you’re back,” Sophie assured him.

Fern reappeared a moment later, overnight bag slung over her shoulder, her other hand braced lightly on the banister. Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes met Cody’s with a glint that made his chest feel too small. As if she’d take on the whole damn world if it tried to get in their way.

She spotted her parents and grinned. “I get a birthday getaway.”

“You deserve one,” her mom said. “I’ll deal with your flowers.”

“We’ll celebrate when you’re back,” Malachi promised. “Drive safe.”

“Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.”

Cody took the bag from her. Fern gave her parents each a quick hug then stepped past them to Cody’s side, her expression bright with anticipation.

“Let’s go.”

Just like that, he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

It felt natural. Too natural. As if he’d spent half his life waiting for this. Her smile, her trust, her warmth, and had only just found it.

He opened her door, and she slid into the passenger seat. “I’ll do a search for the perfect first coffee stop. Plus, I’m determined to win our roadside trivia game. Just wait and see.”

Sliding behind the wheel, his lungs felt clear for the first time in weeks.

He could do this. For one day, he could pretend nothing was wrong.

The road stretched out in front of them. Kilometer after kilometer of highway, a black ribbon gleaming in the spring sun. They talked the whole damn way. Ten hours, and somehow they never ran out of things to say.

Fern read him her birthday texts as they rolled in, every one of them making her smile that much brighter.

“Charity says surprise getaways are the best,” she announced as they passed through Swift Current. “And that I should ask for riding lessons.”

Cody snorted. “You’re already a good rider.”

“I think she’s remembering her own surprise escape. She also says, and I quote—‘tell your ridiculously hot not-boyfriend that if he fails to find you birthday pie, he’s dead to me.’” Fern tilted the phone so he could see the winking emoji. “Any rebuttal?”

“Only that I’m not sure whether to be offended that she thinks I can’t find you pie or flattered at the hot comment.”

Fern snickered. “Here’s from Rose. She says, ‘Hope you’re having a perfect day, and that you know how lucky you are.’”

Heat prickled under his collar, but he kept his eyes on the road. “Pretty sure I’m the lucky one.”

The silence that followed was soft and golden. She reached across her body and laid her hand on his thigh, her thumb stroking little circles as if she knew exactly how to quiet the noise in his head.

When Tansy’s message came through, Fern cracked up so hard she had to wipe tears off her cheeks before she could read it aloud.

“Oh, this is golden,” she gasped, voice wobbly with laughter. “Tansy says—‘Seriously, this is why I’m jealous you have Cody. Best platonic guy friend ever. Who else would drive you to another province on your birthday? Buy that man a sandwich.’”

Cody barked out a laugh, his chest going tight in the best way. “She really has no clue, does she?”

“Not even a little.” Fern shook her head, still giggling. “God, she’s going to feel so silly when she figures it out.”

“Or smug,” he pointed out. “She might act as if she knew all along.”

She gave him a look, all dry amusement. “She’s not that good an actress.”

Dinner in Yorkton was better than he’d dared hope. Just the two of them in a little restaurant that smelled like roasted garlic and fresh bread. They both ordered steak, and Fern enthusiastically matched him bite for bite.

“You’re beyond pretty,” he said as she dabbed sauce from her lip. “But I think the fact you can eat like a lumberjack makes me even hotter.”

Her foot nudged his under the table. “Stop it.”

Not likely.

Later, when they walked back to the hotel, the night air was cool and clean. Fern looped her arm through his, leaning her head briefly on his shoulder. He wished the moment could stretch on forever, the simple sweetness of being hers.

The hotel pool was nearly empty, and for once, he didn’t feel self-conscious about the faint tremor in his hand. Not with Fern floating close, her leg brushing his as they drifted together in the warm water.

“Don’t you dare start worrying,” she said, her voice soft as her fingers slid over his wrist. “Not tonight.”

He swallowed. “I’m not.”

She raised a brow. “Liar.”

He didn’t have a comeback because she was right. He was always worrying about something. The test results, the future, about what she’d have to carry if things turned out the way he feared.

But when she kissed him, none of it mattered. Not for those precious seconds.

When they finally tumbled into bed, her hair a dark halo on the pillow, her hands tugging him down, he let himself stop thinking altogether.

It wasn’t rushed, or clumsy, or full of desperation this time. It was slow, deliberate, and so good it almost broke him apart. She gasped when he pressed into her, pleasure a whisper against his mouth.

He moved over her in long, unhurried strokes, savouring every sigh, every soft cry, every time her nails bit into his shoulders. She was so beautiful like this. Unguarded, trusting him with all of it.

For a while, it was easy to forget that anything waited beyond this room.

After, she curled into his side, her cheek pressed over his heart. He traced lazy patterns on her back, breathing her in, memorizing the feel of her.

It should have been perfect. It was perfect.

But the minute her breathing evened out in sleep, the thoughts came crawling back, cold and sharp.

She deserves this every day. This peace, this joy. Not a man who might lose pieces of himself.

He examined his hand where it rested on her hip. The fingers that sometimes didn’t listen to him anymore, and his chest went tight.

What if I can’t give her this for the long haul? What if the best thing I can do for her is to let her go before she’s too far in to walk away?

Fern shifted in her sleep, a soft little sigh as she burrowed closer and held him tighter. As if she could feel his doubt and was determined to chase it away even in her dreams.

He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her hair.

Tomorrow, he’d find a way to believe he was enough. For tonight, he’d let himself be hers.

Just hers.