Page 24

THE VETERANS Administration usually hires from within or hires veterans before opening positions to outside applicants, but Cody was such a fantastic student that his counselor sent a letter of recommendation to the head of Human Resources.

Or at least that’s what he bragged about during every conversation we had about moving.

Cody received the call along with a job offer and was so excited to tell me his good news that my good news would just have to wait.

“Before we decide on the best place to live, we need to get acquainted with the area and the people. For the first few months, we’ll live in an apartment near the VA.

I’ve already made arrangements. It will be ready for us next week.

Until then, we’ll sort of be on vacation.

Our hotel room has a kitchenette, so we can think of it as a starter apartment.

This is the beginning of our perfect life.

Just like I promised.” His hands cupped my face as he lowered his lips to mine.

Soft kisses covered my mouth, cheeks, and neck.

I held my breath and reveled in the way he loved me. He was right; this would be perfect.

Cody was so happy he lifted me off my feet and spun in a circle. “I love you, K. Forever, I promise.” We laughed and kissed as we stumbled down the hallway to our bedroom.

For the first time in a while, he took his time with me. Gentle yet passionate, he undressed me, kissing every inch of my skin as each piece of clothing fell to the floor.

Naked and aroused, I positioned myself in the middle of the bed and reached for my husband. My love. My life. Darkness filled his eyes, and a smirk pulled his lips to one side as he tilted his chin.

Between my knees, he knelt and rubbed himself on me, asking politely if he could enter. I opened myself to him and we made mad passionate love. He made sure I was satisfied—twice—before he fell asleep wrapped in a tangle of legs and arms.

Satisfied, I was indeed. Cody’s love filled me with every kiss, every touch, every gentle thrust. His compassion for me and desire to please me was not lost.

This precious time consumed me. I never wanted it to end, so I allowed my mind to wander about how our life would be in Texas.

We would explore the city and get to know our neighbors.

I wouldn’t need to hide inside anymore; we could have friends.

Our growing little family would consume our every waking moment and bring us even closer together. I just needed to tell him.

I had been studying maps of the Dallas area and hoped we would be near one of the large parks so I could spend some time outdoors near a lake. My entire life had been spent near water and I longed to maintain at least a portion of what I had become accustomed to.

Maybe when we settled, he would let me invite Brittany for a visit. I would love to show her around the city; have our own little adventure. We could explore different foods—find the best pizza—and make up for lost time.

I was sure she would understand why I hadn’t called. My mom would be a different story, though. She’d never come to see me. Not even if I begged her to bring Emily and Nathan.

DALLAS WAS way bigger than I imagined. Sure, maps showed how expansive the city had become over the past decade, but I didn’t think there would be a need to use the Metro to visit some historic sites and touristy locations.

Unique landmarks dotted our new hometown.

I couldn’t wait to get out and explore .

Our first night in the hotel had been uneventful; Cody picked me up and carried me over the threshold, making me giggle. We both crashed early from the long flight and stressful taxi ride from the airport.

Cody had taken care of the moving details. All our belongings, except some clothes and essentials, would be shipped once we got settled. All I had to do was walk beside my man, and viola, like magic, we re-appeared four-thousand miles away in the lowest of the lower forty-eight.

He admitted to rushing as he got ready for work the next morning.

It was unusual for an intern to start on a Friday, but his bosses wanted to get started with him right away.

There was no time left to recoup from the travel day, but he got up early, put on his white lab coat, kissed me goodbye, and walked out the door.

He looked like a real doctor; I couldn’t have been prouder.

Thrilled that I would have time to sightsee, I dressed for a warm spring day in a skirt and a white V-neck spaghetti-strap tank top.

The scars on my arms didn’t bother me, not here.

No one knew who I was or what I had been through.

The brand looked like something that a tattoo parlor would do on purpose, not an angry husband.

I could be anyone I wanted and make up crazy stories about the three parallel scars on my arm.

Although, I’m not sure what could possibly beat “a bear attacked me. ”

Texas heat was a lot different than Alaska heat—because the latter didn’t exist. At least with the short hair, there was no need to pull it up into a ponytail to keep it off my neck. Prepared with a map and some cash in my purse, I set off on foot.

The metro had been a little sketchy, along with some areas I had to walk through, but I held my head high and acted like I belonged right where I was.

Homeless men stared at me as I walked past. Surely, they had never seen a girl from Alaska walking their streets. I chuckled to myself; they probably hadn’t.

I spent the day touring the free areas of downtown.

More than anything, I had wanted to see where JFK had been assassinated.

Without much money, I could only wander around the grassy knoll area; tourists took their picture on the “X” in the middle of the street.

A little morbid, but I could see the allure.

Life-sized bronze statues of a cattle drive at the edge of town intrigued me. I spent all of an hour walking around Pioneer Park, which featured forty longhorns and three cowboys, as well as the neighboring cemetery.

My feet were sore before lunch, so I found a food truck and ordered a taco. The Texas sun licked my shoulders; my skin tightened with the burn.

Exhausted by the time I returned to the hotel, I locked the door and collapsed in the chair. Two hours later, I woke up with a stiff neck and made myself a stiff drink. In the shower, the heat of the water mixed with the heat of the whiskey made everything better.

PRESCRIPTION pads sat in a stack on the kitchen counter beside two bottles of pills, folded twenty-dollar bills, and the room key. Because Cody would be prescribing these pills to patients, he wanted to test them. On us. This was his version of “research.”

Psychiatrists take the training required to prescribe medications, which is why Cody chose this field of mental health. They're qualified to perform a full range of tests; however, I don’t think the study was meant to be done on himself.

Not only did he give me a glass of water and two green and white capsules, but he also took one. Only one. It had been the first time we both indulged together.

From what he had heard from co-workers, this particular prescription would make him last longer in bed. Like he needed to; he already lasted just a little too long for my liking. Not that I would ever admit it to him.

I followed him to the bedroom and kept my eyes closed as I let him undress me. Whatever effect the pill had on him didn’t matter to me. It relaxed me enough to push away the anxiety of all the “what if” questions racing through my mind.

What if he didn’t like my hair ?

What if I hadn’t showered recently enough?

What if I’d gained too much weight?

What if the sun burned me too much for his liking?

For once, I had been relaxed enough that his every touch made me want more.

“You left the apartment today, didn’t you?” Hazy words in a voice which resembled my husband floated around my head.

I straddled him and lowered myself slowly, moaning with pleasure as I let him fill me.

“I sure did; had the best day.” His hands roamed my body, squeezing my breasts too hard.

He leaned forward and nipped my skin, bringing blood to the surface.

I groaned; the slight pain turned me on, but I don’t think he meant for it to.

The pills disguised the slap across my face as a playful nudge; I didn’t care that my cheek was on fire.

All I wanted was for him to make love to me.

It was as if I was back in Alaska, dancing.

I missed the familiar sounds and smells; I missed my friends.

Oddly, I missed my regulars. Only another shot of whiskey could make the experience better.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He wrapped one hand in my short hair and yanked my head back. He didn’t expect me to moan and grind myself into him, hard. Either it pissed him off or turned him on, both resulted in the same reaction .

I held on for the ride. No matter how hard he pulled me down and pushed into me, I took all of him and made sure he knew how much I liked it.

The next morning, my body reminded me of what kind of night we had had. Along with my insides hurting, fingerprint bruises covered my hips, ass, and breasts. The playful nip ended up being a full-on bite; I could see his individual teeth marks on my skin.

Confused when I studied my face in the mirror and touched the purple around my eye, I wondered out loud, “Did he hit me?” As it turned out, the slap had been more than playful. No matter how many layers of makeup I applied, the unnatural coloring around my eye still peeked through.

brEAKFAST usually consisted of cereal, so when I woke the following morning to the scent of bacon frying, my heart raced. Excited, I strode into the kitchen with a renewed outlook on life. I vaguely remembered Cody being upset because I had explored the city on my own.