Chapter Twenty-Three

Chelsea

“I do have some bad news to drop on ya, baby.”

I craned around to look at Cody. We were still clinging together on the couch, bare naked, coated in sweat from the wild ride. I was facing the couch with him tucked alongside me, his cock nestled between my ass cheeks. If memory served, it wouldn’t be long before it roared back to life again, but for the moment we were content holding onto each other.

“What is it?”

He kissed a small trail along my shoulder. “The day of your big presentation, I have to fly out for an eight-day stretch.”

“That’s crappy.”

“Yeah, it is. I wanted to take you out to a big dinner after you kick ass.”

I was surprised by his admission. Not only did he remember my presentation, but he also had plans in mind. It was a simple thing but it was a big deal at the same time. I smiled to myself, still marveling at the sudden change of events. An hour ago I’d been screaming at Cody from behind my locked front door and had no intention of ever speaking to him again. Now, not only had he just delivered another earth-shattering orgasm—or two—okay, eight, but he was talking about plans, our future. Not a future with Summer Pratt.

“That’s sweet. But don’t worry about it.”

He grazed his fingers over the places he’d just kissed and then dragged them down my arm where goosebumps were rising as my body cooled and the sweat evaporated. “I want to do something special. Would a late lunch work? I don’t fly out till six.”

I wiggled until I flipped over, my breasts crushed up against his solid chest. I met his green eyes and sucked in a breath. They were so warm and sweet. He really wasn’t the asshole guy he played off for the team and the media. This was the real Cody Wright. Soft eyes, sweet gestures. “You’re such a marshmallow,” I teased, tracing my finger down his rock hard chest muscles. I ringed around his nipple and he kissed me fiercely.

He pulled away, leaving me breathless and more than a little turned on. “Would a marshmallow kiss you like that? Or tongue fuck you like I just did?” He grinned, his eyes sparking with the mischief that normally resided there.

I laughed. “I guess not. But you might have to get back down there and prove your point.”

“Nothing I would rather do, baby than suck on your sweet cunt until you scream my name.”

He started to slide down my body and all coherent thoughts evaporated once his mouth slipped over my aching pussy.

I didn’t know how much more I could take, but I was more than willing to see if we could find my limits.

Cody buried his face between my thighs and I lost myself in every shiver, shudder, every drop of the delicious pleasure that only he could give me. When he looked up, his eyes working up my stomach, between my breasts, then lingered for a moment on my lips, and then met my eyes. I shuddered at the way my heart beat against my ribs. This man was doing things to me.

Changing me.

I knew I was getting in too deep. Falling too hard. Too fast. Cody had already grabbed a piece of my heart and the rest of me was slipping away right along with it.

* * * *

The day of my presentation came all too quickly. The week leading up to it passed like the blink of an eye. I spent every day buried in work, and every night with Cody buried inside of me. I was running on fumes, exhausted beyond belief, but happier and more fulfilled than I’d ever been before. After the conversation with Cody about Summer, something had changed between us. I knew my heart was reaching for his, getting tangled together and falling a little further every time we were together. I could see it happening—but I was powerless to stop it. I couldn’t find the strength to pull away from him again.

He wasn’t backing away and I wasn’t either.

He helped me immensely with my game development, answering all of my questions about baseball and offering suggestions for the more intricate details of the game. He even talked me into naming one of the fish teams the Warrior Fish. Complete with red jerseys. Naturally. He was just as excited about the game as I was, and his confidence gave me the boost I needed to get over those creative hurdles that had blocked me in the past. We’d work late into the night until one or both of us couldn’t take it anymore and jumped the other. Which, in and of itself, was a competition between the two of us. A game with unwritten rules that whoever made the other cave and put aside the work was the winner. The results were ridiculously hot as the last hour of work ended up being a tug-of-war of pleasure and distraction techniques that all built into unbearable foreplay and led into explosive sex like I’d never experienced before.

I was hooked. Big time.

As I made my way downtown with my presentation materials carefully loaded in the backseat, I forced my thoughts off of Cody and back onto my speech. I ran through it three times over the course of the drive and when I found a parking spot in the downtown garage, I slipped the car into park with a smile on my face.

I was going to kill it.

“They’re gonna be throwing money at you by the end of it, you watch and see, sugar.” Cody’s words—his pep talk—passed through my mind and I hurried inside before my bubble of confidence could get popped by the doubts and anxiety that were corralled in the back of my mind.

An hour later, I walked back out of the building, my smile even wider. I got to the car, repacked the presentation board and marketing materials, and then hopped behind the wheel. I dialed Cody’s cell and waited for him to pick up.

“There’s my sexy woman!” he growled, bringing a hot rush over my skin.

“Hey, handsome.”

“So? Don’t make me wait, baby! Spill!”

I laughed. “I crushed it!”

He let out a loud whoop and I giggled, imagining him in the middle of practice and throwing a victory party that no one else was invited to. The rest of his teammates would probably think he’d lost it. Not that he’d care. The opinions of others seemed unable to penetrate his defenses. “Damn, baby! I knew it. I told you!”

“I know. You were right! They loved it and are giving me another three weeks to perfect everything for the launch. They even agreed to throw more money behind the launch to make it a big splash!”

“You deserve it, baby girl. You’ve been busting your ass on that game. Congrats.”

I smiled at my reflection in the rearview mirror. Happy looks good on you, Chelsea Brooks.

“Thank you. So, where are we going?” Cody had been keeping our celebration dinner—he refused to leave room for failure—a big secret. I hadn’t bugged him too much about the details, mainly because my brain was so overwhelmed with the last minute push. It was nice to have him take the lead and make plans without my input. But now that it was here, my impatience and curiosity burst forth.

“You’re going to have to wait and see, darlin’,” he drawled. “Go home and put something sexy on and I’ll be there at two o’clock. I just have a few things to wrap up here at the facility.”

“I don’t know how sexy I can get for a late lunch, but I’ll do my best.”

“You’re crazy, girl. You look fuckin’ sexy as hell in blue jeans and a crop top.”

“Is that a hint on your preference?”

“Maybe so.”

I giggled, feeling sexy and powerful and wanted. Cody was a miracle for my confidence. “Okay, handsome. I’ll see ya at two.”

We hung up and I hurried to get back home so I could freshen up my makeup and take my hair from boardroom chic to tousled waves that were a perfect fit for Cody Wright’s sex kitten. I laughed as I combed my fingers through my hair. The nickname had become something of a joke and could get me riled up in three seconds flat. Especially when he flashed that half-cocked smile at me while he said it.

Damn. He was making me lose my mind.

And I loved every minute of the insanity he’d infused into my life.

At two o’clock on the dot, a knock sounded at the door. I adjusted my soft pink crop top to show off a sliver more of my stomach and opened the door with a sweet smile.

“Damn, woman. I don’t think we’re going to make our reservations,” he growled, stepping inside, immediately wrapping me in his arms.

I giggled, my waves tossing halfway down my back as I arched against him. “As fun as that sounds, I’m starving! I couldn’t eat this morning. I was way too nervous.”

Cody laughed. “All right. Well, I need you to have your full strength for my pre-road trip sendoff, so I suppose we’ll get you nice and carb loaded.”

“I do love carbs,” I said, my eyes sparkling up at him.

“Is this the part where I remind you that you’re pretty fond of sausage too?” he asked, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes and smacked his arms. “Cody Wright!”

He laughed. “Oh you like it. Don’t lie, girl. You like me dirty.”

“Come on. Tell me where we’re going,” I begged, wriggling up against him.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Ugh!”

He wrapped an arm around my waist and herded me out the door and over to where he’d parked his truck in front of my single garage stall. I peppered him for clues the whole ride downtown but he wouldn’t crack. He was a stubborn man. Not that it was a newsflash.

We came to a stop downtown in front of a fancy hotel that I’d driven past a million times but had never been inside before. The price for a room was probably more than a week’s worth of the royalties that I raked in from the sale of my game. Cody hopped out and a valet approached the car to open my door. I stepped out and Cody dropped his keys in the man’s hands.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, craning to look all the way up the length of the high rise.

“You’ll see.”

I glanced down at my jeans and casual crop top. The hotel was so glittery and posh, even in the middle of the afternoon. I already felt underdressed and we hadn’t even stepped inside yet. As I feared, the inside was even more ornate and beautiful. Crystal chandeliers—yes, plural—gold filigree, antique furniture, all dark woods and handcrafted, a custom marble floor, and breathtaking artwork. Original pieces no doubt. It wasn’t the type of hotel that ordered the furniture and accessories out of some corporate catalog, that was for sure.

“What are we—” I started to hiss to Cody.

He interjected, “Relax, baby girl.”

Cody held me tight and led me to a bank of elevators. Once inside, he clicked the button for the penthouse suite and my mouth dropped open. What was he planning? We couldn’t stay the night. He had a plane to catch in three hours.

“The penthouse?” I said, once the elevator lurched into motion.

Cody grinned at me. “We’ve been hanging out at your place all this time. I figured it was time to bring you into my world for the afternoon.”

The elevator buzzed and Cody ushered me off into a short hallway. Penthouse one and two. One on either side. He took me through the door for penthouse one after swiping a card and typing in a code. My mouth dropped as soon as we stepped inside and inched a little lower to the ground with every room he took me through for the brief tour. The suite was two stories with every detail as pristine and perfect as the lobby had been. There were multiple bedrooms, even more bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, sitting room, and something that was like a small library. My favorite part was the massive pool that jet out over the skyline below. The far wall of the pool was glass, making it look like the water should be flowing down the side of the building like a cascading waterfall.

“Good grief. This place is like a palace!” I turned to him. “Why on earth do you need such a fancy room when you’re all by yourself.”

He grinned at me. “I’m not all by myself right now.”

I sighed. “You know what I mean. This thing must cost a small fortune…”

He chuckled. “You let me worry about all that, baby girl. Your job right now is to get naked so we can take advantage of the sun shining off the water.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the pool.

“Cody…”

“No one can see us.” He tugged his shirt off and was working on his belt buckle when a soft buzz triggered from somewhere over his shoulder. “Aha. That will be the feast.”

He jogged over to answer the door. Minutes later, the dining room was laid out with trays of fresh fruit, pastries, gourmet salads, and sandwiches that looked way too pretty to eat. There was also a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of chilled champagne. Very expensive champagne.

“Cody, this is too much,” I whispered, marveling at the spread.

He came up behind me and tucked his chin against my shoulder. His hands dropped to my waist, casually looping his thumbs through my belt loops. I relaxed back against him, letting his warmth and the steady beat of his heart calm me. “It’s not too much, baby. You deserve the best. We’ll have a little food. Go skinny dipping. Then…” he paused to nibble my bare shoulder blade. “I’m gonna fuck you till this whole damn hotel can hear you screaming my name.”

I smiled and pressed into him, a bolt of heat hitting me right between my thighs. “That does sound like the perfect afternoon…”

He sighed into my hair, breathing in the soft scent. “That’s what I thought.”

He dropped a kiss to my cheek and backed away. “Now come on, dig in. I’m getting impatient to get you out of those jeans, baby.”