Page 54 of Fern's Date with Destiny
Except he didn’t take her to her house.He took her to his.
When she turned to look at him, questioning, Cody pressed his forehead to hers.“I’m so damn tired of pretending I can do this without you.”
“You don’t have to,” she murmured.
He kissed her then.Slow, deep, everything he hadn’t said with words.
They stumbled inside, neither of them bothering to turn on a light.She backed him against the closed door, threading her fingers into his hair, kissing him until she was dizzy.
“You sure?”he rasped.
“Surer than I’ve ever been about anything.”
His mouth came down on hers again, hotter this time.Needy.His hands roamed her back, then her hips, tugging her flush against him.
Fern broke the kiss long enough to breathe, her voice soft and fierce.“I love you.”
A tremor passed through him, not the kind she feared but something older, deeper.Relief so sharp it left him shuddering.
“I love you too,” he repeated.
The words fell between them like a vow.
No more running.No more walls.
Cody kissed her like he’d never let her go again.His hands skated down her arms, sliding comfortably over the place where flesh changed to prosthesis.She pulled back just enough to look him in the eye.
“I know you’re scared,” she said.“Me too.”
He nodded, breathing raggedly.“But you still want me?”
“I wantus.”
She pushed up on her toes and kissed him again.His mouth opened under hers, hungry and unguarded.His hands slid to her hips, then lower, hoisting her effortlessly.Her back hit the wall, and she wrapped her legs around him.
Every place they touched felt electric.
She cupped his face in both hands—her real one and her prosthetic one—and held him still, just long enough to whisper:
“You’re mine.Always.”
His answering groan vibrated through her, low and ragged.
“God, Fern,” he breathed, voice thick with everything he didn’t have words for.
She kissed him then, deep and sure, until neither of them could remember what it felt like to be uncertain.
When he carried her to his bedroom, she didn’t look away.She didn’t want to miss a second of this, of him.
When they finally sank into the bed together, she felt it settle deep in her bones.This wasn’t a temporary choice.It wasn’t a fling doomed by fear or circumstance.
It was a commitment to tomorrow, however uncertain tomorrow might be.
They made love slowly, unhurried, each touch deliberate, like sealing a promise neither of them would ever take back.
When it was over, she curled into his side, her ear pressed over his heart.The steady thump anchored her, chased away every last scrap of doubt.
His hand rested on her bare arm, warm and careful.“Thank you,” he whispered.
