Page 108 of Missed Sunrise
I whimpered a third time, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “I need to see how you look when you make that sound, Ti Bet. Show me your face right now.”
I tapped the screen, quickly switching the camera back to front-facing, and my own desperation was reflected back at me.
“There you are,” Cody breathed. “Touch yourself, Liem. I need to see.”
I followed his command, giving myself a slow, firm stroke.
This had really gotten away from me, but there was no stopping it now.
“I’m loyal,” Cody stated confidently, and I angled the camera down so he could see my long, even strokes.
He groaned loudly, passionately, and when I moved the camera back to my face, he met my eyes and gritted out one more truth between clenched teeth.
“I. Am. Yours.”
My heart soared and body and soul convulsed, uncontrollable and unrestrained.
I came.
From those words, I came so hard that I fell back onto the blanket and rolled onto my side, but somehow, I kept my phone held in front of me.
And thank heavens I had because the way Cody’s cheeks were deeply flushed and how his lips parted as he fought for breath was not to be missed. The small thumbnail that showed the view from my camera was almost entirely black.
But I couldn’t move to fix it, to bring myself back into the dim light. My legs buzzed, and a sheen of sweat coated my forehead as I kept my gaze fixed on Cody.
“Holy shit,” he breathed. “Liem.”
I forced a huge inhale of salty air into my lungs, and then a joyous sound spilled from me.
Cody smiled on the screen, a new lightness in his eyes.
We stared at each other for a moment—or I stared at him, anyway, as he could no longer see me. But he must’ve been able to see something, because he spoke up after a strong breeze drew a shiver from me.
“Get cleaned up and dressed and keep me on the line. I’ll just, umm….” He glanced down at himself and smiled ruefully. “I’ll do the same. Then I’ll stay on with you until you’re home.”
My cheeks flushed impossibly hotter at the realization that Cody had found his release too.
With me.
Because of mine.
I am yours.
The words were seared onto my soul as I did as he said and cleaned up. I fixed my pants back into place but left my tank off as I zipped on my sleeveless jacket over my bare chest. I slippedmy phone into my pocket without hanging up and dusted off the beach blanket, then folded it neatly.
My heart rate now semi under control, I tucked the blanket under my arm and pulled the phone back out as I walked to the access bridge, smiling at the screen.
“Hi,” Cody said, smiling back at me. He was standing in the kitchen now, that beautiful color still painting his cheeks.
“Hi,” I answered back, the lights scattered along the walkway illuminating my face at consistent intervals.
We said almost nothing else as I made the short trek back to the condo building, and when I stepped inside the lobby and encountered other people for the first time, the bubble of our time together woefully expired.
As if he sensed it, Cody’s smile turned bittersweet and then vanished as I rode the elevator up to Aunt Ari and Uncle Gil’s condo. “When will you be back?” he asked, his surroundings shifting slowly behind him as he paced the boat.
I leaned my weight against the cool metal rail behind me, glad I hadn’t lost signal in the elevator. “I’m not sure yet. I have another class to teach tomorrow with Uncle Gil and then two with Ari on Friday.”
He nodded even as his brows furrowed. “I can come pick you up if she or Vinh can’t bring you back.” He smoothed his hand over his hair and licked his lips. “If you’re ready to come back then, I mean.”
