Page 64 of Brighter Shades of Light
“You know that moment when you’re tired and about to fall asleep but you keep fighting it?” Cody asked, his voice croaky. “It’s a lot like how I feel about you. There was some fighting in the beginning, but in the end it’s inevitable. I eventually fell for you just like I always eventually fall asleep.”
Inevitable. It was the perfect description for us. I had resisted my feelings for him in the beginning, too, but there was no resisting him now.
Long after Cody drifted to sleep, I stayed awake in his arms, thinking of other inevitable things. One day, he would leave Emerald Falls. He had less than a year before he went to a six-month training at a base in Quantico, and after that, he would be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
If the board of directors at the university didn’t separate us, time eventually would.
Chapter 16
Cody
My back hurt. Sleeping on the floor would do that to you, I guess. But even with a sore back and a crick in my neck, I woke up happy. Sebastian slept beside me, his arm over my stomach and his blond hair messy on the pillow.
How in the hell did I get so lucky?
I brushed aside a strand of his hair so I could see his face better. He crinkled his nose and puffed out a breath, and when I leaned in to press my lips to his cheek, he sighed.
After months of back and forth advances between us, we’d finally reached a point where things were less confusing. He didn’t view me as a casual fling any more than I did him. The tender way he kissed and held me had made that clear.
Last night was amazing—a fucking incredible blowjob and falling asleep with his heart beating against mine.
Stretching my arms above my head, I looked up at the glass ceiling. It was still dark out, though there was a faint light. The sun would rise soon. I closed my eyes, enjoying the cool covers and the warm arm around me.
My eyelids flew open.
“Oh my god!” I jumped to my feet and started pulling on my boxers before snatching my jeans from the floor.
Sebastian stirred on the pallet and creaked open his eyes. “Cody? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Friday!” I zipped my pants and buckled my belt before pulling my shirt on over my head.
“Mhm. And class isn’t until nine,” he said sleepily, looking at his watch. “It’s only five-thirty. Come lay back down. I want to hold you a while longer.”
“You don’t know how tempting that offer is, Doctor, but I have PT at six. If I’m late, it’ll be my ass.” I dropped to my knees in front of him and grabbed his face with both hands.
I kissed him, and as I started to pull away, he snaked his fingers through my hair and tugged me back to his mouth for another quick one.
“I’ll see you in class,” he said, his breath tickling my lips.
Leaving him was almost impossible. For a split second, it didn’t matter that Captain Franklin would bitch at me or Gunnery Sergeant Colgrove would make me do extra sets of bleacher runs if I was late. Staying with Sebastian was worth it. But then, I came to my senses and stood.
“Don’t forget to eat breakfast,” I said with a grin. “See ya later.”
“You forgot your hat.” He grabbed it from the floor.
“Keep it until I come back over.” I knew how much he loved me in it.
I left the room before I could change my mind. Down the stairs and out the front door, I jogged to my truck. If Blue gave me any issues that morning, I was screwed. Luckily, he must’ve realized the seriousness of the situation and cut me some slack because he started on the first try.
“That’s it, baby.” I patted the steering wheel and put the truck in reverse.
Campus was about ten minutes away. That gave me less than twenty minutes to park, run inside the dorm and change into my PT clothes, and then head to O’Brien Hall. It would be cutting it close, but I was confident I could make it, barring any unforeseen problems, like Blue being an asshole and dying on me.
Tristen was already gone when I busted into the dorm and ran to my room. Probably a good thing, too, because we would’ve bickered and both ended up late for accountability. The argument with him yesterday had pissed me off. Best friends weren’t immune to fights every once in a while, but damn. This fucking sucked. I hoped he got the stick out of his ass soon.
Once dressed, I ran out of the building and jogged down the sidewalk across campus. The clock tower in the middle of the grounds showed I had five minutes. I ran faster. By the time I reached O’Brien Hall, I was breathing hard and a little sweaty.
“Sleep in, Miller?” Keith asked, flashing a crooked smile.
