Page 84 of Brighter Shades of Light
I exhaled and grabbed my keys. “Let’s go.”
We took my car instead of his truck. Blue had had difficulty starting lately, and Cody said it needed a new engine. He had tinkered with the current engine for a while and even taken the whole thing apart and rebuilt it. That seemed to help for a few months, but it had gotten bad again.
A lost cause, as Cody said.
Once downtown, I parked, and we walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk. We passed familiar faces who smiled and strangers who looked at our joined hands in disgust. It only made me hold Cody closer. Loving him wasn’t wrong. No, it was the rightest thing in the world. My world, at least.
“How does seafood sound?” I asked, stopping and standing with him beneath the awning of a craft store.
“It sounds expensive.”
“Nothing is too expensive when it comes to you.” I smoothed a thumb across his jaw. “You were just saying the other day how you were craving king crab.”
“We can eat a burger or something. No big deal.”
“You’re getting king crab. No arguing, Mr. Miller.” I linked our fingers before steering him in the direction of the best seafood restaurant on the strip.
He grinned, and I admired the dimple in his cheek, storing it to memory.
He would leave for The Basic School beginning of July, and he’d be gone for six months. After that, he might get a few weeks off before having to leave again for more specialized training. The Marine Corps would station him somewhere once all of his training was completed. Depending on the occupational specialty Cody was assigned, there were about eleven bases he could be sent to.
None of them were around Emerald Falls.
Entering the restaurant, the hostess led us to a booth near the window. From our seat, we had a beautiful view of the harbor. The water that had appeared choppy and dark all winter now had a beautiful green and blue tint. And it was calm, unlike my heart that had just increased in its beating since Cody started playing footsy with me under the table.
The waiter took our order, and I told Cody to get whatever he wanted, as much as he wanted. Though reluctantly, he ordered the all-you-can-eat crab and I ordered surf-n-turf. Over lunch, we chatted about school. His final exams were approaching, and I had to prepare my students for theirs.
I could talk to Cody about anything. For so long, I struggled with making—and keeping—friends, but it was easy to be myself with him. He never made me feel embarrassed aboutnerding out, as he called it.
We walked along the pier afterward, my hand in his. The spring day was cool but the sun was warm, giving it a nice balance. Neither of us spoke for several minutes. Cody appeared to be miles away as he stared at the water.
“Remember that conversation we had before about the past making us who we are?” His gaze was focused on something in the distance. “I wonder where we’d be right now if I hadn’t barged into your office that day. If you hadn’t kissed me.”
“I’d rather not consider it. My life started again that day.”
Cody faced me then, his dark hair catching the light breeze and fanning upward. “You don’t regret it?”
“Why would I?”
“Because I’ll have to leave soon.” He released my hand and put an arm around my waist, holding me close to his side. “And I know it’s going to be hard. Real fucking hard. We only have two months before everything changes.”
“Not everything will change. Even with a physical distance between us, I’ll still love you. We’ll talk when we can, and I’ll visit when you have time off. And when you’re stationed somewhere, whether it be Hawaii, California, or somewhere else, we’ll make it work. Difficult doesn’t mean impossible, Cody. Not when someone loves you as much as I do.”
His eyes misted over. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He kissed me, letting the kiss say what he couldn’t.
I liked my life in Emerald Falls, but I would move for him. It was part of being in love with a military man. There were other universities, other jobs. But there was only one Cody.
Later that evening, we returned to the house and went straight to the bedroom.
I pulled off his shirt, and he took off mine. His lips met mine, gentle yet firm. Clothes were shed and tossed to the floor before we tangled around each other in the sheets. He chuckled as we accidentally bumped heads, and I grinned when the sound cut off into a moan. I kissed the base of his throat as my hand moved between his legs.
And then I made love to him like I never had before.
As I pumped into him, my hand slid into his and our fingers laced together. I lay on him, driving my hips forward just the way he liked. His scent surrounded me, and his tight heat drew me in farther. He panted near my ear, begging me not to stop. And I wouldn’t. Not until he shot to the stars.
My world had been dark and cold before Cody breathed life back into me. He chased away the dark and warmed me from the inside out. Like shades of light dancing in a night sky, growing brighter and brighter. Bringing me home.
Part Two
