Page 92 of Brighter Shades of Light
I understood it as a passing of experience and knowledge from old to young.
“This concludes our ceremony. Enjoy the Ball, and Happy Birthday to the Marines.”
Dinner was served after that. As we ate, Barry told us stories about his time with Cody and Tristen. They were placed in different companies but found time to see each other. Barry had helped both of them a lot, mostly with practicing some of the field exercises and general advice. Cody had shared his doubt in the beginning about whether Barry was a good guy, and I was glad everything had turned out well.
“So, you’re a warrant officer?” I asked Barry.
“Yes, sir,” Barry answered with a nod. He had removed his dress cap, and his red hair almost blended in with the pinkness of his skin. “I was enlisted with the Corps for several years and was chosen to become a WO in the Marine gunner program. India Company. Ooh-rah.”
“You have it wrong, ya ginger bastard.” Cody snorted. “DeltaCompany. Ooh-rah.”
Tristen echoed the expression, saying it a little louder than Cody had. When Marines behind our table heard it and echoed “ooh-rah” even louder, Cody nearly spewed his drink. He hopped up with Tristen, and they went to talk to the guys.
After dinner, a DJ came out, and the dance floor was opened. The formal feel to the Ball lightened a little, too. Marines let loose as they twirled their dates around the dancefloor, and others laughed with their friends.
Cody took pictures with his fellow Marines, some serious but mostly silly. Itwasa celebration, after all. I enjoyed seeing him socialize. His sincere smile and heartfelt laughs drew people in, as if they felt his energy field just as I did.
“Will you take one with me?” Cody asked, touching my arm.
I wasn’t fond of having my picture taken. There wasn’t a set reason why, other than I didn’t like looking at myself. But I said, “You know I can’t deny you anything.”
Because I couldn’t.
He cracked a smile, showing off his dimple.
I handed Tristen my phone and took my position at Cody’s side. His arm went behind me as mine slid around his waist. The first photo was posed, both of us smiling. Cody leaned over and kissed me on the cheek for the second.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of dancing bodies, drinking, and laughter. Once the hotel ballroom closed, we accompanied Tristen, Blake, Barry and Samantha, and several of the junior single Marines to another bar in town. With the drastic change of setting, I felt over dressed, but no one else in our party appeared to mind.
As Cody had said earlier, the women in the bar flocked toward the single men in uniform.
“You ready to go back to the hotel for some after-party fun?” Cody asked against my ear, after we had been in the bar for a while.
I tried to calm my racing heart as I met his hungry gaze. My glasses had started to slip, and I pushed them back in place before nodding.
Cody slid his hand into mine and said goodnight to his friends. Tristen clapped him on the back and flashed a knowing smile, while Barry shook his head, clearly amused by something. It probably had to do with the bounce in Cody’s step and the way he wiggled his eyebrows as he told them bye.
It was Saturday night, and he didn’t have to be back at Camp Barrett until early Monday morning. Which was great, because he might need a day to recover after what I planned to do with him once we returned to the hotel room. It had been too long since I tasted him—since we got lost in each other—and I intended to make the most of the time we had.
However, I didn’t want to rush the moment. True, I wanted to tear his clothes off and worship every inch of his muscled body, but when we entered the room, I found myself gently grabbing his hand and leading him over to the bed.
“What are you doing?” Cody asked.
Instead of answering, I leaned in and placed a soft kiss to his neck.
“Whatever it is, I like it,” he added.
I met his gaze and softly brushed my lips to his. He smiled against my mouth. Then, I helped him out of his dress blues. Silently, he watched me as I undid the buttons on the front of his uniform. His tender expression matched the feeling in my chest, an indescribable ache that made me want to hold him as close as possible and never let go.
After each piece was removed, I laid the uniform on the couch beside the bed to make sure it didn’t get wrinkled. Once he was down to his boxers, I pushed him backward on the mattress.
“Pretty sure there’s something wrong with this picture,” Cody said, laughing. “You have way too many clothes on, Dr. Vale.”
Without breaking eye contact, I pulled at my tie.
“Fuck, that’s hot.” Cody scooted against the pillows, putting his arms behind his head. The curve to his lips gave him a cockiness that aroused me even more. “Strip for me, baby.”
Chapter 24
