It was Cody’s turn to fall silent as he attempted to wrap his mind around the fact his mate just wanted him for sex. He opened his mouth to comment, but rapping on the door cut him off before he even had a chance to start.
“Are you both decent?” asked Wheeler, opening the door. He poked his head in. “Cody, I reached out to Landros.”
Gena eased closer to Cody and he put his arm out, permitting her to use him to shield herself. Something he was learning she liked to do in social situations. That was fine by him. He liked holding her.
“Can we talk about this later?” asked Cody as the urge to get Gena somewhere private began to build.
You claimed her, pushed Wheeler down their mental path.
Yes.
Wheeler grinned and then licked it away quickly. Does your wife know she’s your wife?
Cody ran a hand over the back of his neck as he held Gena with his free arm. Not exactly.
That would be a no then, returned Wheeler with a snort.
Asshole.
Hey, don’t blame me for your lack of control, said Wheeler. What now?
I can’t explain it, but I need to have alone time with her. For more than one reason.
Wheeler nodded. Hope one of those reasons is so you can tell her she’s your wife. You might have to back up and start with the whole bit about her being a mermaid.
Gena’s hand came to Cody’s chest. “Um, this is really weird.”
“What is, baby?” asked Cody.
She glanced between him and Wheeler. “The standing in a men’s restroom, while two men just stare at each other, nodding and stuff without saying anything.”
Just then, Clara pushed past Wheeler and came into the restroom. It was feeling smaller and smaller by the second. “You’ll get used to it. Gena, how about you, Cody, and Wheeler come back to the house with me? It’s so empty without Nicolette there and it will give us all a chance to talk.”
“I was really hoping to take him home with me to procreate some more. It was so much more fun than I thought it would be,” blurted Gena before cringing and turning into him. She buried her face against his chest.
Clara pursed her lips and then proceeded to laugh. Loud. And hard.
Wheeler joined in. “I like your wife, Cody! Good pick.”
“Wife?” asked Gena and Clara in unison.
Cody tensed, his gaze whipping to his friend.
Wheeler glanced upward and pretended to be interested in the lights.
Clara pointed at Cody. “You better not have done what I think you did.”
Wheeler reached out fast and pulled Clara back a second before she made a move to come at Cody.
Clara’s nostrils flared. “You did! Cody, you claimed her?”
“Why does everyone keep calling it claiming?” asked Gena.
“No clue,” said Cody quickly, earning him several laughs from Wheeler.
Clara stamped her foot like a child. “Don’t ignore me.”
Gena launched into action, looping her arm through her friend’s. “Someone sounds hangry. Have you eaten tonight? You’re always in a mood when you’re hungry.”
Clara grunted as she glared at Cody. “I came straight here after working late.”
Wheeler licked his lips and then stepped forward, touching Clara’s shoulder. “How about you and me go get something to eat and let these two spend a little time together?”
Clara shook her head. “No. We need to explain everything to…”
Gena smiled. “I think that sounds perfect. Clara. Please?”
Clara sighed. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” said Gena.
Clara lifted her hand and pointed at her eyes and then Cody’s. “I’m watching you. We’re going to have a long talk very soon. In the meantime, you better leap in front of a speeding train for her should the need arise. Am I clear?”
“Feisty,” said Wheeler, earning him an elbow from Clara. He laughed more. “I like it rough. Come on. Let’s get something in you.”
She eyed him.
He put his hands up. “Food. Just food. But I’m open to more.”
Chapter Nineteen
Gena walked hand in hand with Cody on the way to the marina, and she continued to steal peeks at him from the corner of her gaze. Her evening had been a whirlwind and she was half afraid to close her eyes for fear she’d wake up to find that this, like every other time, had only been a dream. That he wasn’t real, and he was merely a figment of her imagination.
“How is your hand feeling?” she asked, wanting to fill the long stretch of silence that had been between them since they’d left the bar.
It had been touch and go at Stanley’s when she’d announced to Rene and Bonnie that she was cutting the celebration short to head back to the boat. The dual shocked expressions the women had worn were downright comical.
Much to Gena’s delight, Clara had come to her aid, assuring Bonnie and Rene that Cody was on the level and that she was totally and completely safe with him. Clara had then followed them out of the bar and threatened Cody’s man parts should any harm come to Gena.
Since Gena had known Clara nearly all her life, she believed the threat wholeheartedly.
From the way Cody had paled slightly, so did he.
He lifted his bandaged hand and tipped closer to her as they walked. “Totally fine. I think you have a magic touch.”
“Pfft. Hardly. I’m good with marine life. Not people,” she said.
He faltered in his step, drawing her to a stop. “W-what?”
Unsure what had prompted the response, she simply stared at him. “I’m not following.”
“Did you say you’re good with marine life?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I never asked what it is you do for a living,” said Cody, tugging her closer to him by way of their joined hands.
She didn’t mind in the least. Once she was pressed to him, she inhaled deeply. “You smell really good. Kind of reminds me of the open ocean.”
He chuckled.
“What’s funny?”
He bent his head, putting them closer to eye level with one another. “I was just thinking how good you smell and how much you smell like the ocean. It’s my favorite thing, you know.”
“The ocean?” she questioned, unable to believe she found not only the man who was from her dream but that he loved the ocean as much as she did.
“Yes. So, going to tell me what it is you do for a living or do I need to guess?”
She bit at her lower lip again and touched his chest, disappointed he had a shirt on once more. “I’m a marine biologist. I specialize in sharks. They’re something of a passion of mine.”
For a few long moments, he didn’t respond. Then he quirked a brow in disbelief. “Did you just say you’re a biologist who specializes in sharks?”
She cringed. “Yes. Let me guess. You’re scared of them and think they should all be killed to make the oceans safer for people.”
He looked to be fighting a laugh. “Uh, no. It’s safe to say I do not think all sharks should be killed. I’m pretty big into protecting them.”
“Really?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“Yep. It’s been a passion of mine for a long time,” he said, grinning.
“If you tell me you hate finning, I’m going to think you’re my soul mate,” she said in an off-the-cuff manner.
Cody took his hand from hers and then cupped her face, much like he’d done in the restroom when they’d had sex. His blue gaze bore into her as he stared down at her with an expression that screamed passion. “What if I told you that I know for a fact that we are soul mates? Would that freak you out?”
Any other time she’d have laughed off something like that, thinking it was nothing more than a joke. But this felt different. And strangely, it felt right. “Yes. No. Maybe.”
“I was hoping for something a little more definitive,” he said, his accent there but slight.
“The rational side of my bra
in, which admittedly checked out for most of the evening since I met you, is telling me you’re nuts and telling me something most women would want to hear.”
“I’m not,” said Cody evenly.
She hesitated before biting her lip harder. “The other side of my brain believes what you’re saying. Full disclosure: it’s the side that let me jump you in the restroom.”
He licked his lips. “Oh, you jumped me? Is that how it went?”
“Yes,” she said, trying and failing to keep from laughing.
He kissed the edges of her mouth before grazing his lips over hers in a seductive manner.
She moaned.
He grinned.
She bit at his lip and it was his turn to moan. “Baby, careful or I’ll be jumping you here and now.”
The constant state of euphoria she seemed to be in since meeting him intensified. It wasn’t something she was accustomed to, and his talk of being soul mates for real made her want to keep the subject far from that. “I told you what I do, but you didn’t tell me what it is you do for a living.”
“I tell you I’m about to jump you and you want to know what my job is?” he asked, smirking more, clearly finding amusement in her line of thinking. “I should be offended but I think you’re adorable. And to answer your questions, I’m something of a fixer.”
“A fixer? Like a carpenter or handyman? I’m not very good at fixing anything that is non-boat related. I only know how to keep my boat afloat because if I don’t, bad things will happen to her. And it wouldn’t be very fun to be stuck in the middle of the ocean on a boat that needs to be repaired and no one around who can fix it.”
He swallowed hard. “For now, let’s go with yes. I’m something of a handyman.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re very attractive but very odd?”
“Yes. I get that a lot actually,” he said with a wink. He then sucked her lower lip into his mouth. The act turned quickly into a kiss that left her falling against him, lifting a foot, feeling as if she were starring in a romantic movie.
One with a hero who was out of this world.
He eased back a touch and gave her a quick hug before taking her hand in his. “I’m going to be a good boy until we’re back to your boat. Then I’m going to be very, very bad.”
A laugh bubbled up from deep within her. She eyed the small alley off to their right. It was dark and under normal circumstances, she would have stayed far from it at night. But she was feeling wanton and wild.
Daring.
“Or,” she said, tugging on his hand. She led him to the alley and went to her tiptoes, kissing him passionately.
He turned her and pressed her back to the wall of the building there before he began kissing his way down her collarbone. He bent and grinned before going to his knees in front of her.
Confused, she ran a hand through his hair. “Cody?”
The sexiest of grins splashed over his handsome face as he began to hike her dress slowly.
She’d wanted to kiss in the alley. This was taking being wild and free to a whole new level.
Strangely, the thought of being so naughty in public, even with the cover of darkness, only served to turn her on more.
Cody put his head under the bottom of her short dress and pressed his lips to her panty-covered mound.
She yelped.
He laughed against her pussy.
“Cody,” she breathed out in a harsh whisper.
Ignoring her, he eased her panties to one side and put his mouth to her slit.
Gena nearly climbed the wall, stuck between wanting more of what he was doing and wanting to be away from it because of the overload of pleasure that slammed through her.
His tongue eased between the folds of her slit and she thought for sure she’d come right out of her skin. Her hands found his hair and she grabbed hold of it.
He chuckled against her pussy once more and the act left additional pleasure assailing her.
Gena tipped her head back and bit her lower lip as her hips took on a life of their own, grinding against his face. The moment he added his hand to the mix, and dipped a finger into her wet core, she was unable to stay quiet.
In the softest voice she could manage, considering the circumstances, she moaned and moved her hips more.
He swiped his tongue over her clit and desire pooled in her lower belly. Try as she might to remain semi-silent, she cried out as he added another finger to the mix. The moment he began moving his fingers in and out of her, simulating sex, she lost it and gripped his hair tighter, holding his head to her.
Looking down, she moved her dress bottom to see him there.
He stared up at her with a devilish gleam in his blue gaze.
Everything on her body seemed to explode with tingling energy. A loud moan came from her as she struck her zenith.
Cody stood, his mouth glistening with the proof of his skills and her pleasure. The sultry look he cast her left her pulse racing. With one hand, he undid the front of his jeans and freed himself.
He lifted her quickly and wasted no time entering her. He pushed in with one long, fluid motion that caused another orgasm to strike. She clung to him and rode out the pleasure as he began to ease in and out of her. He took his time, pumping almost lazily into her, his lips capturing hers in the process. She tasted herself on him.
He put his forehead to hers and kept fucking her, thrusting again and again, showing no signs of tiring or that she was too heavy for him. He locked gazes with her and put his palms to the brick wall behind her.
It left her being impaled sweetly on his cock and she loved every single second of it.
“You feel so good,” he said, his breaths coming in pants.
Nodding, she kissed at his jawline. “You too.”
He grinned and then stopped moving, holding himself firmly to her, his cock filling her completely.
She tried to speak but he put a hand to her lips, silencing her as he tipped his head.
He was quiet a second before he began to move once more. “Sorry, baby. Thought I heard footsteps.”
At that exact second in time, she didn’t care who happened upon them. He felt too good to stop.
Cody’s mouth closed over hers once more as he resumed his pace. He plunged deep into her over and over, leaving her crying out into his mouth. He ate away her audible sounds of pleasure and continued fucking her.
Liquid heat filled her core right before she closed her eyes and tensed on his cock, hitting culmination. Her pussy fluttered around his cock, clenching down on it more with each pulse of pleasure.
He slammed his hands to the brick wall and drilled into her so hard and so fast she feared she might actually break. Somehow, she didn’t. But she did come again. This time he joined her, slamming into her and erupting. He began to move slowly once more, continuing to empty himself in her.
He gave a drugging kiss to her before withdrawing from her body.
Instantly, she wanted him back.
He put his mouth to her ear. “I plan to spend weeks in you. No, years. To hell with it, centuries.”
Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and then wrinkled her nose at the feel of him leaking out of her. “I’m sticky.”
“I could clean that,” he said, setting her down and making a move to go to his knees again.
She giggled and touched his cheek. “Mmm, let’s get a move on it. We can do all kinds of things I’ve always been curious about when we get to the boat.”
He lifted one brow. “You’re saying I’m your research dummy?”
“Yes,” she said with a laugh.
“I’m so fine with that,” he said, grinning more before tucking himself into his jeans once more.
Gena righted herself and wiggled a bit as cream flooded her panties. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but they weren’t far from her boat. She could get out of the panties then.
He gave her a quick kiss before taking her hand in his again. He led her from the alley and to
the sidewalk once more.
The street was empty, and she was relieved. Thankful they’d not put on a show for anyone.
They began to walk in the direction of the marina once more. She couldn’t believe how late it was or that she didn’t feel the least bit tired. She felt invigorated. On a high she might never come down from. And horny. Did her body not get that she’d already had sex? That it should rest? All it seemed to want to do was jump the man’s bones again.
Gena understood the how’s and why’s of the feeling. That it stemmed from a biological reaction in her body and that it would, at some point, wear off. But in the meantime, she intended to enjoy it to its fullest.
Bonnie had been right when she’d pointed out how much Gena had only been living to work, not working to live. One evening with Cody had turned her perspective on it all upside down, and she didn’t want to “right” it anytime soon.
Live in the moment.
“Great motto,” said Cody, his hand wrapped around hers.
Unsure what he was talking about, Gena frowned in puzzlement. “What is a great motto?”
“Living in the moment,” he replied.
Stiffening, she came to a complete standstill and pried her hand from his. “What made you say that?”
He appeared confused. “You said it first. I was just agreeing with you.”
Her mind raced as she thought over what had and had not come out of her mouth in the last few minutes. Certain she’d not said the words out loud, a trickle of fear creep up her spine.
Cody did a blatant sniffing of the air. “I made you nervous. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Honestly, I don’t know what I did to cause it. Whatever it is, tell me so I can fix it.”
Had she been wrong? Had she said the words out loud?
It wasn’t possible to read another person’s thoughts. Sure, there were people who were attuned to others’ body language and took cues from micro-expressions, but flat out mind reading? No. That wasn’t a thing.
Yet her gut said he’d done just that.
Ever the scientist, she found herself wanting to test her theory.
Can you hear what I’m thinking?
Wrecked Intel (Immortal Outcasts®): An Immortal Ops® World Novel Page 23
