The Shore (13 page)

Cody was excited to have Ryan at his place. It had been a long time since he’d made dinner for anyone. Well, not since Laura, but he was feeling good about it. He was making chicken alfredo. It had always been a hit when he made it and he could prepare it in his sleep, so he was almost positive he wouldn’t screw it up this time.

While he chopped vegetables for the salad, he thought about the conversation he needed to have with Ryan. He needed to talk to her about Paige. His feelings for Ryan were getting pretty serious, and he didn’t want their relationship to continue without her knowing what happened. He just wasn’t sure how she’d react when he told her.

He smiled when Wrigley starting barking at a car parking in front of his house at 7:30.

Right on time.

He rinsed his hands and grabbed a towel to dry them as he walked quickly toward the door. They had seen each other two days ago, but it felt like it had been forever
.

Is this what 13 year-old girls with middle school crushes feel like?

The thought made him laugh to himself.

Ryan was still walking toward the door when Cody opened it. She had on a light yellow sundress that showed off her tanned skin. Her hair was down, and he thought this might be his favorite look on her yet.

“Hi,” he said, smiling.

Ryan smiled back at him, noting that for the first time, he wasn’t wearing a ball cap. She loved a guy in a hat, but Cody was just as handsome without one. Plus, this way she got to see all his curls, too. He had on another pair of cargo shorts and a plain Henley-looking shirt that stretched against his chest. It was going to take effort to turn him down if he started anything tonight.

She handed him a bottle of wine. “Hi.”

“Thank you,” Cody replied as he accepted the bottle then wrapped both arms around her. He leaned into her and placed a long, soft kiss on her lips. He felt her arms tighten around his neck and he pulled her closer.

When they pulled back, Ryan asked, “So what’s for dinner? It smells great.”

“Hmm… you,” Cody answered as he nuzzled his lips against her neck. He would have been completely serious if she was okay with that.

Ryan smirked at him. “Funny.” She gave him a quick peck and let herself into the house.

If he kisses me again, especially like he just did, he just might win this battle.

He followed her, holding the bottle of wine in front of his groin to hide his arousal. “No Berkley tonight?”

“Naw. I left her at home.” She figured it was one way to ensure she wouldn’t give in and spend the night. At some point, she’d have to go home to take care of the dog. It wasn’t foolproof, but it was a start.

“Okay. She’s welcome here anytime, just so you know.”

“Thanks,” Ryan smiled. “So, what’s really for dinner?”

“I’m making chicken alfredo with a salad and garlic bread.”

“Hmm, sounds delicious! How can I help?”

“You can pour the wine if you want.”

After opening a couple of the wrong cupboards, Cody finally pointed to the one over the stove that held the wine glasses. Ryan grabbed two and then went in search for a wine opener. When she turned around, Cody was holding the tool she needed in his hand.

“You want the opener, you gotta pay the toll.”

“No opener, no wine,” she teased with a hint of a grin.

“You make a good point.” He pretended to think for a moment. “Still, you gotta pay the toll.”

Ryan grinned and walked slowly toward him, accentuating the sway of her hips. When she reached him, she asked, “Alright, I’ll bite. What’s the toll?”

Cody allowed his eyes to travel down her body and back again, and he wasn’t shy about it. With the opener still in his hand, he took a step toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands resting on top of her ass.

Ryan raised an eyebrow at him.

“The toll,” he said, pulling her closer, “is a kiss.”

Ryan tilted her head up and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Opener please,” she grinned as she held out her hand to accept the object.

“Nuh-huh,” Cody replied shaking his head slowly.

Knowing full well that wasn’t what he meant, Ryan lifted her hands to his face and rubbed her thumbs along his cheeks to feel his stubble. “Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll gladly pay the toll.”

The kiss began slowly and soon developed into a long, passionate exchange. Their tongues met and played with each other’s and Cody’s arms pulled her closer still. Ryan ran her fingers through his hair and Cody reciprocated by sliding his free hand up her back and cupping the back of her head. Her hair was so soft and he loved the feel of her breasts against his chest.

Ryan ran her hands over his chest and down to the hem of his shirt. She slipped her fingers underneath, feeling the soft skin of his stomach. It was mean, she knew, especially since she was the one making them wait, but she had to feel him.

Cody placed small, open-mouthed kisses along her jawline, working his way to her earlobe. He sucked on it gently and relished the sound of Ryan’s soft moan.

Knowing he needed to stop or he wouldn’t be able to, he brought his lips back to hers and kissed her gently.

When they pulled back, both were breathing heavily.

“Now can I have the opener?” she asked quietly.

Cody unwrapped one arm from around her and placed the opener in her hand, but what he really wanted to do was turn off the stove and take Ryan to bed.

Before walking back toward the wine, Ryan gave him another lingering kiss. “Thank you.”

He wasn’t sure how he was going to get through this night without touching every inch of her skin.

Cody finished preparing the meal while Ryan sat at the island. He wouldn’t let her help with anything else, so she just enjoyed the wine, conversation and watching Cody cook. He told her a little about poker night and who had been there. He even won back some of his money from the last time they played.

Cody noticed Ryan didn’t say much about the last couple days, but figured she was on vacation and had probably just chilled most of the day. That’s what he would have done.

The conversation continued easily through dinner. The meal was fantastic and Ryan thought Cody had definitely undersold his cooking abilities.

“This is so good, Cody,” she said with an ‘I’m so full’ expression on her face. “I’m not sure I can eat anymore, even though I’d love to.”

“Make sure you save some room. I’ve got dessert for later,” he winked.

When Cody stood to clear the table, Ryan did the same.

“It’s okay, have a seat. I’ve got this,” he said.

“I’d like to help. Besides, I was always taught the cook doesn’t do the dishes.”

Cody smiled and didn’t say a word. He kind of liked them working together, even if it was something as simple as the dishes.

When the kitchen was clean and everything put away, Cody filled their wine glasses and took Ryan’s hand in his, leading her to the living room. He had put off the conversation during dinner, but now it was time.

They sat on the couch and Cody turned his body so he was facing Ryan. There was a nervous expression on his face.

She gave a questioning look. “What’s up?”

Cody was quiet for a moment. “I have something I need to tell you, but I’m not exactly sure how to say it.”

Ryan looked at him. Trying to ease the tension, she mimicked the words he had said to her. “You’re not really a woman, are you?”

He grinned, shaking his head. “No.” He liked that they already had their own inside jokes.

“Then just tell me, Cody, before my mind goes in a thousand different directions.”

He took a deep breath. “I told you I would never lie to you.”

She looked at him questioningly. “Right…”

“And I haven’t lied to you, at least, not technically. But there is something I haven’t told you, which I know some people would consider a lie in itself.”

“Cody, what’s going on?” There was worry in her voice.

Shit.

“I know we haven't talked about this kind of stuff, but…”

“Cody?” The more he drew this out, the more worried Ryan got.

“When I was 17, I lost my virginity on the dunes.”

“The dunes.” Ryan said. “The same dunes we went to the other night?”

Cody nodded.

“I would imagine that's a pretty common occurrence around here, Cody.”

“True.”

When he didn't say anything more, she asked, “Is that it, Cody? Is there something else?”

Cody looked down at his hands and heard Ryan sigh. “Just one more thing.”

She said nothing and waited for him to continue.

“When I was younger, I used to hang out with Riley and Mac.”

“Okay…” Ryan said, a little confused.

“But there was someone that used to hang out with us from time to time.”

Ryan just looked at him.

“It was Paige, Ryan.”

“My sister?”

Cody nodded.

“What does she have to do with anything?”

This is not going to be easy.

“I had a pretty big crush on her when I was a teenager.”

“So you liked my sister.”

Cody noted a bit of an edge to Ryan’s voice. He sighed. He needed to just spit it out. Not able to sit anymore, he stood and started to pace.

“Paige usually wouldn’t give me the time of day. But then one night, she did. We were hanging out and one thing led to another.” He looked at Ryan who just looked back at him. “I lost my virginity to Paige, Ryan.”

Ryan had gone from confused to just fucking pissed in the blink of an eye. “So what, you figured you fucked one Blake girl and wanted to see if you could get lucky enough to fuck the other one, too?”

Cody cringed at the vulgarity of Ryan’s words. He didn’t care if she cursed, but the way she was spitting out the words just sounded so … dirty.

“No!” Cody almost shouted.

There was history between Ryan and Paige. History there was no way Cody could have known about.

“You should know my sister and I are nothing alike.
Nothing
,” she said harshly. Her eyes had turned as cold as ice.

Cody wasn’t sure what to say. It had been years since he’d seen Paige and he hardly remembered her. There was no one to compare Ryan to.

Ryan was lost in her own world. “Do you know the type of person she is? Do you know what she does to the people she supposedly loves?”

Cody looked at her questioningly. “What are you talking about, Ryan?”

Slow tears began to fall as the memories came back. “My sister…”

Cody sat and took Ryan’s hands in his. She jerked at his touch and instantly snapped her hands back. She stood and began to pace the room.

“The summer before my senior year of high school was the summer before Paige’s senior year of college. She had gotten an internship nearby and lived with us that summer. I went to a party with some friends one night and got trashed. It was the first time I really had anything to drink.”

Cody watched as she continued to pace and began wringing her hands.

“I called Paige, asking her to come get me. I didn’t want to get busted by our parents for drinking, and I thought she would cover for me. God knows I had covered for her enough times.

“When I called her, she said, ‘Sorry Ryan, you made your bed, now you get to lie in it’ and hung up. She was apparently too busy with her boy toy at the time and wouldn’t leave him to help me.”

Cody wasn’t sure where this was headed, but had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.

“One of the guys that had just graduated offered to take me home. I didn’t really know him personally, just that he had been our star defensive tackle and got a scholarship to play ball at one of the Big Ten schools.

“I accepted the ride, never expecting…”

Cody got up from the couch and walked to her, taking her hands in his again, refusing to let go.

“Never expecting what, Ryan?” There was anger in his tone, not at Ryan, but at whoever this fucking guy was.

“He convinced me to go for a drive rather than going straight home. We ended up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by corn fields. He turned off the car but left the radio on – some station that played Top 40 music.” She cringed as she relived the memory. “We kissed. A lot. I was apparently too drunk to care.

“Since I didn’t stop the kissing, he took it as a sign that I was okay with more.

“His hands slid up under my shirt,” her breath hitched, “and he pushed my bra up over my breasts.

“He reached for the button on my pants. He popped it open and slid his hand inside my jeans, into my panties. I could hear myself screaming, but he wouldn’t stop. He just kept pressing and pushing and grabbing.

“It was like my head finally cleared when I heard the zipper of his pants. Somehow I was able to maneuver my leg and knee him in the balls. When he moved to try to protect himself, his grip loosened, and I turned and opened the door, falling out of the car.