Page 19 of Stone's Promise

When we finally pulled apart, I searched for words to speak.

“I’ll see you soon,” he spoke first.

I barely managed a nod. “Have a good night.” I got out of the car. His truck didn’t pull out of the driveway until I turned my key and went inside the house.

I wanted to ask Cody to stay. Everything in my emotions and body wanted him to be near me again. Even if I actually had the courage to ask, I couldn’t do it because I wasn’t at my house alone tonight.

“How was your date?” Mama asked when I saw her and Oliver in the living room, watching a game show.

I dropped my purse on the armchair. “It was nice. Dinner was good. You and I will have to go back to that restaurant since I know you love cheesy breadsticks."

“Me, too,” Oliver chimed. “Can we go with Cody?”

“We’ll see, Ollie.” I wrapped my arms around him in a goodnight hug. “You know what time it is.”

He groaned. “Five more minutes?”

“Maybe Friday. Tonight’s a school night.”

Oliver threw me the most wounded pout he could muster before grabbing his blanket off the couch. “G’night, Grammy. You too, mom.”

I watched him go up the stairs, the cuffs of his pajamas flooding his ankles. He was getting so big. Had he gone through another growth spurt and I somehow missed it?

Mama got up and put on her coat. “I’m surprised that young man didn’t want to skip right to dessert with how nice your dress fits.”

“Mama,” I half-scolded. “Innocent ears are still in range.” I turned off the TV. “I don’t remember you being this cheeky when I wanted to date boys in high school.”

“That was when you were in high school. Your father, God rest his soul, and I did not want our daughter distracted. But now.” Mama’s warm brown eyes twinkled with mischief. “A little distraction never hurt anyone.”

I found myself unable to hide my giggle. “Cody is highly focused on his upcoming fight, so I doubt anything could distract him.”

“That’s not what I gathered when I saw him look at you during the press conference on TV.” Mama innocently reached for her keys. “I’ll text you when I get home. Goodnight, honey.”

My mother’s teasing left laughter in my spirit and more than a little curiosity about Cody. It was obvious we were attracted to each other. I should’ve been glad it was obvious to others. Was everyone picking up on my growing feelings for him, too? More importantly, was he?

My sex drive was singing high notes tonight when I was around him. As much as my body wanted what it wanted, I knew I needed him for more than just a night. And the thought alone scared me.

After tucking Oliver into bed, I settled into my own, scrolling through social media out of habit. The pictures from earlier were already circulating of me and Cody at the press conference. His arm around me. His lips on my cheek. The comments were filled with people speculating about us, calling us the hottest couple in the city.

My phone rang, and my friend Ava’s name popped up on the screen.

“Look at you,” she teased the second I answered. “You and Cody Stone, huh? Youhavebeen holding out on me.”

I laughed, playing along. “It’s complicated.”

“I bet,” she said suggestively. “You guys look good together, though. And you look happy.”

Happy. I bit my lip, unsure how to respond. Because the truth was, this thing with Cody was supposed to be pretend. Then I thought about the way he kissed me at the park and the way he kissed me tonight. We talked about some pretty deep things that we didn’t share with other people.

If that wasn’t real, I didn’t know what was.

“We’re having fun. But tell me how you and Ryder have been. Are you getting ready to cover his fight at the Intercontinental, too?”

Ava and I chatted for twenty minutes before we both got drowsy. We set a date for a girl's night in a few weeks before we hung up.

A deep warmth spread through me as I turned off my phone and sank against my pillows. My body still buzzed from the way Cody touched me, from the intimate, sexual way I wanted him to. It had been so long since I’d felt this kind of pull toward a man. This turned out to be the first time I actually experienced the jolt of something electric and real.

My fingers grazed my lips as if I could still feel the press of his. I wanted him in a way that had nothing to do with public appearances or my job expectations. The realization terrified me. I had no idea what to do about it.

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