Page 126 of Fostering Chemistry
“Yes. To give you as much pleasure as humanly possible.”
Shivers traveled the length of my spine. “I like that mission,” I said faintly.
“That’s what this night is about,” Diego continued, giving Aaron and Cody a look. “Mia’s pleasure. And?—”
“It’s not just about her pleasure,” Cody said, so quietly that I had to focus to catch the words.
Then I nodded. “I agree. I want you three to have as much pleasure as I do. I think we need to?—”
“No.” Cody sounded a little frustrated. “It’s not just about pleasure.”
“Okay,” I said, shutting up and waiting.
We all waited.
There was tension on his beautiful face. Tension and frustration. His hands twitched once, as if he wanted to break into sign.
I saw how much he wanted to share his thoughts with us—and I saw the defeated slump to his shoulders when he gave up. He waved away the attention, as if didn’t matter.
But it did.
“Take your time,” Aaron said.
But Cody just shook his head, looking away.
I scooted closer and put my hand on his arm. “It’s okay. We can wait.”
“Not important,” he mumbled.
Then Diego scooted closer. “It is important, and we’d like to hear it.”
Sliding my arm around Cody’s waist, I leaned against him, trying to offer quiet support. For a moment, he took that comfort, leaning against me as well, placing his hand on my thigh, but in a nonsexual way. Then he pulled away. “You guys should set the agenda. You’re the ones who can actually speak.”
“You could always speak, even if it was sometimes difficult for you,” Aaron began. “But lately, it’s seemed like it might be easier for you. At least from an outside perspective. Some days it’s almost like we can’t get you to shut up. I don’t know what caused the change, but I’ve known you for a year and a half, and I’ve noticed.”
Diego nodded. “Me too.”
“Her,” Cody finally said, inclining his head toward me. “She’s what changed.”
His words warmed my heart, but I didn’t know if that was the whole picture. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit.”
He shook his head, still frustrated. “It’s… shit. I knew this wouldn’t come out right.”
“I’m prepared to wait all night,” I said gently. “Although if that’s the case, at some point I’m probably going to put more clothes on.”
“And we don’t want that to happen,” Aaron joked, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hint of a smile on Cody’s face.
Finally, he sighed. “No, we don’t. The thing is…” he looked over at me, and pulled back a little, as if I was too close, too far into his personal space for him to address me. Which was undoubtedly true, and I scooted back on the bed. But I was fairly confident that under other circumstances, he wouldn’t mind me being that close.
“The thing is that I missed you. Last night and the night before.” The sincerity in his voice touched something deep inside me.
“Last night she was with Diego,” Aaron said.
Cody nodded, and we waited for elaboration, but it didn’t come.
“And we all watched that movie the night before,” I added. ”Together.”
“Not then.” Cody shook his head. “After. In bed. You shared a bed with me one night, and then not the next two. And I missed you.”
