18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Cody

Somehow, we make it back to Stella’s bedroom.

Stella was more than willing to get down and dirty on the pool’s spotless tiles, but that wasn’t how I wanted our first time to go.

“Hurry up, Cody.” Greedy hands pull at my wet t-shirt before I can even close her bedroom door. Stella’s gaze is flushed and a little unfocused as she all but drags me to her bed.

“Take a breath, Stel. We’ve got all night.”

She scowls and I laugh, purposefully taking my time stripping off my damp shirt and jeans before crawling across the mattress to join her.

Stella eyes my briefs and the erection tenting the damp material. She’s still wearing that white t-shirt, which is completely see-through thanks to our dip in the pool. My dick throbs as I take in the pointed peaks of her nipples, and the lacy black thong that has to go ASAP.

“Arms up, O’Brien.”

Hesitation flashes across her face and I immediately pull my hands away.

“What’s wrong?” I sit back on my heels suddenly aware she might be feeling pressured. Nausea churns in my gut as I try to meet her downcast eyes.

“I’m sorry, Stel. I shouldn’t have assumed we’d… Do you want me to leave?” I hold my breath, hoping I haven’t just ruined the beginning of something promising.

“No, it’s just…” Stella tugs at her t-shirt, her erect nipples still holding my balls hostage. “It’d probably be easier for you if you just do me from behind.”

I blink, my mind struggling to connect the miserable look on her face and the graphic image she just painted.

She frowns, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Because now I’m picturing taking you from behind.

But why would that be easier for me?

“I’m just confused. Do you not want me to see you come?”

Stella huffs, visibly agitated, “I don’t care about that.”

I am so lost.

She sighs, “I don’t want you to have to look at my scar. You can’t see it as well from behind.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she gives me a painful smile, “That’s what my ex-boyfriend used to say, anyways.”

My breathing comes to a halt as I register her words.

“He told you that?” Stella flinches at my harsh tone.

“Well, yeah. We were together before the accident, so it was a bit of an adjustment afterwards.” She shrugs as if it’s nothing, but I can see the distress shimmering beneath the surface. “I don’t blame him, it’s an ugly scar. On the inside and the outside.”

I exhale through my nose, willing my temper to calm down. This guy was part of Stella’s past, so there’s no changing the way he treated her now. All I can do is help her write a better future.

"Lift your arms, Stel.”

She blinks in surprise before slowly raising her arms. I grab the damp ends of the material and slowly peel it off her body. Once it passes her head, I toss it to the ground and grab her hand.

“Come with me.”

“Pretty sure that’s the point.” Stella tries for a teasing grin, but her movements are awkward and stiff as I lead her off the bed and into the bathroom. We come to a stop in front of the full-length mirror, both of us staring at each other’s reflection.

Our figures merge into one as I step behind her. Stella’s eyes flick to her scar, and with a grimace, she twists to shield it from view. Her tattoo blazes a path down her other side, CONSEQUENCES screaming out in bold, confident letters.

“Do you want to know what I see?”

She stays silent, her gaze searching mine through the reflection.

“I see a warrior. A beautiful warrior who is even stronger on the inside than she is on the outside.” Using my fingers, I gently trace her impressive collection of abdominal muscles. They clench under my touch.

“The thing I admire most is your confidence. You walk as if you own the world, which after seeing the house you grew up in, isn’t far from the truth.”

Stella laughs softly, her gaze never leaving my wandering fingers.

“This,” Keeping my touch featherlight, I trace the misshapen seam of her scar, “Should never take away your confidence. If anything, it should add to it. It’s your battle scar, Stel. And all great warriors have them.”

Tears glisten in her eyes and I have to swallow the lump in my throat as I lower myself down to press a kiss on the damaged skin.

“You are beautiful, Stella. Every single partof you is beautiful.”

A sob rips from her throat as she turns and wraps her arms around me. I pull her close, wishing I could go back in time and erase the pain of the past. Erase the day Stella lost her ability to love every broken piece of herself.

The truth is, we are all broken. Some of us just have scars more visible than others.

Stella

Once my tears dry up, we finally get to the fun part.

I’ve never understood why girls cry during sex and yet here I am, bawling my eyes out before it even begins.

“Does this mean you won’t do me from behind?”

Cody laughs, picking me up and tossing me over his shoulder as we make our way to my bed. Yet again.

“Oh no, we will definitely get to that but not for the first round.”

I smile like a love drunk fool, hanging over his shoulder in what seems to be his favourite power move: The Caveman Cody Signature.

Tossing me on the bed, he doesn’t give me a chance to catch my breath before his mouth claims mine, kissing away any residing doubts about my scar.

I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling the weight of his body on top of mine. We both groan when his shaft rubs against my centre, my panties already soaked. I tug impatiently at his shoulder and without saying a word, Cody understands what I’m asking for. He rolls onto his back, keeping our lips locked as I straddle him.

“Fuck.” He breathes the word against my lips, gripping my waist as I grind against him. I trail my lips down his neck, pausing for a quick bite on my journey down.

He jerks in surprise, laughter rumbling through his chest, “I didn’t have you pinned for a vampire but that explains a lot.”

“What did we say about name calling?” I bite him again, enjoying the way we’re still bickering like normal. “Don’t make me punish you, Captain.”

Cody groans, running his hands up my torso without disgust, “Keep calling me that and this will be over really quickly.”

“Promises, promises.” I head south from his neck, using my tongue to trace a trail down the rigid lines of his chest. My hand creeps inside his boxers, giving him a playful tug that has him almost falling off the bed.

“Goddamn it, Stella. Let me have a turn.”

I smirk, “What was it you said before throwing me in the pool? No.”

“I technically didn’t throw you in the pool, I jumped in…” Cody’s mouth snaps shut as I slide off his briefs and take him in my mouth. One long suck from base to tip and he looks ready to burst.

I draw his cock out of my mouth with a pop, “Permission to proceed, Captain?”

Cody grits his teeth and gives me a jerky nod.

I grin, enjoying this power dynamic immensely, “What was that? Couldn’t hear you from way down here.”

He meets my grin with a glare that’s borderline feral. I give his dick an encouraging lick, maintaining eye contact the entire time.

“Is that a yes?”

He growls, “Suck me like you mean it, Stel.”

There’s not much else to say except Captain’s orders.

Torturing Cody was my best idea until it was my turn to be in the hot seat. And then it became my worst.

Karma really is a bitch.

I squirm, my legs trapped under Cody’s arms, his head buried between my legs. I say buried, except the varsity player has yet to find the correct spot to dig.

“If you need a map to my clit, I’m happy to give you one.”

He ignores me, continuing to lick every spot except the one I want him to.

The man is a sadist.

I shudder as his scruff brushes against the inside of my thigh, the sensation bringing on a new wave of wetness. At this point, my pending orgasm is going to expire before Cody makes his move.

Sensing my impatience, Cody flicks his eyes up with a smirk, watching my reaction as he slides a finger inside of me. My back arches, the need for more overpowering any other sensation.

“Ellsworth. Enough messing around. Can you just…”

I gasp as another finger slips inside, his teeth catching a hold of my clit. Finally.

My fingers grip the sheets as his tongue replaces his fingers, the rough stroke bringing me closer to the edge until another insert of his finger pushes me over. Stars hit my vision as pleasure takes over, my body trembling as it comes down from the high.

Once I’m firmly back on Earth, I look down to find Cody watching me with a grin, “Ready to continue?”

“Please. Don’t wait on my end.”

Taking his time, Cody kisses his way back up my body, his touch delicate as his lips skim the bumpy edge of my scar tissue. Tears threaten to make a reappearance as I watch him worship my body, not showing the slightest hint of disgust at the grotesque mark left by my past.

“Am I hurting you?” Cody pauses, his concerned gaze flicking over my face.

“No. Just the opposite.”

I thread my fingers through his hair and tug him back up to my mouth, silently thanking him with my kiss. He responds in earnest, nipping my bottom lip and drawing a whimper from my throat. I arch against him, my aching nipples pressing against his chest.

“Condom. In the nightstand.”

Cody’s bodyweight disappears for a few painful seconds before he’s back on top of me, hastily ripping open the wrapper and rolling the rubber on. I moan when his tip hits my centre, our bodies lining up perfectly.

“Is this okay?” His breathing is laboured, the bulging veins of his arms giving away the control he’s fighting to maintain.

I smirk, running my hands up those impressive arms, “A little deeper would be preferred.”

My smirk quickly turns into a gasp when he pushes all the way inside, stretching me to the fullest. We both groan when he starts to move, the friction making my legs widen further. My nails dig into his back as his thrusts get faster, pushing me closer to my second climax of the night. Just as I’m about to go over, Cody pulls out and hooks my legs over his shoulder.

He slams back into me, barely giving me time to appreciate the new position before I’m falling apart all over again. Cody keeps going through my orgasm, pushing my own further until he finally reaches his own.

With a groan, he collapses next to me.

“Not bad for a freshman.”

I laugh, rolling onto my side to look at him. “Back at cha, rookie.”

Cody chuckles, opening his arm for me to scootch closer. I curl into him, our legs loosely intertwining as I use his arm as a pillow. He smiles at me, and I can’t help but think his eyes seem softer, as if some of the weight he’s been carrying around has finally fallen from his shoulders.

I reach out to wipe a thin layer of perspiration from his forehead. “Think how good your stamina would be if you did my cardio circuits.”

An amused eyebrow goes up, “Not sure endless rounds of burpees is going to improve my bedroom performance.”

“Well, you know what they say.”

“What goes up must come down?”

I grin, “Practice makes perfect.”

And because Cody is a very dedicated varsity athlete, we spend the next few hours mastering our technique.