Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

DARCY

A s I wander, I come upon a deserted, snow-covered bench that looks like it belongs to the resort, and relief fills me. The resort must not be that much further away; it’s just out of sight.

I wipe the freezing powder off the seat and plop down. I can’t even tell if my bum is getting soaked—it’s too numb from the cold, along with the rest of me.

I can’t handle going back yet. I know that Milo is waiting for me. The thought is terrifying. Sure, the cold out here is brutal, but I welcome it as a relief from the gnawing anxiety in my chest. Maybe I’ll freeze to death here, but hey, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I couldn’t make my life any more of a mess if I froze to death. I’d be a peaceful popsicle, and that sounds pretty damn good to me.

I’d like to say I’m just unlucky, but at some point, bad luck becomes poor decisions. And I’ve certainly made my fair share of those, beginning with getting engaged to an apparent psycho.

Fun times.

The sound of snow crunching behind me startles me from my thoughts. I look up, expecting Milo to be there, ready for another fight, but instead, I’m greeted with the sight of Cody, his blue eyes big and bruised, his cheek bloody, and his smile as sweet as ever, even with his split lip.

I gasp at the state of him and get to my feet faster than I thought my frozen legs could move.

“Oh my God, Cody!” My hands find his face, my thumbs caressing the bloody skin, which is cold to the touch. His hands somehow end up resting on my hips, and it’s almost a comfort to feel them there, like something keeping me tethered to the ground. “What the hell happened to you?” I whisper, letting his eyes search mine. I don’t know what he’s looking for, but he seems to find it because his face softens.

“Nothing. Just did something right for once. That’s all.”

That’s scarily ominous, but I don’t have time to comment on it before he’s speaking again.

“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

The pieces begin to click into place. He knows about Milo. He’s been in a fight. Oh, God. He kicked Milo’s ass.

“Oh, Cody, tell me you didn’t,” I beg. “Did you hurt him?”

Cody’s face falls ever so slightly, but he nonchalantly shrugs it off. “No, not really. Just flesh wounds. No worse than what I have.”

I groan. “ God , Cody, why would you do that?”

“Because...” he tells me with genuine, big eyes looking at me so sweetly that I couldn’t possibly be mad even if I tried, “he can’t get away with how he’s been treating you, Darcy. It’s not fucking fair. You don’t deserve that, and he wasn’t going to stop. I had to make him.”

I breathe a sharp exhale of air through my nose and shake my head at this stupid, stupid man. I hate that I can’t help but smile. He really is too great. And it’s sweet that he was trying to protect me. Annoying , yes, but still sweet.

“Come on,” I say, taking his hand in mine. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

Cody adamantly shakes his head but doesn’t come close to loosening his grip on my hand. “You aren’t cleaning up after my mess, Darcy. I’m here to help you , not the other way around.”

“You can’t be the macho, tough guy all the time, Cody,” I say, searching his dark and bloodshot eyes. He looks so bad, so scarily bad. I hate that I’m the cause of it. He deserves so much better than me, so much more than I could ever give.

“I know that, and I’m not trying to be,” he argues gently, reaching up with his free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. He’s watching me in a way that makes me weak in the knees. I don’t think anyone else has ever made me feel as seen as he does, and it’s terrifying. “It’s just that I’ve caused enough trouble this week as it is. For once, let me be the one to fix it. Please. I need this.”

I hum with half a mind to give in and let him have what he wants if it’ll make the sadness in his eyes dim even just a bit. But looking at him, I know that can’t happen. Sometimes when you care about someone, you have to do things that they don’t necessarily like.

“How about we fix it together?” I offer.

Cody watches me for a moment, and I think he’s going to decline, but he finally sighs quietly and nods. “Alright, fine. It’s a deal.”

I smile wider than I have in days. It’s amazing how he can so quickly make me feel like a little kid again. He’s so special. I think he might be the most special person I’ve ever met.

“Alright, tough guy. Let’s go get this nasty blood off of you.”

Hand in hand, we walk back into the hotel. It feels like every pair of eyes is on us as we walk through the lobby, and I’m a bit disturbed by the blood the custodian is cleaning from the dining room floor, but I hold my head high and keep my hand tightly intertwined with Cody’s all the way to the elevator, to my floor, and into my room. I sit him down on the couch and retrieve my travel-sized first aid kit from my suitcase. I return to the living room and sit on the coffee table in front of him. He looks so pitiful, with his bruised, droopy eyes and his lips tugged down into a frown. When he sees me, he tries to smile, but it doesn’t come anywhere close to being believable. His sadness makes me sad. Really sad, actually. I think I would give anything to fix him.

“Did you even come home last night?” I ask him in lieu of anything else to say.

He shakes his head, wincing and hissing softly when I rub antiseptic across his knuckles.

“Sorry,” I apologize gently, pausing just briefly to let him recover before I continue. “You know you can’t do that, right? You can’t just disappear when things get hard. It sucks—for you and those of us who care about you.”

He scoffs, which catches me completely off guard.

I raise my eyebrows. “What?”

Cody's eyes meet mine, a storm brewing behind them. "Nobody cares about me, Darcy," he says, his voice low and rough. “Nobody has ever fucking cared. I’ve been alone my entire life, so it really doesn’t fucking matter what I do because, at the end of the day, there’s no one here waiting for me to come home. If I never came home again, I don’t think anybody would even notice.”

I blink at him, completely taken aback. His voice is raw pain. I’m not quite sure what to say to that. I’m in complete shock that he really believes this is true. Does he have no idea how much his sister loves him? How much she cares for him and admires him? And me...

"Cody," I start, but he cuts me off.

"There's something I haven't told you about Claudia," he says, his voice steady but strained.

I pause, cotton ball hovering over his bruised knuckles. "What is it?"

Cody takes a deep breath, his broad shoulders rising and falling. When he speaks, his voice is controlled, but I can hear the effort it takes. "When I said she left... that's not the whole truth. She died. In a car accident. I was driving."

My heart stops. Oh my God. I struggle to keep my face neutral, but my mind is reeling. Everything suddenly makes so much sense – his distance, his self-destructive behavior.

"Oh, my God. Cody." I move in one quick movement and pull him into my arms. His head falls to rest on my shoulder, and I instinctively bring my hands to his back, one working its way up his neck and into his hair. I massage his scalp, weaving my fingers through his soft locks. My breaths come quick and shallow, my heart racing in my chest.

"I'm so sorry," I apologize, my voice barely above a whisper. "All this time, I've been trying to compare our situations because I thought?—"

"I know," Cody interrupts, his voice muffled against my shoulder. "I know. It's okay. You couldn't have known. And you were just trying to help."

I feel him take a deep breath before he continues, "It's just... Talking about her makes me the kind of person I don't want to be. Someone who's cold and distant and downright mean. And I hate that I can't control it."

His admission breaks my heart. I tighten my hold on him, wishing I could somehow absorb some of his pain. I've never seen Cody this vulnerable, and it both terrifies and moves me. I want to say something, anything, to make it better, but I know there are no words that can erase this kind of hurt. So I just hold him, letting my presence speak louder than any words could.

"I'm so sorry, Cody," I say softly. "I had no idea.” I repeat, because I’m not sure what else to say.

He nods, his eyes fixed on a point in the distance. "Nobody does. I've never told anyone here. It's easier to be the carefree ski instructor than the guy who killed his fiancée."

"You didn't kill her," I say firmly, surprising myself with the conviction in my voice. "It was an accident."

Cody's eyes snap to mine, a mix of gratitude and disbelief in them. "How can you say that? You don't even know what happened."

"I know you," I say simply. "And I know you'd never intentionally hurt anyone, let alone someone you loved."

He swallows hard, and I see a glimmer of tears in his eyes, but he blinks them away. When he speaks again, his voice is hoarse. "I don't know how to move forward."

I reach out, hesitating for a moment before placing my hand on his. "You start by letting people in. By allowing yourself to be cared for. You're not alone, Cody."

He looks at our hands, then back at me. The vulnerability in his eyes is heart-wrenching, but there's strength there too – the strength of a man who's carried this burden alone for far too long.

"Thank you," he says quietly.

I nod, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. As I resume cleaning his wounds, my mind is racing. How long has he been carrying this pain? How did he manage to hide it so well? But not once do I question the man in front of me. If anything, my respect for him has grown tenfold.

We sit in comfortable silence as I finish tending to his injuries. There's so much more to say, so much to process, but for now, this is enough. He's let me in, and I silently vow to prove to him that he's not alone – not anymore.

After Cody's shower, we've both had time to cool off. He emerges from the bathroom, his hair damp and tousled, wearing a t-shirt that clings to his still-moist skin. I can't help but stare, momentarily distracted by the way the fabric outlines his muscular chest and abs.

His words from earlier echo in my mind: "Nobody cares about me." The pain in his voice when he said it still haunts me. I know I need to address this, to make him understand how wrong he is.

"Cody," I start, my voice softer than I intended. He turns to me, his eyebrows raised in question. I take a deep breath, gathering my thoughts.

"You can't be serious about what you said earlier. About nobody caring." I stand up, moving closer to him. "Cody, respectfully, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You are so loved. Do you not see it?"

His eyes meet mine, a mix of confusion and hope swirling in their depths.

"Your family aside—me aside—you have so much worth," I continue, my words gaining momentum. "You pass kids in the hallway, and they high-five you. The staff adores you. You are the kindest, most genuine person in this entire building."

I gesture to his bruised knuckles, my voice softening. "I mean, for God's sake, look at you! You got into a fight. For me . And I haven't even done anything to deserve it. The empathy and compassion you have is so far beyond me."

Cody's breathing has quickened, his chest rising and falling visibly beneath his damp shirt. I try not to let it distract me as I finish my speech.

"I think you're incredible. No, you're beyond incredible. You're extraordinary."

His eyes linger on mine, widening slightly. For a moment, he seems at a loss for words, genuinely taken aback by my outburst. Then, without warning, he steps forward and pulls me into a tight embrace. I can feel the dampness of his shirt against my cheek, but I don't care.

"Thank you," he whispers, his breath warm against my ear. The sincerity in his voice makes my heart skip a beat.

We stay like that for a moment, wrapped in each other's arms. Then, just as the intensity of the moment threatens to overwhelm us, Cody pulls back slightly. A slow, mischievous grin spreads across his face.

"Well," he says, his voice low and playful, "if I'm so extraordinary, maybe you should show me just how much you appreciate me."

His eyebrows waggle suggestively, breaking the tension with his characteristic humor. I can't help but laugh, even as a shiver of anticipation runs down my spine.

"I can think of a few ways you could do that," he adds with a wink.

And just like that, the Cody I know is back - grateful, yes, but also cheeky, confident, and undeniably sexy. Suddenly, I can't think of anything I want more than to take him up on his suggestion.

I don’t know why I do it, but I know I need to make him mine. I close the space between us and kiss him. I kiss him deep and slow, like he’s the only person in the world. Because to me, he is the only person in the world. His hand snakes around my waist, and the warmth of his skin is intoxicating. I think I might be addicted to it.

It feels good. Too good. In a single instant, I want much, much more.

The kissing deepens. I climb on top and straddle him. There’s so much heat between us. I can feel his dick hardening as I press my throbbing groin into his, desperate to feel any sort of friction as I move and start kissing, sucking, biting his neck. He makes all the right noises and grips me tighter. He whispers my name, and I sense his brain is trying to hesitate while his body is telling him, “Fuck that.”

I’m not stopping. I won’t. I don’t want that, and I know he doesn’t either.

“Get this off,” I demand as I pull away for a moment and forcefully tug on his shirt. I want to feel more heat. I want to be tossed right into the fire that only Cody and I can make.

He listens quickly to my demand and makes me do the same, and in a flurried moment, we’re both shirtless—me with my bra still on—and pressed against each other as much as we can be on the couch like this with our bottom halves still clothed.

I am so grateful for Cody. I can’t get over what he did for me. He protected me. He… He cares about me. Can he really think he’s not cared about, in return, by me?

A smile stretches my lips as I keep kissing and grabbing at him, an eagerness washing over me. I think I know just how to show him that I care about him, too.

But I don’t make any moves to get down to business straight away. I’m too obsessed with this current moment. With the taste of him, even with his split lip. The way he’s clinging to me. The way he’s matching my speed, yet again, always being so careful with me.

It’s such a fucking turn-on.

Finally, I pull away from him and climb off his lap. I don’t miss the look of surprise on his face as he gazes up at me, his eyes moving unconsciously to my bra-restricted breasts that heave with each breath I take as I gaze longingly down at him, biting my lower lip, hungry.

I drop to my knees and spread his apart so I can kiss his glistening abs. I lick them, too, drinking him up as I hastily unbutton his pants and sit back on my ass to tug them off of him, the two of us smiling like fucking fools at each other.

His briefs come off at the same time, and before me is this god of a man, naked and desperate for me. My touch. My kisses.

My mouth.

I stare excitedly at his cock, seeing it more up close than I did the first time. He’s so fucking hard . So eager. He’s been inside of me, but not this part of me. And he wants it bad . And I’m the one making him feel this way. God , it’s so thrilling. I throb with overwhelming desire. Longing. Possession. Neediness. Cody is mine. Mine, mine, mine.

First, I grip him with both of my hands, which have long since thawed from being out in the snow. Cody warmed me up in a millisecond, and it would seem that I had the same effect on him.

“You’re so fucking huge,” I whisper, mesmerized at the way my hands fit around him as he groans. Milo—or maybe any other guy—who knows?—would be grabbing the back of my head and pushing my face toward their dick by now. But not Cody. He’s patient. He wants to live in the moment as much as I do.

“Darcy.”

His whisper drives me up a wall, and I can’t wait any longer to put my mouth to his shaft. At first, I kiss, slowly, agonizingly softly, all the way up and down it.

“Jesus,” he sighs and sinks deeper into the leather of the sofa, his cock twitching.

I’m too eager to do much more teasing. But still, mainly because I want to taste him, I trail my tongue up his shaft, moving slowly, then I sneak a peek up at him before taking the glistening head of his penis into my cupped mouth.

At this, he tenses and grabs onto my hair. Not too hard, but enough to tangle his fingers in it. And I love it. I love his every twitch. Squirm. Contented sigh. I know right then and there that I don’t want to stop until he comes into my mouth. I want to make this all about him.

“Darcy,” he says in a loud, sudden way that’s jarring enough to make me take him out of my mouth. I see the horrified expression on his face and wonder what I did wrong, but then I hear it: the sound of a key in the door.

“Shit!” I whisper-cry, letting Cody help me to my feet as we scramble to grab a throw blanket and cover ourselves up with it before Maya walks in and sees something that will scar her for life, far worse than the cut on her forehead.

I sit next to Cody on the sofa, both of us panting but covered by the blanket in the nick of time before Maya and Louis stumble into the room.

“Whoa!” Maya exclaims, making Cody and I share a guilty look before acknowledging Maya, who is standing with Louis, both of their eyes wide as saucers. “No fucking way!” Maya takes a single step closer, but Cody holds out his hand, looking like he’s in physical pain as he scrunches up his face. “Stop! Please! Um. You—you might not want to come any closer.”

Maya’s lips curl back in disgust as Louis starts cracking up.

“ Again ?!” Maya muses aloud as she begins to pace. “I knew it. I knew it! The tension between you two is insane. I knew you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off of each other.” She’s hardly even bothered by what she has just interrupted. I wonder if she has any idea…

Suddenly, she snaps her head back to us, her brows furrowing. “Wait, when did you guys make up? Did I just interrupt your makeup kiss? Oh shit, I’m sorry. Let me get out of—” She starts to leave, dragging Louis along with her, but I call after her before she can take more than a couple of steps.

“Maya, wait!”

She slowly turns around, hesitantly, like she expects that Cody and I have stripped and started screwing right there on the couch in the two seconds since she looked away.

“Yes?” she asks timidly, and she’s so cute that I want to stick her in my pocket and keep her there forever. Brother and sister similarities, I suppose.

“Are you okay?” I ask her gently. I feel my heart melt when her face warms like the epitome of sunshine. She nods, a little smile spreading on her face.

“I’m beyond okay, Darcy. I’m great. This ,” she gestures between her brother and me, “is great. Well, not this as in—this moment I’ve interrupted…whatever was happening… But just—in general. I’m—I’m happy for you guys.”

I beam at her.

“Hey, Maya?” Cody asks.

“Hmm?” she calls to him, looking at me with eyes full of love. Louis continues to laugh in the doorway, trying to give Cody a distasteful air-high-five.

Cody still looks like he’s in pain. I can’t imagine how embarrassed he must feel, sitting under blankets completely naked after his baby sister’s BFF just had his dick in her mouth. “I love you and all, but can you get the fuck out?”