Page 11 of Just Hold On

Chapter 10

I was right.My hands fit around her waist. Oh, they didn't touch, but the curves there were built just for me. This was the perfect angle to pull her right against my raging hard-on, but I was being the gentleman. I was supposed to be ignoring the way her body filled the hollows of mine. I was just taking care of a fellow rider who'd had a little too much to drink, and I most certainly was not getting laid tonight.

Sadly, my dick didn't agree. I could feel the blood pounding down there as it strained to press against her silky skin. To keep from doing something stupid, I had to take a very big, very controlled breath, but I couldn't look away from those perfectly blue eyes. I wanted to drown in them.

"Cody," I said gently, making sure that I kept my voice nice and bland, "I need you to stand back up."

She giggled, leaned a bit closer, and even batted those pretty golden lashes. "I just threw myself at you."

"Yeah, you did, and I caught you."

Then she pressed a little closer. "But you didn't kiss me. You're supposed to kiss me now, Ty McBride."

Oh damn. I couldn't help myself. It was just a kiss, and she'd asked me to. No, she'd told me to, and that was hot as hell. My hand found the side of her face, and my lips were crushing hers before my brain even engaged. I felt her moan. The sound traveled all the way down to my balls, and I just kissed harder, begging her to let me in. Maybe I wasn't getting laid. I certainly wouldn't let my hands roam, but kissing her was safe.

For her.

For me, this was dangerous. She was intoxicating. One kiss wouldn't be nearly enough. As my body pressed into hers, she gave way, stepping back until she hit the wall, but her hands kept pulling. She wanted me closer. I didn't dare. The last time I'd tried to come on to her, she'd told me no, and now she was drunk. She was much too drunk, and I was trying to figure out how to be a good man.

"Where's the line?" I asked as I kissed my way to her ear.

She just leaned her head back. "I don't care."

"Baby." Swallowing back the taste of her skin, I looked up. "You said you weren't sleeping with me. You already told me that, and I get it. I just want to know if I've already crossed the line."

Her lips curled up, but her eyes still weren't focused. "You've already seen me naked, cowboy. What's stopping you?"

Drunk. She was too drunk. I gently kissed her mouth again as I cupped the side of her face. "Respect."

I felt her body stiffen. "Pssh," she huffed out, but it sounded forced. "People don't respect me."

"Cody, look at me." I refused to let go of her face. She tried. She blinked hard, but her eyes still wobbled, taking much too long to find mine. "There are so many things I'd love to do to you. Starting with your mouth and ending with you screaming my name at the top of your lungs. Just one problem, beautiful. I like my girls sober enough to say yes, and I'm pretty damned sure you can't do that."

"Oh." She didn't even try to deny it. Then her lip quivered. "But I'm only fun when I'm drunk."

"Prove it. Let me see you when you aren't?"

The words were out before I'd even thought them through, but it was what I wanted. Oh, this tight, naked body of hers was nice, but tonight I'd seen something I had to have. Her smile had me wanting more, and I didn't just mean getting her in bed. I wanted to hear her laugh, to hold her when she needed a shoulder, and to protect this very gentle girl from all the bad things she was scared of. I just wanted her. All of her. And I wanted much more than just one night.

Which meant I had to stop. For now.

"Why?" she asked, glancing away. "So this'll be easier to prove?"

Carefully, I shifted around so my back was against the wall, holding her waist against me. "Why do you think I'd tell anyone about this?"

She shrugged, but still wouldn't look at me. "I just figured this was your big plan to make sure I never came back. Screw my brains out, then make me the laughingstock because of it so I'd be too embarrassed to show my face."

Ah fuck. Well, that was one more piece of this puzzle. I knew she was scared of something, but I never would've guessed that. Without letting her go, I reached back and turned off the water. It was still dripping when I tugged the curtain open enough to find our towels. First, I wrapped one around my waist, hoping a little distance would get some blood back to my brain. Then I used the other to carefully wipe the water from her jaw and neck, making sure to keep my focus well above her shoulders.

"If that's what you thought, then why did you let me get in this shower with you?"

She shrugged, her cheeks once again turning bright. "It'd be worth it. I mean, I'm not gonna stop riding, but my best friend said I deserved to do what I want as much as you guys."

Whoa. I'd be worth it? My hand froze, and my eyes locked on her face. Was she really saying what I thought she was? I had to know.

"What do you want, Cody? What do you want so bad you'd be willing to take the shit these guys like to throw around?"

Her teeth caught her lip, and she shrugged before pulling away to wrap the towel around her. Just when I thought she'd actually answer, she turned, clearly meaning to leave the shower, but she wasn't that stable. With one hand clutching the towel over her breasts, the other barely kept her from leaning into the wall, and she didn't look like she was stopping. Well, screw that.

I ducked between her and the wall, effectively putting her arm right around my neck, then hooked her right behind the knees. She didn't weigh much, but she was solid. If she tried to make this difficult, she could. Thankfully, her first instinct was to cling to me as I carried her back into the main room. The feel of her fingers on the back of my neck? The way she pressed her face into my shoulder? God, I couldn't get enough of touching her. The walk to the bed was much too short.

Carefully, I eased her onto the mattress, claiming the spot beside her hip. The way her hands lingered on me was like she didn't want to let go. I didn't want her to, either, but the way she was touching me was driving me crazy.

"So you gonna let me see you again when you aren't drunk?" I asked again.

She giggled, pulling her eyes away. It was cute, like she was a little bit shy. Considering this was the same girl I'd seen threaten to beat Austin into the ground earlier, yeah, I liked it. Cody was an enigma, this mix of a strong woman and a very gentle girl, and I liked the way she made me feel: protective. In this instant, I'd take on the world for her.

"I think you'll know where I'll be tomorrow."

"Mhm. You'll start out in my bed. Like you are now." She sucked in a little breath and tried to sit up, but I just pushed her back down, leaning that much closer when I did it. "You're staying there." I tilted my head back, motioning behind me. "And there's another over there."

She looked at it, back to me, then to the other bed again. "So that one's yours?"

I shifted, pressing one hand into the mattress by her waist. "They're both mine. My room, so my beds for the night, and I'm going to let you use one."

"Which one?" she asked, letting her eyes linger on my upper arm.

I moved just a bit closer, this time pressing my hand beside her head. "I have a real fondness for this one. I figure you've teased me enough tonight, Cody. I deserve to get a little something back. Isn't that what I'm supposed to tell you? Or are you really that opposed to sleeping beside me?"

Her chest was moving faster. I could see her pulse racing and her pupils flared at the idea. Slowly, almost timidly, she reached up, letting her fingers slide from my wrist around the back of my arm, heading toward my shoulder.

"Guess you changed your mind about sleeping with me?"

"Oh no," I promised, slowly moving toward those amazingly pink lips. "I plan on sleeping with you. You've had enough to drink that I'm not fucking you tonight, but you and me? Yeah. I have every intention of pulling that delicious body of yours up against mine all night long."

"I won't be drunk in the morning." The words were a whisper.

Another half inch and my lips found hers, just barely sliding over them before I pulled back. "No, baby, but you'll be hungover. I think you just want me to chase you, and I'm up for that."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. And I sure as hell don't give up easy. I'm not giving up until I have you every single way I want you."

"I..." Those blue eyes flicked between mine. "Ty..."

I could only guess what she was about to say, so I kissed her, trying to think of how I could backtrack. Had I just gone too far? I could tell she'd never done anything like this, but had she ever done anything?

"Cody?" I trailed my fingers over the smooth skin along her cheek. "Baby, are you a virgin?"

Biting her lips closed, she shook her head.

"Am I scaring you?"

Another little shake, but this one wasn't as big. That meant yes, I was scaring her, but she didn't want me to stop.

"Good," I breathed. "Because I would never hurt you. Never, baby." And then I found her lips again.

This time, she kissed back. Her body arched as she strained to reach me, pulling me down on top of her. I didn't bother resisting. Only my forearms held my body above hers, and still she was pulling me closer, writhing in time to the movement of our tongues. Then she moaned. God, I loved the sounds she made. I wanted more, louder. Catching the fullness of her lip in my teeth, I finally let my hips buck, feeling two layers of plush terry between us before I focused on her mouth again.

This woman was a vixen, knowing every weakness I had. Lying beneath me, she was using them all. Her breath came out hard, tinted with the sound of her voice as she followed my lead. Her mouth moved to my neck. Her teeth teased my skin. Her hands dug deep into the muscles of my back and neck. Then her leg moved to pin my hips down against hers. I wanted to. Goddamn, I wanted to so bad, but not tonight.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd said no. I couldn't think of a woman I cared about enough to not screw, but I wouldn't do that to Cody. I'd promised. She might be mostly coherent, but this time, I wasn't looking to ditch her before my alarm went off. I wanted to feel this amazing body all night, curled next to me, and wake up kissing her shoulder. When I finally slid so deep inside her, I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted her to have every single thing she deserved, and this was not it.

"Cody," I begged, lifting my head just out of her reach.

Heavy lids opened, the eyes beneath filled with lust as her hands slid lower, right down to the top of my ass. Then she tilted her hips, pressing herself along the length of me. Yeah, I groaned.

"Baby." I had to take a breath. "Don't do that, sweetie. Right now, there's not a whole lot separating us, and my willpower is only so strong."

She smiled. "So?"

I decided to keep my answer very simple and straight to the point. "Condoms. None."

Oh, that was one more lie to add to the list tonight, but she didn't need to know. Not yet. It also worked exactly like I expected. Her knees relaxed, freeing me from her grasp, and her calf slowly slid down the back of my thigh.

"Oh."

"Which means you have to wait for next time." I stole a quick kiss, then pulled myself away, well aware of the tent in my towel. "Want a couple of aspirin before you pass out? Helps to keep my hangovers at bay." But I wasn't headed toward the bathroom. I was looking for my bag of clothes.

She pulled herself together, yanking her towel higher up her chest. "Probably."

"Lemme get that." Ah, there they were.

In the bottom of my bag, I had a spare t-shirt and some clean boxers. A bit more digging and I found a pair of pajama bottoms. Those went over my shoulder. The shirt and boxers? As I made my way past Cody's bed, I tossed them over.

"Something more comfortable to sleep in. Makes it a little harder for me to accidentally seduce you in the middle of the night." Then I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

I took my time. Granted, the swelling in my dick wasn't exactly going to vanish quickly, but I wanted to give her the chance to get dressed without feeling like she was on display. When I thought enough time had passed, I found the glass she'd used earlier and filled it up again. First, I took a long drink, then I filled it one more time and opened the bathroom door as loudly as I could. On the other side was only silence. She didn't ask me to wait, nor did I hear any frantic scrambling. Well, hopefully, I'd dawdled enough.

Rounding the corner, I found her sitting with her legs crossed, right in the middle of the bed. My clothes looked so good on her. Beneath the oversized tee, I could see the swell of her breasts and knew my dick was going to be very angry about this, but I wasn't. No, I could imagine seeing her like that every single night.

Oddly, that thought didn't upset me. Not at all. I'd only met this girl the day before, but I liked her. I actually liked her. She was so strong, so brave, but so brittle, and I was going to make damned sure she didn't break.

This was my girl, and if anyone tried to hurt her, they'd have to come through me first. I was also going to show her exactly how she deserved to be treated. Maybe it had been a long time since I'd acted like that, but right now was the perfect time to change. Seeing her smiling up at me like that - yeah, I could be every single thing she ever needed, so she'd keep coming back for more.

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