When the meal was over, she carried her dishes into the kitchen. Melly came in behind her and the two women were alone. After setting her burden in the sink, Melly touched Tamsyn’s hand. “I know it’s incredibly hard to walk away. When Mike and I had to leave our home, I wanted to sit in the APC and cry my eyes out but I had to keep myself under control so I could take care of Mike. Even though I was going with Jeff, it was hard. It was wrenching to drive away. I can only imagine how you must be feeling, with all the centuries of family history here.”
Tamsyn was afraid to open her mouth to respond, given the grief balled up in her chest like a boulder and the tears waiting to fall.
“As your family physician and your friend,” Melly said, “Take advantage of this evening to let all the emotion I see you repressing out. Lean on Cody—I think it’s beautiful how much he cares for you. He’ll want to be present for you and tonight he can be. Jeff didn’t put him on the guard duty roster, aside from running his drones, which he does all the time anyway. Tomorrow Cody’ll be back on military duty, like the whole team is. We’ll be driving through hostile territory and they’ll all be on high alert and poised for action. Their goal is to protect us, you, me and Mike, and they won’t let anything stand in their way. But you haven’t seen the team in full military mode and I have. It’s something else to behold. Highly reassuring.”
“So no hand holding if I get weepy,” Tamsyn ventured to say, trying to make a joke of it.
“Not in the middle of an infected attack anyway,” Melly said, matching her tone to Tamsyn’s. “But maybe after the action?—”
“Thanks,” Tamsyn said. “I’m not having second thoughts but I can’t get over the idea I’m leaving tomorrow and most likely never coming back.”
“Who knows what the future might bring?” Melly asked philosophically. “I don’t think any of us really knows what lies ahead. I promised Jeff I’d go over a few things in the medical report again so if you don’t need me?—”
“Go ahead, I’ll be fine.” She wouldn’t but kind as Melly was, she couldn’t help Tamsyn right now. No one could, although Cody could provide a lot of comfort and support. As if thinking his name had summoned him, he walked into the kitchen, hands full of dishes, as Melly left.
“I’ll help with these,” he said, filling the sink.
“We just have to put them in the dishwasher,” she said. “Then I’d like to go upstairs and spend my last night here at home in bed with you.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” He scrutinized her closely but Tamsyn maintained her outward façade of calm. Time enough to break down later.
“First though, I need to set the horses free.” Dreading the moment, Tamsyn dried her hands before going to the stasis keeper and pulling out a big carrot. “Blaze’s favorite treat.”
Cody walked with her to the barn. The horses had all been kept indoors while the soldiers removed the far side of the corral fencing, so when she let them out tonight there’d be nothing to prevent them from roaming. Silently she went about grooming each horse for the last time, Cody helping, and then one by one she led them outside and removed their halters. The horses were visibly puzzled by this unusual break in routine and huddled in a group by the water trough. She led Blaze out of the barn and stood for a few minutes patting his neck while he chomped on the giant carrot. She laid her forehead against his and tried not to cry.
“All right, old friend, I can’t take you with me this trip. I need you to take care of the others for me and maybe someday I’ll be back home,” she whispered.
Flicking his ears, the horse made a soft sound as if he understood her words and pranced a bit as she unfastened his halter and dropped it. He nuzzled her shoulder and she hugged his neck, heart breaking, wishing with a flash of utter panic that she could reverse her decision but matters had gone too far now. Retreating a step, she gave Blaze a gentle push in the direction of his fellow horses. He ambled over to the water trough, took a drink, then threw his head up and shook out his mane before suddenly breaking into a trot and heading for where the fences used to be. The others streamed after him and it was a beautiful sight to see as the small herd raced into the night.
Tamsyn bent to pick up the halter she’d dropped but her knees gave way and she sank to the ground weeping. Cody picked her up, murmuring comforting words and carried her to the house, going through the back door and up the stairs to the second floor where their bedroom was so no one else would see her in such distress.
She was so lost in grief she was barely conscious of him gently removing her clothes and his own, then ushering her into the big shower in their private bathroom, where he proceeded to soap every inch of her and then wash her hair while she cried and hiccupped. By the time he finished rinsing off all the soap and shampoo, she was cried out and overtaken by a strange calmness. Cody wrapped her in one of the big fluffy towels and gave her another to wrap her hair before carrying her to the bedroom.
Tamsyn let the towels drop. “I need you,” she said. “Now, in this bed.”
He grabbed one of her discarded towels and gave himself a hasty rubdown to dry off. His cock was already standing proud and ready as he moved toward her and lifted her easily so he could lay her on the soft sheets. “I know this is difficult for you,” he said as he came over her and placed tiny kisses along her neck. “Having second thoughts?”
“Not if I’m going to be with you,” she said, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. “You’re my home now, wherever you are.”
For answer he took her lips in a tender caress that became more demanding as their tongues danced and their bodies entwined. Tamsyn was more than ready for him after the sensuous shower and to Cody’s obvious surprise, she flipped him onto his back, not that he was resisting, and positioned herself over him. Inch by inch she sank onto the hard length, her body welcoming the penetration and the closeness. When he was fully seated she moved her hips, creating more pressure on his generously sized shaft and not incidentally to stimulate herself in the process. Cody grabbed her hips hard enough to leave marks but Tamsyn welcomed the strength of his possessive grip and used his hold to anchor herself as she worked to bring them both to their climax. He met her move for move and it wasn’t long before she felt herself falling over the edge. Closing her eyes, tightening around his girth as firmly as she could, she let herself fly on the feelings he was evoking. His name burst from her lips as the orgasm crested.
Cody flipped her over and kept driving, thrusting deep and pulling back before filling her again. She wasn’t sure where the first climax ended and the second began but could tell he was on the edge so she did her best to focus and was rewarded by him calling her name in a choked but triumphant voice as he held her so tight she couldn’t breathe and found his release.
They collapsed together, Cody shifting to allow her to cuddle close by his side and rest her head on his shoulder. He smoothed her damp hair and kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
Heart full, Tamsyn said, “I love you too. I can’t believe how lucky we are to have met in the middle of all this awful craziness.”
“We’ll ride it out together,” he said. “And there will be a future. There has to be.”
* * *
Next morning….
She was in the kitchen again, putting away the last of the clean dishes after a quick breakfast. Jeff was anxious to be underway and so she’d prepared a fairly light repast, using the last of the eggs Mike had gathered for her. Trent stuck his head in the door and said, “The power’s off and the water is shut down. Solar array is on standby.”
“Thanks, tell them I’ll be out in a minute, ok?”
He gave her a salute and withdrew.
