No, babe, they’re not going to just go on their merry way and let us resume our fuck-fest.
Besides, now that everything was out in the open, I had every intention of pounding Cody into the floorboards regardless of Hank and Jill’s presence.
Am I disgusting? Maybe.
But seeing Cody defend me and fight for me multiplied my love for him by ten million. I never had anyone stand up for me. I’d had to stand up for myself my whole life. The result was a prickly personality and a toxic trait of trying to ruin the sweet moments in life. Cody’s love vanquished some of the pain that induced my more destructive tendencies.
I looked over, and Cody was starting to doze. I motioned for him to rest his head on my lap so he could sleep. He still had a gnarly knot from the fall, and he needed to recuperate.
I’d take care of him when we got home.
With a healthy dose of TLC and a sprinkling of BDSM.
Chapter 38
Rafael
A canopy of ominous thunderclouds hung overhead. Waves crashed into the tiny boat. Mattie must have smacked his face off the boat while being tossed about because his face was covered in blood.
I gripped the sides of the boat and desperately tried to reach him. Mattie’s eyes drooped, and the lifejacket hung loose on his body. “Pull it tighter, Mattie!”
I clutched the boat to keep from falling overboard and finally reached him. I pulled Mattie into me.
“Stay awake, Mattie.”
He was fading, and the boat would capsize—too much water was in it. My body trembled as I –
I saw him out of the corner of my eye.
“Cody?” Cody sat in the boat with us. He wasn’t there before. He had an enormous knot on his head, blood streaming from it. Cody looked at me with a sad expression before his eyes began fluttering. I ran over to him. “Cody! What is it?”
I could see the whites of his eyes. His head rolled back before falling to the side. The weight of it caused his body to sag to one side.
I slapped his face, trying to make him wake up. A soft groan from behind reminded me of Mattie. I ran back to him. His eyes were closed. Blood covered his face, and I didn’t know what to do.
Cody’s body convulsed. I ran back to him, and a foamy drool fell from his mouth.
“What’s happening to you?” I cried out.
I turned to the opposite end of the boat to find Mattie gone. I looked over the boat’s edge to see Mattie floating in the water. “No!”
I dove in just as an enormous wave engulfed us. The boat capsized. Mattie’s body floated one way, while Cody’s floated another. I didn’t know who to swim to first. Mattie was drifting further away. Cody’s body began sinking. He didn’t have a life vest. I dove, trying to find him. It was impossible to find him in the black sea. My head breached the surface, and I looked for Mattie.
Gone.
They were both gone. I screamed. I screamed over and over again. I cursed and pleaded to give them back. “Please! Please!”
“Rafael!”
Cody’s hands cupped my face. The sharp inhalation burned my lungs, and my trembling hands reached forward in the dark room.
My eyes adjusted, and Cody’s sweet face came into view.
“Baby, you’re dreaming again,” he said. My hands wrapped around his shoulders, and I squeezed his body to mine. “Breathe, baby. Just breathe,” he said.
I shuddered as the first tear escaped. It had been nearly a month since the cabin, and the dream had plagued my nights.
I tried to hush my sobbing, but there was no hiding it from Cody. He kissed my damp cheek, reassuring me that it was just a dream. “I’m here, baby. What do you need?”
