Still Fine at Forty (8 page)

When he kissed me again, it was almost too much to bear. Every inch of my body had become sensitized. “Please,” I could feel myself beg.

“Please, what?” he teased as he placed soft kisses down my neck, which made me shiver in response.

I had never asked for what I wanted before. I never had to. Sex with Rob was rote and routine. He did what he wanted, got what he wanted, and never seemed concerned about what I wanted or needed.

“What do you want?” Cody whispered in my ear. I could feel his breath on my neck and another round of shivers went through me.

“I want you,” I said so softly it felt almost imperceptible.

“Where?”
His beautiful brown eyes were dancing with amusement.

I moved my hands down between my legs. “Here,” I replied. “I want to feel you inside me.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for me?” he asked as he placed two fingers inside me.

“I’m ready.” I couldn’t have been more ready. I was about to explode.

“Yes, you are.” He gave me a mischievous grin. “Birth control?”

I shook my head.

He quickly grabbed a small packet from his jacket pocket and opened it.

He slipped the condom over his erection. I rocked my hips and he lowered himself into me. It had been so long since I had a man inside of me, I had almost forgotten how magnificent it felt. He filled me so completely.

His passionate kisses continued as he thrust himself deep inside me. He alternated between animal intensity and soft lovemaking until I could no longer feel where his body ended and mine began. Then his rhythm because more deliberate and intense. When I was on the verge of climax, he let himself go and we both rejoiced in the satisfaction of the ultimate release.

For the first time, I understood what sex was supposed to feel like. 

He gently kissed both of my eyelids and then placed a soft kiss on my mouth. He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity, as if he was trying to get lost in my eyes, or touch my soul through them. “I’ve waited so long for this,” he said. “I don’t want this moment to end.”

I thought that was an odd thing to say. Waited so long for what, I wondered. His skill level indicated he had plenty of experience in the bedroom, apparently much more than I had.

He gave me another quick kiss before he rolled off of me and headed toward the bathroom to clean himself off.

I was so blissfully exhausted, I couldn’t move.

When he returned, he put on his boxers then rejoined me in the bed. He kissed my cheek and caressed the side of my face with his fingers.

“Was it okay for you?” he asked with a bit of nervousness in his voice. Surely, he didn’t have any anxiety about that magnif
icent performance.

I smiled. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.” 

“That, good?” he grinned. “I’m glad.” Then he noticed that I was still naked. “Are you cold?”

I nodded. He gathered me into his arms and held me tight. He was warm and I felt so safe and protected in his arms.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Then I said, “I just want you to know that I usually don’t sleep with guys on second dates.”

He let out a chuckle. “I know.” He played with my hair and ran his fingers down my neck.

I swallowed then said, “I want you to know that you’re the only man I’ve been with besides my ex-husband.”

He looked surprised.
“Ever?”

I nodded. “I’ve been with two men and you’re number two.”

He leaned up on his elbow and looked at me inquisitively. “Why me?”

“Why not you?”

“You could have your pick of the wealthy and famous here in Sedona. I’m just a starving artist working four jobs to make ends meet.”

Now I leaned up on my elbow and looked into his eyes. “You are an artist with a passion and a dream. I admire that. And there aren’t men beating down my door to go out with me despite what you think.”

He placed his hand on my cheek and caressed it. “I have no idea why there aren’t lines of guys after you. But I’m glad I’m the one here with you. And I’m glad you chose me to be your second.”

“And why did you pick me?” I asked. “Surely, there are hoards of young girls waiting to be in your bed.”

He shook his head. “I really don’t date. I made an exception for you.”

He stroked the side of my cheek ever so tenderly with his thumb.

“I just want to make sure this is real,” he said. “I want to make sure you’re real.”

I grinned. “Of course I’m real.” I sensed there was more to the comment than what was on the surface.

“I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now,” he said.

Because of me? The idea seemed ridiculous.

“Tomorrow,” he said.

“What about tomorrow?”

“I want to take you out again. Are you free?”

I nodded. I couldn’t wait to see him again. And I was so glad he asked. “Don’t you have to work, though?”

“You’re only in town for a few days. I want to monopolize all your time while you’re here.” He leaned down and kissed me. “And I want to make sure no other guys have a chance to ask you out.”

“Do you really think I’d go out with anyone else after this?”

He shook his head. “I just want to make sure you’re all mine.”

It seemed too soon to make such declarations, but at the same time, it seemed so right. Even though we had only known each other a few days, I felt like I had known him much longer.

“And what about you? Are you all mine?” I gulped because I was a little afraid of his response.

“I’ll always be yours,” he said.

Always? Really? Always is a long time, I thought. But the intensity in his eyes made me believe him.

“So what do you want to do tomorrow?” he asked. “The sky’s the limit. I want to spoil you.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said. “I know you’re saving money for your art gallery. Let’s do something casual, like a burger and beer place. The most important thing to me is spending time with you.”

He smiled. “Burgers and beer it is then.”

***

Mel and I hit the spa for the day. The day of pampering was part of our girl’s getaway package. We decided on hot stone massages, renewing and revitalizing facials, and reflexology treatments and pedicures.

By time we got to the pedicures, I felt thoroughly scrubbed, toned, rubbed and relaxed.

I selected a light coral color polish and Mel picked a fire e
ngine red. I thought our choices said a lot about our personalities.

“So, you’re going out with Cody again?” Mel asked.

“Yes, he asked me to dinner.” I wondered where the conversation was going.

“I guess the sex was good if you’re going after another round.” I noticed a bit of harshness in her voice.

“Not that I have a lot to compare him to, but he did perform very well.”

“Maybe you should create a bigger base of comparison,” she said.

I was a little taken aback by her comment. She was the one who wanted me to get back in the saddle, so to speak. Now that I had someone new in my life, she didn’t seem too thrilled about it. “Maybe I don’t want a larger base of comparison. Maybe I like Cody and want to see him again.”

I could see Mel’s expression transform. I knew the tactic from her playbook. When she didn’t get agreement from one line of questioning, she simply changed lines until she got what she wanted. “Marvin and I are worried about you,” she said.

“Why?” I shot back.

“Cody is a vacation fling. We feel you might be getting too attached to him.”

She was right. I was getting attached to him. But I wanted to get attached. And I thought he was getting attached to me, too. “I like Cody and he likes me.”

“He’s twenty-nine years old.”

“So?”

I didn’t think Mel was expecting me to challenge her. I had never challenged her on anything ever before. We were definitely moving into unfamiliar territory for both of us. But there was no
way I was going to back down or give in. Cody meant too much to me already.

“Jen, you’re my best friend and I don’t want to see you get hurt. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to put all of your 40-year-old eggs into a 29-year-old basket.”

“We like each other,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or me.

“I can see how much you like him, but how do you know he really likes you?”

I thought about it for a moment. I felt in every fiber of my being that he was completely sincere. I felt like there was a deep and eternal connection between us. That we had already created a bond that could never be broken. But how could I tell her those things without sounding like a loon? “I just know, okay?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not okay. I know you don’t have a lot of experience with guys, but I do. Guys, especially young ones, will say anything to get you in the sack. I just hope you’re not taking his lines seriously.”

“Cody’s not like that,” I insisted.

She raised an eyebrow. “Guys who look the way Cody looks are like that.”

I was suddenly angry at Mel. I was angry that she was putting seeds of doubt about Cody in my mind. I couldn’t imagine the wonderful and sweet man I knew being anything other than honest, but she did have a lot more experience than I did. And he was much younger. And gorgeous. I wondered if he was really just saying what I wanted to hear to get me into bed.

Before I could hold it back, a single teardrop rolled down my cheek.

“Please don’t cry,” Mel said and sighed. “I’m not saying these things to make you feel bad. I just want you to be realistic and see this for what it is. A vacation fling. A fantastic memory you’ll have for the rest of your life. But please don’t fool yourself into thinking it could be possibly be a relationship.”

Too late, I thought. It already is. Or at least I wanted it to be.

Seven

It was 6 p.m. when Cody knocked on the door. He looked delicious in his tight black jeans and button down white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up just enough to show off his muscular forearms. I loved the casual look on him.

I was wearing a coral silk blouse and a short white skirt that Mel had picked out for me. Cody whistled when he saw me. “Every time I see you, you get even more beautiful.”

When he bent down to kiss me, I was instantly drawn to him. I was never addicted to anything in my life but I was already hooked on Cody’s lips, and mouth and touch. We were both breathless when Cody finally withdrew.

“If we don’t go now,” he said, “I’ll take you into the bedroom for the rest of the night and we’ll never eat.”

He grabbed my hand and we headed out of the hotel.

When we exited the lobby, the Jeep was nowhere in sight. “Are we walking again?” I asked.

“Do you mind? It’s such a beautiful evening.”

I shook my head. “I love taking walks. I walk Pugsy about a mile every day.”

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

I grinned. That certainly implied a future together. Maybe Mel was wrong and this was more than just a vacation fling after all.

As we walked down the main street, I stopped in front of a wonderful metallic
javelina statue I had liked when I went shopping with Mel.

“Sedona is known for its artwork,” Cody said.

“This piece is fantastic.” I remarked, still admiring the piece.

“Why?” he asked.

“It’s got such realism to it. It’s like you can see the texture of the animal’s actual fur even though the work is made of metal. That couldn’t have been easy for the artist to do.”

He smiled. “It’s not.”

“So, when do I get to see some of your work?”

“You just did.”

I blinked in surprise. Of all of the outdoor art pieces around town, I had picked Cody’s. There was that amazing connection between us at work again.

“It’s fantastic,” I said. “Do you have any other stuff around town?” 

“A few things. I’m trying to save the best stuff for my own gallery.”

“I’d love to see your work sometime,” I ventured. He had yet to invite me to his place.

He kissed the top of my head. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to make one more quick stop before dinner.”

I nodded.

Cody grabbed my hand and pulled me down a side street and then down a narrow alleyway. The sun was setting and it was a bit scary. I had no idea where we were going or why.

Then I noticed a small sign attached to a chain fence.
Jim Miller Jeep Tours. Beyond the fence were two rows of jeeps, about eight in total, and a small outbuilding.

Cody opened a large metal gate. He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me through. As it got dark, I noticed a small light come on in the back of the building.

Cody led me toward the lighted area. A rugged man, probably in his late 40s, looked up from a Jeep he was in the processes of washing, and smiled at me.

He wiped his hands on a towel then approached with an ou
tstretched palm. “You must be Jenny,” he said and his grin became even wider.

“And you must be Jim Miller,” I ventured.

“What gave it away?”

“The sign out front.”

Jim placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “This young man has told me a lot about you.”

I nodded because I couldn’t
say well, he’d told me almost nothing about you
.

Jim turned his gaze at me again. “You’re more beautiful than Cody described.”

I could feel my face turn red with embarrassment. “Thank you,” I managed to squeak out. I liked that Cody had been talking about me with Jim.

There was a sudden awkwardness as the three of us struggled for what to say next. I got the impression that Jim was not a man of many words.

Cody finally broke the tension. “I wanted you to meet Jim because he adopted me when I was sixteen.”

That took me back a few steps. It wasn’t what I was expec
ting to hear but it made sense why Cody had his last name and was a little evasive about it. And he had mentioned what an awful childhood he had. Some of the pieces of the Cody puzzle were starting to fall into place.

Jim looked into my eyes as if he was sizing me up then spoke. “Cody was in a group home when my wife found him. He had just turned 15. My wife was an artist and she was doing volunteer work at several group homes throughout the state. An art ther
apist saw a lot of potential in Cody and made a point of introducing him to my wife. My wife had always wanted children but we couldn’t have them, so she immediately began the process so we could become Cody’s foster parents.”

I nodded. I could see a bit of sorrow move into Jim’s eyes. “Cody made remarkable progress with Lucia, my wife, and really grew as an artist. She was so proud of him. A few months before Cody’s 18th birthday, Lucia was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. The only thing she wanted was for Cody to have a good life. She wanted more than anything for him to be su
ccessful and happy. The last thing she did before she passed was to arrange an art apprenticeship for Cody.”

“It sounds like Lucia was a wonderful woman,” I said.

Jim nodded. I saw one lone teardrop escape down his cheek and he quickly flicked it away. He cleared his throat. “Lucia would have been thrilled to meet you. It would have made her happy to see how happy you’ve made Cody.”

When I glanced over at Cody, he was beaming at me. He o
bviously had a lot of love for Jim and Lucia. And bringing me here to meet Jim made me realize how much he cared about me. I leaned over and gave Cody a kiss on the cheek. I thought that maybe there was a chance of more than just a vacation fling between us but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. As optimistic as I might have been about the bond that seemed to be developing between us, I was also a realist at heart.

“I know you two have dinner to get to,” Jim said. “I don’t want to keep you.”

“Would you like to join us?” I blurted. I quickly looked over at Cody and he nodded.

Jim waved his rag in the air.
“Oh, no. I’ve still got several Jeeps to clean and it’s already getting dark. You kids have a good time.”

Jim reached over and patted Cody on the shoulder. Then he leaned in and gave me a hug. “Real nice to meet you, Jenny,” he half whispered.

“See you tomorrow, then?” Cody said to Jim as he grabbed my hand.

“Bright and early,” Jim said and chuckled.

As Cody led me back out the gate, he said, “I hope that was okay.”

“More than okay,” I said. “Thank you for taking me to meet him.”

Cody grinned. “Let’s get to the burger place. I’m starving.”

***

The Angry Javelina had exactly the kind of laid-back atmosphere I had hoped.  I loved places that felt like being in a neighborhood pub.

We both ordered burgers with extra Pepper Jack cheese, mushrooms, lettuce and tomatoes and the house beer on tap.
Apparently they have a local microbrewery and Cody wanted me to try it. Everything was delicious.

Cody kept the conversation light. He asked me about school and
Pugsy. I noticed when I tried to ask him questions about his past, he was a bit evasive or would change the subject. I didn’t want to pry, but I also wanted to know more about the man I was starting to fall for.

Falling for? Was it possible when I had only known him for a few days? It felt a lot longer. It felt like I’d known him forever. The connection between us was so intense. I wanted to ask him if he felt it, too, but I was afraid. I was also angry that Mel had planted a few seeds of doubt about his intentions toward me. That wasn’t fair to Cody. He had never given me any reason to doubt him.

Cody grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, why?”

His expression turned serious. “You just got the saddest look in your eyes,” he said.

I didn’t want to lie to Cody, so I mustered my courage to broach the subject that was weighing on my mind.

“My friend, Mel.
The one who arranged this trip for me. She thinks you’re too young for me.”

Cody laughed.

“It’s not funny,” I said. But I could feel a smile forming on my face.

“It’s funny because it’s ridiculous,” Cody said.

“She also thinks that you would say anything to get me in bed and that you’ll just break my heart in the end.”

Cody’s expression turned serious. “Let’s address part one of your statement first. It is true that I would say or do almost anything to get you into bed. What guy wouldn’t? You’re a knock-out.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Hear me out,” Cody continued. “I would never lie to you, or deceive you or tell you something that wasn’t true. And I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

As he stared into my eyes, it was like he was boring deep into my soul. “Hurting you would kill me,” he said. “Seeing you in pain would destroy me. You can tell your friend that.”

The intensity of his declaration took my breath away. The room momentarily disappeared and it was just the two of us suspended in time. I had no words to describe how deeply I felt for this man sitting across the table from me. Without taking my eyes from his, I pulled the hand he had interlocked with mine and placed it against my cheek. I wanted to feel his skin against mine and to feel his energy close to me. Then I pulled his hand to my lips and lightly kissed it.  We both continued to take each other in until the waitress appeared and broke the spell between us.

“Can I get you two love-birds anything else?” she joked.

Cody said, “I guess dessert is out of the question.”

I nodded.

“I’ll be right back with your check,” replied the waitress as she hurried away.

“I know a way we can work off some of those calories we just consumed,” he said then winked at me.

I smiled. “I like the way your mind works.” 

As we headed back to the hotel, Cody stopped me and kissed me. “Do you mind if we take a little detour?”

“
It’s fine,” I said, but I wondered what he had in mind.

“It will only take a minute.”

He led me to a small alcove next to one of the large gift shops. There was a bench next to a life-sized bronze statue of a woman with flowing dark hair and a lovely ankle length dress.

It was dusk, so I couldn’t see the name plate but I could still admire the piece itself. The way the artwork appeared to move was stunning.

“This is gorgeous,” I said.

“Thank you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You made it?”

He nodded.

“Your work is unbelievable.”

“You’re equally unbelievable,” he said as he leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. Then he whispered into my ear. “I plan on doing some work on you tonight that I hope you’ll find equally amazing.” And I knew he would. I wanted his artist hands to touch me again and make me feel like he had the previous night.

His words and the closeness of his lips to my ear sent shivers surging down my entire body. “Let’s get you back to my room and back to work,” I said.

***

The moment I closed my hotel room door, Cody pulled me toward him and kissed me. His mouth was starting to feel more familiar. I loved the way he tasted and the intensity of longing I felt every moment his mouth was against mine. I couldn’t get enough of him and I felt like he couldn’t get enough of me either.

He broke away and looked into my eyes. “I’ve wanted you all night,” he said breathlessly. “I couldn’t wait to be back inside you. To make you mine again.”

As he unbuttoned my blouse, he gave my neck little kisses that sent heat rushing through me. He took his index finger and ran it lightly down my neck to my belly button.

“Look at me,” he said. His eyes were filled with so much
desire, I nearly melted in front of him. He took my hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. Then he took his hand and placed it on my chest over my heart. “Breaking your heart would be like breaking my own,” he said. “Our hearts are forever connected. I hope you know that.”

My mind was reeling. I wondered why he was falling for me so quickly and so intensely. It was a bit surreal.

He leaned down and kissed me with so much force and intensity, my knees got weak and it was difficult to remain standing.

Then Cody began to unbutton my skirt. He bent down to give me little kisses around my belly button, which sent a wave of longing deep into my core.

He stood up and eyed my new lingerie. “I feel like a kid on Christmas getting to open a new package,” he said. I had to give Mel props for the advice on the bra and panties.

He kept his eyes glued to mine as he unbuttoned his shirt and threw it to the floor. He quickly unbuttoned his pants and was out of them and his underwear in one step. He inched closer to me and as he pressed against me, I could feel his manhood against my hips. I longed to feel him inside me again.