to see him standing in the doorway.
“Yeah.” I turned back to the cabinet, inserting my key to lock it. “You?”
“Thought you might want to grab dinner, hang out.”
By hang out, Cody was referring to sex, because yes, he was the man I tended to spend my free time with. Sex was just one of the ways we passed the time. There were no expectations on either part, because we were looking for pretty much the same thing, something we weren’t capable of giving one another. And the sex … let’s just say Cody was supreme in the bedroom. Very creative. Very responsive.
It wasn’t serious, never had been, but I liked Cody. Cared about him, even. As for a relationship, he wasn’t the sort of man I could ever envision myself with, and I knew the same could be said about me for Cody. But we meshed and sometimes that was all that mattered.
“I’ve got a thing,” I said, surprising myself.
“With Ransom?”
I glanced sideways. “Why would you think that?”
Cody laughed. “Why would you think I wouldn’t think that?”
Keys in hand, I headed for the door. Cody stepped back while I locked up. He followed me as I checked to ensure everything else was closed up tight. We had no issues here on the island, but everyone knew there was medication kept on the premises, and since I was responsible for it, I was a stickler for ensuring I checked and rechecked everything. I took all of my responsibilities seriously.
“You don’t have to hide it from me,” Cody stated. “I’m happy for you.”
“There’s nothing to be happy about.” That much was true. I had no idea what Ransom wanted from me. Nor did I know what I wanted from him.
“Liar.”
I didn’t fall for the bait. Cody liked to get me riled up, and I refused to get into it right now.
“Enjoy it,” Cody said, walking alongside me toward the villas.
I stopped, turning to face him. “I don’t know if I can.”
Cody’s eyes bounced over my face and he smiled. “Sure you can. Just let go for a little while.” He playfully patted my cheek. “And just know, if he doesn’t satisfy you, you can fuck me senseless when you come home.”
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and started down the path again.
“Just remember, you’ve got to tell me all the dirty details later.”
That was another thing I liked about Cody. He was not shy, enjoying dirty and raunchy like me, plus he was into the graphic discussions that were great as foreplay.
I didn’t respond as I came to the fork in the sidewalk. The right would take me to Ransom’s, the left to the villa I shared with Cody. I didn’t know which way to go, so I stood there. If I’d believed in a higher power, I would’ve prayed for the wisdom to make the right choice.
“Go,” Cody said playfully, shoving me to the right. “It’s not like you’re gonna marry the guy.”
Before I could argue, before I could seek some wisdom from my closest friend, Cody sauntered off and I was left standing there. I could see Ransom’s villa, knew that going there would alter the course of my life. Again. Whether for good or bad this time, I didn’t know.
But I had to find out, didn’t I? It wasn’t like I could spend the rest of my life wondering what might’ve been if only I’d had the guts to go after it. It wasn’t like the past nine years had been exceptional on any level. The least I deserved was to find out if Ransom really was the key to my happiness.
Forcing my feet to move forward, I closed the distance between me and Ransom’s front door. I debated on whether or not I would get naked. I could simply walk in, insist we talk for a little while. Surely he would understand.
Then again, Ransom had always stood his ground. When he’d instructed me to do things and I failed him, there was always swift punishment. Brutal sometimes. And yes, there’d been many instances when I would rile him up simply to get that punishment because I enjoyed my fair share of pain, although I would not consider myself a masochist.
Would he do that now? Tie me up and torture me? Or would he simply write me off and move on to one of the possessions that were available? There were certainly plenty for him to choose from.
The thought of Ransom with one of them lit a fire