Read Online Still Fine at Forty by Dakota Madison - Free Book Online
Authors: Dakota Madison
Ads: Link
shook my head. “You just surprised me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “A good surprise?”
I nodded. He leaned down and kissed me again, this time with a bit more intensity. The growing energy between us was palpable. When he allowed his tongue to explore my mouth, I was so aroused, I let out a moan.
When we stopped so the two of us could catch our breath, he took a small step away from me. “We’d better get going. Not that I didn’t enjoy what we were doing, but there are a few sites I really want you to see.”
I was still reeling from the intensity of the kiss that words completely escaped me. I felt like Cody had placed me under some kind of spell. It was a spell from which I hoped to never escape.
He took me to a lovely place called Soldier’s Pass Trail. The hike was considered moderate but I still felt out of shape. In the places I had trouble with the hike, Cody grabbed my hand and helped me along. He was so strong and I felt safe with him. He showed me several well-known sites like the Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole and the Seven Sacred Pools. He made sure to snap a bunch of photos for me with his phone’s camera.
Cody showed me a rock formation that looked like an indig enous man surrounded by mountains. His gaze appeared to be far off. I wondered what he was thinking about.
“This site always reminds me of my dad,” he said. His serious tone and expression made me think that he didn’t have the best memories of his father.
“My dad was indigenous. My mom was white.”
“What tribe?” I asked. I was curious to know more about the man I was starting to have deep feelings for.
He hesitated before he spoke. When I looked into his eyes, he seemed conflicted. I sensed he was unsure whether he should open up to me about his past.
“Cheyenne,” he said finally and looked away.
That one word hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized it was a nation of people, but it was also a name. The name of a boy, who nearly ruined my life. It was a name I had spent the last 15 years trying desperately to forget.
Cody continued. “My dad spent most of his life in prison and that’s where he died.” The somber look on his face told me he still had some unresolved anger toward his father.
“You were raised by your mom?”
He gave one unamused laugh. “My mom was a drug addict. Raising me was the last thing on her mind.” He looked into my eyes. “We don’t need to talk about my ugly past on such a beautiful day. I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself.”
He took my arm and led me toward another rock formation that looked like a sphinx.
Of course, Cody not wanting to talk about his past made me want to know about it even more. Now I sensed where all the intensity came from. The more puzzle pieces I put together, the larger the puzzle expanded. I wondered if I would ever know everything there was to know behind the depth of his beautiful brown eyes.
As we took in the view, I decided to try a different line of conversation, but one I was equally curious about.
“Can I ask you a question?” I ventured.
“Of course, you can ask me whatever you want,” he teased.
I smiled. “Will you answer a question for me?” I tried again.
“Depends on the question,” he said. I had my hands full with this one.
“Why didn’t you ask me out the first day we met? When you took me out on the Jeep ride?”
“It’s against company policy. Jim is strict about stuff like that.”
“You never make an exception?”
“As much as I wanted to ask you out, and believe me, I really wanted to ask you out, I could never disrespect Jim like that. I owe him a lot.”
I nodded. The man certainly had integrity.
“I’m just glad you like tea,” he said and gave me a wide grin. “Most people end up at the coffee shop and I was hoping you would, too. Besides, Sedona is a small town. I knew the chances of me running into you again were high.”
I nodded.
“Don’t you believe in fate? Destiny?”
“What do you
He raised an eyebrow. “A good surprise?”
I nodded. He leaned down and kissed me again, this time with a bit more intensity. The growing energy between us was palpable. When he allowed his tongue to explore my mouth, I was so aroused, I let out a moan.
When we stopped so the two of us could catch our breath, he took a small step away from me. “We’d better get going. Not that I didn’t enjoy what we were doing, but there are a few sites I really want you to see.”
I was still reeling from the intensity of the kiss that words completely escaped me. I felt like Cody had placed me under some kind of spell. It was a spell from which I hoped to never escape.
He took me to a lovely place called Soldier’s Pass Trail. The hike was considered moderate but I still felt out of shape. In the places I had trouble with the hike, Cody grabbed my hand and helped me along. He was so strong and I felt safe with him. He showed me several well-known sites like the Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole and the Seven Sacred Pools. He made sure to snap a bunch of photos for me with his phone’s camera.
Cody showed me a rock formation that looked like an indig enous man surrounded by mountains. His gaze appeared to be far off. I wondered what he was thinking about.
“This site always reminds me of my dad,” he said. His serious tone and expression made me think that he didn’t have the best memories of his father.
“My dad was indigenous. My mom was white.”
“What tribe?” I asked. I was curious to know more about the man I was starting to have deep feelings for.
He hesitated before he spoke. When I looked into his eyes, he seemed conflicted. I sensed he was unsure whether he should open up to me about his past.
“Cheyenne,” he said finally and looked away.
That one word hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized it was a nation of people, but it was also a name. The name of a boy, who nearly ruined my life. It was a name I had spent the last 15 years trying desperately to forget.
Cody continued. “My dad spent most of his life in prison and that’s where he died.” The somber look on his face told me he still had some unresolved anger toward his father.
“You were raised by your mom?”
He gave one unamused laugh. “My mom was a drug addict. Raising me was the last thing on her mind.” He looked into my eyes. “We don’t need to talk about my ugly past on such a beautiful day. I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself.”
He took my arm and led me toward another rock formation that looked like a sphinx.
Of course, Cody not wanting to talk about his past made me want to know about it even more. Now I sensed where all the intensity came from. The more puzzle pieces I put together, the larger the puzzle expanded. I wondered if I would ever know everything there was to know behind the depth of his beautiful brown eyes.
As we took in the view, I decided to try a different line of conversation, but one I was equally curious about.
“Can I ask you a question?” I ventured.
“Of course, you can ask me whatever you want,” he teased.
I smiled. “Will you answer a question for me?” I tried again.
“Depends on the question,” he said. I had my hands full with this one.
“Why didn’t you ask me out the first day we met? When you took me out on the Jeep ride?”
“It’s against company policy. Jim is strict about stuff like that.”
“You never make an exception?”
“As much as I wanted to ask you out, and believe me, I really wanted to ask you out, I could never disrespect Jim like that. I owe him a lot.”
I nodded. The man certainly had integrity.
“I’m just glad you like tea,” he said and gave me a wide grin. “Most people end up at the coffee shop and I was hoping you would, too. Besides, Sedona is a small town. I knew the chances of me running into you again were high.”
I nodded.
“Don’t you believe in fate? Destiny?”
“What do you
Similar Books
