Bravura (Portentous Destiny Series Book 3) Read online

  “What you thinking about up here all by yourself?” he asks as he leans over the railing next to me.

  “Honestly?” I ask him turning to look at his face. I study his profile as he looks out toward our destination. I can’t help thinking that he has the perfect profile. His nose is straight, his jawline is perfect, and his lips look amazingly kissable.

  “No, lie to me,” he says with a smirk and turns to face me; however, his smirk disappears when he sees the seriousness of my expression. “Hey seriously, are you alright?” He puts an arm around me, and I lean against him.

  I suck in a breath. “I have a patient back home. Her name is Olivia, she’s eight years old. She has cystic fibrosis. She’s been in and out of the PICU the last few months. She coded right before I came down here. I thought…well…I was sure that would be it, but she managed to pull through. She has some complications from an infection, and she really needs a transplant. I just don’t know if she’ll be able to get one in time.”

  “I’m sorry, that really sucks,” he says. He shakes his head. “You make my bad day at the office seem like nothing.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you have bad days too. It’s just that when I have a bad day, it usually means someone died,” I explain. I frown as that sounded a bit bitchy, but he ignores that.

  “Do you love what you do?”

  I nod. “I do. I mean it’s stressful at times, but it’s also really rewarding. Like six months ago, we had this kid, Nate, come in after a really bad car accident. He was only six and had massive back and head trauma. We thought for sure that he would never walk again if he even woke up from the coma he was in. But three months later, he’s awake and he can move his feet. He’s in speech therapy and physical therapy, but I really think by this time next year, he’ll be walking around again. It’s cases like that that really make me want to come back to work the next day.”

  “I think what you do is pretty amazing,” Cody says.

  “Thanks.” I smile at him and gaze back out at the water as two sea turtles swim by the boat.

  Our guide takes us up to a cliffy island to look at birds. Then it’s off to swim in the channel. When our guide tells us that there are likely several species of sharks in the channel, I decline to go along. My irrational shark phobia rears its ugly head. I can’t help thinking of the shark attack victim I had to treat two years ago. I hadn’t ever had any real issues with sharks until I saw the damage they could do. I know it’s a silly, irrational phobia, but I just can’t get over it.

  I sit on the deck of the boat and watch fish pass by and rays jump out of the water. I do get to see a hammerhead swim by and it is beautiful to watch. I decide to sunbathe, and I take off my cover-up dress and allow the sun to warm my skin. It’s relaxing, and I love the smell of the salty air and the gentle rocking of the boat in the channel. Cody comes back in from snorkeling first.

  “Done so soon?” I ask him.

  He shrugs. “Thought you might be getting lonely up here,” he says as he sits down next to me. I admire his physique as he goes to put on a t-shirt. His whole upper body ripples with muscles. He’s tan, but not overly tan. He has a slight dusting of hair on this chest and below his belly button. I turn my head away as he circles back toward me, but he catches me looking at him.

  “Like what you see?” he smirks as he sits down on the bench with me and I watch his gaze move from my feet up to my face and back down toward my breasts.

  I grin at him. “I think I should be asking you that question.”

  He chuckles at himself and lies down next to me on the built-in lounge chair part of the boat. Aside from the crew, we are the only ones on the boat. I feel him shift, and I look over to see he has rolled onto his side and is gazing at my face.

  “Do you have a boyfriend, Zoe?” he asks me as he makes circles on my upper arm. I can feel the hairs rise on my skin from the contact.

  “Nope,” I answer, closing my eyes as I bask in the sunlight. “You?”

  He laughs. “No, no boyfriends for me.” I laugh and reach out to slap him on the chest.

  “Very funny, you know what I meant?”

  He stops laughing. “No, not anymore.” I glance over and see his face is now serious.

  “Bad breakup?” I ask.

  He nods.

  “Sorry,” I say as I gaze out at the ocean. “Been there, done that.”

  “Really?” he asks, leaning toward me so that I can smell his cologne and sunscreen.

  I shrug. “Honestly?”

  He laughs. “No, lie to me.”

  I giggle and roll my eyes at our repeat conversation. “I’ve had two bad breakups, and after the one last year, I sort of decided to not take relationships so seriously for a while.”

  I turn toward him, so we are facing each other. “I guess it’s been liberating to not care and to just have fun and go with it.”

  He nods. “I know what you mean. Lance is the more serious one. He thinks I’m acting like a college guy, but I’m just not interested in getting tied down right now. My work is crazy and takes me all over the world. It’s really hard to keep a long-distance relationship.”

  “Try working crazy shifts,” I say with a smile. “Plus, I can’t imagine I look great after walking out of a fifty-hour shift with only twelve hours of sleep.”

  I watch as Cody’s eyes rove my body. “Well, you look beautiful to me.”

  I roll my eyes. “Sure, after soaking in the sun and relaxing for three days.”

  I close my eyes and roll onto my back. I feel Cody’s hand grasp my arm. “You don’t even know how beautiful you are, do you?” he asks, his breath against my ear. I feel goose bumps form on my skin, and I grab an extra towel to throw over myself. I garner all my willpower trying not to let him affect me.

  “Like you’re one to talk.” I smirk, looking over at him. He smiles at me and shrugs.

  “I work out,” he explains. “But you, I think you’d look like that whether you spent forty hours at the gym every week or forty hours lying on the couch.”

  I laugh. “Hardly, if I lay on the couch all week, then you would need to get a crane to get me out of my apartment.”

  “Me too,” he admits and lies back, closing his eyes.

  We lie in silence for a few moments. “Zoe?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m glad I met you on this trip.”

  “Me too.”

  “You should have met yourself earlier,” he says, and I reach over and punch his arm.

  “You are a jackass.”

  “And you are gorgeous,” he says and before I know what’s happening I feel his lips crash down on mine. Dear God, I’m losing my willpower here! His lips taste salty, and I can taste coffee on his tongue as he explores my mouth. It’s a repeat of the previous night. I lose myself in the kiss. I suddenly don’t care whether anyone sees us or where we are at all; I care about his lips against mine, his tongue caressing mine. I’m unprepared for when he pulls back. My eyes are still closed, and I can feel him breathing hard against my lips. I smile.

  “Why do I feel like you are going to be trouble for me?” I say with a smirk.

  “Probably for the same reason I feel like you are going to be trouble for me,” he whispers and then gives me a slow, soft kiss. As if reading my mind, he says, “It is taking all of my willpower not to worship your body right here, right now.” I shiver, but with the second towel over me, I know I’m not cold. “I love how your body responds to me and I’ve barely touched you.” He runs his hand over the goose bumps on my upper arm.

  The old ladies, Betty and Beatrice, clear their throats as they walk out onto the deck. I hear Betty stifle a laugh.

  “You youngsters having a nice time out here?” she says in her throaty voice.

  “Hi, Betty. How was snorkeling?” I ask as I flip over to face her.

  “It was fun, but I’d rather pull out the popcorn and hang out here with your kids,” she says with a wink and walks back in laughing.

  “Subt
le, huh?” Cody says with a grin.

  “Those two are a riot,” I reply. “I hope I’m half as cool when I’m in my seventies.”

  He nods his agreement and lies back down. It isn’t long before everyone else makes their way back on board and then we are back off to the hotel and another happy hour. I’m fairly certain Cody and my make-out sessions are the gossip of the group, but fuck it, I don’t care. I’m having fun and Cody is turning out to be a decent guy and not just eye candy, although let’s be honest his physique isn’t hurting his chances with me.

  Lily pulls me away early from the happy hour, claiming that we need a good night of sleep. She teases me about wanting to make out with Cody, which is true, although little does she know that I want more than a make-out session.

  Chapter 4

  Zoe’s Playlist: “Light It Up” by OneRepublic

  The next day is our last full day in the Galapagos. I’m torn between spending time with Lily and Cody, but I want Lily to relax and something about Lance seems to relax her, at least this is what I tell myself. We take a long boat ride to Bartolome Island. It’s beautiful watching rays flip out of the water and birds fly overhead as we cruise by islands. We hike to the top of the hill on the island. Betty and Beatrice insist on taking a few shots of the four of us. And then we enjoy snorkeling with penguins. It’s truly amazing. I make sure Lily and I do these things together, and of course, Lance and Cody are right by our sides. I take a million photos of Lily swimming with penguins. It’s a fun experience and as we climb on board the boat for our last ride back, I feel I’ve just bonded with Lily. I’ve watched her come out of her shell over the week, and I smile at her as she shows Lance and Cody more photos she’s taken today.

  Betty interrupts our review of photos with a last happy hour announcement.

  We enthusiastically agree. I even get a hug from Lily who thanks me for coming with her. I squeeze my baby cousin back and relish the happiness I am feeling. I sigh to myself. I really did need to get away. This was just what the doctor ordered.

  I sit with Lily on the way back, so we can talk about our trip. By the end of our bus ride and giant tortoise expedition, everyone on the bus is laughing and reliving our week. Betty makes the four of us take another photo with a giant tortoise. The storytelling continues as everyone grabs drinks after dinner. I sit at a far table taking it all in and watching Lily joke with Betty as Lance sits next to her. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was acting protective of her. I shake my head and take a long swig of beer. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.

  “Hi, Cody,” I say without turning around.

  “Hey there, princess,” he says as he sits down next to me. “Can I buy you another drink?” He nods at my nearly empty beer.

  “Sure, why not?”

  I watch Cody saunter over to the bar, and he comes back a minute later with a drink with an umbrella and maraschino cherry sticking out of it. I raise an eyebrow.

  “I thought maybe something tropical before your vacation is over,” he explains.

  I take a sip and smile. “Mai tai.”

  He nods.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  “So, tell me more about yourself, Zoe,” he says as he leans back and takes a swig of beer.

  “What do you want to know?” I ask him as I pop the cherry in my mouth. I feel victorious as I watch his eyes fix onto my lips as they wrap around the cherry. I internally high-five myself for my excellent flirting skills.

  “Well, you grew up in Philly, yes?”

  “Yep.”

  “You still live there?”

  “Yep.”

  “You have family there?”

  I shrug. “My brother, Rob, kind of comes and goes. My mom is still there. My parents divorced when I was younger. My dad and stepmom live in LA now.”

  “What do your parents do?”

  “My mom’s a professor, and my dad is a lawyer.”

  “What about you?”

  “Let’s see,” he says as he swigs more beer. “I have a little sister. My mom’s a teacher and Dad’s a chemist.”

  “That’s cool,” I say as I take a long sip of my mai tai. “So, have you always wanted to be an engineer?”

  Cody laughs. “Nope. I used to want to be an astronaut.”

  I chuckle. “So why engineering?”

  He shrugs. “I like to build stuff. I went through a lot of majors before deciding on this one. But I love it. Especially now, I’m in charge of big projects, and I get to travel the world and build some amazing things. I have an excellent team, and I really enjoy what I do.”

  I smile at him. “What?” he asks.

  “Oh nothing, I never thought I’d hear an engineer talk about his job with such passion.” I smirk.

  Cody runs a hand along my thigh. “Engineers can have a lot of passion.”

  Holy shit, I think to myself. I down the rest of my mai tai, liquid courage.

  The party is in full swing. Even Lily is drinking and seems relaxed.

  “Hey, you want to go somewhere quieter and talk,” Cody says. I smirk at him.

  “Talk?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.

  He grips my thigh. “Yes, my dirty princess, talk.”

  “Sure, why not?”

  We sneak out of the bar area. No one pays us much attention. Betty and Beatrice have started playing drinking games and our fellow passengers are egging them on as we make our exit.

  “Where shall we go?” I ask as we head toward the hotel rooms.

  Cody pulls me against my doorway as we pass my room. He leans against me so I’m flush against the door and him. He gazes into my eyes.

  “Fuck it. I’m not normally this forward, Zoe, but something in my gut tells me I’d regret it if I didn’t take you to your room right now and spend the whole night worshipping every inch of you.”

  His lips crash against mine before I can respond. I give him my answer by kissing him back. I feel him take my room key from my pocket and open the door. We stumble inside. There is a frenzy of clothes being removed. Our lips do not leave the other’s body until we are standing naked in the dimly lit room. We step back as our eyes peruse the other’s body. Cody’s eyes tell me he likes what he sees, and I blush. Only the moonlight that streams in the window silhouettes us against the darkness.

  For once I don’t feel overly tall. Cody stands only a foot away from me. I tilt my head up to meet his gaze. He gives me the slightest of smiles before pulling me against him. He tilts my head with his hand so that I’m looking up into his eyes, our lips only inches apart.

  “Like what you see?” I ask him, suddenly finding my cockiness that seemed to have slipped away for half a second. He chuckles.

  “Very much, very much, princess,” he murmurs as he grazes his lips against mine, teasing me.

  I slowly pull back and look up at him. He gazes down at me under heavy-hooded eyes. Then he lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist. We stare at each other face-to-face for the longest time, neither of us saying anything. He gently caresses my cheek and jaw with one hand, while the other supports my weight. I realize as he does this that Cody is indeed in awesome shape. I’m lost in the feel of his hand against my skin as he walks us to my bed.

  He lays me down on my bed and gently lays himself on top of me. He plants soft kisses on my lips, my cheek, my jaw, and my neck. I run my hands up and down his back, feeling every muscle as he moves against me.

  I reach down between us and feel his length. I grin like a kid in a candy store. I could tell everything about him was large as we surveyed each other a moment ago, but in my hand, his erection’s size is reconfirmed. He smirks against my lips.

  “Pleased, are we?” he says against my lips.

  “Very,” I answer as I kiss him.

  He groans against my lips as I run my hand up and down his erection.

  I don’t know if it’s a power thing or what, but I love giving blow jobs. My friends all think I’m crazy, but I rea
lly do like it. I like it more when it’s reciprocated, but I find the power of it so stimulating.

  “I want to taste you,” I murmur against Cody’s lips. He rolls us over so I’m on top, in control just the way I like it.

  I slowly kiss my way down his chest and navel, admiring every muscle as I go. I tease him for a few seconds, delivering soft kisses against his lower abdomen, and he groans. I smile against his skin because I know I have him right where I want him. Then, I take him in my mouth, and he groans again. I revel in the power that I feel in this moment. I begin sucking and licking and using my hands to grip the base of his erection. I can tell he’s getting close by the thrusting of his hips and sounds escaping his lips. I take him even deeper, but before I can bring him to climax in my mouth I feel him lifting me up his body.

  “My turn,” he whispers as he flips me over and stares down at me. Now, Lily had fought me on getting waxed before our trip. Waxing is not her thing, but my arguments of bikini lines won out and right now I know that the wax job was worth every penny. I watch Cody give my body an appreciative once-over as his hands massage my breasts.

  I’m not sure what it is about breasts. I’ve always had them, and guys always want to touch them. Cody is no different. He brings his lips to each nipple, sucking and grazing them with his teeth. I buck against him. Then he continues his path south until he is between my legs. He uses his hands to spread my legs further apart, granting him an all-access pass to my core.

  As he licks up my slit, I close my eyes. I hear a whimper escape my mouth as he sucks on my clit while slowly inserting a finger inside of me. Then his tongue and mouth begin to do magical things. I can only think for half a second that I may have met my sexual match before I am coming so hard I lose track of time and space. My eyes are shut, and I’m crying out incoherent words. I’m vaguely aware of Cody slowing his movements, but he doesn’t stop until I’m a languid mess on the bed. He moves up my body, feathering kisses across my skin and making goose bumps appear yet again.

  He brings his lips to mine and I can taste myself on him and it is h-o-t. He sucks on my bottom lip and bites it softly, and I tremble beneath him.