Bravura (Portentous Destiny Series Book 3) Read online

I nod as I feel him growing hard inside me again. I’ll give it to the man, he has crazy stamina. I make the slightest movement upward, and he laughs.

  “What?” I ask, moving my hips in a slow circle. He groans.

  “Jesus, woman, you have no idea what that is doing to me.”

  I smirk. “I might have a little idea.”

  This time our lovemaking is slow, and we take our time worshipping each other, touching and caressing every inch of one another’s bodies. I come before Cody, and then I watch as he unravels before me. I absentmindedly reach up and caress his face as I feel him empty inside of me. I clench my internal muscles, milking everything from him as his head comes to rest on my shoulder.

  We lie on the bed for a while. I can see the sun coming up over the horizon of the water, and I realize we are still out at sea. I sit up and look out of the window on the opposite side, and I can see Miami in the distance.

  “Don’t you have to leave today?” I ask, suddenly very aware that my weekend ends in about twelve hours. I feel like Cinderella two minutes before midnight.

  I feel his hand clasp mine, and he pulls me back down. “Yes.”

  “I leave tonight also.” I sigh and get out of the bed. I walk toward the bathroom and stop and stare out the window at Miami. It looks oddly peaceful from this distance. The sun is just starting to hit the buildings, and I wish I could take a photo of it, but I know by the time I find my phone, the sun will have moved. I turn and see Cody watching me.

  “You look so beautiful in the light,” he says softly as his eyes seemingly undress my soul.

  I shiver and turn to walk into the bathroom. I turn on the shower and let it wash away my feelings. As if he senses I need a minute to myself, Cody waits and lets me finish before he takes a shower as well. When I get out of the shower, I find a clean sundress sitting on the chair.

  “My friend keeps extra clothes here. I’m guessing for such occasions. Feel free to keep it,” he says motioning to the dress. I nod and kiss his cheek as I squeeze past him in the tight quarters of the bathroom.

  There’s even a dry-cleaning bag, like in the hotel room closets. I shake my head and stick my dirty clothes inside it. Un-fucking-believable.

  I hear the engine turn on, and I feel the boat begin moving toward Miami. I walk up on to the top deck and lie down in a lounge chair. I stare up at the clear morning sky, watching as oranges and pinks fade to sky blue and puffy clouds. A staff member approaches me and asks if I would like a drink before breakfast. Breakfast? I ask for a coffee and am quickly presented with one.

  I sip it and enjoy the peace and quiet until it is quickly divested of all calmness by the shrieks of my friends as they come up and find me.

  “OMG! This was the most amazing weekend ever!” Cami says, dramatically flopping down next to me.

  “Seriously, I don’t think we can top this one!” Lena agrees as she also sits down.

  I smile at them. They look a mess. They are both wearing their clothes from last night, and it is clear that they both got horizontally friendly with their male counterparts last night.

  “Enjoyable evening?” I ask with a smirk.

  “Don’t be a brat, of course, it was,” Lena says, slapping my thigh playfully.

  “Nice dress,” Cami says as she notices my fresh clothes.

  I shrug and stand up. “Come on, I heard something about breakfast.”

  Breakfast is essentially a buffet of everything we could possibly want. We all dig in and drink about three gallons of coffee before the yacht docks at the marina. As we disembark, I turn to Cody and wrap an arm around his neck, pulling him down for a quick kiss.

  “Thanks,” I whisper against his ear.

  “Anything for my lady,” he says in his best British accent. I giggle and step down onto the dock.

  Everyone is pretty quiet on the drive back to the hotel. Cody had the yacht staff call ahead and so we all have a late check-out. We head to our rooms to pack.

  I’m the first one down to the lobby. I sit and wait for the girls. The elevator doors ping and I glance toward them; only it’s Cody and not my friends. He sees me and walks slowly toward me while pulling a small carry-on bag. A computer bag is draped across his body and even in his sleepy state, he looks sexy, and I internally groan at that thought.

  “Hey,” he says as he puts down his bag.

  “Hi.”

  “You guys heading out?”

  “Yep, and you?”

  “I have to leave now. My flight’s in about three and a half hours.”

  I stand and walk over to him, wondering if this will be the last time I see him.

  “I had a great weekend,” I say as I look up at his gorgeous blue eyes.

  “Me too,” he answers, and with that, he pulls me to him and kisses me. After a minute, I pull back and look back up at him. He shakes his head and places a finger on my lips. “This is not goodbye, Zoe.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, we will be speaking again. I’m not going to let you disappear on me, Cinderella.” I know I’m turning multiple shades of red, and he smiles as he kisses me gently once more and steps back to get his bags. “I have your number and,” he nods at my phone, “you have mine.” I look down at it and press my contacts button. Sure enough, Cody’s in there. He must have gotten ahold of it at some point this weekend.

  “Till later, princess,” he says and nods at me as he walks out to get in a limo.

  “Later, Prince Charming,” I mumble as I sit back down to wait for my friends.

  Chapter 10

  Zoe’s Playlist: “Moment of Surrender” by U2

  The next few days go by in a haze, and before I know it, I’m back on my shift. We have a new patient that came in while I was gone, Alex. Alex is twelve and thinks he knows everything. He has a bad infection in his leg and the doctors are actually contemplating amputation. Alex is a soccer player, and he is one angry kiddo. I go in to check on him, and he’s playing a video game.

  “Hey, Alex! I’m Nurse Zoe,” I introduce myself.

  “Yup,” he says, not bothering to look up from his game.

  “How’s your pain level today?” I ask him as I check his vitals. He pulls away from me.

  “I’m fine,” he grunts.

  I touch near the infection, and he doesn’t flinch. I internally sigh. This is not a good sign. If the tissue was healthy, he’d be flinching.

  “Well, OK. If you need anything, just press the button, and I’ll be here,” I say as I leave his room. He grunts again and continues playing.

  “I see you’ve met Alex,” Cami whispers as I walk back to the break room. I nod.

  “Poor guy. It’s not looking good for his leg,” she says. I sit down at the lunch table and look at my PB&J sandwich. It suddenly doesn’t appear that appetizing. I push it away and take a bite of my apple.

  “Hey, you’re back from your travels!”

  I groan. Well, there goes today. I’ll just write it off and start over tomorrow. I turn to see Dr. Tomlin at the door.

  “Hi, Rick,” I say, trying to sound happy to see him.

  “So, how long is your shift?”

  “Forty-eight.”

  “What time do you get off tomorrow?”

  “Six.”

  I know exactly where this is going. I want to groan. Fuck it, maybe going out with Rick will take my mind off Cody. I haven’t heard from Cody since we parted two days ago. And while I wouldn’t admit that out loud, I know deep down that this is the reason I’m feeling particularly moody today.

  “How about we grab a bite to eat after, and you can tell me all about your crazy weekend in Miami?” he suggests as he sits down with a salad from the cafeteria.

  “Sure, why not,” I say.

  “Great! I’ll meet you in the lobby at six fifteen, OK?” he says, giving me an excited puppy dog face. Dear God, why have I agreed to this?

  “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say as I get up and head to the nurses’ station. What have I just
agreed to? Or better yet, why have I just agreed to it?

  Cami gives me a look as I sit down and put my head on the table.

  “Did I just hear you agree to a date with Rick?” she whispers.

  I nod while keeping my head pressed against the cool surface of the desk in front of me.

  “What the fuck? I thought you liked Cody?”

  I shrug.

  “Girlfriend, you are seriously fucked in the head,” she says and walks away. I nod to myself.

  The next twenty-four hours drag by so slowly I think they will never end. Alex continues to be a pain in my ass. A three-year-old vomits all over me in the middle of the night and a four-year-old shits the bed. I get three hours of sleep, and I really don’t want to go to dinner. I sigh and change into a pair of jeans and a sweater that I keep in my locker and head downstairs promptly at six fifteen.

  “Rough night?” Rick says when he sees me dragging.

  “You could say that,” I answer.

  “We could reschedule if you’re too tired,” he says empathetically.

  I give him a genuine small smile. “It’s OK. I need to eat anyhow.” He nods, and I can see my statement has hurt his feelings, but I’m just too tired to care. We walk three blocks away to a small pizzeria. He orders us some beer and pizza.

  I feel my phone buzz, and I look down at it. It’s a text from Cody.

  Cody: Where are you at?

  Zoe: Out.

  Cody: With who?

  Zoe: A person.

  Rick looks over at me, and I smile. “I just need to use the bathroom,” I say, and I head to the back of the restaurant.

  Cody: Zoe.

  Zoe: Cody.

  I start to put my phone away, and it rings. It’s Cody. Fuck.

  “Yes?” I ask mildly perturbed.

  “Zoe, who the fuck are you out with?”

  “Well, hello to you, too.”

  “Zoe,” he growls.

  “I’m out with a doctor I work with, OK?”

  “On a date?!”

  “No, no. I mean…no, it’s not a date.”

  “Does the doctor know that?”

  I shrug.

  “Zoe?” I almost laugh because I suddenly realize he can’t see me or my shrug.

  “I don’t know,” I sigh.

  “Zoe, I want you to end the date now.”

  “Fuck you, Cody. I haven’t heard from you in nearly three days and now you don’t want me going on a date. We had a one-night stand and a weekend. I don’t remember agreeing to go steady with you. FYI—this isn’t middle school.”

  “I thought I made it very clear, that you were mine, and I wasn’t letting you go,” he snarls.

  “Whatever, I have to go,” I say, and I hang up and walk back to the table.

  I sit down and take a bite of pizza that has just come out of the oven. And it burns the roof of my mouth. I grab my cold beer and chug half of it down. And I half do it because of the hot pizza, the other reason is conveniently a continent away at the moment.

  “So how was your weekend?” Rick asks as he also digs into the cheesy deliciousness.

  I shrug. “It was good.”

  “You guys party it up down there?”

  “Yeah, sure. We went out a few nights.”

  “Go to any good restaurants.”

  I name the nice one Cody took us to, and his eyes go wide. “Uh, wow. That’s a really nice restaurant. I wouldn’t think it’d be easy to get reservations there. My brother-in-law is down there for work all the time and hasn’t been able to get in yet.”

  I shrug. “We ran into a friend of mine, and he got us in.”

  I see his eyes change and now I know he wants to know about this friend, but before he can ask his phone buzzes.

  “Oh shit,” he exclaims. “I’m really sorry, Zoe, but I just got called back. I’m on call tonight for the PICU. Raincheck?”

  “Oh. No problem. Sure,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief. He leans over, kisses my cheek, tosses cash down on the table, and heads out the door. Well, that was awkward. I feel my phone buzz. Please don’t be calling me back too, I think to myself praying that the emergency isn’t so bad that I too have to head back to the PICU.

  Cody: Is the douchebag gone?

  What. The. Fuck. How the hell did he get Rick called back into the PICU? I’m fuming as I pick up the phone and call Cody. He picks up on the first ring.

  “Are you fucking serious?” I ask as I head out the door of the pizzeria.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Newsflash, fucker, I don’t like people messing with my life.”

  I hear Cody sigh.

  “Zoe, listen. I’m sorry. I just can’t bear the thought of you with another man.”

  “I’ve done the manipulative-boyfriend thing, and I’m over that.”

  “I’m not being manipulative. I know you didn’t even want to be there. Damn it, Zoe! Why are you hiding from how you feel?”

  “I can’t do this. Bye, Cody,” I say, and I hang up. I walk to the PATCO, and I don’t bother checking my phone when it continues to buzz.

  I decide to call in sick for the next shift. I just can’t deal. I actually do feel a little under the weather, so it’s more of a white lie. It’s Saturday afternoon, and I’m lying in bed and watching horrible movies and surfing the internet. I decide to google Cody.

  I type in “Cody Cunningham.” Well, I’ll be damned. I get a ton of hits. I find his bio on his company’s page and scan it. What I learn is interesting or, perhaps intriguing is the better word.

  Cody joined the U.S. Navy at age seventeen after graduating high school early. He spent two years in the military, then went to Princeton on a scholarship. He graduated after three and a half years with a major in engineering and a minor in geology He started out on the bottom of the totem pole at Hollins and Grumble, Inc. Well shit, that is like a major government contractor. He’s now one of their youngest executives. Their clientele ranges from governments to princes of foreign countries. That explains the boat. As if sensing my creeping, I see a video chat request pop up from Cody.

  I sigh and click on it.

  “Before you launch into a big speech, I just called to apologize,” he says. Damn, he looks sexy and I can tell he’s lying in bed with no shirt on. Why does he have to bait me like this?

  “Fine, apology half-accepted,” I say.

  He grins. “Half?”

  “Half.”

  “OK, fair enough. What’s my punishment?”

  I smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  He smiles. “I miss you, princess.”

  His eyes look so hopeful, and I can’t stop myself. “I miss you too, Prince Charming,” I admit, begrudgingly.

  He laughs. “Hardly.”

  I smirk again. “Agreed, at least not this week.”

  He looks mortally wounded. “You wound me!” he says, putting a hand to his chest. I giggle. “So, what are you up to?”

  “I’m home today. I’m not feeling great, so I decided to lie low this weekend.”

  “I see. Sorry I can’t be there to take care of you,” he says seductively.

  “I’m not sure fucking my brains out would really help my cold,” I say with a grin.

  He laughs. “Point taken.

  “What do you do when you’re sick? Chicken soup? Movies?” he asks.

  I launch into my list of necessities for illness, and he laughs. He shares some of his illness rituals, which are ridiculous things like sandwiches and garlic fries. We end up spending three hours video chatting about the most mundane shit ever. By the end of the night, I know his favorite color is green, his favorite food is pizza, his favorite vacation was Italy, and his microeconomics class was the hardest class he ever took.

  It’s nearly midnight, and I’m lying in bed half-asleep as we keep talking.

  “Princess, I think you need to get some sleep,” he yawns.

  “I know, but I’m having fun talking with you,” I protest. He laughs.


  “How about the same time tomorrow?”

  “Sure,” I say, copying his yawn.

  “Goodnight, my lady,” he says sleepily.

  “Goodnight, Cody,” I answer as I close the lid on my laptop and fall asleep.

  I wake up and feel the scratchiness in my throat. Ugh, I know I now have a full-blown cold. I gargle with salt water, which my grandmother always said to do. It takes the edge off, but I know I need provisions. I drag myself down to the grocery store around the corner from my apartment. I load up on cold meds, soup, tea, Kleenex, and vitamins and then stop by the Starbucks on the way home. Yes, a coffee will make me feel better! I make myself a deathbed at home and commence with my marathon binge watching a TV show I have been wanting to watch.

  By 2:00 p.m., I pass out, mostly from the cold meds, I think. I wake again and hear rain gently falling against my window. I’m disoriented by the darkness in my room. I have no idea what time it is. I look at my phone, 7:00 p.m. Well, shit, I slept for a long time. Then I see a missed video chat from Cody. Damn! I try him, but he doesn’t pick up and I go back to watching my show. At 9:00 p.m., I hear my phone vibrating. I pick it up and see Cody’s name. I smile as I accept the chat.

  “Wow, things have gone south since last night, huh?”

  I groan. “Do I really look that bad?” I ask as I try to view myself on my phone.

  Yeah, I do.

  “You look pretty miserable,” he admits.

  “I am,” I say with a hoarse voice.

  “You want me to let you go and rest,” he asks with a look of true concern.

  “No, it’s OK. Plus, I’m super-bored,” I say as I sneeze.

  He laughs. “Well, you sound super-terrible.”

  “Thanks, asswipe,” I say as I smirk at him. “How’s your day?”

  “Busy. I’m trying to figure out some issues we’re having and why the math isn’t adding up on our solution,” he says as he runs a hand over his face. I close my eyes and pretend to snore.

  He laughs. “What, math doesn’t do it for you?”

  I shake my head and open my eyes. “Nope.”

  “But don’t you have to do math at work?”

  I frown as I think about it. “Well, yes. I don’t want to overdose my patients, but it’s not like I’m trying to do upper-level calculus every day.”