Pretty Face (12 page)

Hunter cradled her hand in his, palm upward. Cody shivered as he looked at her face, smiled, then traced a finger down her lifeline. “I see happiness in your future and much love.” Spreading her hand out, he caressed another line across her palm. “Your love line is especially distinct. I see many orgasms in your future.”

“I like your vision.” She smiled, but her heart was sad.

Once they finished their wine, Hunter led Cody out on the dance floor. Part of it was in an open air area underneath the stars. He hugged her close to keep her warm. Even though temperatures were reaching into the seventies during the day, the nights were chilly. “I’ve danced more with you in these past three days than I have during the rest of my life put together, I think.”

“Me too,” she murmured, her head on his shoulder. “I’ve enjoyed this so much.”

Hunter stroked her hair. “We’ve only just begun, Sage. After tonight, I want to make plans. I want to fly to Colorado, pack everything I own and make a life here with you.”

Cody tightened her fingers on his arm. She didn’t know if she was urging him to be quiet or trying to hold on to him. “I need to talk to you too.”

“Excellent.” After they’d held one another close and danced to several numbers, Hunter kissed her cheek. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” She smiled, not meaning a word of it, her stomach was in knots. Nevertheless, she accompanied him to the food tables and nibbled at some shrimp and asparagus while he ate his fill.

“Hello.”

Cody looked up and almost bit her tongue off. Dr. Rowan stood beside their table. “Hello, Dr. Rowan. How are you?” She stared into her therapist’s eyes, begging her not to give her away.

“I am well. It’s good to see you. Are you two having a good time?”

“Yes, we are,” Hunter answered with a smile. He stood up. “Are you a friend of my Sage?”

Cody intervened quickly. “Dr. Rowan, this is my date, Hunter Reed. Hunter, this is my friend, Dr. Rowan.”

Hunter glanced at Sage. He didn’t like to just be designated as her ‘date.’

Dr. Rowan placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “I see. Well, it’s good to have you here. I hope you enjoy your evening. And Sage…” She said the name slowly and with emphasis. “I hope to visit with you soon.”

As the psychiatrist left, Cody could have sworn she sent her a disapproving look. “Oh, Lord,” she muttered.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Hunter asked.

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Let’s walk around. I need some air.”

“Of course.” Gently, he pulled her against him and they began to stroll around the boat. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Cody agreed. “We’ll slowly make our way from one end of False River to the other. It will take a few hours. We can spend part of the evening alone in the stateroom.”

“I can’t wait.” Hunter nuzzled her neck as she leaned back against him. “Can you feel how much I want you?” He pushed his cock into her backside playfully.

“Feel how much I want you.” She took his hand and laid it to her breast. Her erect, aching nipple was poking prominently through the purple silk.

Hunter groaned and covered both of her breasts with his palms, molding and massaging. “Feel good?”

“God, yes.” She lifted her arms to touch his face as he rubbed and kneaded her breasts. “It would be so easy to cum like this.”

“Do it. I think that would be as exciting as hell.” He kissed her neck, whispering in her ear. “We’re standing back here by the paddlewheel. All of that churning water will hide your sweet cries. Cum for me, Sage.”

Cody gave herself over to him. “Oh, that feels so good,” she moaned as he plumped and cupped her tits, pulling at the nipples through the fabric. She wore no bra tonight and for that fact she was grateful. As he teased her breasts, he kissed her neck and her lips when she would turn her head enough for him to reach them.

“You are so sexy,” Hunter growled as his hips flexed against her.

“Touch me, Hunter.” She took one of his hands and slid it down her dress until he touched her mound.

“Like this?” He cupped her mound and began to pet and massage the pad of her vagina.

“Yes, yes!” she cried, flying apart in his embrace. He closed his mouth over hers and inhaled her whimpers and purrs.

“That’s my girl.” Hunter held her while she trembled, quivering in his arms. “God, I love you.”

“Would you like a drink, sir?” A waiter approaching them from the rear caught them by surprise.

Hunter laughed. “Why yes, I think we could use one to cool off a bit.”

They accepted a glass of wine and leaned on the railing, drinking and watching the white foam dance over the paddlewheel. “How about we get our fortune told?” Hunter asked as he drained his glass.

Cody wasn’t keen on it, she was anxious and almost ready to blurt out the truth now rather than wait until the morning. But she ached to make him happy. “That sounds like fun. Let’s go.”

As they wove their way through the crowd, Hunter enjoyed seeing how everyone was dressed. The masks were intriguing. Some were paper Mache, while others, like the one Sage wore, were made from more durable materials. Some had long noses, almost like Pinocchio, and others had a more harlequin appearance. “Someday you’ll have to explain the significance of the masks to me.”

Since they might not have a someday, Cody held his arm and began to speak. “Masks have always been a part of celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies. When Mardi Gras first began, they were used to even the playing field to escape the constraints of class or society. A mask lets you be free to be anything you want to be. By law everyone who rides a float in the parade must wear a mask.”

“By law? That’s strange.”

“We do have some odd laws. We even have the coconut law.”

“What’s that, does it have anything to do with the Zulu coconut you gave me?”

“Yes.” Cody explained. “During the parade when the Zulus would toss the coconuts into the crowd, someone would invariably get him and they would try to sue the krewe or the state. So the Louisiana legislature made a law. The Zulus couldn’t toss the coconuts beyond the first layer of parade goers and if anyone accidentally got hit, they couldn’t sue.”

Hunter listened, fascinated, as they walked down a flight of stairs, dodging a man in a cape and a Phantom of the Opera mask. “Speaking of masks, I’ve never understood why anyone would want to be something they’re not.”

Cody sighed, feeling sadder than she could ever imagine feeling. “That’s because you’re perfect just as you are. Not everyone is so lucky.”

Hunter didn’t get a chance to reply because ahead of them was the fortune teller. She sat in a curtained booth with cards spread out before her. “Oh, look. She’s not a palm reader.”

“No, she reads tarot cards.” Suddenly, Cody was nervous. “Are you certain you want to do this? I mean, it’s probably a waste of time.”

“Nonsense.” He smiled big. “This will be fun. I want the full treatment.”

A tingle of trepidation flowed down Cody’s spine. “Okay, let’s do it.” She just hoped this woman was all show. Some of the fortune tellers in New Orleans were the real deal.

As they approached the robed woman, she beckoned them with a hand wearing a big ring on every finger. Her face was hidden by a full mask, but Cody could see deep into her eyes and they were too wise for her liking.

“Sit, please, allow me to peer into your future, pull the curtain from you past…and expose the truth of your present.”

Cody might have been imagining it, but she swore the woman looked at her with damning knowledge in her eyes.

“Honey?” Hunter offered her the chair.

“No, you go.” Cody stepped back, pushing Hunter toward the hot seat.

“Very well. Please.” Madame Anastasia as her sign read, gestured toward the straight back chair which sat in front of her small wrought iron table.

Hunter grinned, he was enjoying this. “What’s next?”

Madame Anastasia laid a deck of tarot cards in front of him. “Shuffle please, then cut the deck.” Hunter did as he was told, glancing up at Cody.

“Thank you, now let’s see what the cards have to say.”

Cody held her breath as Madame Anastasia laid out three cards.

The Lovers.

Hunter smiled. “I like that one.”

“Yes,” the lady said, nodding. “Everyone does.” As she laid out the cards, she spoke, “The Lovers, The Chariot, and The Fool.”

“What do they mean?” Hunter stared at the spread before him.

“Let me begin by giving you a bit of background. This always seems to help one understand. The Tarot deck is made up of seventy-eight cards, each tells part of a greater story, the Fool’s Journey, an allegorical tale that teaches us about the challenges we face and the lessons we learn on life’s pathway. The Lovers shows a man between two women.” Cody coughed nervously. The fortune teller looked up and met her eye, then continued. “Here, the Fool comes to an intersection. He thinks he is on the right path, when all of a sudden something brings him to a sudden stop. Standing by another path is a woman. The Fool has had other relationships with those far more beautiful than this one, yet he falls in love. Every time he speaks to her, his feelings grow stronger. They have so much in common. The woman is a missing part of him. The Fool is faced with a choice, he has to alter his plan, his position.”

“Why are there two women?” Hunter asked.

“Love is always a two way-street, sometimes a choice. Sometimes you must choose a path, sometimes you must choose a person. This card is telling you that you have a choice in front of you. Two women or two paths stand before you and you must decide what is right for you.”

Hunter grabbed Cody’s hand. “Well, that’s easy. There’s only one woman for me. My Sage.”

Cody and the woman’s eyes met again.

“The second card is The Fool.”

“That’s not very flattering,” Hunter quipped.

“Don’t think in the common context. The Fool card is one of new beginnings and innocence. Each day is an adventure and an opportunity for you to reach your highest potential. The Fool shows that anything is possible, it’s up to you. Don’t be afraid to step out into the unknown. This card is asking you to take a leap of faith. Again, the cards are speaking of a choice you must make, a choice of vital importance. You must follow your heart.”

Hunter said nothing, he appeared to be deep in thought.

“The Chariot is a card that speaks of the course we travel. We each put up masks, the outward person that we present to the world in order to fit in, to survive. You are facing a battle within yourself. You must find balance in your heart in order to make this right choice. Look within yourself, the wisdom to find the course, to chart your path lies within your heart.”

When she’d concluded, Hunter gave her a bill and took Sage’s hand. “Wasn’t what I was expecting.” He laughed. “I thought she’d tell me I was about to win the lottery or something. Do you want to give it a go?”

Madame Anastasia held up the cards.

“No, I don’t believe so.” Cody stepped backward. “I’m fine, thanks.” She’d heard all she needed to hear.

“I hope you find happiness,” the woman called out to them as they walked away. “It’s in the cards if you make the right choice.”

“Whew!” Hunter drew her into the shadows and took Cody in his arms. “That tarot reading was intense. I don’t see how any of it really applied to me, though.”

Cody was afraid he would before their time was over. “She was a bit creepy.”

“I agree.” He pulled the key ring from his pocket. “I’d like to use these keys, if that’s okay with you. One to our room and one to your heart.”

“The door needs to be unlocked,” she murmured, leading him toward a hall that would take them to the staterooms. “My heart is open to you already.”

“You say the sweetest things.” Hunter hurried Sage along, anxious to be alone with her.

He had no trouble with the lock and when they entered, Cody was drawn to the window. “Look, we can see the river over the top of the boat.” The bed was king-size and took up most of the room, which was decorated in shades of blue. A private bath and a wet bar gave them everything they’d need.

“All day, all day you’re all I could think about.” Hunter came up behind her and began unzipping her dress.

“Me too. I couldn’t wait to be with you.” The dress dropped to the floor and Cody stepped out of it. All she wore under it was a tiny pair of panties, a garter belt, and hose. Hunter sank to his knees, his hands soothing from her ankles, up her legs, his lips tracing the indention of her spine. “Hunter!” She squealed as he nipped her on the hip.

“I’ll never get enough of you,” Hunter said in a low gruff voice as he disrobed, throwing his clothes over the back of a chair. “Do you want me?”

“Always,” she whispered as he pressed to her back, pushing her forward till she was resting against the hard surface of the paneling.

“Put your hands on the wall.”

She did so, enjoying the helpless feeling it gave her. She could feel Hunter’s body behind her, his lips on her neck and shoulders, his hands skimming her sides, coming to the front, caressing her skin, then moving over her back and down to cup the globes of her backside. “I’m at your mercy, Hunter.”

“Have you been a good girl?” he asked as he touched one thigh and then the other, indicating for her to spread her legs farther apart.

“No, I’ve been bad,” Cody answered truthfully, her body quivering at the anticipation of what was to come.

Hunter chuckled. “I like thinking of you as a bad girl, Sage. It’s fuckin’ hot.” He took her earlobe between his teeth and nipped, while he dipped his fingers between her legs. “You’re slick and warm for me. Do you want my cock?”

“Yes, please.” She pushed back, grinding her ass into his groin.

“Never let it be said I didn’t give a woman what she needed.” He put strong hands around her thighs and lifted, angling her so he could thrust his cock up inside of her. Cody gasped, her forehead and palms against the cool surface of the wall. She stood on tiptoe, her whole body jarring as he pumped up deep inside of her time after time.

“Oh, oh, oh,” she chanted, the thrill of his filling her almost more than she could take.

Reaching in front, he cupped her breasts. “Did you like what we did on the deck when I played with your tits?”

“You know I did,” she whispered as he plucked at her nipples.

His lips were moving on her temple, above the mask. “I can’t wait for the day when I can touch you when and where I want to, run my hands over your body, breathe in your scent as often as I crave you.” He licked the mark he’d made on her neck, shaking his head, pushing another mark from his mind. “I want to own every inch of you.”

Taking in gulps of air, Cody flattened her hands on the wall, her cheek resting between them. “Touch my clit, Hunter, please.” She needed to lose herself in pleasure to stop the voices condemning her in her head.

“Gladly.” He moved from her breast to her clit and as he fucked her. He milked a nipple with the fingers of one hand while he milked her clit with the other. In just seconds, she was screaming his name.

“Hunter, God, Hunter, what you do to me!”

“I want to do more.” He turned her, moving her to the bed, where she went on all fours and Hunter stared, seeing the photo she’d sent him in his mind. “God, just look at you. Do you have any idea how often I stared at that picture and told myself that you’re mine? You’re mine, Sage Donovan!”

Cody looked over her shoulder, arching her back, spreading her legs and inviting him between them.

Hunter stepped closer, palmed her ass, and popped her once on a smooth firm cheek. When she squealed, he chuckled. “Like that?”

“Yes.” She pushed back, presenting her bottom to him. “More than you know.”

He took his cock in hand and spanked her with it, rubbing the drop of pre-cum on her soft skin. “I can do what I want with you, can’t I?”

“Yes,” she said again, “anything.” Cody groaned when he took his cock and slipped it between her pussy lips, coating himself with her cream, nudging the cherry of her clit. “Fuck me, Hunter, please, fuck me.”

With a hand on her back, he urged her face to the bed. “I’ll give you what you need.”

With one smooth thrust, Hunter impaled her on his cock. Holding her hips, he plunged inside of her, letting out a grunt of satisfaction with every pump. “Like that?”

“Yes!” she cried, her voice muffled.

“Want more?”

“God, yes.”

“Beg me,” he demanded as he pounded her from the rear, holding her waist, taking what he wanted. When she didn’t answer fast enough to his liking, he pulled almost out, teasing the rim of her sex.

“Don’t stop, please, Hunter.” She spread her legs wider, letting him have a good look at her glistening pink pussy. “I need you.”

Slipping all the way out, he asked, “Do you? Are you sure?” Taking his cock, he rubbed it to the full length of her slit, bathing the shaft in the evidence of her desire.

“I’m sure. Please. I want you so much.” Cody trembled with excitement, pinpricks of awareness making her body feel prickly and desperate. “Fuck me, Hunter. What can I do to make you want me?” The heartfelt cry spilled from her lips.

“You know I want you, I’ve told you so a thousand times.” With a groan, he thrust into her, filling her completely.

He pumped into her. The friction against her inner walls and how deeply he thrust drove her to the edge and over. Crying out, she clutched the bedspread between her fingers as a flash of bright colors exploded behind her eyelids. Hunter bent over her body, covering her, his hands going to her breasts, his lips on her neck. He seemed determined to imprint himself on every inch of her body. Cody whimpered as he took her, dominated her, possessing her unmercifully.

“I love you, Sage,” he whispered as he let go, filling her with his seed. “I’ll never get enough of you, I’ll never let you go.”

“I’ll die if you do,” she answered solemnly, knowing it was the truth.

With a breath of satisfaction, he lay beside her, spooning her from the back. Pushing her hair from her face with enough gentleness to make her cry, he spoke, “I’ll want you all of my life. From here to eternity, I want you with me. I want your smile to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing at night. I want to hold you close to me, in my bed, every night for the rest of my life. I came after you and I’ve found you. I don’t intend to ever let you go.”

Cody laid her arm over his, pressing it hard against her. She tried to memorize how it felt to be with him. Lying in his arms made her feel so safe, she wasn’t ready to give it up—give him up—but the time had come. Rolling over, she faced him. They looked into one another’s eyes, a mask still covering part of their faces. “We need to talk.”

“I’ve been ready, Sage.” Hunter sat up when she scooted off the bed. He felt cold. He didn’t like it.

Cody needed some distance, and some clothes. Not having anything else, she slipped the dress back over her head.

“I don’t like so much space between us,” Hunter said. “Come back.”

“No, let me stay over here. This is going to be hard.”

He didn’t come back with one of his usual lighthearted quips. “I don’t like how this is starting out. You’re scaring me, honey.”

Cody sat about three feet from the bed in a chair, facing him. “I have a confession to make, Hunter.”

Hunter felt his heart sink. “Fuck, you’re married, there’s someone else. I knew it.” He felt his world crumbling around him.

“No, I’m not, there is no one else.” She protested, hating the hurt look on his face.

“Just tell me the truth. That’s all I want to hear. It’s all that matters.” Already his eyes were looking at her accusingly.

She pushed her hair back from her forehead, feeling too warm. “Okay, let me tell you several truths. First, I love you more than anything and I never meant to hurt you. When we met, I didn’t expect to fall for you. I just wanted to know what it was like to flirt and have a handsome man notice me. But I wasn’t counting on falling in love with you. And I adore you. I would die for you, Hunter. And that’s the truth.”

“Go on. What are you trying to tell me?” Hunter’s voice was stiff, his face unreadable.

“But I’ve also lied. I sent you pictures of me that were old, before…” She fanned her hands in the air, then continued, “I sent you pictures of other women’s bodies when I couldn’t send you pictures of my own. I lied to you about my name. I’m not Sage Donovan.” She pulled off the mask.

Hunter stared at Sage, trying to comprehend. She’d torn off the mask and was now taking the contacts from her eyes. “I don’t understand. Who are you?”

Tremulously, she met his gaze. “You know who I am.”

He stared at the face, a familiar face, a pretty face.

“Cody!” Hunter was stunned. “How? Why? Was this all some kind of trick?”

“No, it wasn’t a trick.” She tried to explain. “I was lonely. I used my great-grandmother’s name, my middle name, to create a fake identity. I used pictures of me when I was…prettier. I just wanted to talk, to flirt, to know what I was missing. When we met, it was casual, I didn’t expect for it to matter.”

“Well, it did,” he spat out the words, his eyes still trying to comprehend what he was seeing. “My God, how did I miss it? Of course it’s you.”

“Every day I lived to hear from you, Hunter. You were my life. Cody ceased to matter, only Sage existed.” She wanted to go to him, her hands were itching to touch him. Cody stood, starting to move toward the bed.

“Don’t.” Hunter held up his hand. “Don’t come near me.”

Cody stopped. She continued to try and explain. “When you said you were coming to Louisiana, I didn’t know what to do.”

Hunter’s thoughts rushed to the past. “You got Treadaway to contact me,” he accused.

“No, I didn’t, I swear.” Cody shook her head.

“Like I’d believe you.” He bristled, rubbing his face, pushing his hair from his forehead.

“It’s true, when you called me on my landline, I was stunned.”

“What about this stupid accent?” He closed his eyes, unable to look at her.

“My accent is part of me, my family speaks this way.” She knew that sounded weak, even to her ears. “I went to the airport to meet you. I was there, but you looked right through me.”

“Do you blame me? I wasn’t looking for you!”

His tone was breaking her heart. “I know, that’s when I left and I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“How did you come up with this fiasco about the balls?”

“The woman you met tonight, Dr. Rowan, she’s my therapist. I had to undergo treatment after the attack.” She twisted the skirt of her dress between her fingers. “She gave me the idea. I had intended to tell you the truth and this seemed—”

“This seemed like a way you could trick me into having sex with you.”

A flash of agony almost bowled her over. Well, now she knew. What was the use? “Yea, it was. I wanted to know what it was like to love you before you walked away from me.”

Hunter was hurt. He was confused. He was angry. “You lied to me, Sage, Cody, whatever the hell your name is. You strung me along. You teased me. And when I came and met Cody, you made me feel torn and guilty for wanting Cody while I was in love with you.”

Wait. He had Cody’s attention. He wanted her? Even with her scars?

Hunter continued, “When all the time, you were the same person. You jerked me around.”

“Please forgive me,” Cody begged. “I love you. I know we can’t be together, I never expected it. I always knew when you found out the truth, when you saw me—the real me—you’d walk away. That was the reason I never told you the truth when you were still in Colorado. It would have ended the same—me without you. And I was greedy, I wanted to hold on to you just a little longer.”

Hunter couldn’t hear her, he was hurting too much. He couldn’t comprehend. All he knew was that she’d betrayed him. “You were willing for me to sacrifice my life, to wait, to be in love with someone who didn’t even exist rather than telling me the truth? Is that love?”

Cody couldn’t take anymore. “You’re right. I’m so sorry. I won’t ask you to forgive me because I can’t forgive myself. I’ll always love you, but I know you don’t want to hear that.” She stood, grabbing her purse, and hunting her shoes. “I’ll go. Be safe, Hunter. And know that if I could do it all over again, I’d never reach out to you. It would’ve been better if we’d never met.”