When the car returned to the Weston mansion, it was already 2 am. Thea fell asleep in the car. Zara wanted to wake her up. Cody, however, decided to carry her back into her room without waking her up. There was a lot of stuff to deal with lately, and Thea had been quite exhausted. He didn’t want to deprive her of sleep when she could finally have one.
The mansion was pretty silent at night. One of the guards on night duty held the door open for them.
The bodyguard looked surprised when he saw Cody and the girl in his arms. But he didn’t say anything as he stepped away.
Thea opened her eyes when Cody put her in her bed. She didn’t even have the strength to get surprised.
“Must be pretty tired now, you,” Cody smiled as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Thea smiled tiredly, leaning forward to kiss him.
The kiss was innocent and sweet.
Cody could taste the pleasant scent of coffee on her tongue. Thea was the best thing that ever happened to his life. He wanted to be with her forever.
However, things were getting out of control lately. Sometimes, Cody only wanted to keep Thea to himself.
He also didn’t want to be a control freak.
But he hated it so much when Thea needed to do intimate scenes during shootings. He hated it when other males lay their eyes on her beautiful body when she walked down the red carpet. Even he knew they were just her fans and what she was doing was her career.
He knew it was selfish, but he just couldn’t help it.
Cody felt like a mess most of the time. He didn’t know he was such a control freak until the day he met Thea. And it seemed like there were no solutions for his anxiety and insecurity as long as Thea still wanted to pursue her dream.
So Cody decided to at least talk about it.
He broke the kiss, feeling a bit embarrassed as he admitted, “I actually lied today.”
Thea blinked, “What do you mean?”
“Earlier, in the car, I said I wasn’t mad because I didn’t want to appear to be petty in front of you,” Cody swallowed, “But I was extremely mad.”
“Cody…” Thea frowned, but her voice was soft, “I said it just worked. Dylan and I are really just colleagues.”
“I know… I know…” Cody sighed and rolled over, covering his eyes with one hand, his chest heaving, “It’s my problem. I admit I can get a bit possessive. I just want to be honest with you.”
“Do you hate my job?” Thea said, propping herself up on her elbow.
Cody turned to face her, looking nervous, “No! I don’t hate your job… I just… I don’t like it when you get too close to other men. It’s almost like an instinct of mine. I will try to overcome it. Your job is your dream. I will always love what you love.”
They didn’t flip the switch of the light. The room thus remained dim. However, Cody’s eyes were extremely bright under the moonlight.
The silence lasted for a couple of seconds, and then, a big smile broke Thea’s face, “Thanks for always being so supportive, Cody. I also appreciate that you told me the truth. I feel really lucky to have you.”
Cody leaned forward to leave a kiss on her forehead. When Cody retreated, he was smiling, “As intelligent and sweet as you are, Miss Todd, I still think I am the lucky one. By the way, don’t mind what I said earlier. My only purpose in telling you that was, to be honest instead of worrying you. I’d like to be always honest with you in this relationship. And as I said, it was my problem. I will figure it out myself. Get some sleep, big star. Your schedule is free tomorrow, and you are already tired enough.”
And then, Cody got off the bed. He was ready to leave the room.
However, Thea suddenly pulled at his sleeve, “Wait.”
“Yes?” Cody looked over his shoulder, feeling confused.
“You said you’re feeling insecure,” Thea looked at him, her eyes bright and wide, “And you said it was your problem. But you’ve helped me so many times, and you always put me first. I couldn’t help feeling that I’m in your debt.”
“Thea,” Cody frowned, “I said it is not your problem. If you want to give up your dream just because I was acting…”
“No, listen,” Thea got up on her knees, looking at the man before her intently,” There’s actually a way to make you feel safe.”
“What are you talking about, Thea?” Cody frowned a little as he turned around to face the shy-looking woman before him.
“Well…” Thea blushed, “You won’t worry about our relationship once I am entirely yours, will you?”
Cody held back his breath shortly as he realized what Thea was talking about, “Are you telling me to…”
“Stay for the night,” Thea nodded. And then, she dropped her gaze, biting on her bottom lip as her face flashed a tomato red.
The silence was long and sharp. Thea was worried that she had probably said something wrong. But Cody suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.
“Are you sure about this?” His voice was magnetic.
“As long as it will make you feel safe, yes,” Thea answered, her voice muffled against his chest.
“This is the part where I decline this invitation out of chivalry. But I’m just a selfish asshole,” Cody paused for a second, “At least I want to be selfish tonight.”
Thea was quivering as Cody took off her dress. Slight goosebumps showed up on her skin in the wake of his touches and kisses. Thea was nervous.
She had thought about her first time with Cody so many times, and she never expected it to turn out to be like this.
“You’re so beautiful, Thea.” Cody’s touch was gentle, yet Thea was still scared. But when Cody’s lips were on hers, all her fear suddenly evaporated. She wrapped her arms around his neck when he pulled away, looking him in the eyes.
“Tell me to stop if you feel any pain,” Cody smiled, leaning forward to kiss her jaw.
The night was long. Thea melted into Cody’s arms as the move took on a wilder edge.
“Will you marry me, Thea?” In the end, Cody asked breathlessly.
“Yes,” Thea answered without any hesitation. Even her head was kinda foggy.