Suddenly Yours

by Jacob Z. Flores

  Now that Julian had agreed, Cody felt lighter, and his standard shit-eating grin blazed a trail across his features. “Of course it does. I’m hot and smart.”

  Julian licked his lips and nodded. “Yes. You are.”

  The heat that suddenly radiated off Julian hit Cody like a wall of sweat and desire. If he didn’t do something quick, he was going to rip Julian out of his clothes and claim what was his just like the Incredible Bulk was screaming at him to do.

  Instead, Cody leaped off the couch and padded into the bathroom. He tore off his clothes, turned the shower to frigid, and hopped under the spray.

  Chapter Seven

  WHILE Cody showered, Julian had the front desk send a bellman over to collect Cody’s things from Cody’s room and bring them to his. Of course, he had to bribe the hotel manager, who wasn’t keen on taking Cody’s belongings out of a room attached to a registration that didn’t include Julian’s name. Fortunately Julian was able to grease his palms to get the ball rolling. After all, Cody not only had a wedding to dress for but a media event to attend. Julian figured being thoughtful, which was something he wasn’t always great at according to Blane, might help Cody on his path to agreeing to stay married.

  Julian wasn’t exactly a fan of the no-sex trial period, but that was his hormones talking. He’d avoided dating and sex to prevent stepping into any scandals for the past few years. Now that he was married, to perhaps one of the hottest men he’d ever laid eyes on, his body was ready to make up for lost time. After all, he would no longer have to worry about bad press regarding his love life after this particular story was put to rest.

  But what his body wanted had to be placed on hold. Cody was right. They had to make logical decisions if this marriage had any chance of succeeding. He didn’t have to like it. To be honest, he hated it more than he did Spencer Baldwin, but having sex now could blur the lines of what should be cut-and-dried.

  It surprised him how much he wanted Cody right now, and that excited him. He’d finally found a man who could give him everything he wanted and whom he could do the same for in return. So why were his pits wet and his hands clammy?

  A knock on the door pulled Julian from the thoughts he was all too glad to leave behind. The bellman had arrived with a cart filled with Cody’s things, and rolled it into the room. After generously tipping the hotel employee, Julian shut the door just as Cody exited the bathroom, covered almost completely in his robe and with dripping-wet hair.

  Had there ever been a more striking sight in the world?

  “What’s my stuff doing here?”

  “I took the liberty of having your things brought over so you could get ready for the wedding and our press conference. I figured it would save you time as well as any potential hassles from eager reporters who might be staking out your room.” He handed Cody his toiletry bag and placed his luggage on the bed. “I also canceled your reservation and had it charged to my account. Now that we’re married, it doesn’t make sense for us to sleep in different rooms.”

  “You did what?”

  When Julian glanced over his shoulder, he was greeted with narrowed blue eyes. He’d clearly messed up somehow. Well, crap. His grandmother had been right. The road to hell was paved with good intentions. “I guess I should have run this by you first, huh?”

  Cody clicked his tongue. “What was your first clue?”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched your things or had them moved.”

  “Having my clothes brought here and running interference for me with the reporters was actually very sweet.” Cody crossed over to his suitcase and pulled out a credit card. “Paying for my room was not. I’m—”

  “Independent. I know. What I did may not seem like I get that, but I wasn’t trying to buy you at all.”

  “Then what were you thinking?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been a husband before, but to me, husbands pay for things and take care of their spouse. That’s all I was really trying to do.”

  The frown on Cody’s pink lips parted into a hesitant smile. “Just so you know, wives pay for things too, Mr. Democrat.” Julian threw up his hands in surrender. “Still, I get what you’re saying, but just remember I’m a husband too. You’re not the only one who can pay for or take care of things. If this marriage is going to work, you need to remember that all roads in it run both ways.”

  Julian liked the way that sounded. “Got it.”

  Obviously satisfied, Cody pulled his suit out of his garment bag and headed for the bathroom.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get ready.”

  Julian couldn’t stop the downturn of his lips. “In there? Why?”

  Cody laughed. “This from the man who hours earlier practically ordered me to put on clothes when I was prancing around in the buff?”

  Yeah. Those had been some of the dumbest words to ever leave his mouth. “Well, nudity is fine by me now.” Good God. Could he sound any more like a horny teenager? He needed to class it up a bit. “Married people do see each other naked, and we’re giving this marriage a try, right?”

  There. That sounded much better. So why was Cody entering the bathroom anyway?

  “Until our trial period is over, no sex and no nudity. I’ve officially classified our marriage as G-rated.”

  “Hey! I thought we were supposed to discuss things, marriage being a two-way street and all.” Julian loved it when someone else’s words helped him win an argument.

  “We already agreed—”

  Julian held up his hand. “To no sex. I never agreed to no nudity.”

  Cody sighed. “PG-13, then?”

  “What the hell does that even mean?”

  Cody flashed Julian once before securing his robe and closing the bathroom door.

  Julian couldn’t find the necessary energy to respond. All he could focus on was the glimpse of bare flesh, golden body hair, and lean muscles he longed to run his hands, lips, and tongue over.

  PG-13 would work for now, but in the upcoming weeks, he was going to push real hard for a solid R-rating.

  CODY took several deep breaths before he calmed down enough to even think about getting dressed. All he could see was the evident desire in Julian’s eyes, and it made him want to do more than flash him. He wanted to strip naked, pounce, and turn that G-rating into NC-17.

  That wouldn’t do either of them any good.

  He’d always acted like a porn star around every other man he found attractive. If this was going to work, he was going to have to change his ways. He had to be smart, think with the head that sat on his shoulders and not the one that stood at attention a good ten—no, eight—inches farther south.

  If he didn’t calm down, there was no way he was going to shove the Incredible Bulk into his pants.

  When he was finally dressed, he exited the bathroom to find Julian wearing a sleek black suit and a white collared shirt with the top two buttons unfastened. Right now he didn’t resemble a stuffy politician. He reminded Cody of a heartthrob ready to head down the red carpet.

  “How do I look?” Julian asked with a hesitant smile that hitched up the right corner of his mouth.

  Fuck. It was going to take the willpower of a Buddhist monk to resist that kind of temptation. “Great,” he managed to force out.

  “Thanks.” Julian swept his gaze over Cody’s tight-fitting navy blue suit and snug trousers before a huge smile spread wide across his features. “All I can say is that I’m glad you have no choice but to take me with you to this wedding.”

  Cody glanced at himself in the mirror. “Why? Do I look stupid? I don’t normally dress like this, but Sam insisted.”

  Julian walked up behind him. “Are you kidding me? Every straight woman and gay man there is going to want you, and you’re taken.”

  Cody cleared his throat and tried to force the spreading warmth out of his cheeks as he met Julian’s gaze in the mirror. Since when did he embarrass so easily? He was usually the one making others blus
h. “Just so you know, I’m not a fan of jealousy.”

  “Not jealous.” When Julian placed his hands on Cody’s hips, Cody forgot how to breathe. Julian gently turned him around. He straightened Cody’s red tie and smoothed out a crease in the fabric. Why the hell did that turn him on more than Julian’s hands on his body? “I’m just possessive about what’s mine, and I plan to make it very clear that is exactly what you are.”

  Cody didn’t know how to respond. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, took them out again, scratched his nose, and then ran his fingers through his hair. “I should probably get my shoes on.”

  He faced left and marched straight for his luggage, which still sat on top of the bed. He grabbed his shoes and dress socks and sat on the mattress. The whole time he worked to finish getting ready, he could feel the weight and heat of Julian’s gaze roaming all over his body. It made it difficult to put on his socks. His foot missed the entire sock the first time, and the second time, he put one of the socks on inside out. When he finally shoved his feet into his shoes and laced them up, he stood to find Julian leaning against the wall, still staring at him. “What?” He secretly wished Julian would cut it out. The way he looked at Cody unsettled him, but in a way that made his mouth dry and his throat grow thick.

  “Nothing. Just enjoying my G-rated show.”

  Cody glanced up at the ceiling, feigning exasperation. “Whatever happened to husbands being oblivious to their spouse’s appearance?”

  “Those men are stupid.” Julian’s voice held no trace of laughter or playful kidding. “Why be oblivious toward the one person you should see more clearly than anyone else? I’ll never be unaware of what you’re wearing, of what you say, or what you’re interested in. That’s not the kind of husband you’ve got.” He strolled over to Cody and swept his thumb across his chin and along his jawline. “I hope you’re okay with that.”

  Cody gulped, hard. He was more than okay with that. It sounded like a dream come true, and he didn’t even remember having that dream in the first place.

  “You need to stop.” Cody stepped back and turned around. Julian was playing dirty pool, and he wasn’t going to stand for it any longer.

  “What did I do wrong?” Julian’s words were barely a whisper.

  Cody snorted. Julian might have said he never understood the fine art of seduction, but he’d clearly lied. Every action since Cody agreed to be his husband had been filled with innuendo, longing glances, and more heat than south Texas in the middle of August. It was throwing Cody off. “It’s all too right, too perfect, and it needs to stop.”

  “Maybe I’m trying too hard,” Julian finally muttered. “And I’m sorry if I’m pressuring you or making you feel uncomfortable. That is the furthest thing from my mind, but you’re right, I guess I am trying to be perfect, because I want you to want this marriage.”

  “There you go again.” Cody ran his fingers through his hair. “You can’t tell me we’re building a marriage based on logic, without the unrealistic and destructive expectations of love, and then be all romantic and shit. You can’t make yourself perfect, because perfect doesn’t exist. That’s an unrealistic expectation.”

  Julian inhaled deeply and nodded. “You’re right. I’m not perfect, and I certainly don’t want to give that impression. I’m horribly flawed with heaps of insecurities you have no clue about.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, and we’ll get to those. I promise. I want you to know who I am. I want you to make an informed decision about this marriage, about who Julian Canales is, but I also really need you to understand what I said earlier. I’ve never met someone like you before. Neither of us may be perfect, but I think we could definitely be close to perfect together.”

  There he went again, being all romantic, so why did Cody suddenly want to hug him instead of telling him to just stop? “How can you say that when we’ve known each other such a relatively short time?”

  Julian shrugged. “I feel it.” He held his hand over his stomach. “In my gut.”

  Cody’s entire world suddenly narrowed down to Julian’s hand, the one resting on his flat stomach, the one he wanted to hold him as much as he wanted to hold Julian. He could do it too. He’d done it so many times before. It had always been easy to leap and then look in the past, but Julian made the idea of falling without a net too appealing. It made him want things he’d sworn never to want again.

  “I won’t force anything on you, Cody.” Julian gripped Cody’s hands and squeezed them tight. “I’m just trying to show you that we could work. I’ll ease up and let you find your own way, but I’m not going to give up. That’s not the kind of man I am.”

  A long silence engulfed the room as Cody let Julian’s words wash over him. They made sense and fit with what he knew of Julian’s personality. Maybe that was all that was going on right now. He was just reacting to Julian’s intense pursuit, which had muddied things a bit, but now that he was backing off, Cody would have time to clear his head, see this situation from a safe place, not from where desires he’d long thought had been snuffed out had sparked back to life.

  “Okay. No more perfect crap. Just be the cocky dumbass I first met and we’ll get along just fine.”

  “At your service.” Julian presented his arm for Cody to take. When Cody reached for it, Julian tugged his arm away and chuckled. “I can’t believe you fell for that.”

  “You’re an asshole.” Cody held his chin high, pretending to be offended.

  Julian straightened his coat before holding open the front door. “You’re the one who wanted the cocky dumbass. Remember? That means you can walk your own damn self down the hall before we face a room full of reporters and then your friends at the wedding.” He stuck out his tongue before stepping out into the hall and letting the door close behind him.

  “You better stop right there!” Cody dashed after Julian, catching the door before it shut. Julian stood waiting for him on the other side. He grabbed Julian’s hand and laced their fingers together. “We’re married. We face this shit together or not at all.”

  Julian grinned at him. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

  Chapter Eight

  THE whole ride down the elevator and through the main floor of the Hotel Valencia, Julian worried how Cody would handle the swarm of reporters and the constant barrage of questions they’d face. That had to be why Julian was clinging to his hand so tightly—to give Cody comfort.

  Julian had lived in the public eye for years. He’d had time to cultivate a public image, knew how to best answer or deflect questions. Hell, Adria had schooled him nonstop on his public persona ever since she first took the job as his campaign manager. He had to be poised, calm, collected, confident, and so many other adjectives, it was sometimes difficult to remember them all.

  Still, it had all become second nature to him. Well, as second nature as something like this could get. Cody had to be freaking out right now, but if that was the case, he was certainly hiding it extremely well. No worry lines creased his forehead, and he didn’t scrunch his lips. He strolled through the hotel as if he didn’t have a care in the world, as if there weren’t a firing squad ready to riddle them with bullets, as if facing the media was something he’d grown up doing.

  Why the hell wasn’t he a basket case right now?

  Julian certainly was. He could handle dirty politicians and corrupt businessmen without batting an eye. But every time he appeared in front of the media, he fought a constant battle with the hurricane of butterflies that swarmed in his stomach and chest. Adria had said for years that his nerves in front of reporters sometimes made him come off as too cool and too detached, which was why he was having some recent difficulties in the polls.

  Spencer Baldwin might be an asshat, but he knew how to charm the public.

  Julian had to work on being more likeable, to come across as confident and not cocky, to be cool and not chilly, but how could he do any of that if now he had the added worry of how Cody would handle him
self?

  If he didn’t settle down, he was going to throw up. Again.

  When they reached the side hallway that would take them to the conference room that had been set up for the press event, Julian noticed people milling around, gesturing at him and Cody and whispering to each other. They’d clearly seen the television footage of their hasty nuptials and had arrived at their own conclusions as to why they’d gotten married.

  He could see the headlines now.

  Senator Canales Stumbles Drunk Down the Aisle.

  Traditional Marriage Supporter Marries Stranger.

  What Happens in Vegas Can Kill Your Reelection.

  “Will you stop?” Cody pulled him into an alcove before hooking his index finger and thumb under Julian’s chin and forcing him to meet his gaze. “You’re greener now than you were when you woke up this morning.”

  Great. Adria would give him shit about that, and so would the reporters. “I’m just worried about you. You’ve never had to face anything like this before.”

  “You’re right.” Cody rubbed Julian’s shoulders. “But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna let anyone freak the shit out of me the way you’re doing. I might not be a public figure, but back in college and even in high school, getting people to like me was always no big deal. I was the best rush director for my fraternity. I managed to get more guys to pledge Lambda Chi in my two years in charge of recruitment than my chapter netted in my entire four years on campus.”

  Yeah, like that was any big surprise. Cody was hot. Who wouldn’t go Greek for him? But besides Cody’s striking good looks, he also wore a constant smile out in public. He had from the moment they’d met until they strolled down the wedding aisle. For Julian, it took work to overcome his fear of shark-toothed journalists.

  “Just be yourself,” Cody said with a smile.

  “Actually, he has to be better than that.”