Chapter Forty
By the time Cody and Yana arrived back at the cottage, they were both starving. Morgan was sitting on the couch watching some baking contest show. She jumped up as they entered.
“I was just starting to get worried!” Morgan said. “Is everything okay?”
Cody shrugged. “Okay enough.”
Morgan walked over and hugged him, but his clothes were still a bit damp, so it wasn’t a full embrace.
“You should probably change and get warmed up,” Morgan said. “I’d offer to make you something for dinner, but your way is probably faster than my way.” She gave the oven a pointed look.
“I can make something,” Yana offered. She was completely dry now, thanks to her elven magic, and she could use the game oven.
“Yeah. That’d be great. Thanks, Yana.” Cody headed to the bathroom, and Morgan followed him in, which he didn’t mind.
She took a seat on the toilet lid and looked up at him. “Am I right to assume you were doing some sort of fetch questing for Gracie?”
“Yeah, some special raindrop things that only respawn during a storm.” Cody peeled off his wet clothes, dumping them on the ground. “She was pretty upset. Did you talk to Doug?”
Before Morgan answered, he stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain shut. He turned the water on, and the sudden warmth felt amazing.
“Yes, I talked to Doug,” Morgan called over the sound of the shower.
Cody got started on lathering shampoo into his hair but peeked around the curtain. “And? Was he still pissed that I went along with Gracie’s game stuff?”
“He mentioned that. And he wants you to go fishing with him tomorrow.”
“What?” Cody ducked back into the shower, rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. “Do I have to?”
“It would be a good chance to earn another level with him.”
“I guess you’re right. There is that.” Cody grabbed the bar of soap and made sure to wash all the bits of mud away. “But I also need to talk to Gracie sometime, with just you around. No Doug.”
“Is she just asking you for fetch quests because of your game stuff or…?”
“I think there’s more to it.” Cody quickly finished up in the shower, and Morgan passed him a fresh towel. “The fetch quests help me level up her Friendship, but I definitely think there’s something else going on there.”
“Temica?” Morgan asked, her eyes instantly clouding over.
“Not sure.” Cody wrapped the towel around his waist, and they went to their bedroom. Morgan sat on the bed as Cody found some clean sweatpants and a shirt and pulled them on. “I think Gracie’s game might have something to do with Grandpa Sam. Do you remember the two of them doing any game-like stuff, before…you know, before Grandpa Sam passed away?”
Cody had already come to terms with his grandfather’s death prior to moving to Cornerstone, but the way Gracie had talked about Grandpa Sam not actually being dead ignited a spark of hope inside of him. There was definitely something going on and he needed to get to the bottom of it.
“Grandpa Sam would babysit her sometimes and they’d play in the workshop,” Morgan said. “And like I mentioned before, I notice she gets that faraway look sometimes, the same one you got when you looked at your game screen. She also likes to collect things, rocks and shells and stuff. But lots of kids collect stuff like that. I have a shoebox full of shells in my apartment, somewhere.”
Cody nodded and sat on the bed next to Morgan. “I need to talk to her. Soon.”
“First, go fishing with Doug and talk to him. Then I’ll work something out so we can talk to Gracie.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They could smell herbs and spices wafting from the kitchen, so Yana probably had dinner ready. They headed out to see a spread of baked trout, brown rice, string beans, and a big bowl of salad.
“That oven is crazy,” Morgan said as she took her seat at the table. “Should we wake up Nyrah?”
Cody shared a nervous glance with Yana. They hadn’t had a meal all together since before the incident.
“Are you sure?” Cody asked Morgan. He slowly took his own seat, across from her.
“We talked,” Morgan said. “I don’t mind if she joins us.”
“You…talked?” Cody could hardly believe his ears. It had barely been a full week.
“We talked,” Morgan repeated. “Yana, why don’t you go wake up Nyrah and invite her to dinner?”
“Um…yes. Okay.” Yana shared another confused look with Cody before leaving the kitchen.
Cody regarded Morgan across the table from him. “You talked? Just the two of you, alone? And it went okay?”
“Yes.” Morgan grabbed the steaming bowl of rice and scooped some onto her plate before passing it to Cody. “And we need to have a talk, just the two of us, once we’re done eating dinner.”
Before he could respond, Yana returned with Nyrah. She was in her human form and wearing a blue sundress that was having great difficulty holding in her cleavage. She glanced at Cody and he gave her a nod. And then she glanced at Morgan, who smiled and also gave her a nod of approval. With that silently sorted out, Nyrah sat down at the table.
An uncomfortable silence filled the kitchen as the four of them politely passed the dishes of food around the table, each serving themselves. Nyrah took a very tiny piece of fish and some rice. Cody felt it really was strange how little she needed to survive, especially compared to her friend. Yana had eaten enough for three days at the diner, but she was still piling a mountain of rice onto her plate.
Cody dug into his food, quietly observing the three women at the table. He really wished he had Knife to confer with about his current situation. Although, Knife would just encourage Cody to embrace the harem that was quickly forming around him. Not that that would be the worst thing that ever happened to Cody. He could not deny that all three of them were beautiful, and that he cared about each of them.
He looked over at Yana, who caught his eye, but immediately looked away. She was blushing, and Morgan definitely noticed. Cody looked over at Morgan just as she quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head.
Cody sighed. The women weren’t trying to kill each other, but this dinner was still awkward. No one was talking. It felt like everyone was trying to be extra careful around each other. But he wasn’t sure what he expected. A little over a week and one little talk wasn’t going to completely fix things. We just need more time, he told himself. Because the four of them peacefully co-existing felt crazy, but so was the rest of his life.
* * *
An hour later, Morgan was changing into a little green cotton nightdress as Cody got comfy in bed. She had packed a bunch of stuff up from her apartment and was already making herself at home in the cottage. It probably wouldn’t be long until she was completely moved in. Cody liked that, the idea of her being there, sharing the cottage as their home.
Morgan joined him in bed, climbing in under the covers. Her strappy nightdress did little to stop her breasts from swaying enticingly, and Cody couldn’t help but admire them. He ran a knuckle over the fabric, and her nipple instantly hardened, poking at the thin fabric. She gently grasped his wrist and pushed him away, smiling.
“Focus,” she said. “We talk first, and then you can play with my tits however you want.”
Cody sighed and dragged his eyes away from her impressive cleavage. “Okay, yeah. You and Nyrah getting along is really weird. And I have something to tell you, too.”
He absolutely knew he needed to tell Morgan about Yana levelling up to be Romanced and how she tried to kiss him, but he also really wanted to know about what had transpired between Morgan and Nyrah while he was gone.
But Morgan narrowed her eyes, studying him. “You have something to tell me? Is it something about Yana?”
“Yeah…”
“I want you to go first.”
“Okay, well…as you know, both Nyrah and Yana are Romance options in the Cottage Country game. Today, while I spent time with Yana, she completed all her Friendship Levels.”
“Oh,” Morgan said, but she kept her face completely unreadable. “Go on.”
“So, now she’s like you: Romanceable,” Cody explained slowly.
“Have you started romancing her?”
“What? No,” Cody said quickly. “But turns out her Friendship Levels were gained every time I did something that made her um…fall for me? And then after I told her she levelled up, she tried to kiss me. I’m sorry. I pushed her away. I didn’t kiss her back.”
“Hmmmm…” Morgan smiled softly, which Cody felt was a pretty cryptic response. “I like Yana. Do you like Yana?”
“As a friend? Yes. But I don’t feel comfortable ‘Romancing’ other women when I’m very clearly dating you.”
Morgan reached out, tracing her finger along the side of his face. “I mean, I get it. You’re a nice guy. You’re attractive. And you have a Heart of Gold. It totally makes sense to have three beautiful women all vying for your attention.”
Cody sighed. “Maybe we cut the sarcasm while having this conversation?”
Her eyes snapped to his. “I’m not being sarcastic. This is exactly what Nyrah and I talked about today. The um…harem stuff.”
“You can’t be fucking serious.”
This was not where he thought the conversation was headed. This is what Nyrah was pushing for, not Morgan. Not Morgan, the woman who fought for him. Not Morgan, his monogamous girlfriend. Not Morgan, who he had been dreamt about returning to. They were meant to be together. Just the two of them. Or…so he thought.
Morgan’s face remained completely serious. “There’s something weirdly appealing about them both wanting you. I mean, I got you first. You will always be mine. But there’s also that sense of extra security, knowing that Nyrah, you know, has the same sort of um…drive that I have. She would do anything to keep you around. She will always protect you. Having someone else in my corner that matches my level of intensity feels more like a gain than a challenge. She will make sure you’ll never get away from us, ever again.”
“Us…?” Cody asked.
“Us,” Morgan confirmed. “Like I said, I talked to Nyrah about the harem stuff. I thought about it more. As long as I’m still your Number One Best Girl, I’m okay with sharing.”
Cody swallowed the nervous lump that had risen in his throat as he nodded slowly. This was every plot of Grandpa Sam’s books unfolding in his very own bedroom. With three of the most beautiful women he had ever met.
“So, just to be clear: you’re okay with the whole harem thing?” Cody said. “The thing I have been fighting since day one, is now good to go?”
She smiled and he leaned in to kiss her, but she held up her hand, stopping him. “To clarify, I’m not just talking about foursome sex stuff. Yes, that can be a possibility in our near future if the other girls are cool with it, but I’m talking about actual relationship stuff. I’m talking about the two of them staying here, you Romancing both of them in order to beat the game, and seeing if this is something we all want, permanently and regardless of the game.”
“Less than a week ago, you and Nyrah tried to kill each other,” Cody said. “And now you want to have a fuck puddle with Nyrah and Yana?”
“We tried to kill each other because we both want you and would do anything for you,” Morgan said sweetly. “I don’t want to keep fighting her, especially since if we went Round Two I’m pretty sure she’d win. She has fucking claws. And I definitely don't want Temica to win. I want Nyrah to be on the same team that I’m on. The team that collectively loves and protects you, Cody Hampshire.”
“This is fucking wild…” Cody said, but couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried.
Morgan kissed him, slow and sensual, before pulling away and giving him a serious look. “But let’s get one thing straight: I’ll be the one who reaches full Romance first.”
The first time they had sex since the incident was after Gracie’s birthday party, which had earned Morgan her eighth level up. It had been slow and cozy sex before falling asleep in each other’s arm, not a crazy fuck-fest attempting as many level ups as possible.
“We only have two more level ups to make that achievement,” Cody said, grinning. “You game for doing both tonight?”
“Fuck yes,” Morgan said, kissing him again. She reached under the covers to shove his pants down and he kicked them off, followed by removing his shirt. Before he could capture her lips in another kiss, she pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him, pressing her hands onto his shoulders. Her short nightdress rode up her pale thighs. It wasn’t high enough to reveal her pussy, but he could already feel her wet heat pressing against his cock and smell the enticing scent of her arousal.
Morgan looked down at him smiling, long tendrils of copper-colored hair framing her face. “But you want to fuck the other girls, right?”
His brain tried to process what she was asking as she slid her wet pussy lips up and down his length. Instead of answering he gripped her waist and pushed his hips up, desperate to sink into her depths.
“Tell me,” she said, grinding her clit on his cock. “Tell me I’m your Best Girl, but you want to want to fuck the other girls, too.”
“You’ll always be my Best Girl,” he said, smiling up at her.
“And…”
“And?”
“But you're such a fucking stud that you’re going to fuck all of us,” Morgan said.
Cody watched her as she continued to grind on him, her breath growing quicker, her mouth falling open, her eyelids fluttering. Her cheeks, her neck, and her upper chest were already flushed pink. He could tell she was about to cum just by grinding on him. And because she was very clearly getting even more turned on by thinking about him fucking other women.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he said, playing along.
“Y-yes,” she said, and he could tell she was steadily inching closer to her release.
“Who should I fuck first?”
“You always fuck me first.” She pushed her hands down on his shoulders even harder, pressing him into the mattress as she picked up her tempo. “You fuck me and you cum inside of me before your dick gets wet with anyone else.”
“And…what if you’re not around?” They were definitely going to rehash this conversation to work out the details at a later time–you know, when Morgan wasn’t about to cum all over his cock. He couldn't be sure how much of this was sexy talk or if she was actually laying down the official Harem Sex Rules.
“You can fuck them w-when I’m n-not around,” Morgan said and let out a little whimper, her shoulders twitching. She was almost there. “You can fuck them as much as you want. Fuck them until they c-can’t even w-walk…oh, fuck…” She let out one final, strangled moan and he felt her pussy quiver on his cock as she came, her thighs squeezing him and her fingers gripping his shoulders, nails digging into his flesh.
“Congrats, you just leveled up,” he told her.
“I fucking know I did,” she said, giving him a dreamy smile. She collapsed onto him, nuzzling into his neck before nibbling on his earlobe and causing a wave of shivers to course through his body.
He pushed his hands under her nightdress, running his palms up from her curvy hips to her narrow waist and then giving her generous side boob a squeeze. “Take this off now.”
She sat up and obeyed, pulling the green nightdress over her head and tossing it onto the floor. He immediately filled his hands with the softness of her breasts, giving them a good massage before she leaned down, feeding a taut nipple into his mouth. He sucked on her soft flesh, kneading her other breast, as she continued to rub her soaked pussy on his cock.
He loved the feeling of her soft, sensitive flesh in his mouth, rolling his tongue around her nipple before giving it a light bite. She yelped playfully, pulling back, her nipple slipping from his lips. He wanted more of her, to taste her. He reached around, giving her plump ass cheeks a squeeze before flipping her onto her back. Without a word, he slipped down between her legs and dove in, luxuriating in her scent, her taste, and the noises she was making with every lap of his tongue. But this was it: Morgan’s final level up to complete her Romance Events…and then…
Cody moved up so he could kiss her. “Do you know what happens once you reach your final level?” He rested on one elbow, looking down at her. Her face was glistening with sweat, her mascara smeared in a way that made her look even sexier. She looked into his eyes and shook her head. “Well, according to the game, it unlocks ‘Marriage’.”
Morgan laughed softly before grinning. “Yeah? And how do you feel about that?”
“Pretty damn good, actually.” He kissed her again, but then pulled back, looking into her beautiful blue eyes. “Morgan, will you marry me?”
Her grin widened as she blinked away tears. “Are you asking me because you want to marry me, or because the game is telling you to?”
“I’m asking you because I love you, Morgan Callahan. Yes or no?”
She exhaled slowly as he nudged the head of his cock inside of her. “Yes. Uh-huh, I—” She threw her head back and moaned as he pushed himself inside and started gently fucking her, taking his time. “Y-yes. I want to marry you so fucking bad.”
“Good. Because I’m going to marry the fuck out of you.”
“B-but…” Morgan said, squeezing his shoulders. “We can still do the h-harem thing?”
“Yeah, we’re still doing that.” He thrust in harder and she wrapped her legs around him, not letting him go.
Morgan grabbed his face and roughly pulled him in for a kiss, her hips meeting his thrust for thrust. The kiss was a mess, their bodies jostling, lips mashed together, tongues exploring but never quite meeting. Morgan gave up on the kiss, choosing to wrap her arms around him and bury her face in the crook of his neck, her cries muffled against him. Every smothered noise of pleasure drew him closer to the edge, and he could tell Morgan was nearly there, too, her pace becoming frantic, her cries needier and louder.
Her final gasp of pleasure caught in her throat as she came, and Cody was assaulted by the sensation of her pussy pulsing on his cock. The final pink notification screen popped up to let him know he just officially completed his Romance Events and unlocked marriage with Morgan. There was an onslaught of emotions coursing through him: love and satisfaction and the immense feeling that everything was right in the world and he hit his own breaking point so hard he momentarily felt lightheaded, his vision swimming with stars. He pumped Morgan full of his release as her body quaked with orgasmic aftershocks.
His arms were shaking and he was worried he was going to collapse on top of Morgan and crush her, so he fell to the side, panting. Morgan immediately grabbed his arm, cuddling in close.
“You meant it right?” she asked between labored breaths.
He rolled his head to look at her, giving her an easy smile. “Every word.”
“We’re getting married?” she asked, her own smile tugging at her lips.
“Yeah. We’re getting married.” He may have felt surprised when the game first announced that marriage would be unlocked, but that felt ages ago. He couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than marrying Morgan. That was the entire point of making it back to Cornerstone. But other parts of their conversation were on his mind, about Yana and Nyrah, and the future that could be unfolding for all of them, together. But he didn’t want to ruin the moment by launching into a discussion about all of that, he just wanted to hold Morgan in his arms, bask in their afterglow, and fall asleep.
Current Inventory Total: 1,422
Friendship Moments: Doris: 5/5, William: 5/5, Gracie: 3/5, Lexi: 3/5, Bob: 1/5, Nyrah: 4/5, Yana: 5/5, Doug 2/5, Marigold: 0/5
Romance Moments: Morgan: 10/10, Yana: 0/10
Relationship Status: Engaged to his Number One Best Girl, but also totally building a harem.