Page 27 of Hold Me Until Morning

Like maybe it had mattered.

But this was Cody Cooper we were talking about.

The man couldn’t seem to remain serious to save his life.

“You just go on telling yourself that,” Lolly drawled, “but if a hottie like you moved in next door to me, I’d be smiling, too. I bet I know what would make him smile even wider.” She wagged her brows.

I refused the visions that wanted to assail me. The ones that had forever wondered what that might be like. If that summer had gone down differently.

That was attraction for you.

Errant.

Inopportune.

No thought of the heart even though that was where you felt the strike of it.

“You’re ridiculous, Lolly,” I told her, forcing lightness into my tone.

“Nothing ridiculous about it.”

“You and I both know it would be ridiculous to get tangled in the likes of that. That man would chew me up and spit me out, and then I’d be stuck living next to him for the next God knows how long. My life is too complicated right now. No use in adding fuel to the flames.”

Flames that would likely consume, and there was no pretending that Cody wasn’t gasoline.

All of it was the truth, not that I would ever let him touch me, anyway.

“Oh, but the chewing would be so nice.” Lolly grinned.

I shook my head and stood as Cody came in pushing my nightstand on the hand-truck.

The air shifted the way it did, growing thick and somehow light, like the man was radiating the sun all while casting me in shadow.

“Where’s this one go?” he asked, so casual, like his presence wasn’t wreaking havoc on the brittle pieces inside me.

“You can leave it right there.”

“Already have it inside. No point in that.” His mouth tipped up at the side.

“Might as well show him to your room.” Freaking Lolly, thinking she was cupid when she had no idea the type of arrows a man like him carried.

But whatever, he’d already forced his way inside. I might as well let him finish the job.

Awkwardly, I gestured toward the primary that was through the double doors on the other side of the kitchen. “Right in there.”

“Ah, you’ve got the same room as mine.” That golden gaze sparked in some kind of mischief, a silent affirmation that he’d caught me peeping on him last night.

So freaking embarrassing.

He guided the hand-truck down the little pathway between the kitchen and table before he disappeared through the bedroom door.

I itched, unsure, before I hurried to follow him.

He went directly for the right side of the bed, like he already knew that was the side I slept on, even though it was made.

He moved around to slide the nightstand off the hand-truck, his muscles straining and his tee shirt stretching over the definition of his back as he maneuvered it into place.

Then he straightened to his full height, dragging a massive palm up his face and through his hair as he turned to face me.

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