Page 15 of Cody

I nodded.

“Well, you are getting older.”

Cody released a snort, but I ignored him.

“Need help with anything?” I watched as she cut the French bread and put it into the breadbasket.

“All done.” She handed me the basket and reached around to untie her apron before slipping it off.

We made our way to the table, which was already set for three. A big bowl of pasta and a second one with sauce was set on a huge, wooden Lazy Susan in the center of the table, along with freshly grated parmesan cheese, crushed red peppers, salt, and pepper.

“Looks good, Dotty.”

Cody looked like a meat and potato kind of man. His compliment, and the relaxed manner he had with my mother suggested that this wasn’t the first meal they’d shared. Knowing the people in Coldwater and their penchant for get-togethers, like the cookout I’d been invited to that weekend, I imagined they’d probably attended some of the same gatherings.

Mom beamed at his compliment and said, “Alina basically made the sauce, but I did the meatballs.”

Cody pinned his smiling eyes on me, and I couldn’t help saying with a shrug, “What can I say? I have many talents.”

The slightest curve on his lips revealed that my meaning wasn’t lost on him. I got the feeling that my time was running out. That Cody wasn’t a patient man when he wanted something. He’d made his intentions clear, and the slut in me couldn’t wait for him to make his move.

Chapter 8

Cody

I wanted Alina. I’d known it the first time I’d looked into those killer blue eyes and then took in the rest of her. And the hell of it was, she wasn’t even my usual type. I was a big man. I liked tall and curvy. Not short and petite—although Alina certainly had the curves my hands craved. I also favored blonds. But it was the unusual combination of black hair and blue eyes that had first captivated me. Later, I’d realized that I liked her wit, and how easily she put me in my place.

She wasn’t the first woman I’d had an immediate interest in, but she was the first that I couldn’t get out of my mind. And that’s what warned me that she was different. I should run for the hills. Because I had a feeling that when—not if—I finally gave into that attraction, it was going to be special. Good, but in a bad way.

Out of sight, out of mind wasn’t working for me, because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Hell, at this stage of my life I didn’t need to be making any drastic changes. I’d almost turned down Dotty’s dinner invite, but once she’d mentioned what we’d be eating, I’d caved like a five-year-old accepting candy from a stranger. She knew I loved her spaghetti, and next to my mother’s, who’d been gone ten years now, Dotty’s was the best.

I would have been fooling myself if I tried to pretend that I hadn’t also wanted to spend some time around Alina. That I’d like to get to know her.Christ.Kill me now. Two days later, I was still thinking about her as I sat in Lincoln’s truck with a hard-on. I’d had blue balls before. Hell, I’d suffered with the abstinence I’d had to endure during my stint in the Marines, but as a civilian, it had never been a problem. I knew a handful of women I could count on to keep me satisfied at any given moment.

Evelyn came to mind because she’d been the most recent. I’d broken things off with her, but I knew that it would only take one phone call to bring her running. But I wasn’t a fool, and that wouldn’t be fair to her. I didn’t hurt women on purpose, and I knew better than to keep a woman around who wanted more than I could give. It would be a better idea to call Tina or Brandy. But I didn’t want them.

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