Page 33 of Cody

Chapter 16

Alina

A loud pounding noise and the sound of something being destroyed woke me up early the next morning. I lay there for a minute, listening to the racket and blinking with confusion, until I realized the Dobson brothers had shown up. Mom had hired them to rebuild the porch, and they’d promised her it would be done in a week.

I pulled back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. I’d promised Crissy and Sarah that I’d meet them at eleven o’clock to paint. The paint and supplies were in the trunk of my car, and I was anxious to get started. I could tell by the angle of the sun that it was still early and that I still had hours before I had to meet them. I started to lay down again when a slight noise coming from the kitchen told me that someone was in the house.

I knew it wasn’t Mom. She’d made plans with friends to meet for breakfast and then to get their hair done, and if I knew Mom she would also be getting a mani-pedi while she was there. A second noise gave me concern, and I got up and walked to the kitchen without thinking.

I rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop. Cody was leaning against the counter, casually sipping a cup of what I assumed was coffee. Our eyes met, and barely a second went by before he growled, “Put some fucking clothes on, Alina.”

My brows shot up in surprise at his arrogant demand. I glanced down at the clinging tank top I slept in, and further down to the boxer-style shorts. They were old, thin, and comfortable, and covered more skin than a bathing suit would have. A laugh of amusement escaped me when my gaze returned to his. He had to be kidding. “This is what I sleep in.”

He grunted. “It doesn’t leave much to the imagination.” His gaze dropped to my breasts.

I shrugged. “Nothing you haven’t seen before,” I said flippantly, ignoring the way my nipples tightened. Why did I have to be so interested in a man who didn’t want commitments, ever? I sauntered toward him to get a cup of coffee.

“The Dobson brothers haven’t seen you.”

I automatically glanced toward the patio door. The curtains had been pulled back, and all three brothers were concentrating on demolishing the old porch. They were young, and I couldn’t help but laugh softly as I turned back to Cody. “I’m almost old enough to be their mother.” I stopped directly in front of him and crooked my head to look up at him.

“You think that matters? They’re men, aren’t they? They’re gonna look when a sexy woman walks around in front of them.”

He thought I was sexy? That made me bat my eyelashes up at him like a coquettish virgin. “You think I’m sexy, Marine?”

A sound between a snort and a grunt escaped him. “You know what I think.”

I thoughthewas the sexy one in casual attire of old, faded jeans that conformed to his thick thighs, well-worn boots, and an opened, red-checkered flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal tanned, vein-riddled forearms. Beneath it he was wearing a red T-shirt that covered his muscular chest and abs. Not a six-pack, but I recalled the four-pack that rippled down his wide torso. I remembered how it had felt beneath my hands.

The woodsy, spicy scent of his aftershave reached me, and I shamelessly turned my head slightly to inhale more of the tantalizing smell into my lungs. I could have sworn that as I reached to open the cupboard door next to him, Cody turned his head to do the same thing to me. I wasn’t wearing perfume, but I had put on some body lotion before going to bed the night before.

I paused in mid-air from reaching for a cup and stared into his eyes. “Are you sniffing me?” I confronted him with amusement.

“Are you gonna deny you didn’t sniff me first?” Cody countered back with a cocky grin.

My jaw dropped with surprise. “I didn’t—”

He raised a brow at the lie that was about to come out of my mouth.

“Okay, I did,” I admitted reluctantly. “I like your aftershave.” I pulled a cup down and poured a cup of coffee. Once I took the first sip, I leaned against the counter next to him, trying to be casual when my insides were churning with his nearness. “So, um, how did your date go last night?” Had I really just asked him that?

“As expected,” he responded with a heavy sigh, topping off his cup with more coffee before returning his gaze to me. “Yours?” He brought the cup to his mouth, studying me over the rim as he took a cautious sip.

“As expected. It was a productive date.” After Max and I had finished eating, we’d continued to discuss plans for the store. He was going to send me the figures for materials and labor later today.

Cody’s eyes narrowed on me. He set his cup down and crossed his arms. I got the feeling that he was irritated by my answer, and he looked ready to attack. I wondered why. “Productive? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

Was he fishing? His jaw had hardened until a tic appeared. I knew exactly where his mind had gone.

“By productive, do you mean sex?” I couldn’t read the look that flashed briefly in his eyes, and for some reason I didn’t want him thinking that I’d slept with Max. “Relax, Marine, we didn’t have sex.”

His expression relaxed somewhat, and it was then that I realized that the thought of me with another man actually bothered Cody.

Interesting.

“Feeling a little possessive, are we?” I wanted to ask if he’d fucked Tina, but I didn’t want to know the answer. I didn’t want to even think about him with another woman.

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