Cody put his hands around her waist and picked her up as if she weighed no more than a ten-pound sack of potatoes. He deposited her back onto her chair, and then walked to the porch railing, keeping his back to her.
“It would have been a good goal if I hadn’t let my ego get ahead of me.” He put his hands on the rail, curling his fingers around the wood. “I’m not quite sure what happened, but . . .” He turned and his glare was fierce as he fisted his hand and pounded on his chest. “But I fucked up. I don’t know how exactly, that part’s buried in my mind. It’s trying to come out, though, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to deal with it when it does. I think you should go home.”
Ignoring what was probably sound advice she went to him. She snaked her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest, right over his heart. He sighed, although she wasn’t sure if it was one of relief that she was still there, or if it was one of exasperation at her stubbornness.
“Not going home,” she murmured with her lips pressed into his shirt.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, darlin’.” He picked her up, carrying her across his porch. They were at the door to his house when he whipped his head around.
“What?” she said when he dropped her feet to the ground and took off. What the hell?
CHAPTER TEN
Cody chased the car down the block, the same one that had tried to run over Riley. “Dammit,” he swore when the car sped around the corner. He stared at the empty road, willing it to come back so he could catch the bastard trying to hurt her.
It had only been because the car had slowed as it drove by that he’d taken notice. He turned back toward his house, coming to a stop at the edge of the yard where his dogs pranced in agitation. “You ever see that car again, you let me know.”
Sensing his tension, they growled at the empty street, wanting to protect him from the unseen evil. Along with Layla, it had been their self-appointed job in Afghanistan, and they didn’t like being left out. He knelt and assured them he was fine, receiving licks in the face.
“Was that the same car as before?”
Cody glanced up at Riley. “Yeah. Unfortunately, I only got the first two letters of the license plate, but it’s a start.” He stood. “Have there been any more sick pets?” The interruption had been timely; otherwise, he’d have her under him by now. He wanted that more than anything, but he couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her.
“Can we please talk about this tomorrow? I think you were about to have your way with me, and I’d very much like for that to happen.”
She edged closer, her citrusy scent making him want to bury his face in her hair and breathe her in. With her, he could forget all his problems for a few hours, but then what? She lived across the street, so no way he could avoid her. Nor was he sure that after one taste of her he could let her go if kissing her was any indication. Everything about her was a siren call that he’d never experienced with another woman—the way she fit into him, the way her warmth seeped into his skin, the surge that felt like some kind of electricity powering through him when they touched.
“So would I.” Unable to resist touching her, he trailed his knuckles down her cheek. “But—”
“I knew there was going to be a but.”
“Yeah, darlin’, there is. But you deserve better.” She clamped her teeth down over her bottom lip, and he grew hard thinking of her biting him, begging him to make her come.
“Don’t you think it should be up to me to decide what I deserve?”
“Not tonight.” He snapped his fingers, and the dogs followed him as he forced his feet to walk away.
“When?”
His mouth curved into a grin, but he kept his back to her. She was a feisty one, and he liked that. A lot. The woman would be demanding in bed, and on that thought, he almost scooped her up so he could find out which of them would come out on top. Because that was how it would be with her, both of them fighting for dominance. From kissing her, he’d already learned that she liked to be in control.
When he was sure he’d lost his grin, he faced her. “Come over in the morning, and I’ll cook you breakfast. We need to talk about who might be driving that damn car. While we’re at it, we’ll talk about sex. If we can establish some ground rules we both can agree on, then we’ll discuss when.”
Instead of answering, she marched toward him like a woman on a mission, put her hands on his cheeks and tugged his face down. Her mouth met his in a crash of lips, and she pushed her tongue inside. Hell. How was he supposed to resist her? About the time he decided to throw her over his shoulder and carry her to his bed, she pulled away.