“That could have been a driver not paying attention to the road.” God, she wanted to believe that. All three men exchanged glances, which irritated the hell out of her. “Stop looking at each other like that. In fact, go away. All of you.”
“Not going anywhere, darlin’,” Cody said, and although she wouldn’t admit it, she was relieved that he wasn’t an easy man to run off.
With instructions to try and come up with names, the detective left. Mike leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead. “Take care, Riley. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” After he walked away, she glanced at Cody, who was glaring at Mike’s back. “He’s just a friend.”
“One who feels free to kiss you?”
She laughed. “God, my head hurts. Don’t make me laugh. Friends do give innocent kisses, you know.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.” Still holding her hand, he toed the chair up to the bed and sat. “Christ, Riley, when I saw you facedown on the pavement, my heart stopped.”
“I’m sorry, but mostly I’m sorry for missing last night. I was looking forward to it, you know.”
“Hush, darlin’. Concentrate on getting better so you can get out of here. There’ll be plenty of nights for us.”
“Okay. I’m tired.”
He brushed his fingers softly down her eyelids, closing them. “Sleep. I’ll watch over you.”
“Kay.” It was nice knowing he’d be there when she woke up. “Cats?” she said, suddenly thinking of them.
“Taken care of.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t have the energy to ask how as she drifted off, knowing Cody was there, keeping her safe.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Riley wasn’t happy. That was apparent by the glare she was sending him and Brooke. “You’re not returning to work until you get checked out on Wednesday, and that’s final,” he said. “Doctor’s orders.”
Brooke gave a vigorous nod. “I rescheduled all your appointments and called Dr. Andrews. If there’s an emergency, he’ll cover for you.”
“Why don’t the two of you go away?” Riley made a shooing motion with her hand. “I don’t like either of you right now.”
Cody grinned. “Funny woman.” That got him another glare.
It was Monday afternoon, and the doctor had only agreed to allow her to come home if she promised to rest and had someone with her round the clock. Cody didn’t plan to leave her alone, and she was going to rest if he had to sit on her to keep her from going to work like she wanted to do. She was prone on her sofa with a pillow under her head, and her protests that she should be at work were halfhearted. Riley’s three cats held positions on her body, sitting like sentinels bent on guarding her. The little one finally grew bored with that task and began to play with the fringe on the afghan covering her.
“Can you stay for a few more minutes?” Cody asked Brooke. “I need to let my dogs out and then feed them.”
She nodded, her pretty blonde hair bouncing around her neck. Riley had told him Brooke and the cop were dating, and that news had pleased him because it meant Kilpatrick was no longer going after Riley. Although she was probably better off with the man. Mike, at least, seemed to have his head on straight. Cody didn’t care. Riley was his for as long as it lasted, and in his mind, he’d already stretched that time from a few weeks or a month to open-ended. Until she wised up and realized she could do better.
As he made his way across the street, his phone buzzed, and Kincaid’s name came up on the screen. “Boss.”
“How is she?”
“Grouchy. Doesn’t like ordered bed rest.” He’d called Kincaid that morning, asking for a few days off so he could stay with Riley, and after he’d explained why, his request had been granted.
“Maria said she’ll shoot you over an e-mail list of cars with those first two letters as soon as she has it. She’s also going to come stay with Riley tomorrow afternoon so you can keep your appointment.”
No way was he leaving Riley. “I appreciate it, but—”
“You will show up at Tom’s office promptly on time. Maria and Riley are already friends, so Riley won’t have a problem with that.”
Cody opened his door and let the dogs out. They raced to the yard to do their business. He’d left them alone too long. “I didn’t know that. I guess if it’s okay with Riley, that’s fine.”
“Good. Stop by here after you finish with Tom.”
Cody recognized that as an order. “See you tomorrow.”