Only Her (A K2 Team Novel)(54)

Cody had no desire to discuss his parents, but he’d deal with evading that discussion when it came up. He stood when Tom did. “This is gonna be different. I’ve been trying to forget it, to put it in a box and lock the lid.”

“A problem never gets solved by ignoring it, it just takes root and grows. Make your next appointment with Norma on your way out.”

“We didn’t talk about what this was going to cost me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna do it no matter how much, but—”

“The bill’s paid. And before you argue, you’re a valuable member of K2’s team, and Kincaid believes in taking care of his own. If it makes you feel better, he gets a discount. He paid for my help when I couldn’t. When I tried to pay him back, he refused on the condition that I treat any of his men who needed it, and you’re not the first. Someday, you can do good for someone who needs it by paying it forward.”

Cody swallowed the lump in his throat, not knowing what to say.

“Yeah, the man tends to have that effect on you. Make your next appointment for Friday.”

Appointment made, Cody sat in his truck in the parking lot and thought about the past two hours. He hadn’t known what to expect, but he hadn’t thought it would be easy, and delving into his nightmare was going to be a bitch. If nothing else, after meeting with Tom, he had hope for the first time since the nightmares started. And he liked the man, which was surprising since he’d steeled himself not to appreciate anyone messing around in his head.

Another car pulled into the lot, likely Tom’s next appointment. Cody turned the key in the ignition and drove away. He’d planned to stop at the grocery store, but remembered he still had the food he’d bought for Riley and him to eat last Saturday night. Anxious to be with her, he headed home.



Riley enjoyed Maria’s company, but she hadn’t been left alone since she’d woken up in the hospital, and she craved some downtime. Cody had been gone for over two hours, and she wondered when he’d return.

“You like him, don’t you?” Maria asked.

Riley glanced at her friend. “Who?” Like she didn’t know Maria meant Cody, but she was feeling ornery.

“The man who has you staring out the window watching for him to come home.”

“Oh, him.” She shrugged. “What’s not to like?” Not a thing she could think of, and where was he? “I watched that SEAL movie, you know the one about the sniper? Do you think Cody’s having trouble dealing with life after the military?”

“Mmm, you need to ask him that question. I’ll just say that I haven’t seen any of the guys I know who served make an easy adjustment back to civilian life.”

Riley didn’t doubt that Maria knew more about Cody than she did and that rubbed. She wanted to know everything about him, every tiny detail. Never mind that there were things in her life she never wanted him to know. That was her past, over and done with.

She had run away from foster homes where men had lurked, watching her with a dangerous gleam in their eyes, lived on the streets, been picked up by the cops more than once and returned to Child Protective Services, and run away some more. The only time she regretted running was that one time with Reed. If she could pick one thing to do over again, it would be that. But she’d loved him as much as a sixteen-year-old knew how to, and she’d believed him when he’d said they would make a new life where nothing bad could touch them.

“There he is,” Maria said, bringing Riley back to the present.

Riley’s gaze hungrily followed Cody as he entered his house. A few minutes later, the door opened and the dogs ran into the yard. She smiled when he stepped out behind them and stretched his body like a cat that had been too long confined.

“You got it bad, girlfriend.”

God, she so did. “I do not.”

Maria snorted. “Whatever.” She stood and tossed her thick, dark hair over her shoulder. “Call me tomorrow. Oh, almost forgot. Tell Cody to check his e-mail.”

“Will do. Thanks for hanging out with me.”

“It was fun. We should do it more often.”

Riley waved a good-bye to her friend, but her attention was on the man across the street. He would come over as soon as he saw Maria leave, and knowing that spurred her to hurry to her bedroom for a quick change of clothes and a peek in the mirror to see if the purple bags under her eyes were still there. They were, but they were not nearly as bad, and a touch of makeup helped.

After slipping on a sleeveless, pale-blue maxi dress made of soft cotton, and doing a quick check on her hair, which was in a ponytail to hide her bald spot, she returned to the living room. The material of the dress felt strange in all the places usually covered by a bra and panties. That she wore nothing underneath was daring and exciting.