Only Her (A K2 Team Novel)(74)

The house was about twelve feet off the ground, built like that because of hurricanes, with a four-car garage under it. A wide set of stairs with what looked like polished, dark mahogany rails led up to a double front door. It had a beautiful, weathered copper roof, and ocean-blue shutters framed the oversized windows. The yard was covered in pale rose gravel, and the plants were palm trees, beach grasses, and succulents.

“Wow,” she said again, not being able to think of another word good enough for what she was seeing. Cody laughed and bumped against her arm. She grinned up at him. “If my mouth falls open when I get inside, kick me.”

“I’d much rather kiss you,” he said as they reached the top of the stairs. “Like this.”

When their lips met, she sighed. She had only kissed a handful of men, so she didn’t have much to compare him to, but she’d bet her beers that there wasn’t a man in the world who kissed as well.

“Ring the doorbell when you’re done.”

Riley jumped away—heat immediately flaming her cheeks—and turned to see Logan Kincaid standing in the doorway, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Ah . . . hi. We were just . . . we were . . .”

“We were kissing,” Cody said, giving her a wink.

“I noticed.” Logan stepped back. “Come in.”

Could she be more mortified? She pinched Cody’s arm in retaliation as she passed by him to step inside. His chuckle didn’t endear him to her, and she glared at him. That got her a big grin. Men!

Logan closed the door behind them. “Good to see you again, Riley. Everyone’s outside.”

As she followed Logan through the house, she did manage to keep her mouth closed, but it wasn’t easy. The place was freaking amazing. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the side facing the gulf provided a magnificent view of Pensacola’s famous sugary sand beach, and the water sparkled an emerald green. The interior colors were beachy—blues, turquoises, and greens—and the floors were bleached wood. The great room opened up to a state-of-the-art kitchen and dining area, and stairs led to a second story.

“Wow,” she whispered.

Cody put his mouth close to her ear. “Told you,” he whispered back.

She elbowed him in his stomach.

“Ooof.” He rubbed her bottom.

She sidestepped. “Stop it.”

“Make me.”

This playful side of him was new, and she liked it, but she wasn’t about to tell him. Nope. Not giving him that satisfaction.

“You have a beautiful home,” she said, increasing her pace to catch up with Logan, then was snatched back when Cody caught the waist of her jeans.

He tucked her against him. “You can’t get away from me, darlin’.”

Like she wanted to. “You’re being a bad boy. Behave or I’ll punish you.”

His eyes lit with interest. “Yeah?”

“Well, that threat didn’t have the desired effect.”

“When you two children finish playing, join us. Everyone else is here,” Logan said before opening one of the French doors and walking out.

“Does he have eyes in the back of his head?” She’d thought he was too far away to hear their whispering.

“Yep, and the best set of ears you’ll ever find.”

“That’s something you should have mentioned.”

“More fun letting you learn that on your own.”

She rolled her eyes. It was funny, though, that his messing around with her had relaxed her. Maybe that had been his plan all along. When she stepped out onto the back deck and everyone looked over at her and Cody, she froze. Well, relaxed was good while it lasted.

Cody put his hand on her lower back, flattening his palm and rubbing his thumb over her. “There’s not another woman in the world I’d be prouder to introduce my friends to than you, darlin’.”

She shot him a grateful smile, and he dropped his hand from her back, lacing their fingers together. Glancing at the couples, she was relieved to see that everyone was wearing jeans. The temperature was in the high sixties with only a slight breeze, the sun was bright in the sky, and the waves made a gentle splash against the shore. A beautiful day to spend on the beach. The deck stretched across the entire back of the house, and flames danced in the fire pit that everyone sat around. She squeezed Cody’s hand and got a return squeeze.

Cody didn’t know why Riley was nervous about meeting his friends, but he could see that she was. She was beautiful and had a great personality—sassy and funny. He guessed because of her upbringing and then dedicating herself to getting her clinic up and running, she hadn’t had much opportunity to socialize. But the death grip she had on his hand had him sending a warning glance at his friends. They better accept her. Because the team was so attuned to each other, they got his message, and the men gave an imperceptible nod. The women totally missed the communication happening between the team, but they all had warm smiles for Riley, so he relaxed.