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He would have called his club, Dahl. He doesn’t need you. The sooner you realize that the better off we’ll both be.
“Well, I’m done.” I said softly.
Cody hesitated, measuring me up momentarily, but still said nothing.
I grabbed my satchel and headed toward the door. The only problem was Cody was blocking my path to leave, so when I got close enough, he grabbed my arm—stopping me. His rough hands pulled me against his side. I didn’t fight him because it was futile.
“I’d asked to leave the club, Dahl.” Finally, he spoke, but what he said wasn’t enough for me to stay. I started to move toward the door again and his grasp on my upper arm tightened.
My eyes went from fixed on where he grasped my arm to his golden gaze, and I could see in his narrowed but hopeful expression he was telling me the truth.
He’s already lied to you once, Dahl. Don’t fall for this again.
I nodded for him to continue, and he cleared his throat again.
“I’m done, for good. That was my last job.”
He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off him, and I couldn’t help but move closer. His hand loosened its grip on my arm, taking on more of a caressing embrace.
“Please,” he licked his lips, and I swear I could see desperation in his eyes. “Don’t go.”
And that was all it took.
I turned, relenting, and buried my face into the corded muscles of his chest. Cody’s callused hands slipped up my arms, bringing me closer to him.
And I was a goner.
CHAPTER 9
For weeks, we’d lived in the cabin of my so-called long-lost Uncle Jack. I’d explained to Cody that I had a death certificate for the man but never explained why or how. And to my surprise, he didn’t ask. He also hadn’t pressed me to tell him more about myself or what I had left back in Connecticut, which surprised me, too. But he didn’t ask, so I didn’t offer any lies.
That didn’t mean I hadn’t started to realize the importance of returning home, and soon. We couldn’t live in this bubble forever, no matter how much we both seemed to want to. John and Susan had been blowing up my phone, asking where I was and when I’d return. Mother’s estate and business could basically run itself, but there were still decisions that had to be made. Decisions that were usually left to Mother but now were left to me instead.
Cody had his final court date tomorrow, and I’d already decided I wouldn’t come clean yet. I’d wait until we were back in Connecticut, on my home turf, and then explain everything. At least, that way, I’d know that he followed me because he wanted to be with me, not my money. And lying or refraining from the truth was worth the consequences of figuring that out first.
I’d been doing my best to push all that aside today. I’d been fighting a losing battle with my inner self and her constant nagging that I would somehow regret all this one day, but she didn’t have me convinced, not in the slightest.
Cody and I walked through the trees today, taking pictures and making out against every surface we could find. This place was incredible and gave the illusion of peace and serenity. And I liked the thought of coming back here whenever possible to unwind and gain perspective when life became too much to handle. Cody didn’t know it yet, but I had plans for us. I just had to hope he would forgive me when he realized I hadn’t been completely honest with him. I told myself he couldn’t blame me as I’d only been lying by omission. I’d also tried to convince myself that lying to his face would be much worse than just not telling him anything.
My inner self was having a field day with that one.
Cody stood at the kitchen sink, rinsing off the vegetables he planned to cook with dinner, and I had to admit, I was grateful he was a fantastic cook. I hoped he wouldn’t stop cooking for me once we got home, but it would be easy for him to leave that to the housekeepers instead of doing it himself. I made a mental note to bring that up when we got home.
You won’t need to remember that you love his cooking because he won’t be coming home with you, Dahl. You lied to him! Oh, and you are such a snob.
I internally groaned at my thoughts and decided a shower would be nice before dinner.
“Hey,” I started and rubbed at a sore spot on my neck. “I’m going to take a shower before dinner, ok?” As usual, Cody didn’t say anything. He just nodded his reply, and after a quick but lingering kiss on the lips, I retreated to the bedroom.
The smell from the kitchen was sublime and made my stomach growl like I hadn’t eaten in days. Cody sat at the kitchen table, reading something I couldn’t make out from where I stood by the fireplace. The feel of the fire on my face felt nice as I attempted to towel dry my raven-colored hair. I’d changed into flannel pajamas and a pair of thick socks; nights in the Redwood Forest could get chilly, and tonight was no exception.
“How long until dinner?” I asked, and my stomach grumbled again for the second time in minutes. Cody didn’t answer, which wasn’t shocking, but he didn’t so much as move either, so I slowly walked to where he sat at the table. My hands froze in their movements, and the towel I was drying my hair with dropped to the floor in a wet heap at what my eyes saw over his shoulder.
I took two, then three, steps backward, and when Cody rose from the chair abruptly, I was glad because the chair crashed to the floor and broke into pieces from the force of his body leaving it. I covered my mouth with my hand as he turned. My Mother’s will crumbled in the palm of his hand.
“What the hell is all this, Dahl?” His voice was barely above a whisper and laced with so much disappointment.
What the hell was I thinking? I shouldn’t have kept this from him. And now it’s too late.
