Page 6 of Spurred On

Chapter Two

Cody was still spinning with the impact of seeing Sidney again, kissing her again, when he pulled into the long drive to his friend Logan’s ranch that night. All the way to Dallas, he’d replayed their conversation, analyzed her every expression, every word, and he’d come to one stunning conclusion.

He wanted Sidney and he would do anything to have her again.

Oh, it was hardly a surprise that he wanted her. He’d never stopped. Of all the women he’d ever known, she was the one who refused to vacate his mind. It was the he would do anything to have her again part that surprised him. All his life, women had fallen at his feet. If one relationship didn’t work out, he just moved onto the next.

Sure, he felt a little shallow at the realization that he didn’t see the need to work on a relationship, but honestly, he’d never met a woman who inspired him to try.

Except her.

Then again, maybe all those other relationships hadn’t worked out because the woman wasn’t her.

Yeah. It had to be her fault.

Or, if he was being totally honest with himself—which he usually tried to avoid—maybe his feelings for her were spurred on by the blinding fact that she was his one that got away.

Was it any great shock that he wanted another chance? To get her out of his system?

Something swelled in the region of his heart at the thought and he had the mind-boggling brain fart that maybe, if he did have another chance with her, they could make it work. That this could be a forever thing.

He pushed that irrational delusion away.

This was Sidney Stevens. The most difficult woman on the planet. Everyone knew how difficult she was. Stubborn, intractable, and ferocious when crossed. Hell, she was just plain ferocious. Like a lioness on the hunt. A sexy, slinky, fierce, redheaded lioness.

He’d be lucky to get the kiss she promised him, much less a one-night stand.

But by God, he’d try.

And Hanna’s party was the perfect opportunity. They’d be in close proximity. They’d have to work together. They had a secret mission. It seemed as though all the stars had aligned.

On that note, he was pleased to see the cars parked in front of Logan’s ranch house. All his friends were here. Ben, Brandon, and Rafe, who were Logan’s step-brothers, and Ford, who ironically was Cody’s neighbor in Snake Gully.

Five options for Hanna’s hunk.

Theoretically, Ford was out of the running, because he’d recently started darting Crystal Wilson, but hey, they weren’t married yet so it wouldn’t hurt to test the waters.

He had to be careful, sly perhaps, because if he just came out and told his friends he wanted them to attend a party to seduce a random woman so Cody had a better chance of getting laid, they’d probably run in the opposite direction.

A guy had to be subtle with some things.

Logan Landry welcomed him at the door, and Cody studied him in a way he never had before. Logan was his buddy. They’d been friends since elementary school. He’d never actually considered him as a hunk before. But he was, Cody supposed. He was tall, dark, and handsome. Rugged even. He’d left Snake Gully in high school, and his mom had subsequently met and married Sam Wilder, bringing Rafe, Ben, and his twin brother, Brandon, into the family. Together the clan now owned one of the biggest Tex Mex restaurant franchises in the Southwest.

Cody’s gaze flicked from friend to friend as they all welcomed him with laughs and jests. Damn it. Why hadn’t he asked Sidney more questions about what kind of man Hanna might find attractive? It would have helped immensely in his decision-making process.

While Logan and Ford were tall and dark, the Wilder brothers ranged from sandy brown to blond. Rafe’s hair was streaked with highlights that everyone knew came not from a bottle, but from his many hours out riding the land. They were all tan, which was a good thing, because surely all women loved tan men.

Didn’t they?

Damn it.This was going to be harder than he thought.

Logan handed him a beer and led him to the table, which was set up for poker. “Took you long enough to get here,” he said.

Cody grinned. “I had business.”

“Business?” Rafe asked, deftly shuffling and dealing the cards. Cody watched his friend’s fingers at work. They were fine fingers, as fingers went. Did women ever look at fingers when they were trying to decide if a man was sexy? He had no idea. But in addition to those long, dexterous fingers, Rafe had very muscular biceps that rippled with his movements.

Cody knew for sure women looked at biceps.