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“No. I just couldn’t find you. I’ve been calling you for hours. I thought you might have left without telling me goodbye. Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
“I turned the volume down when I went into the movie and I forgot to turn it back up. I would never leave without saying something to you.” She knew too well how it felt when someone you cared about just disappeared without warning.
Cody set her on her feet but didn’t let her go, his gaze meeting hers penetratingly. “Movie? Where have you been?”
She wasn’t used to someone keeping tabs on her. “I went to Boston for the day.”
Disbelief covered his face. “Alone?”
“Yes.” Before coming to Maple Island she’d done everything by herself. She’d not checked in with anyone in years. No one had cared enough about her to ask her to do so.
“I wanted to invite you to lunch. But I couldn’t find you and kept calling. I got worried. I even lied for the first time in my professional life and said I had an emergency so that someone from the day-care center could come stay at the house with the girls. Then I came hunting you.”
It gave her a warm fuzzy feeling deep down to know that Cody had been that anxious about her. Stacey couldn’t remember the last time a person had shown any concern about her whereabouts or worried if anything had happened to her. No man since her first stepfather had shown that much emotion for her and in the end he hadn’t either. “I’m sorry I scared you. I hadn’t seen Boston and so I thought today was a good day to do so.”
“Why didn’t you say anything to me about going?”
* * *
She hesitated a moment. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured to go with me. The girls have just gotten home. I knew you would want to spend time with them. And I know you don’t want them to know about us.”
“I don’t think they need to know we’re sleeping together. And about that...” He kicked the door closed and walked her backward as he looked around. “By the way, where’s your bedroom? I’ve missed having you beneath me.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Probably not.” He gave her a hot, wet kiss that made his intentions clear.
She gripped his shoulders and returned his kiss. Her center throbbed with need for him. No, it was probably not a good idea but she couldn’t help herself. She would worry about how to recover from leaving Cody later. Right now she was going to enjoy every sweet moment she would have with him.
He pulled her hard against him, his desire long and ridged between them. “See how I’ve missed you.”
She pulled back and said as seriously as she could, “You have? You only saw me yesterday.”
Cody continued walking her backward as he nuzzled her neck. “Shut up. You know what I mean,” he growled. “Now, where is your bed? I need you.”
“I like the way you’re showing me how much.” She wiggled against him, making him moan as she gave him better access to her neck. Her hand slid between them to run along his hot, hard length.
“Stacey, as much as I enjoy trading quips with you, I’d much rather be doing something more meaningful.”
She leaned back, giving him an innocent smile and batting her eyelashes. “And you have what in mind?”
He groaned. “You’re doing it again.” He backed her against the wall. Leaning in, he kissed her passionately before his hand skimmed up over her thigh and slipped beneath the hem of the T-shirt. “I’d hoped for something softer for you but I’m good here.”
She giggled. “I like it when it’s hard.”
Cody groaned as he pressed her more securely to the wall and his lips found hers. He dipped a finger under her panties, making her jerk as he entered her. “There’s that sassy mouth again.”
She closed her eyes to savor the moment. This was the Cody she would miss the most.
* * *
Cody finished the last of his cheese omelet then put his plate down on the planks of Stacey’s small porch. They were sitting in her swing with the only light coming from a lamp inside. He raised both hands above his head and took a large, very satisfying stretch. Done, he gave a little nudge with his toe and started the swing. He had no idea that he could be so...happy.
When had he last thought of happiness? Years? Obligations, his job, his girls, those, yes. The shoulds, musts and need-tos of his life—yes. But happiness? That hadn’t entered his mind in so long he wasn’t sure he could have put a name to it until this moment. Yet wasn’t he fooling himself here? As good as he felt now, he knew he’d feel equally bad when Stacey left. She shifted where she sat crossed-legged beside him, finishing her meal.
