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Keira searched his face, his eyes, and her breath quickened. There was so much she longed to know about him, so much she wanted to ask. Maybe tonight she’d get the answers she needed. Maybe tonight’s the night for other things, too.
Part of her was afraid. Not of anything he might do to her, but of what she might reveal to him. And what she might learn about herself. But part of her wanted this, wanted him, as much as he seemed to want her. “Let’s get dinner,” she said before her courage failed her.
* * *
They finished the Italian take-out dinner in the small dining area of Keira’s condo and tossed the trash. “Want some coffee?” she asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer if the number of coffee mugs in his cabin meant anything. “I can’t cook, but I make good coffee.”
“Sure.”
“I seem to recall you prefer regular, not decaf.”
He smiled. “Night or day, it’s the same. I prefer the jolt of caffeine.”
He stood in the doorway of her tiny kitchen, dwarfing it, watching as she made the coffee. “Black, no sugar, right?” she asked when the pot was nearly finished brewing, feeling just a little flustered at his looming presence...and his silence.
“Right.”
She took a large coffee mug from the cabinet, filled it, and handed it to him. He took a sip and made a face of appreciation, then took a larger swallow.
“Let’s go into the living room,” she said, turning off the coffeemaker.
“Aren’t you having any?” Cody asked.
Keira shook her head. “Not at this time of night. But it won’t go to waste. I’ll reheat it in the morning.” She laughed at his look of horror regarding drinking coffee that wasn’t brewed fresh, then led him into the living room and indicated the sofa. For a minute she was undecided whether to sit in the armchair, but then—boldly for her—sat next to him, just an arm’s length away.
“Amateur,” she encouraged softly. “You were going to tell me....”
Cody looked away for a minute and put his half-empty cup down on the coffee table in front of him. His face reflected his indecision, but then his expression hardened. “There was a time when Callahan hated my guts,” he said finally. “And I felt nearly the same about him, just for a different reason.”
His eyes met Keira’s. “I’d loved Mandy all my life up to that point—you already know that much. But I had to watch her fall for O’Nei—Callahan—when he moved to Black Rock through the witness security program.”
He rubbed the side of his face, obviously uncomfortable with the memory. “Callahan didn’t know how I felt at the time. I don’t think Mandy knew, either—not then. Not until...” He broke off.
“Anyway, Callahan didn’t hate me when he first moved to Black Rock. We respected each other professionally, and worked together just fine. We probably could have been friends if not for...well, anyway, he didn’t grow to hate me the way I hated him until a long time later. I don’t blame him, though—I would have hated me, too, under the circumstances.”
“Why?”
One corner of his mouth twitched into a sad travesty of a smile. “Because I slept with Mandy.”
Chapter 12
“Oh.” It hurt, more than Keira had thought possible. She’d known there was something between the two men. And she’d known somehow it involved Mandy. But hearing Cody confirm her suspicions caused a physical ache in the region of her heart.
“She wasn’t his wife at the time,” Cody continued, his lips twisting. “But I’m not making excuses. On some level I knew it was wrong...and I did it, anyway. The only thing I can say in my defense is that I didn’t plan it...at least not consciously.”
“So, what happened?”
“It’s a long story. Are you sure you really want to hear it?”
She nodded, struggling to keep condemnation or any other negative expression out of her face. “I’d like to understand...if you want to tell me.”
Cody stared into the distance. “It started almost eight years ago,” he said. “Some other people you know were involved, too—D’Arcy and McKinnon.”
