She knew what he and his brothers slept in. Same thing they swam in. “I’m cold,” she said defiantly.
He shook his head and pulled the covers up. He brushed her arm, and she winced. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just a scratch.”
“Let me see.” He eased the sweater aside. Shay clutched the sheet to her chest to keep from exposing a breast. “You need a bandage. I think Nina’s got a first aid kit downstairs.”
She rolled her eyes and picked up the bowl of chicken noodle soup. There was no swaying Cody when his mind was set. She’d finished most of her soup by the time he returned.
The mattress gave as he sat on the edge. He bandaged her arm first, his fingers gentle but sure. She had always loved his hands. She’d seen him snap a board in half and minutes later, splint a robin’s leg.
“I guess you have to treat a lot of field injuries in your job,” she said.
He looked startled.
“Special Forces… I imagine there are times you can’t just go to the local hospital.”
“Aye,” he said, uncovering her swollen ankle. “Good thing I got lots of practice bandaging you.” He gave her a crooked grin.
“I bandaged you more than you bandaged me. Remember when we were kids, sneaking out to save the world, signaling from our bedrooms with flashlights?” They spent half their childhoods saving the world from evil, be it fire-breathing dragons, evil monsters, or top-secret enemy spies. With Cody at her side, she had felt invincible.
“Nina would’ve had both our hides if she’d caught you bypassing the alarm, shimmying down that old oak to meet me.” His hand touched hers, his finger finding the scar on her palm that she got during one of those escapades. “What the hell happened to us, pip-squeak? I know I was irresponsible, but I tried to make it right. Why did you shut me out? Did you hate me that much?”
Shay glanced away, feeling tears prick her eyes. At one time, she had been closer to Cody than anyone in the world… before
“Some things are more important than the truth.”
“We were best friends. We never kept secrets.”
“I’m sorry, Shay. We did what we thought was best.”
“Did you ever think what it was like for us? Losing someone who’d been there all our lives? Having you wash your hands of us and walk away?”
He dropped her hand. “For weeks after you left, your aunt begged my father to go after you, to make you come home.”
“I didn’t know. No one came after me.”
“My dad said it was your choice. You were eighteen, an adult, and we’d hurt you enough, though it wasn’t intentional. We needed to give you room to think and make your own decisions.”
She had decided to stay away, to avoid them all. Until the letters Cody hadn’t gotten.
“We can’t change the past, might as well forget it and enjoy your visit.”
“I guess that’s why I came. To see if I can forget.” Or had she come because this was where she felt safe?
“If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for Nina. Your leaving nearly killed her.” He stood. “I’m going to turn in. I haven’t slept much lately.” He looked like he hadn’t slept for a week. “Yell if you need something. I’ll be down the hall.”
“You’re staying here?”
“I’m afraid your ankle might be fractured. I’m not having you go up and down those stairs if you need something to eat or drink. You got a spare toothbrush?”
“There should be some in the guest bathroom.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re sweating.”
She was roasting, but she wasn’t certain if it was from the sweater or Cody’s hands.
“Sure you don’t want to take off the sweater?”
“I don’t have anything else to wear.”
He eased her wrapped ankle under the covers and then disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later, he returned shirtless, buttoning his jeans. He tossed his T-shirt and underwear on the bed. “They’re clean. I showered and changed after the lake.” He picked up her wet clothes. “Sleep tight,” he said, and with a shuttered look, he left.
Shay stared at the T-shirt and boxer briefs, still half-molded in his form. She slowly picked them up. A rush of heat surged from her head to her bandaged ankle. She’d worn Cody’s underwear before, when she was in a jam, but that was when they were kids, not with him all… filled out. Swallowing, she got out of bed, took off the sweater, and put on his things. They smelled like him, clean but male. Sensations she didn’t want to describe zinged through her body.
She climbed back in bed, but was too wound up to sleep, thinking about how close Cody’s T-shirt and underwear had been to his body. She needed a distraction. Renee. She would have a conniption when she found out who had just left Shay’s bedroom. Renee would douse Shay’s fire. Shay dialed from the phone by her bed, but still no answer. Where was Renee? She was prone to spontaneous trips, but it wasn’t like her to disappear when she knew Shay was coming.
