hell!
He rolled over, half on top of her, and she let out a startled gasp. With no finesse at all, he kissed her neck. He wanted to bite her, like she’d bitten him, leave his mark on her, so she would know it was Cody MacBain she was in bed with and not Jamie Waters. At first she stiffened at the onslaught, and then her body melted under his. Her pulse pounded like a drum against his lips. He licked the pulsating skin, and she moaned. Her skin was softer than he remembered. Warmer. Fuller. He trailed kisses over every inch of flesh above her neck, and then moved lower to her breasts, stomach, and thighs. All that mattered was making sure Jamie Waters had no place in Shay’s heart or her head.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her hands in his hair. Don’t let this be a damned dream like the others, he thought. Her hands moved down his back, caressing his skin, tugging at his underwear, the fabric catching on the part of him screaming for attention. He yanked off his boxer briefs, throwing them to the floor. In seconds, her clothes had joined them. He settled between her thighs, rubbed against her, then slipped inside. He tried to slow things down, but his hips wouldn’t stop moving. He was halfway to paradise when she froze. She pushed against his shoulders.
“What is it?” he asked, dazed. Was he doing something wrong? He was out of practice but—
Her green eyes were wide, panicked. “Condom.”
“I don’t have one.” He hadn’t needed one. He couldn’t remember the last time he had sex.
“We have to stop.”
“Stop?” Stop. He gritted his teeth, surged once more, so hard he was afraid it was all over anyway. He pulled out and rolled over, chest heaving. He was so close that the touch of the sheet would probably set him off.
“I’m sorry, Cody.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m to blame.” He wondered if she would be offended if he finished the job himself.
Shay rolled toward him. “You look like you’re in pain.”
He gave one affirmative grunt, afraid to move. “Just give me a minute.”
Before he could drudge up some grisly distraction, her fingers brushed his navel. The muscles of his stomach quivered. Cody sucked in a hard breath when her hand closed around him. He groaned and rolled toward her. She adjusted her grip, his lips locked on hers, and his hips rocked against her hand.
“Don’t stop,” he begged against her mouth. “Please don’t stop.” His breathing was ragged, chest ready to explode. His groin tightened, and the release came. He buried his face in her hair as his body emptied onto her stomach.
He rolled to his side and leaned his head against hers, unsure what to say.
He knew he was holding her too tight, but he was afraid if he relaxed, she would slip away again. “We could take a shower,” he said, but neither of them moved.
They lay locked in each other’s arms for minutes… hours, maybe it was eternity, not speaking, just feeling, until he heard her even breathing and knew she’d fallen asleep. He felt a sense of peace he hadn’t had in too many years. But peace was an illusion, until he got rid of whoever was after her. Then, he would convince her to give him another chance and hope to God she didn’t hate him when she found out what else he’d hidden.
***
Shay woke in the night. She heard a thumping sound downstairs. The noise didn’t concern her as much as the fact that she was draped over Cody and they were both naked. She lay for a minute, reliving what they had done, wondering how different things might have been if she had known he hadn’t ignored the letters. Would she have forgiven him for hiding her identity and moved on? Maybe to this? His life? His bed?
Cody nudged her shoulder. “Don’t follow me this time,” he said, untangling his limbs from hers and slipping out of bed.
She watched him pull on his boxers and pick up a gun from under a pillow on the sofa before easing out the door. Shay scrambled quietly for her clothes. She crept down the stairs, not far behind him. She couldn’t see his face, but she felt his glare. The front door was cracked. The chill of night air brushed her skin. As they slipped outside, busy little whispers met her ears, a grunt, and then another thump. Cody turned on a bright flashlight. She didn’t know where he got it. Shay saw a flash of red and heard a squeal as Matilda’s hands flew up in the air. The wheelbarrow dumped over, and Jamie rolled out like a sack of flour.
***
“We panicked,” Matilda said, between gulps from her water bottle. “So I thought if I gave him a little of my sleeping medicine—”
“A little?” Shay said, her voice shrill. “He’s out cold.”
Cody had carried Jamie back to bed and was with him, making sure Jamie was only drugged, not dying.
“Well, I may have given him too much. We didn’t want him to wake up in the car. He’s big, and he looks strong. That’s a nice, sturdy wheelbarrow. I need one of those to move rocks in my garden,” Matilda said.
“Where were you taking him?” Shay asked.
“Somewhere safe,” Nina said. “We didn’t want to hurt him. He seems like a nice boy. We just wanted him out of the way.”
“Out of the way of what?” Shay asked, exasperated.
“You and Cody,” Nina said.
“Cody and me?”
