Page 66 of Mountain Dreams

“Okay, but that’s not why I called.”

She sighed, wishing he would hurry and get to the point.

“I’m calling to warn you about Cody.”

She bristled. “Warn me?”

“You know how he is, Maddie. If you’re expecting to have a real relationship with him, you’re going to be disappointed.”

Her anger rose so high it threatened to choke her. “You’re warning me about him? That’s rich.”

“What do you mean?”

“What about that woman’s name and number on the napkin? Be honest. That was meant for you, wasn’t it?”

“Maddie…”

“Answer the question.”

There was a long pause, and she considered hanging up, but then he said, “Yes, but it was just a flirtation. It didn’t mean anything.”

“A flirtation that caused her to give you her phone number. Not to mention that you kept it when we were ENGAGED!”

“It’s my turn to ask a question,” he said. “This thing with Cody…have you always…”

She couldn’t go there with him, not when they were together and not now. She wasn’t about to explain her feelings for Wyatt’s best friend—or the way they were headed, former best friend.

“It’s unfair of you to judge him when he hasn’t done anything wrong,” she said instead.

“He’s taking advantage of you. Can’t you see that?”

She shook her head vehemently, though Wyatt couldn’t see her.

“He’s the same as he was in high school, always looking for a good time.”

“I have to go,” she said.

“He’s not the man for you.”

She hung up, wishing she had an old-fashioned phone that she could have slammed down instead.

Her hands were shaking as she put on her coat. The nerve of Wyatt, warning her about Cody when he’d been the one out catting around. He’d tried to pass off napkin woman as a mere flirtation, but how could she believe him when he’d lied about it in the first place? Was it a coincidence that he’d broken up with her not long after the incident? She thought not.

She left Cody’s house feeling rattled and cursing Wyatt for planting seeds of doubt. Over the past few weeks, she’d discovered a different side of Cody, a sweet, nurturing side. Yes, he was still a flirt, but he wasn’t taking advantage of her like Wyatt had claimed. If that were true, he wouldn’t have left her bedroom the other night…

She squirmed, recalling what she’d done afterward. Closing her eyes, she’d slipped her hand beneath the waistband of her panties, pretending it was his hand instead. Her fingers skimmed over her slick entrance. While she teased herself, she wondered if he was doing the same thing too.

She imagined him sprawled out on his bed with his hand wrapped around his erection. She arched her hips, her tight nub throbbing with need. What would he think if he saw her like this—one hand between her legs and the other cupping her breast?

It didn’t take long for the images of him pleasuring himself to push her over the edge. Thankfully, the furnace was running and blocked out the sounds she made as she climaxed. Afterward, she lay there until her breathing evened out and her body cooled.

Oddly, she hadn’t felt rejected when he’d left, knowing he’d done so out of respect for her and not because he didn’t want her. It made sense that he didn’t want their encounter with Wyatt fueling the passion between them. He’d wanted it to stem from them and only them.

As she snuggled under the covers, she caught a whiff of his cologne on the pillow, and she smiled in the dark. He might have been a playboy in his younger years, but he’d evolved into a caring, considerate man, and oh, what a man he was!

Wyatt was wrong about him. Cody wasn’t the same guy they’d known in high school. Wyatt was acting like a jilted lover, even though he’d jilted her.

She pulled into the client’s driveway and turned off the car, feeling much better than when she’d started out. The sooner she removed her belongings from Wyatt’s house, the better. Then she could put his accusations and warnings behind her and get on with her life—a life, hopefully, that included Cody…