Page 72 of Mountain Dreams

He felt like he was stuck in quicksand and couldn’t move to save his life. He didn’t want her to go, but she seemed in a hurry to escape. There was so much he wanted to say, but she’d made it clear she didn’t want to talk. What in the hell had just happened?

She paused at the door, glimpses of her bare skin showing amongst the clothes she was clutching to her chest. “Goodnight, Cody. Thanks for a wonderful evening.”

“Goodnight,” he said, but she’d already walked out.

He waited for a few minutes, hoping she might change her mind and come back. Then he heard the basement door close, and his hopes were dashed. He replayed their conversation, which had been mostly one-sided, and tried to make sense of it.

I know this doesn’t mean anything… I don’t expect anything from you… If it doesn’t happen again, I’ll be okay with it.

It was like she was giving him a free pass, but he didn’t want one! He didn’t want to “see other people” or “be with someone else.” For the first time in his life, he only wanted to be with one woman—her.

She’d told him what she thought he wanted to hear, but she was wrong. He suspected she’d done it to protect herself from being hurt again, and he couldn’t blame her, not after what Wyatt had done. He wasn’t Wyatt, though, and he had no intention of hurting her—ever.

How can I convince her of that? She still saw him through her teenager lenses, and up until now, he understood why. He’d made it clear that he was out for a good time and didn’t want to settle down. He hadn’t won the Biggest Flirt award in high school for nothing!

However, since she’d come back into his life, he’d had zero interest in flirting with anyone else. He hadn’t been to the bar or out partying with his single friends, and he hadn’t so much as glanced at another woman.

If she thought this was just a fling and didn’t mean anything, she was dead wrong. Now all he had to do was prove it to her.

Twenty-Two

Her job made it possible to avoid Cody for the next two days. She wasn’t hiding from him per se, but she needed a reprieve. Just because they’d made love, it didn’t mean they were in love, and she didn’t want to get caught up in some romantic notion of them becoming a couple. After all, that was the same mistake his past girlfriends had made, and where were they now?

Still, as she went about her business, she couldn’t stop thinking about being with him, lying wrapped in his arms, his electrifying kisses, and how he’d made her body hum. If that wasn’t enough, he’d been leaving her notes on the kitchen counter next to the coffee pot, which he’d programmed to brew right when she awakened.

The first one read: Have a good day. Enjoy the coffee. One could argue there wasn’t anything romantic about it, but just knowing he’d thought about her and taken the time to write a note was something, right?

The next morning, his note read: Sorry I missed you last night. There’s leftover pizza in the fridge if you want it for lunch. Once again, it wasn’t gushing, but it showed he cared, and it made her smile.

By the time the weekend rolled around, she was dying to see him, yet she was determined to play it cool. Besides, he might have plans that didn’t include her, and she’d have to be okay with that. Her bravado flew out the window the minute she opened the basement door and entered the kitchen.

“Oh, hey,” he said. “I was just writing you a note.”

He was wearing his work clothes, a gray T-shirt with Sawyer’s Ridge Resort printed on it, faded jeans, and work boots. “Off to work?” she said, trying not to sound disappointed.

“Yeah, but I won’t be gone all day.”

“Is that what you were writing on the note?”

He crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash can. “Now that you’re up, I can ask you in person.”

“Ask me what?”

“Jax and Avery invited us out to dinner tonight. Avery wants to get to know you better. Are you up for it?”

If she wasn’t mistaken, she thought he sounded hopeful. Trying to tamp down her enthusiasm, she said, “Sure. Sounds fun.”

“Okay, then. It’s a date.”

Her face fell.

“Or it’s just two friends going out to dinner,” he quickly amended.

“Right. Yeah.”

“Oh, and we should pick up your stuff this weekend too. Jax said he could help if we needed it.”

“That’s sweet of him.”