12. Hailey

TWELVE

"Over here! Over here!" Paisley's voice was still carrying when I fumbled to a stop three feet away from her party. Two high-top round tables had been pushed together and a bunch of stools were arranged around them. Paisley sat on the opposite side of where I stood, along with a few other people I didn't know.

But it was the man sitting closest to me that made me feel as if I'd slammed face-first into a brick wall.

My eyes colliding with that golden, fiery gaze that staked me to the spot.

Breath punching from my lungs as if I'd gotten the wind knocked out of me.

Cody Cooper.

The sight of him was sweet mayhem where he was rocked back in a stool.

Delicious as always, wearing a tight black tee that stretched across those broad, imposing shoulders. Tatted arms crossed over his chest, stubble thick on his indecently handsome face.

His tongue stroked over his bottom lip, and a rush of that desire he'd gripped me by last night trembled through my body.

His words.

That picture.

It didn't matter that I'd avoided my phone at all costs today, refusing to even turn it on until after noon. It was emblazoned in my mind.

Carved into my consciousness.

All that rugged, masculine beauty that I recklessly wanted to reach out and touch.

And there he was, a solid, hard manifestation of every fantasy I'd given myself over to for a few reckless seconds last night.

I was snapped out of the trance by Paisley who was suddenly in front of me and throwing her arms around my neck. "Oh my God, I can't believe it's you! I wasn't sure if you were going to show or not, and I thought I might need to have my Sheriff friend over here do some reconnaissance and get your new address…"

She tossed an errant hand at a man sitting next to Cody.

"Okay, sure," she rambled, "I know that is illegal and all and it would put his job on the line, but it would absolutely be worth it so I could go to your house and drag your gorgeous ass over here. And when I say gorgeous ass, bullocks and ball-sacks—Look. At. You."

Edging back, she held me by the shoulders and blatantly inspected me. "I mean, you were so pretty before…but like kind of cute and adorable, you know? But now? You are a freaking smoke show. What are we even supposed to do with you?"

Self-consciousness slicked through me while at the same second I glowed.

Paisley Dae had that power about her, and God, it felt amazing to see her again.

Even though right then I was a little terrified of the cost.

She knew Cody.

Why would I have thought otherwise?

I should have assumed it. They were both from Time River, and it wasn't like most didn't stumble into their neighbors at some point in a small town this size.

But I'd never imagined they'd be friends.

"This is coming from you?" I finally managed when I got my emotions far enough under control that I could speak.

I just needed to remind myself that Cody didn't matter.

He was an acquaintance.

A memory.

And like I'd told my father, I could handle him.

Paisley tossed back a curled lock of silvery hair. "Well, I do admit I look pretty amazing tonight, but you in that dress and those boots? I'm afraid this place might go up in flames. Combust. Go boom!"

She made an exploding motion.

Only I wasn't the one who was lighting a fire.

It was him.

Because there was no mistaking the flames licking softly across my flesh. So palpable I could have sworn they were physical.

I peeked to the side, no resisting the lure.

Cody sat there without saying anything, though he didn't need to.

All that masculinity he was radiating spoke for itself.

She yanked my hand and started to haul me to the table. "Come meet everyone."

I fumbled on my too-high heels to keep up with her, Cody's aura inundating me as I staggered deeper into his space.

"Everyone, this is my old friend I was telling you about…Hailey Wagner, better known as Hails Bells."

She exaggerated a wave like she was showcasing a prize before she started tossing out introductions. "This is my bestie, Dakota."

She pointed at a woman who was maybe a year or two older than me. She had brown hair that was the color of toasted chestnuts pulled into a high ponytail, and she wore a floral dress.

She didn't hesitate to stand to pull me into a hug. She squeezed me tight in the sort of welcome I wasn't expecting, oozing the type of warmth you could sink into.

"It's so nice to meet you, Hailey. Paisley was just telling me how much she adores you and is excited you're back in her life."

"It's great to meet you, too." My chest felt both heavy and light, buoyed, while a whisper of loss pulled in the deepest recesses of me. I'd been so hesitant to open myself up to relationships. To friends after what I'd done.

After what I'd caused.

The pain of it almost too much to stand beneath.

But is that what Brooke really would have wanted? For me to remain stagnant? Frozen in the mire?

Paisley continued, pointing as she introduced me to Savannah and Ezra who were engaged and expecting a baby and as adorable as could be before she gestured at Cody. "And this is Cody. Cody Cooper. Dakota's older brother."

Ah.

There was the connection.

It was strange how one person could inhabit so much of your mind, could take up a page in your history as if they held the utmost significance, and you knew next to nothing about them.

I swore Paisley shot daggers at him.

The hulk of a man just smirked in return. The sight of it tumbled through my belly, and a ripple of intensity rolled through the air when he sat forward, as if he'd single-handedly taken possession of the atmosphere.

"No need for introductions, Paisley. Hails Bells and I are acquainted." He drew out the last, a scrape of seduction and amusement.

Paisley's attention swung between us. "You've met?"

"I worked at her father's ranch way back when, and I somehow got lucky enough that now we're neighbors."

He said it at the same time as I blurted, "He's just doing some work at the resort where I'm running the stables."

Paisely gasped. "You're working at Cambrey Pines? That's why we're here…celebrating Cody and the big job he's doing right now." Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait, and you're neighbors?"

"Right next door." That grin was in full force when Cody issued it.

Paisley pointed at him, words slashing like razors. "Don't even think about it."

She turned back to me. "I already warned him I'd stab him if he gave you any trouble. He's to be on his best behavior tonight. Aren't you, Cody? Even if you two already know each other."

I got the sense it was always like this between them.

Teasing.

Easy.

Comfortable.

Except there wasn't a thing that felt comfortable when Cody set one of those big hands on his chest. "My very best behavior."

The words were low and rough and pulsating with that over-the-top arrogance.

A warning blared at the back of my mind.

Yeah, I knew what his type's best behavior entailed. The evidence was currently sitting on my phone.

"Famous last words," Dakota tossed out with a chuckle.

Her attention swept to me. "Don't believe a word that boy says. He might be cute, but there are nothing but lies that come out of his mouth."

"Wow, even my sister has no issue busting my balls, and on a night that's supposed to be celebrating my amazing achievements." He didn't seem all that offended. "And don't worry, Hailey here seems to know exactly what she wants."

His focus was fully on me when he said it.

The flecks of red in his eyes simmered beneath the shadowy light.

A wave of uncertainty ripped through my consciousness.

Unsure if I should stay or if I should run.

I'd resolved to keep as far away from him as possible.

And here I was, drawn into his gravity again.

He patted the stool next to him, that smile turning sly. "Come over here, darlin', and sit next to me. I promise I don't bite."

Dakota was right. The man might be cute, but he was nothing but a liar.

Laughter and voices rang over the loud din of the bar, and the upbeat tempo of the country band thrummed in the air. It spun the energy into something alive and palpable.

A buzz that held fast and covered you whole.

I took another drink of my margarita. The sweet and sour concoction slid down my throat and pooled in my belly. Each sip chased away a little more of the nerves I'd been riddled with since the second I'd come in and found Cody sitting at the table.

Maybe I should have been concerned that an easy comfort glided through my veins.

Concerned I'd settled into the mood.

Into the casual support of this group who cared so deeply for one another that their lives had become intrinsically intertwined.

But I wasn't concerned because it was a gift to witness. To get to experience it.

People who loved each other this way.

Some related by blood.

Others not.

It didn't seem to matter. The connection was there. Solid and real and forever.

Unbreakable.

It was strange to feel a part of it, as if maybe I'd been sitting here all along and I wasn't meeting most of them for the first time. The way they included me as if I weren't an outsider but an integral piece of the building blocks of who they'd become.

From where she sat next to me, Dakota knocked her shoulder into mine, making sure to include me in the conversation since they'd all been sharing stories about their kids.

"Wait until you meet little Evelyn," she said, referring to Caleb and Paisley's daughter, a little girl I'd learned Caleb had gotten custody of after his sister had been killed a couple years before. Now, he and Paisley were raising her as their own. "She is the sweetest little thing you'll ever meet. I bet she and your Maddie are going to be the best of friends."

"Of course, they're going to be besties," Paisley shouted over the din. "How could they not? Evelyn is obsessed with horses, and when she finds out her horse Mazzie came from your father's ranch? She's going to lose it. We have to get them together next weekend. Why don't you bring her to our place for a playdate?"

Warmth spread through my chest. "She would love that."

"Ah, I bet she would." The grumbled words brought attention back to the man who sat beside me. The one I kept trying to ignore.

Impossible when I was getting consumed by the heat he emitted.

Leaning forward, he rested those tattooed forearms on the table, and he swung those golden eyes in my direction before he spoke to the rest of the table. "Little Madison is nothing but a button. Cute as can be. Can only imagine she and my Evie-Love will hit it off. First time I met her, she was out at the park hunting for friends."

My stomach twisted in a fit of that attraction that I couldn't tame.

The man might have been wicked hot, but I thought most dangerous was how sweet he was proving to be.

I had to remember to keep up my guard. Barriers. The most Cody could ever be was a friend. I'd just have to get used to the attraction.

"We've moved twice in the last three months, so she is definitely itching to find a friend," I added.

"Then you have definitely come to the right place," Paisley said. She turned to Savannah. "You should bring Olivia, too. Actually, bring all the kids. We'll make a whole thing out of it."

"I'm game." Dakota lifted her glass.

"It's a party then," Paisley said.

With a slow smile, Caleb slung an arm around Paisley's shoulders. "This one is always looking for an excuse to throw a party."

"That's because this life is worth celebrating," she shot back.

"That's right," Savannah agreed.

"Speaking of…" A sly grin quirked up on Paisley's face when a cocktail server showed up at the table with a tray of shots. "We are definitely celebrating tonight. I ordered shots."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Dakota whined as the server began to pass out the little glasses filled with a yellow liquid and rimmed in sugar.

"A lemon drop never hurt anyone," Paisley said, nudging one her direction.

"Yeah, all except for my pride," Ryder grumbled as he wrapped a tattooed hand around the tiny glass.

Paisley sent him a glare. "You need a little sweet in all that sour."

Ryder tugged Dakota closer to him, and he ran his nose along her jaw. "Believe me, I have all the sweet I need."

Cody groaned next to me. "There you go with those dirty paws all over my sister."

I tried to contain a giggle.

It was cute how Cody kept trying to maintain a fa?ade of annoyance that his best friend and his little sister had gotten together, though I couldn't feel an ounce of true irritation rolling from him whenever he mentioned it.

It was warmth, instead, his love stark and obvious, even though I was pretty sure he thought he was pulling off that casual indifference he wore like a brand.

"Give me a few minutes, and they're really going to be all over her." Ryder prodded it, needling it in.

"Do you see what I have to put up with?" Cody grumped as he elbowed me softly. A streak of fire ripped down my spine.

"Brutal," I told him, glancing his way.

I shouldn't have.

I should have remained with my attention focused on the rest of the group. Because he was so close, and there were only two inches that separated our noses.

Every sharp, rugged angle of his face right there, the warmth of his breath mingling with mine.

His scent all around.

Spice and cedar and earth.

My fingers itched with the need to reach out and trace every inch of his face.

His brow.

His jaw.

His lips.

My brain was right back on that image he'd sent me yesterday, my throat going dry and my thighs clenching with the need I shouldn't feel.

A tease of a smirk played over that delectable mouth, like he knew exactly what was running through my mind.

"To friends…"

Paisley's voice pulled me from his trap, and I tried to clear the ball of need stuck in my throat as I reached for a shot glass.

"To family," she continued. "To this group of amazing people. People I could never express just how thankful I am to have them in my life. And to Cody, of course."

She winked at him, teasing him like he was an afterthought, even though it was clear they all adored him.

A grin spread over his face, the mountain of a man ridiculously gorgeous as he sat back in the stool.

Everyone leaned in to clink their glasses together, Savannah's a virgin since Paisley refused to leave anyone out. "To us! And to Cody, of course."

Laughter rang as everyone tossed back their shots.

Everyone except for Cody who shifted his focus my direction.

I could feel those eyes on me as I pressed my lips to the sugared rim before I tossed the lemon drop back.

Could feel them as I swallowed the intensely sweet concoction down, one that left a burning wake of fire in its path.

Could feel them as a full-body shiver tore through me.

I squeezed my eyes closed as I was hit with a thousand different sensations.

The rush of alcohol swept through my system and spun my head a fraction, a buzz washing me through, but I had to wonder if it had more to do with the man sitting next to me than anything else.

Intoxicating.

Overwhelming.

All-consuming.

His voice was rough when he leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Can't help but wonder if that is your exact expression when you come. Because you, darlin', look like ecstasy."

Shock popped my eyes open.

I attempted to play it off like I was unaffected. Like he didn't make me quiver with this lust that I'd all but forgotten existed.

Too bad every inch of me was trembling when I turned to him.

The world faded around us, the sound of the room a drone as I stared at him.

"I thought I told you that you'd do well to look somewhere else?"

"I can't help it if you're the most interesting thing in the room. I'm finding it hard to look away."

I searched around in myself for defenses and found them lacking.

Reserves close to depleted.

Still, I tried, though the words were wispy. "The only reason you think that is because I'm a new face. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get bored soon enough."

He was just…studying me. This strange emotion crawled through his features that I couldn't put my finger on.

I glanced at the shot in front of him to distract myself from the intensity. "Aren't you going to drink that?"

"Nope. I have someone special to get home."

My teeth raked against my bottom lip. "And who might that be?"

"I think you might know her well. Gorgeous as hell, as sassy as she is sweet, shares strawberry shortcake with strangers under a tree when she sees they're having a bad day."

He said it nonchalant.

Like it didn't matter. Like we hadn't shared that moment. Like it hadn't changed everything.

Though there was something in his gaze that went deeper.

Sucking me under.

That remembering right there, pulling between us like a dream.

"Who said she needed a ride home?" It was raspy.

Protectiveness ridged every angle of his being. "Tell me you didn't drive here."

"No. Lolly dropped me off, and I planned to get an Uber home."

"You realize there are like two Uber drivers in Time River and there isn't one who's going to want to drive all the way out to Hendrickson?"

I blanched.

Right.

This wasn't Austin, and I hadn't fully thought that through.

"Exactly as I thought. I do need to get someone special home."

I could feel myself drifting toward him. Getting caught in the web of charm and looks and this feeling deep inside me I couldn't shake.

Something old and precious.

Twisted and wrong.

"It's my jam!" Paisley's shout broke into the trance Cody held me under. "Get those booties on the dance floor, my babes!"

She hopped off her stool as the band jumped into a new song.

I felt half disoriented when I tore my attention away from Cody, no way to float back down to reality.

Paisley pointed at me. "I told you to wear your dancing boots, Hails Bells. Let's go show them what that means."

Dakota slipped off her stool, and she looped her elbow in mine and gave me a tug. "Just go with it. She's not lying when she says she will drag your butt out there."

"Because what else would a good friend do?" Paisley hiked a shoulder.

Taking Savannah by the hand, Paisley pulled her over to where Dakota and I stood. Without hesitation, she looped her elbow through mine and her other through Savannah's, making the four of us a chain. "Leave poor Hailey here with your brother drooling all over her? I don't think so," she tacked on the tease.

Giggling, Dakota turned to whisper so only we could hear. "Um, yeah, I think my brother might be enamored by his new neighbor."

Paisley started weaving us onto the dance floor. "He's like a freaking dog. I was worried he was going to start humping your leg."

"I'm not really sold that she'd mind all that much." Savannah angled around, smiling too wide, like she'd been sitting there reading every salacious thought I'd had running on a circuit through my mind.

I shook my head. "Uh, no…I'm not in the place for a fling right now."

Dakota tucked my arm a little closer, leaning in as she whispered conspiratorially, "Then stay far, far away from my brother."

Right.

He was a player.

I knew it.

I knew it from then, and I knew it now.

Hell, he'd made it clear in those texts last night.

And I was the fool who couldn't stop myself from looking over my shoulder to find that molten gaze staring back.