13. Cody

THIRTEEN

"Down boy."

I turned to find Ryder grinning from where he sat like a tatted king on his stool. Dude was the smuggest asshole I knew.

"No clue what you're talking about."

Disbelieved laughter rolled from Ezra, and he sat forward and propped his elbows on the table. He took a pull of his beer as he eyed me. "Seems clear who it was that knocked you down a peg or two. Tell me you didn't already try to hook up with her?"

Caleb turned his attention to the dance floor where the girls had gotten in line with about half the other people in the bar.

This was Paisely and Dakota's favorite thing.

Line dancing.

Letting go.

Giggling as they moved through the choreographed moves and tossing every single care aside.

They'd taught Savannah since she'd come into our group last fall, and she was keeping up just fine. But it was the woman stuck between Paisley and Dakota who stole my damned breath.

The sight of that glittering silver beacon out there running straight to my dick.

Every movement she made was smooth.

Sexy as fuck.

Hips and shoulders rolling, each shimmy and twist roiling with rhythm and seduction.

It was her face that got me, though. The way she was laughing with the rest of the girls, easy and without all the restraint that'd been radiating from her when she'd first stumbled upon the table.

Like she'd realized in an instant that she fit. That she meshed, like she'd always belonged.

I liked it.

Fuck, I liked it.

Too bad she was the last fucking woman on earth I should be catching feelings for. I shouldn't—not with anyone.

But with her?

Unease rippled my spirit, slithering through that ugly place inside me that whispered of every mistake I had made.

Every sin I'd committed.

"You don't actually think he didn't try to hook up with her, do you?" The razzing came from Caleb. "Dude probably tried to climb straight through her window."

If he only knew…

Ezra chuckled, half his attention on us and the other on his girl. "She's probably already had security bars installed."

"Haha, fucking hysterical, assholes. Besides…" I shrugged like this was no different than any other woman I'd been interested in for a night. "I didn't know she had a connection to Paisley. No biggie. I'll find someone else to keep me occupied."

Ryder's gaze narrowed. "Yet you just promised Paisley you weren't going home with anyone tonight. Wonder why that is? Seems like a whole one-eighty coming from you."

I went for indifference. "Work was brutal this week. I'm pretty wiped, if I'm being honest."

"Code for he's having trouble getting it up." Caleb flashed his straight, white teeth.

Chuckling, I shook my head. "This coming from the oldest of our crew. Wouldn't be rubbing that in too deep, brother. You don't know when that's going to come around and bite you in the ass."

"Doubt that's going to be a problem when it comes to Paisley. I'll be ninety and still wake up hard for her."

Ryder gagged. "Gross, man. I did not need an image of your shriveled up dick in my head."

Laughter rolled through our table, that easiness gliding through.

Our regard was out on the raucous line of four women.

Each of them fucking knockouts.

Paisley was hamming it up the way she always did, adding extra flair with every turn, and Dakota laughed nonstop as she fumbled around considering she'd been tossing back those pink frilly drinks the whole night and she was feeling extra light.

Savannah kept continually peeking over at Ezra like she couldn't wait to get back to him, and Hailey…Hailey was laughing, too.

Though she had a hand wound in those honeyed locks, twisting up the length to get it off her neck.

She spun, her backside fucking spectacular, hips swishing from side to side.

And her calves.

Fuck me.

They were thick and muscled and rock hard, emphasized by the height of her boots.

Why was that so damned hot?

I had the intense urge to get her alone, take her by the ankle, and run my tongue all the way up the back of her leg until?—

The smack to the back of my head came from out of nowhere. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Ryder said.

"What? She's hot. You can't blame a man." I said it casual. Just like me.

"She's gorgeous. No doubt about that." Ryder took a sip from his tumbler.

He was only stating the obvious. His eye would never stray from my sister. Still, something irrational tugged hard at my gut. A possessive thread that could never be mine.

The upbeat song ended, and the mood shifted to slow, the new tempo instantly dragging the atmosphere into something erotic.

Ryder drained his whiskey and slammed the empty to the table as he pushed to standing. "That's my cue."

"Yup," Caleb agreed at the same time as Ezra stood.

From behind, Ryder reached out and grabbed me by the shoulder. He leaned in so only I could hear. "Judging by the way you're itching like a fiend, I'd say that's your cue, too."

Couples were pairing up, the lights dipping to dark, a bare glow that filtered the air into a gilded haze.

Caleb, Ezra, and Ryder strode through the crowd, and they headed in the direction of their girls who'd already turned like they'd felt them coming.

While Hailey seemed surprised for a second as everyone broke apart.

Disoriented.

Having so much fun she was jarred by the shift as the rest of her friends got swooped up by their men.

Discomfort rolled from her for a single beat, and she peeked side to side, before she came to a quick decision and started to angle through the bodies, though she was winding through toward the back of the bar rather than in my direction.

I was already on my feet, moving that way.

I cut her off about two feet before she made it off the dance floor.

I pinned the biggest grin to my face as I pulled her straight into my arms, one arm locked around her waist and the other taking her by the left hand. "Where do you think you're going, gorgeous?"

Surprise billowed from her on a gasp, and I was struck with the sweetness of her presence. With the heat of her body. With everything that this girl possessed that was driving me straight out of my mind.

Nothing seemed rational when it came to her. Just this innate feeling like I needed to get close to her.

Her surprise dwindled into uncertainty that was all fronted by the fire that lifted her chin. "What do you think you're doing?"

I started to move in time with the music, leading her along the floor in an easy two step.

"Dancing with the prettiest girl in the club," I told her.

Crystalline eyes rolled. The blue depths tossing diamonds beneath the slow strobe that rolled over the crowd. "You are nothing but a flirt, Cody Cooper."

"Ah, a Cody coming from your mouth. I like it."

"I bet you do." Something both timid and teasing touched the edge of her decadent mouth.

Greed fisted my stomach.

"I'd probably like to hear it in a different context even better, though you can be sure that you'd still be in my arms."

Her exasperation was lighthearted, and the girl peeked up at me as she tried not to laugh. "You have no filter, do you?"

"Well, I can promise you that picture wasn't filtered last night."

Redness climbed from her chest and up her throat, splashing her full cheeks in this pretty glow that tugged somewhere behind my ribs. "You are a whole lot."

"You bet I am." I winked before I spun her. When I pulled her back close, I sobered. "I want to apologize for sending that picture. It was inappropriate after you'd made it clear you didn't want to go there with me."

Blue eyes dipped, those lashes so long as she looked down and off to the side for a second before she returned her gorgeous face to me. "I nearly begged you to show me."

"But you regretted it," I pressed, not even phrasing it a question.

Her nod was slight. "Wanting you makes me feel…" She winced as her confession trailed off, a murk rising up to clot out the brightness she'd been glowing with. Phantoms of memories swirling around her in a cloak of darkness.

I wanted to press her, but she beat me to the punch. "My life is…" She paused, unsure before she looked up at me with this sadness that stabbed me right through the heart. "It's complicated, Cody. And I don't do one-night stands, and I sure don't have time for a fling. But I think I'd really like to be your friend."

I shifted her, taking her by the chin and tilting her face upward. "I think that could be arranged."

The riot of need that blazed around us was probably less than friendly, but it could be ignored.

Controlled.

Beat into submission.

At least I fucking hoped so since I nearly came unhinged when this cowboy prick came sauntering up like she and I weren't having a moment, all kinds of cocky as he barely glanced at me and claimed, "Excuse me, brother, I'm gonna have to cut in."

Really fucking brave considering I was two times his size and I'd snap him like a twig.

Every instinct in my body screamed to make a claim.

The idea of someone else's hands on her made me feel like I was the one who might snap.

But Hailey and I had already established a boundary.

Made a pact.

And I really needed to get away from her if I was going to maintain it.

So, I sent her a half encouraging half regretful smile as I released her and stepped back.

A piece of myself felt like it was getting hacked off when I did.

I guessed that was always what caring about someone had been about.

Sacrificing.

Putting their needs before your own.

It wasn't always intuition for me, only showing its face for those who were closest to me, but I think I got it right then.

The truth that this girl could come to mean something if I let her.

She had then, hadn't she? But I'd tucked the memories of her right into my album of mishaps. My corruption and delinquency. Did my best to forget her when she had touched my spirit in a way no one ever had before and no one had since.

Funny when our interactions had been…innocent.

All except for that energy that had thrummed between us. A connection that had forever strained taut even though I'd believed I'd snipped it.

I started to turn on my heel to give her some peace, only Hailey reached out and wrapped one of those sweet hands around my wrist to draw me back.

Fire raked like claws down my back.

"Wait," she said, her voice barely breaking above the music that blared from the speakers.

Dickface stepped in front of me, anyway, trying to block me out. It wasn't until then that I noticed he was sloppy drunk, the way he pushed in and wrapped an arm around her waist and started to rock her back and forth, attempting to guide her deeper into the crowd.

"I don't feel like dancing."

The prick turned her so she lost hold of my wrist.

"Sure you do, baby," I heard him say.

Regret clapped me across the face. I never should have stepped away from her.

In a heartbeat, I was right behind him. My hand clamped down on his shoulder because he wasn't going to get away with this bullshit.

I leaned in real close to make sure he got the message. "The lady said she doesn't want to dance. Respect that, yeah?"

"Screw off, asshole," he slurred through a laugh like he wasn't about to get torn to shreds, turning back to Hailey whose expression had tinted with disgust.

Motherfucker.

Rage billowed, and I gritted, "I'd suggest you step away from her before you don't have the capacity to do so."

I'd hoped to keep my voice even.

Instead, the words whipped out like bullets. Cracks of fucking lightning that reverberated through the bar and would send a wise man running.

This bastard?

He wasn't wise in the least.

Because he turned and threw a fist.

It came at me from out of nowhere, catching me so off guard that he clocked me in the mouth.

That wasn't what bothered me, though. That tiny sting that was brought on by a split lip.

The problem I had? He'd caught Hailey in the jaw with his elbow when he'd done it.

A swill of shock and pain rushed the river of those eyes, and her hands shot up to protect her face, but there was no protection for this little prick.

Because I fucking snapped.