The Devil Inside (11 page)

“I thought so.” He reached out and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “And I can promise you this. I will never, as long as I live, ever kick you out of my bed again.”

She smiled, her eyes starting to sparkle just a bit. “That’s if you ever get me in it again.”

“Ouch.” He slapped his free hand over his heart. “Well, I guess that gives me something to look forward to.”

“Oh?”

He grinned wickedly. “A challenge.”

Sam did the only sensible thing.

She retreated.

The kitchen was a logical place to go, considering she hadn’t had breakfast yet. And if it happened to be on the other side of the apartment, well, that was just coincidence.

She pulled down a glass for orange juice, then, sighing, grabbed another one. Much as she’d prefer to avoid her houseguest completely, it wasn’t possible.

The man had to eat.

Not sure how strong his stomach was at this point—all he’d had to eat for the past few days had been dry toast and broth—she decided to make him her favorite “feeling a little wonky” breakfast.

Brown sugar and cinnamon toaster pastries.

Figuring a little protein wouldn’t hurt, either, she boiled an egg as well.

Waiting for the food to be ready, she ate a bowl of cereal and read the morning paper. Or, at least, she pretended to read the morning paper. Five minutes passed before she realized it was upside down in front of her.

No, what she really did was think about their conversation.

Try as she might, she couldn’t dismiss his version of that night. She’d been so humiliated, so horrified at his reaction, she hadn’t bothered to talk to him about it, even to ask why. Instead, she’d avoided him completely. A week later, her father had died.

And she’d never seen him again.

Sad as it was to admit, she could see her mother threatening him with jail time. To her mother, Cody represented everything she feared—the rodeo, danger, adventure. If she could protect her daughter from those demons, she would.

If she could have cut him out of their lives completely, she would have done it in a heartbeat.

Sam shook her head, a bitter smile threatening. Her father’s death had ended up doing that job for everyone.

The timer sounded, breaking into her maudlin thoughts. She put the egg and pastries on the tray, adding a glass of orange juice.

She took a deep breath, bracing for the inevitable. Because if she didn’t have that barrier between them, she had no idea how she was going to resist him.

“Breakfast,” she said, pushing the door open and putting the tray on the nightstand.

She wouldn’t look at him.

“Thanks,” he said, suddenly starving. The toaster pastries smelled heavenly.

“No problem.” She backed away, inching toward the door.

He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, a short jerk of the head that just showed how tense she was. “Can we not talk about this now?”

Much as he wanted to push her a little on it, he knew it was time to let it rest for a while. He certainly didn’t want her to shut down completely. “Whatever is most comfortable for you.”

She seemed a little taken aback by his easy acquiescence, but rolled with it quickly enough. “Thanks.”

Not wanting her to leave, he added quickly, “I read those articles you gave me last night.”

“You did?” Her tension was gone, replaced by a barely-suppressed impatience. “And?”

He took a bite and swallowed, thrilled beyond belief to be eating actual food again. “I don’t know.”

She rolled her eyes. “You think I’m crazy, too, don’t you.”

He held up a hand while he drank some orange juice. Wiping his mouth, he said, “I didn’t say that.”

“No, but—”

“I can see why you would think there’s a chance steroids are involved. But I can also see why Mr. DeLong doesn’t think it’s possible.”

“And that is?”

“The stock company involved.” He polished off the egg and added, “The Anderson Stock Company has been around for years, and they’ve always been straight shooters. Another company, maybe, but not Anderson.”

“But the warning signs—”

“Are damaging, I admit. And it would explain some things, too. But I have a really hard time accepting that Erik would be involved in something shady like this.”

“Then we’re back at square one.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “Despite the evidence, the stock company has the credibility and I don’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

She paced over to the window and looked out. “Cody, I haven’t been around the rodeo for over a decade, and even then I was just a kid. As you so clearly reminded me. Add in my obvious dislike for bullriding, and why would anyone take me seriously?”

“If I didn’t take you seriously, I wouldn’t even consider the suggestion.” He glanced over at the papers, stacked on the nightstand next to the breakfast tray. “But you do have to admit, the evidence you have is circumstantial. Without anything solid, I’m afraid it’ll be hard to convince anyone connected to the rodeo.”

She turned and looked at him. “You’re right.”

“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Think about what?”

“Don’t play innocent with me, Sam. You are not Nancy Drew.”

“I know that.”

“So you’d better not go running off to dig up clues on your own.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Her eyes were wide and innocent, her expression clear.

So why didn’t he believe her?

“Well, you’re done with breakfast, so I’d better get out of your hair. Unless you need something else?”

He wracked his brain, trying to come up with something to distract her from the plotting he was certain she was doing right at this minute.

Then he smiled. “Take my clothes off.”

“Excuse me?”

He held her shocked gaze for a few seconds before grinning. “I’d really love a shower. Or a bath. I’m feeling really grimy right now.”

“Oh.”

“I suppose you could give me a sponge bath instead,” he added helpfully.

“Shower is fine!” She sprang into action, bustling over to the adjoining bathroom. She rummaged around in the linen closet right inside for a few moments, then added, “Here’s a towel and washcloth for you. There’s soap and shampoo inside.”

“Wait. You’re saying I can shower by myself?”

Sam nodded a little too vigorously. “I’m sure Dr. Miller would approve. Just keep the bathroom door unlocked in case I need to get in. Oh, and try not to let your bandages get too wet.”

“Will do.” He stood, surprised to find himself a little unsteady on his feet. “Don’t go too far.”

She was immediately at his side, sliding an arm around him to steady him. “Sure you want to do this?”

He shot her a look. “I’ve been in the same clothes, in the same bed, for three days. Before that, I was tossed onto the dirt of the rodeo arena by a bull. Damn straight I want a shower.”

“Point taken.” Once inside the bathroom, she stepped aside, watching him carefully to make sure he was okay.

Unfortunately, he was fine. No more excuses to keep her in here.

Sam popped back out, then returned with his suitcase. “I’ll just put this up on the counter so you can get a clean outfit,” she said.

“Thanks.”

She flashed him a quick smile. “Just doing my job.”

And as she pulled the door almost closed behind her, Cody hoped that wasn’t the only reason she’d brought him into her home—and that she would finally come to the realization that there were better reasons for keeping him there.

He was in her shower.

Sam gritted her teeth and tried not to think of him there, soapy water sluicing down the hard planes of his chest, arrowing down to the apex of his thighs, his body tight and waiting. And she definitely didn’t want to imagine joining him there.

Nope. Not her. It would be unprofessional. It would be crazy.

It would be wonderful.

She grabbed the comforter and stripped it off the bed, then took off the sheets as well. Try as she might, she couldn’t get the image out of her head. And the temptation to make it reality was almost overwhelming.

She found some clean sheets in the linen closet and shook them out, methodically re-making the bed in a vain attempt to distract herself from what was going on behind the bathroom door.

Four more days. Dr. Miller had told Cody he was free to leave in four days. She only had to hold it together for four more days. Of course, considering just how much she
wasn’t
holding it together up to now, four days might as well be four years.

She’d practically jumped him this morning. Worse, she’d spilled her guts to him.

She didn’t talk to anyone like that. It had practically been an out-of-body experience, listening to herself talking about—everything.

Especially the most humiliating experience of her life.

In the bathroom, Cody shut off the shower, the sudden quiet startling Sam out of her reverie.

He’d be out in a minute or two, so she needed to pull it together fast. Before he figured out just how rattled she was by him, and used it to bring down her defenses once and for all.

Chapter Ten

Cody was going batshit crazy.

Now that Dr. Miller had given him the all-clear to get off bed rest, he was itching to leave his sickroom in the dust. But he hadn’t taken into account how weak he still was from the accident. The shower had been good and bad—good, because it was great to finally be clean again. Bad, because it wiped him out so completely that he’d ended up collapsing back in bed as soon as he was done.

Now it was afternoon, and he was ready to get out and about. Too bad his nurse wasn’t around to help him get there.

She’d taken off sometime during the morning, leaving him a note with her cell phone number on it. At least this time she hadn’t called in her mom to babysit. The woman had always been high strung, but her reaction to him yesterday had been over the top.

He was just about to throw off the covers and make his way through the apartment on his own, damn the consequences, when he heard the key in the lock.

Just as well. He really hadn’t wanted to have Sam come home to find him collapsed on the hallway rug.

She poked her head in the doorway, looking a little startled to see him awake. “Have you been up for long?”

“Maybe an hour,” he said, shrugging.

Sam winced. “Sorry about that. I’d hoped to be back before you woke up.”

“I’ve been sleeping pretty much twenty-four/seven. I’m just not that tired anymore.”

“Point taken.”

“So where’d you go?”

“Oh, here and there.” Her voice was bright and perky, at odds with the tenseness bracketing her mouth. “So, how would you like to try out the deck? The lounge chair’s all set up.”

What he really wanted was to pull her down onto the bed with him and get naked. Barring that, a good honest conversation would be on his list as well.

Neither seemed likely, so he nodded and swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”

This was a bad idea.

At the least, she should have avoided the whole transfer-of-location thing until Cody was a little more steady on his feet. Despite his quick recovery, Cody still favored his injured knee, and needed her help to make it to the deck.

So here they were, shuffling down the hall, his arm draped around her shoulder, her hand anchored at his waist.

Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the necessary professionalism between them. And with Dr. Miller’s checkup, she’d shifted from medical assistant to friend anyway.

Cody was doing fine. No need to monitor him anymore. Now, her apartment was just a convenient place for him to stay while he recovered.

The question was, whose convenience?

Certainly not hers. What would have been convenient for her was to send him on his way before the two of them ended up even more entangled.

He stumbled over her foot, pulling her closer as he struggled to maintain his footing. The feel of their bodies pressed together, chest to thigh, sent a wave of longing through her so powerful she was surprised he didn’t notice.

Then he turned his head, his mouth just inches from hers, and she thought that maybe he had noticed it after all.

“God, Sam, you drive me crazy.” He stared at her lips, his eyes dark and burning.

Her mouth dried and she tried to swallow. “We’re almost there,” she said, in a vain attempt to redirect the conversation. Or maybe she was trying to avoid it altogether.

His gaze never faltered. He just kept looking at her, his expression knowing. “Yeah, I think we are.”

Sucking in a deep breath, she wrapped her arm more tightly around his waist, gritting her teeth against the sensations rocketing through her. He was willing, that much she knew. All she had to do was say the word.

She just didn’t know if she had the guts to do it.

“Here we are,” she said, both relieved and disappointed to see they’d arrived at the sliding glass door. Pulling it open, she guided him to the waiting lounger.

Cody sat heavily, the effort of moving from the bedroom to the deck clearly visible on his face. “Damn, I feel weak.”

She crouched down next to him. “Cut yourself some slack, Cody. You’ll feel stronger soon.”

“You’re the expert.”

Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out the paperback she’d found by his hotel bed. “Here. In case you get bored.”

“Thanks.”

“Or I could get your knitting for you.”

“I will never live that down, will I?” He leaned back and closed his eyes, basking in the late afternoon sunshine. “Mmm. That feels good.”

And why did her mind immediately take a dive into the gutter? Imagining all the situations where Cody might be inspired to say the same thing?

She cleared her throat and stood. “I’ll just be inside if you need me.”

Then she made her escape, cursing her weakness the whole way.

The sun was almost over the horizon the next time she checked on him.

Cody was sleeping, his face more peaceful than she’d seen since the accident. It was clear that the pain from his injuries was starting to fade.