Debbi Rawlins - If He Only Knew...

He moved closer and slid an arm around her shoulders, bringing her against the warmth of his body. “Is this allowed?” he whispered.

The urge to give him a good shove faded next to the pleasure of being pressed against his chest. “Only because it’s freezing out here.”

He smiled. “Freezing?”

Sara sighed. So it was only in the low seventies. Still, it was unseasonably cool. And his chest felt so damn good. A lot stronger and more sculpted than she’d imagined. Despite his busy schedule, he obviously found time to work out. “We’re going to have to take a taxi.”

“You don’t have a car?”

“I do, but it’s in the shop.”

He gave her an odd look, though there was no way he could know she’d lied. “No problem.” Frowning, he looked down the street. But of course there were no taxis.

“This isn’t like New York,” she said. “Most people around here drive, so we’ll have to call for a cab.”

“Right.” With a look of exasperation, he removed his arm from around her shoulders and reached into his breast pocket for his cell phone.

Immediately, she missed his touch. But the sudden realization that she had no idea where they should go next sent her thoughts in a different direction. There were a dozen places that she favored but none without consequence. Of course there was always Chloe’s place. But the first night? Not a good idea.

“You wouldn’t happen to know the number?”

She shook her head. “I’ll run back inside and ask the hostess to call.”

Before she could move, he took her hand. “I’ll take care of it.”

She didn’t argue. She simply enjoyed the feel of his palm pressed to hers, the way his long fingers curled around her hand as he called directory assistance, even though the problem of where she’d take him once the cab arrived remained unsolved.

Was she being too cautious? At this point, did it really matter if he knew who she was? While living in New York, it hadn’t just been about the anonymity. She’d genuinely wanted to know how it felt to live by herself, to depend on no one else for money or influence or anything else.

But now she was back to reality. And Cody would be here for one short week. He’d actually called and wanted to see her. Only for sex, of course. And only because he was here in Atlanta, where no one knew him. She laughed at the irony. Except it wasn’t really funny. She still didn’t know what to do. After all, what if he was the one?

The sudden ridiculous thought took her by surprise and erected her defenses so fast it made her chest tighten. She withdrew her hand from his and moved away, keeping her gaze averted. There could be nothing between them but sex. Anything more, for her especially, was out of the question.

“Are you all right?”

She looked over at him. He’d already put his cell phone away. Who knows how long he’d been watching her? “Did you get a hold of a cab?”

He hesitated, and she braced herself for an unwanted question. But all he said was, “One should be here within five minutes.”

“Good.” She checked her watch. Mostly for the distraction. She’d purposely not worn the bracelet. She didn’t want him reading too much into it.

“Care to tell me where we’re going?”

This time she did the stalling. Should she wing it? Get to the other side of town and then blindly choose a place at which to stop. Or should she play it safe and take him to Chloe’s?

Safe? She nearly laughed out loud. There were so many questions in his gorgeous eyes, but there was also that spark, the connection she’d never thought she’d feel again.

All right. There was safe, and then there was safe.

She smiled up at him. “How about we go to my place?”

S ARA NEEDN’ T HAVE opened the door to Chloe’s apartment to realize how incredibly dumb it was to have brought him here without having checked out the place first. Chloe was a terrific hairstylist but she was rather odd.

So was her taste in decorating. And that was putting it kindly.

As much as Sara wanted to block Cody’s view, she knew there was no turning back now. Not without making him think she was nuts. There was nothing to do but plunge ahead and try not to cringe.

Taking a deep breath, she led Cody into the rather vibrant front room. Orange wasn’t the color Sara would have chosen for the walls but there it was, an interesting contrast to the oversized lemon-yellow sofa that curved like a snake halfway around the freestanding fireplace.

Dreading it, she turned to look at Cody. She had to hand it to him, he kept a straight face. Of course, good lawyers could do that, and he was one of the best in the country.

She steered them farther into the room, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the small but open kitchen. Thankfully, she eyed a hutch near the glass dining table stocked with several bottles of booze. Premium stuff, which didn’t surprise her. Chloe was truly gifted and commanded a hefty fee for her work. And she did enjoy the finer things. Even her furnishings, although on the bohemian side, looked like the highest quality.

“I see you like the retro look,” Cody said, eyeing the lime-green side chairs with amused interest.

Sara paused, taking a new look at the place. It was retro, which, for whatever reason, seemed to make it less tacky. “Not really. I have a roommate. This was originally her place. I just moved in two weeks ago.”

“Ah.” He looked relieved.

She hid a smile and dropped her purse on a black lacquered console table beside a sculpture of a nude couple embracing.

Cody came up beside her and studied the sculpture. “Is she going to show up at any moment?”

“No, she’s on her way to Europe.”

His head reared back slightly. “Is that some kind of code?”

“Excuse me?”

“Didn’t you say your sister—”

Sara laughed. “Yes, she really is in Europe. And Chloe left for the French Riviera—” she glanced at her watch “—about three hours ago.”

“Quite a jet-setting crowd you hang around with.”

“Chloe’s also my hairdresser and with what she charges for a haircut, she could probably retire.”

He didn’t comment, just continued to check out the odd pieces of art that adorned the walls, the knickknacks of wrought-iron stick people holding silk flowers and glass fuchsia-colored high heels filled with colored marbles scattered about.

“Why don’t you fix yourself a drink?” she suggested, trying to divert his attention so she could check out the rest of the apartment in privacy. “I’ll be right back.”

“All right,” he said, turning to look at her. Their eyes met and his crinkled with humor. “Going to slip into something more comfortable?”

“You wish.”

“Indeed.”

She laughed, delighted to see this side of him. “I’ll take a club soda while you’re at it.”

“Glasses are in the kitchen?”

Sounded logical. She nodded, and then hurried down the small hall with the sudden hope that there were two bedrooms. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure how she’d explain that.

The first door to the left was a bathroom, the yellow and orange living room colors repeated in its abstract wallpaper. Further down to the left was a nice-sized bedroom decorated in a surprisingly subtle palette of taupe and blue. Placed in the middle of the queen-sized bed was a piece of folded paper. Sara moved in closer to read the writing.

The sheets are clean, it read in large bold letters. Punctuated with a smiley face.

Sara quickly snatched the note and crumpled it in her hand. She turned around just as Cody appeared at the door. She jumped back, coming up against the bed and quickly having to steady herself. “Good grief, you scared me.”