Page 8 of Cody (Maine Silver Foxes)

C ody

I wanted Alina. I’d known it the first time I’d looked into those killer blue eyes and then took in the rest of her.

And the hell of it was, she wasn’t even my usual type.

I was a big man. I liked tall and curvy.

Not short and petite—although Alina certainly had the curves my hands craved.

I also favored blonds. But it was the unusual combination of black hair and blue eyes that had first captivated me.

Later, I’d realized that I liked her wit, and how easily she put me in my place.

She wasn’t the first woman I’d had an immediate interest in, but she was the first that I couldn’t get out of my mind.

And that’s what warned me that she was different.

I should run for the hills. Because I had a feeling that when—not if—I finally gave into that attraction, it was going to be special. Good, but in a bad way.

Out of sight, out of mind wasn’t working for me, because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Hell, at this stage of my life I didn’t need to be making any drastic changes.

I’d almost turned down Dotty’s dinner invite, but once she’d mentioned what we’d be eating, I’d caved like a five-year-old accepting candy from a stranger.

She knew I loved her spaghetti, and next to my mother’s, who’d been gone ten years now, Dotty’s was the best.

I would have been fooling myself if I tried to pretend that I hadn’t also wanted to spend some time around Alina.

That I’d like to get to know her. Christ. Kill me now.

Two days later, I was still thinking about her as I sat in Lincoln’s truck with a hard-on.

I’d had blue balls before. Hell, I’d suffered with the abstinence I’d had to endure during my stint in the Marines, but as a civilian, it had never been a problem.

I knew a handful of women I could count on to keep me satisfied at any given moment.

Evelyn came to mind because she’d been the most recent.

I’d broken things off with her, but I knew that it would only take one phone call to bring her running.

But I wasn’t a fool, and that wouldn’t be fair to her.

I didn’t hurt women on purpose, and I knew better than to keep a woman around who wanted more than I could give.

It would be a better idea to call Tina or Brandy. But I didn’t want them.

What the fuck was so special about Alina?

And what was holding me back from going after her?

That wasn’t my MO. I always took what I wanted, and my gut told me she’d be up for a good, hard romp.

She probably even expected it. For all I knew, she was asking herself why I hadn’t fucked her up against the wall that morning at Dotty’s.

Next time, I just might. I should just take her and fuck her out of my system. That was the solution.

What held me back was that I was afraid that fucking her wouldn’t be the solution, and I’d end up with the same problem I’d had with Evelyn, only in reverse. I’d be the one clinging to Alina, wanting more, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

I thought about my life thus far. My growing up years.

My years in the Marines. Then the last few years I’d spent here in Coldwater.

Most anyone who knew me understood that I liked living alone.

I’d never yearned for the same trappings that most other people had, the kind that locked a man down into a routine that grew old after time.

I’d known too many friends who’d resented the pressures of being tied down, of going home to the same woman or man every day, and having the responsibility of a family.

Love didn’t always last, and I was lucky that I’d figured out what was good for me early on with a little help from Maggie’s betrayal.

I’d even had a vasectomy when I was in the Marines.

Did that make me selfish? I didn’t think so.

Staying single and childless was sure a hell of a lot better than committing adultery or becoming a dead-beat dad.

I’d seen a lot of that in my lifetime, and while I didn’t judge, I didn’t like it either.

Lincoln finally emerged from the woods and made his way over to me. King wanted us to take a ride up to Stoney Ridge Mountain to work with the crew he had there. He had a deadline to meet, and three of his guys hadn’t shown up today.

Lincoln opened the driver’s side door. “Jesus, King is pissed.” He climbed in and started the engine.

“I don’t blame him.”

“He’s afraid if he goes up to Stoney Ridge he’ll kill someone.”

I snorted, thinking of the men who hadn’t shown up that morning. “He’d have to find them first.”

“You didn’t hear the latest.”

I glanced over at Lincoln, slightly worried now.

“One of the guys who didn’t show up was the crew foreman. Now everyone’s fighting over who’s in charge.”

I shook my head with a disgusted laugh. “Great. Good thing we’re retired, right?”

None of us regretted having let King talk us into moving to Coldwater, but all the hunting and fishing he’d tempted us with to get us here hadn’t exactly panned out in the way we’d thought it would.

It had been a strong selling point, but we hadn’t considered what activities we would be engaging in between all the hunting and fishing.

None of us liked being bored.

So now we kept busy and raked in a little dough by taking on the occasional handyman job one of the locals might have, like Dotty’s porch.

Because King’s family was established in Coldwater and he owned a logging company, he was the first one they called.

Then he offered the jobs to us. Anything to keep us busy.

“Hey, we’ve got nothing better to do,” Lincoln reminded me. “We’re too young for retirement.”

I just grunted my response.

“King can’t wait for those last two contracts to get done.”

“He might change his mind once that baby gets here,” I deadpanned as we exchanged a look. “Might want a reason to get out of the house.”

Lincoln smirked and put his attention back on the road.

Being the sole owner of a logging company wasn’t something King had wanted, but no one else in his family had wanted it either.

They’d already accepted future contracts when King arrived in town, and being the man that he was, he’d bought out his family and was making good on filling those contracts now.

He wasn’t taking on any new jobs, so that once the existing ones were fulfilled, he could sell the company.

After driving a while, Lincoln asked, “You gonna be at his cookout Saturday?”

“Planning on it.”

“Bringing anyone?”

I took a breath. Alina’s pretty face immediately came to mind, but just as quickly I shook the image away. “Haven’t given it much thought, but I might.”

“Who do you have on standby?” Lincoln joked. He knew me, knew that I didn’t do that exclusive shit.

“Not Evelyn,” I snapped.

“That’s good.” There was a brief pause before he continued. “Since she’s going with me.”

My head snapped in his direction. He didn’t exactly look happy about the idea of taking her, which caused me to grin. “Are you taking my sloppy seconds now, man?”

“Hell, no! I’m not planning to fuck her. I ran into her at the hall the other night.”

“What the hell was she doing there?” I scowled. The American Legion Hall was strictly for service members who’d served in the military and had been honorably discharged.

“I thought she was waiting for someone to come out, but it turned out she was waiting for someone going in that she could sink her hooks into. I was the lucky bastard.” He shrugged. “I didn’t see the harm in inviting her in for a drink. She kind of invited herself to the cookout with me.”

Because she’d known that I would be there, and that King and Mia wouldn’t mind if someone showed up uninvited. One of these days their open-door policy was going to bite them in the ass.

Maybe it would be a good idea if I found someone to go with me. I released a harsh breath of annoyance. “Damn!” I muttered under my breath.

There was worry on Lincoln’s face as he misinterpreted my reaction as annoyance at him. “If I’d thought you two were serious, I would have ignored her. But I know you don’t do relationships.”

My brothers from the service knew that I wasn’t the jealous type and wouldn’t mind if they went out with any of the women I was dating.

“Yeah, relax, man. And just so you know, I’m not seeing Evelyn anymore.

She was starting to get clingy and assuming shit.

Showed up the other night all domestic-like and had dinner waiting for me when I got home.

Told her that was it. So she may have an agenda for going with you on Saturday. She knows I plan to be there.”

“Shit.” Lincoln shook his head with distaste. “I hope she doesn’t think I’m going to take your place.” He thought about what he’d just said, and quickly added, “I mean, she’s a beautiful woman and all, but she kind of has a reputation. If you know what I mean.”

I laughed but kept quiet. I knew exactly what Lincoln meant.

She was his problem now.