Page 11 of Wildly Yours (Owl Creek #3)

I keep looking through the files until Meredith calls down to let me know she's locking up. I walk up the stairs and am met with a subtle grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm noticing that you're wearing something different than when you walked in today."

I look down and see I've got on Cody's hoodie as I walk into my office. My back to Meredith, I fist the front of it and pull it to my nose, inhaling his scent.

"Wow. You have it bad."

My face flushes as I spin around.

"It's not that. The scent reminds me of something. That's all."

Her face screws up in a suppressed grin. "Can I do anything else before I head out for the day?"

"No, thank you, Meredith. I'm going to head to the bookstore for the author reading."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Serena."

I follow her to the door and lock it behind her.

The building is quiet, and the sun has dipped below the trees, causing it to be darker in here than it should be given the time of day.

I turn off the lights in the front area and return to my office to get my jacket and shut off the lights, when I hear a banging on the door.

The hair on my arms raises. I've never felt unsafe in Owl Creek, but after spending two hours in the cold basement sorting through dusty files, my body alerts.

I step into the main hall and see Cody standing on the other side of the glass door. His broad shoulders fill the frame, and his eyes are lit up with an internal flame I've never seen. I feel myself pulled toward him, while the sense of danger lurking still flits across my skin.

Should I be afraid?

When he walked out today, I didn't know when I'd see him again. The fact he returned so quickly is kicking up a storm in my mind. Do I let him in? Is there something I should worry about? Is there something I need to know?

Curiosity mixes with overwhelming desire and compels me to act. Because the thing is, I lied to Meredith when I smelled his hoodie. His scent is a drug to me, and I want to catch it up close, even if it's for the spare seconds he's near me when I open the door.

I unlock it and swing it open, but he doesn't cross the threshold. He stands there, silently staring at me.

"Cody?"

I instinctively reach for him, and the contact lights up my hand, as if a pulse of energy is reaching from him to me, weaving us together in an unseen bond.

"I shouldn't have come."

"But you did. Wanna tell me what happened?"

"I'm still angry, I shouldn't have come."

I grab his other arm and pull him into Town Hall, kicking the door shut so I don't have to lose contact with him.

"Why don't you come with me."

I lead him into my office and nudge him toward the chair. Then I lock the front door again and return to see him gripping the sides of the chair like he's holding on for dear life.

"We can talk. If you want. Or if you just want to sit there, you can do that too." I want him to calm down. I want him to feel that whatever has rattled him isn't here in my office. It's just us.

He looks at me. No. In me. And I see a battle in his eyes.

"I don't think Blake Johnson is going to be a problem much longer."

"Why do you…what happened?"

"I thought you didn't want details. Earlier you said you didn't want to know."

"Earlier you weren't sitting in front of me looking like an active volcano!"

"I shouldn't have come."

"But you did. So stop saying that and tell me what I can do to help you, because I'm afraid for you right now."

"You should be." He stands up, then sits back down, then stands back up. "I should probably go home."

"Cody Barone!"

He sits back down.

"Let me help you."

I walk around my desk and sit on the edge in front of him, his knees inches away from my legs.

"I…I just wanted to tell you that I took care of the Blake problem. Like I promised."

He stands up and is now between my legs. Not touching, but in my personal space. His thick chest is looming over me. He looks down at me, bites his lip, then turns and walks out.

My breath is shallow as I listen to him unlock the door with my keys and leave.

He did what he said he was going to do. But is that enough? Can I believe in him?

Four keys on my keyring. One confused woman.