Cody (14 page)

“I
DON’T THINK THAT’S A GOOD
idea,” Miranda said the moment her gaze collided with his.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not exactly at my sanest when I’m close to you.”

“Because I’m a vampire?”

Because I’m weak. Because I want you. Because I can’t have you
.

The reasons rushed through her head before she could stop them, but she didn’t say them out loud.

It didn’t matter. He knew. He stared at her, into her, and he felt every one. And damned if it didn’t bring the faintest smile to his face.

Her heart clenched and she barely resisted the urge to press her lips to the small dimple that cut into his jaw. She opened her mouth to say “
This isn’t funny
,” but Dora Lee’s voice cut her off.

“I knew it was just a matter of time before all the undesirables followed her here.” The woman stood at the punch bowl, talking to one of the new residents, a short, round woman by the name of Ruby Honeycutt. Ruby was eighty years old and she thrived on a juicy piece of
news. Her eyes practically bugged out of her head as she stared at Cody.

“Oh, my.”

“Next thing you know,” Dora Lee went on, “she’ll be setting up shop in her office and this place will be no better than one of them brothels. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get raided by the police.”

“Oh,
my
.”

The talk reminded her of many similar scenes from her past. There’d been so much gossip. So many derogatory comments. So many lies. And not once had Miranda ever stood up for herself.

She’d understood why people had talked and so she’d let them.

She summoned her courage and turned toward Dora Lee. “He’s not an undesirable. He’s my guest. Not that it’s any of your business. What I do, who I do it with—it’s none of your business.” And then she took Cody’s hand and led him toward the dance floor.

“I’m impressed.”

“Because I can be a bitch?”

“Because you can do it so well.”

“I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.”

“Just say thanks.”

“Thanks.”

Before she could rethink her rash decision to dance with him, he drew her close. His arms surrounded her and his scent filled her nostrils and the urge to lean against him was nearly unbearable.

One dance, she told herself. Then she would make
up an excuse and retreat to her office. He would leave. And that would be the end of it.

The end
.

“Just breathe.” His deep voice distracted her from her thoughts a split second before he killed the last inch of distance between them and pulled her flush against his body.

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to bother with it.”

He chuckled softly and tightened his grip on her waist.

The music pulsed around them as Otis Redding crooned about
these arms
and
holding tight
and for the next few moments, Miranda forgot everything except the feel of Cody’s body against hers. It had only been a few days, but she’d missed him so much that it hurt.

“I missed you, too.”

Her head snapped up and her gaze collided with his. “I hate when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Read my mind.”

“It’s actually a little crazy. I can usually only do it when I’m staring into someone’s eyes, but you’re different. I can
feel
what you’re thinking.”

Likewise.

There was no mistaking the desperation that pulsed through him. The desire. The need. He’d missed her as well, and try as he might, he’d yet to figure out how he was going to let her go.

Before she could stop herself, she rested her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and gave herself up to the happiness of being in his arms.

They moved to and fro for a few long moments before his deep voice slid into her ear.

“I waited for you at the gazebo on Tuesday night.”

“You did not.”

“I wanted to.”

The sincerity in his voice made her heart beat that much faster. “I was really busy.”

“Haven’t you figured out by now that you can’t lie to me?”

She couldn’t, but she could still lie to herself, which was exactly what she was trying to do. This wasn’t about what other people thought about her. It was about what she thought about herself. What she knew deep down inside. What she feared.

“Stop it,” she blurted, pulling away from him before the song ended. She started for her office, but barely made it two steps before he caught her arm and hauled her around to face him.

“What?” she blurted. “What do you want from me?”

He looked undecided for a split second as if he wanted to tell her about the emotion pushing and pulling inside of him, but then his expression closed.

His lip met hers and his tongue plunged deep and, just like that, he was kissing her. The assault was fast and furious and desperate, and she couldn’t help herself.

She kissed him back.

She slid her arms around his neck and gave herself up to the feel of him. He tasted even better than she remembered. Sweeter. More intoxicating. Her breath stalled and her body trembled and desire rushed through her as furious as a raging river and just as deadly.

And then it was over.

He looked as shocked as she felt as he stared down at her.

By her reaction.

By his own.

“I don’t want anything from you.”
I want everything
. That’s what his gaze said. But his lips refused to voice it. Instead, he murmured, “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

She fought the urge to throw herself into his arms and beg him not to go.

But years of fighting her own nature, of bottling it up and burying it deep, welled up inside her and she held back.

“Goodbye.”

He eyed her a long moment, and then he turned and started to walk away.

She let him.

Blinking frantically, she fought back the tears that welled in her eyes and tried to ignore the thought that she’d just given up the one thing that mattered most.

She still had it. Her pride. Her heart.

“I told you,” Dora Lee’s voice jerked her back to reality. “She’s no better than her mother and her trashy sisters.”

Miranda became painfully aware of the dozens of eyes that turned on her. Mr. Witherspoon and Mr. Jacoby who stood near the punch bowl. Eula and Beula who danced with each other a few feet away. Martha who sat near the DJ table and tapped her feet.

It was one thing to tell off Dora Lee about her rude comments and quite another to make a fool of herself in front of everyone.

“I need to check on the punch,” she blurted, beating a hasty retreat toward her office.

She shut the door and sank down into her chair, her hands trembling, her stomach doing somersaults.

She’d kissed him. In front of God and everyone. She’d forgotten the past, the present, the future, and she’d
kissed
him.

So?

It wasn’t like she’d ripped off her clothes and had sex with him. It was just a kiss. Innocent compared to the things they’d done in the past few days.

But there’d been nothing innocent about her reaction. Her pounding heart. Her trembling thighs. Her quivering breasts. She hadn’t ripped off her clothes, but she’d wanted to.

She’d wanted it more than anything.

She was following in her mother’s footsteps, all right, falling for a man she couldn’t have.

Falling?

She’d already hit the ground. Hard.

She realized that as she stared at the latest e-mail from Greg. Two short lines about how he’d rather have prerecorded classical music for the reception instead of a DJ or a band.

Classical. She hated classical. Even more, they couldn’t dance to classical. No soulful Otis blaring from the speakers. No bodies pressed together. No sensual moving against one another. Because Greg wasn’t sensual. He was the kind of guy who proposed via e-mail rather than dropping to one knee and pledging his undying love. The kind of guy who just
assumed she’d say yes because it made sense.
They
made sense.

He was no-nonsense. Practical. Safe.

The exact opposite of Cody Braddock.

His raw, masculine scent clung to her. His strength pulsed through her. She could feel his anguish as he walked to his truck, his anger as he hauled open the door and climbed behind the wheel. He wanted to walk back in, toss her over his shoulder and haul her back to his motel room.

He wanted one more night with her.

One more moment.

And so did she.

She loved him and suddenly the thought of spending a few more minutes with him was better than letting him walk away right now.

“
I just came to say goodbye
.”

Not yet.

She keyed in the answer she should have given Greg the minute he’d e-mailed her the proposal.
You’re great, but you’re not the guy for me. I don’t like classical and I don’t like daisies and I don’t want to marry you
.

She hit Send, pushed to her feet and grabbed her purse.

And then for the first time in her life, Miranda let go of her inhibitions and went after what she truly wanted—a cowboy.

Her
cowboy.

G
OODBYE
.

Her voice echoed in his head and he drove faster, as if he could outrun the damnable truth.

Though she loved him, she would never admit it.

And what good would it do if she did?

None. Her words wouldn’t change anything.

Still, he’d wanted to hear them just once.

He fought the need and hauled ass back to the motel. He would pick up Brent and they would head for Skull Creek Choppers. And then he would get the hell out of this pissant town.

Away from her.

From the damnable feelings eating him up inside.

He slammed on the brakes and swerved into the back parking lot. He was halfway around the side of the motel when he felt the prickling awareness. He came to a dead stop.

For an instant, Cody thought that Benny James might have caught up to him. But then the hair on his arms stood on end and his stomach hollowed out. He knew even before he heard the voice that the moment he’d been waiting for had finally arrived.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

He turned and found himself staring at the one face that had haunted him for well over a hundred years.

Garret Sawyer had the same eyes, the same distinct features. The only thing different was that he wasn’t covered in blood or holding a knife.

Cody’s gaze skittered to either side and he listened for a sound, a thought,
something
. “Where are your friends?”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with them. It’s between you and me.”

“You mean they don’t know you’re here?” Cody shook his head, remembering Jake McCann’s watchdog expression. “That’s a little hard to believe.”

“This is my fight. I care about them too much to drag them into it.”

“And we care about him too much to stay out of it.” The vampire Cody had met on his first visit to Skull Creek Choppers stepped from the shadows, along with another vamp, Dillon Cash, the third of the infamous Skull Creek Chopper trio.

“Dammit, Jake,” Garret muttered as both vampires came up behind him and flanked him.

“You take him out,” Jake added, his gaze riveted on Cody, “We take you out.”

Cody shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” His attention shifted to Garret, to the face that had been burned into his DNA. Anger and regret whirled inside of him and made his hands clench. His vision fired a bright, vivid red, bathing everything the color of blood. The memories welled up inside of him—his mother’s face, the inferno that had been the ranch, the pain of losing
it all and being too damned late to do anything—and sent a burst of angry adrenaline pulsing through his body. “All that matters is that you die first.” He lunged, slamming into Garret’s body.

The vamp fell backward and Cody straddled him.

He slammed his fist into Garret’s jaw. Once. Twice. Over and over until he felt the hands reaching for him, pulling him away.

He fought, knowing they would kill him before they let him take out Sawyer, but he didn’t care. He should have died that night with his family. He would have if not for Sawyer.

He pushed and pulled, and just like that he was free.

He glanced behind him to see Brent in a hand-to-hand combat with Jake while Dillon Cash picked himself up off the far wall where Brent had flung him. Cody didn’t waste a moment. He hit Sawyer running, ramming into him and forcing him backward. He grabbed the vampire’s collar and threw him to the pavement. He followed him down and was about to slam his fist into Garret’s face again.

“I’m sorry.” The words vibrated with pain and something else. Something oddly close to remorse.

Cody didn’t buy it for a second, but it startled him anyway. His hand paused, his fist shaking.

Garret’s bright red gaze cooled to an icy blue as he stared up at Cody. “I had no choice, man. I had to turn you. You were dying.”

“What?”

“I didn’t mean to doom you to the hunger, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

“This isn’t about me. It’s about my family, you bastard. You killed them and set our ranch on fire.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Are you saying you didn’t?”

“The ranch was already blazing when I got there. I didn’t kill anyone.”

“You were holding the knife. I
saw
you. My oldest brother saw you.”

“I used the knife to slit my wrist so that you could drink from me. I found it on the ground.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, he’s not.” It was Jake’s voice. He’d thrown Brent up onto the roof and was picking himself up while Cody’s brother scrambled to recover from the hit. “If he says he found it, he found it. And if you have half a brain in that thick head of yours, you’ll believe him.”

“He’s a vampire.”

“And a damned good man. He doesn’t lie.”

“Don’t believe him,” Brent said as he leapt to the ground. He tossed Cody a very lethal-looking stake that he pulled from the back pocket of his pants. “Kill him.”

Cody grasped the deadly piece of wood and held it high, ready to plunge it deep into the vampire’s chest.

“Stop!” Miranda’s voice rang out. He jerked around in time to see her running toward him. “Please, don’t do this. Don’t hurt anyone.”

“He’s a vampire.
The
vampire. And a lying sack of shit. You don’t believe him, do you?”

“This isn’t about him.” She dropped to her knees beside Cody. “This is about you. It doesn’t matter what he’s done. You’re not a killer.”

Hearing her voice his greatest fear jabbed at the past and the words came even though he wanted like hell to hold them back. “You’re wrong. I killed during the war. And I killed them that night. I wasn’t there when I should have been. I let them down and they died because of it.”

“They died because some crazy person ended their life. You had nothing to do with that. And if you had been there, you’d be dead, too.” Certainty gleamed in her gaze. “You might have made a lot of mistakes in your past, but that wasn’t one of them. Bad things happen to good people. It doesn’t make any sense sometimes, but we have to deal with that. We can’t blame ourselves for other people’s mistakes. It wasn’t your fault.”

As he stared deep into her eyes, he actually believed it. He’d spent so much time searching for peace and he realized then that he wasn’t going to find it by killing Garret Sawyer.

No, he’d already found it. With Miranda. She’d saved him with her words, her touch, her love.

She was his peace. His redemption.

And he was hers.

“It wasn’t my fault either.” Her lips trembled around the words and the tears spilled over. “I spent all this time blaming myself, thinking that if I had been a better kid, she wouldn’t have done what she did. But that wasn’t it. She died at her own hand. Because of her own weakness.”

A car swerved into the parking lot at that moment and car doors slammed. “Garret? Ohmigod!”

Before Cody could blink, a female vampire flew at him, her fangs bared, her eyes a bright, vivid red. She
grabbed him by the collar and slammed him up against the motel wall. Brick crumbled and dust flew.

“Stay out of this, Viv.” Garret’s pained voice drew her attention and she abandoned Cody to fly to his side.

She leaned over him, her touch soft as she cradled his face. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back early?”

“When Jake mentioned that someone was looking for me, I knew it meant trouble. I wanted you out of it.”

“For your information, we’re a team. I love you and you love me and that means I’m in it. I can’t believe you’re so stupid.” She slid her arm under his shoulder and helped him to his feet. “You could have gotten yourself staked. We all agreed that we would handle anyone who came after us together.
Together
…”

“That’s right.” It was the female vampire that Cody had seen with Jake. She reached his side and slid a protective arm around his waist.

“One for all and all for one.” The third female marched over to Dillon Cash and let him draw her to his side. “We watch out for each other.”

The same way Cody and his brothers had watched out for each other so long ago.

Before they’d lost everything.

While Cody was no longer convinced Garret Sawyer had been responsible, it didn’t change the fact that someone had killed his family. Even worse, he might never know the truth.

“Here.” Garret’s voice drew him from his thoughts and he glanced up to see the vampire looming over him. He held out a hand. “Get up.”

Cody hesitated for a moment, but then he let the older vampire pull him up.

“I’m sorry for your loss. I really am. I wish I could give you some answers, but I just don’t know. I didn’t see anyone there that night. Just you and the other three men. I turned you because you weren’t quite dead. That was all I could do.”

“You don’t remember anything else?”

“Just that it was a busy night.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You and your brothers weren’t the only ones having a tough time that night. I found three more people a few miles down the road on my way to the next town. Someone had stolen their horses and left them for dead. One of them was already dead, but I managed to save the other two. A man and a woman.”

“Who were they?”

“I don’t know. He wore a tan vest and a pair of spurs.”

“A cowhand?”

“Maybe. I can’t remember too much more about him. He looked pretty average. The woman, however, I’ll never forget.”

“Thanks a lot,” Viv said as she came up behind him.

He slid an arm around her waist. “Not because I was attracted to her. She was just different. She had the brightest red hair I’d ever seen and the bluest eyes.”

Cody’s head snapped up and his gaze traveled the distance to his brother who stood on the side-lines. At Garret’s words, Brent looked as if someone had sucker punched him in the gut.

“You don’t think it was Rose, do you?” Cody asked.

“We were smack dab in the middle of Apache territory. Did you know anybody else with bright red hair and blue eyes in that area?”

The truth weighed down on Cody as he stood there and faced his brother. Their sister-in-law hadn’t died in the fire that night along with everyone else. She was still out there somewhere.

A vampire.

And while Cody still had no clue what had happened that night, he knew deep in his gut that Rose held all the answers.