The More I See (12 page)

Besides their color, Lyssa couldn't help but wonder what she'd see if she looked into Cody's eyes while he was looking back at her. Really seeing her. The thought made her catch her breath.

Cody glanced around the room as if he could see what was going on. In truth, it was a natural reaction to the sound around him. Voices maybe. As Lyssa scanned the room herself she saw more than a few women glancing in their direction, some overtly sizing her up and coming out a little smug.

"You've been hiding yourself out."

Lyssa glanced up to find one of the women she'd seen earlier scrutinizing them in the corner had finally sidled up next to Cody. She was rubbing Cody's arm up and down and practically inviting herself into his lap. The blue jeans she wore were snug enough to be a second skin, as was the red cotton shirt she wore.

Lyssa squashed down the sudden stab of jealousy that leveled her.

Cody's grip tightened on the table. His voice seemed forced when he spoke. "Haven't felt like dancing much lately. How are you, Susan?"

"Fine. Just fine. I hope you'll be in the mood for some dancing tonight though. Brock usually sets this place on fire, but maybe we can convince your baby brother to put a slow number or two on his setlist. You be sure to save a dance for me, won't you now?"

She'd actually purred, Lyssa thought. Was she for real or what?

Petty. Don't go getting petty, Lyssa, she admonished herself.

"Sorry, Susan. My dance card is filled for the evening."

"Oh, don't break my heart," Susan said in a soft whine.

"Susan, this is Lyssa McEl... Geez, I never get your name right."

"McElhannon," Lyssa said, extending her hand in greeting.

Awkwardly, the two women shook hands. Susan's smile was forced, even seemed a little unsure.

Susan cocked her head to one side, her blond mane framing her face, and pasted a

saccharin-sweet smile on her face. "You two been together long?"

It wasn't so much the question that threw Lyssa, but the bluntness of it. While she tried to find her voice, Cody answered.

"Lyssa's staying at the ranch."

Susan gave her a pointed glance, making her wonder just what kind of relationship she and Cody had shared before he'd lost his vision. No, she wouldn't go there. It was none of her business.

"Really? You must be loving it then, Lyssa. The trails through the ranch are beautiful.

Cody knows just how to show you right."

They were loaded words Lyssa knew she was wise to ignore.

"Susan's a veterinarian, Lyssa. She's been out to the ranch quite a few times over the past few years when we've been in need."

Susan smiled with pride, as if that one bit of information Cody had revealed gave her the upper hand. Lyssa wanted to say there wasn't any reason for winning any hand where Cody was concerned. But the play of woman against woman was as old as time.

"In what capacity are you at the ranch?"

Cody laughed so hard it stopped the conversation between Brock and one of his backup singers, a girl named Cheryl, who was seated at the next table.

"She's my trainer," Cody said easily. But there was a tightness about him that suddenly made Lyssa think he wasn't enjoying this interplay as much as he let on.

"I train guide dogs," Lyssa offered, looking at Cody, trying to read the emotions changing on his face.

"Oh, well, that's right. I knew about the accident, of course, but I thought. . ."

"I haven't hidden so much from the world that the people around me don't know I'm blind. Besides, word gets around."

"I'm sorry, Cody. Brock mentioned some surgery you were having not long ago."

"Yeah, it didn't work." There was only a tinge of regret in his voice, but Lyssa knew it ran much deeper.

Brock got up from the table and climbed to the stage.

As if it were her cue, Susan said, "Well, I guess your brother is getting ready for his set."

"I guess so."

"It was good seeing... I'll be stopping by real soon."

Cody didn't look in Susan's direction as she walked away, her boot heels clinking on the shiny boards of the dance floor.

"She's a beautiful woman."

"Yes, she is."

"There's no reason for you not to dance—"

"Geez, Lys, you are so damned irritating sometimes," Cody said, reaching out and searching for her hand. He sighed. "I'm with you tonight. I'm not some good-for-nothing jerk who's going to go off dancing with every other woman in the dance hall just because they asked.

I asked you to come tonight so I could get you in my arms, and that's exactly what I intend to do."

"You don't have to be so pushy about it."

His chuckle seemed to come from deep in his soul. "With you, lady, I most certainly do.

Now let's dance."

# # #

“Don't act as if I haven't made my intentions tonight plain, Lyssa," Cody said, the deep timbre of his voice leaving Lyssa weak in the knees. "I kind of figured you wouldn't be too receptive to me pulling you into my arms back at the ranch. Chances are someone would be around to witness it.

Isadore, most likely. You strike me as the shy type where embracing is concerned."

He wanted to hold her. This wasn't just some outing to test his boundaries. She closed her eyes at the thought of being in Cody's embrace, feeling muscled arms that she knew were strong and reassuring.

"I'm not shy," she said, swallowing the sudden lump stuck tight in her throat.

He nodded once. "Good, because I plan on getting the chance to hold you a lot tonight.

For starters, right here on this dance floor."

"Do I have a say in any of this?"

"I figure you had your say back at the ranch when you decided to come."

He was smiling, something potent and telling. As if he could see just how flustered she was and was enjoying every bit of it.

She jut out her chin ever so slightly. "What about Susan?"

His brow knitted. "What about her?"

"She might have a thing or two to say about it."

"I couldn't imagine why."

It was her turn to laugh. "Oh, come on, Cody. The woman is so totally over the moon for you. I didn't have to look that hard to see it."

"Over the moon, huh?"

"That's right."

It was hard to tell if the slight irritation that was crawling just below the surface of her skin was also evident in her tone of voice. It wasn't very attractive to see and it certainly wasn't something Lyssa enjoyed feeling.

Cody leaned closer, dipping his head, and she could tell that he was a little unsure by the slight catch in his voice when he spoke. That put them on even ground.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty close to being over the moon for you. And obviously I'm not doing this right because if I were, we wouldn't be standing here discussing moons. You'd already be snug up close."

Her head was swimming and she had to catch her breath.

"So what do you say?"

He extended his arm just as Brock announced the band and began their first number. The crowd was full of fire and jumped to their feet.

For God's sake, what was she so afraid of? It wasn't like she'd never gone dancing in her whole life. She'd just never gone dancing with Cody.

It wasn't fear of making a fool of herself on the dance floor. There she had no trouble feeling comfortable, even knowing she had the grace of a duck. It was being a fool of another kind that kept making her act like an idiot.

They'd misstepped a few times, Cody leading her and the rest of the crowd seeming to part to allow them room to move. The fast song ended and Brock immediately slipped into a slower number. From the first few strums of the guitar, Lyssa recognized it as one of the songs she'd heard Brock playing in his bedroom.

Somehow, Cody had hooked his arm around her waist and drawn her closer to him

without Lyssa realizing it. The close proximity forced her to see things she hadn't allowed herself to see before. Being in Cody's arms made her aware of him on a completely new level. She'd known he was tall and strong, with an edge of control that allowed him to keep his feelings at bay. But he was gentle, too. And that surprised Lyssa. The warmth of his body fused with her heat and the light scent of her perfume mingled with the muskiness of his cologne.

Her head was turned to one side as they danced. Cody dipped his head and brushed his smoothly shaven cheek against hers. With trembling hands, she clung to his shoulders.

"You've never been kissed?" he whispered, his hot breath tickling her ear.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I have."

Her cheeks flamed just thinking about it. About kissing Cody. As if he'd known all along that was exactly what had been on her mind.

Sure, she had been kissed, but she was almost certain Cody wasn't talking about the sweet good-night kisses she'd had with the dates she rarely went on.

"Then why are you trembling?"

She closed her eyes. "I'm not."

"My senses are—"

"I know, because you've lost the use of your eyes your other senses have sharpened. I'm just cold."

"I can remedy that." He pulled her closer so that she was completely enveloped in his warmth and her head spun.

A rumble of laughter escaped his lips. "Okay, so you've been kissed. But you've never been kissed by a man."

Rolling her eyes, Lyssa said, "I'll be sure to tell Chad that the next time I see him."

Cody stopped dancing, and his arms went rigid. "Chad. Who's that?"

Lyssa had walked right into that one with blinders on. She'd been quick to prove Cody wrong, but in mentioning Chad, she most surely would only strengthen his case. And Cody wasn't likely to let her slip pass.

"An ex-boyfriend."

He nodded and began dancing again. "Some fleeting moment in time?"

"Actually, we dated for over a year the first year I worked at the school."

"I want to punch the guy, but I'll thank him instead for being stupid enough to let you go."

A pain of regret stabbed her heart and had her closing her eyes again. "He was my first instructor when I learned to train guide dogs."

"And you dated him."

"Yes."

"I'll bet he kissed like a fish."

A soft giggle escaped Lyssa's lips before she could hold it back. She could have

described Chad that way herself if it hadn't hurt so much. She knew the reason why kissing Chad wasn't anything special was because there simply was no passion in him. Not for her, anyway.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"No? If you'd been with a man for a year and he'd kissed you proper, having me hold you like this wouldn't affect you the way it does."

"And how's that?"

"You want to bolt from my arms. You could, you know. I couldn't chase after you if you did. I don't have Otis to help me sniff you out."

He smiled, as if he'd anticipated her blush.

"But there's this part of you that wants to stay and know what it is like for me to kiss you.

If you'd been kissed—I mean really kissed—you'd know. And your reaction to me would be different."

She sighed softly. "Is that so shocking?"

"Yes. I can't imagine a man alive who wouldn't dream of holding you like this and kissing you. Anyone who'd let you go is an idiot. So what happened with you and this Chad anyway?"

"I thought his loss was your gain? Why would you care?" She stepped on his boot as they turned, wincing, but Cody did nothing to acknowledge her blunder.

He shrugged. "Curious."

"Maybe it's because I have two left feet. I mean, how can you be this good at this? I can see what I'm doing and I'm stepping all over you."

"You're doing fine."

"Because you're dragging me with you."

Cody reached his hand up and ran his fingers lightly down her face. "Close your eyes."

"No, it's taken me too long to get my sight, I don't want to shut anything out."

He chuckled. "Lyssa, just cooperate and close your eyes."

She did so and his hands cupped her face. As his lips moved over hers the ground beneath her seemed to swell and her body swayed. It wasn't the sweet kiss she had initially expected. But somewhere deep down, she had expected it.

Telling herself over and over again as she dressed earlier that this wasn't a date had been denial in the biggest form. Cody had made his intentions crystal clear. She'd known right from the start that this was exactly what she'd wanted to happen tonight, too. Right down to the moment she'd chosen this simple sundress that made her feel as feminine as the lacy underthings she wore.

Cody could see none of that. And still, he was kissing her, making her feel these incredible feelings, reaching an untouched place in her soul.

The kiss was slow and meaningful. His lips lingered on hers and she was in no hurry for that to change. The scent of him enveloped her, filling her head and touching all of her senses.

His fingers were in her hair, stroking lightly, exploring as carefully as his mouth was.

And then the music stopped. Lyssa opened her eyes and realized they were standing still.

Everyone else had moved off the dance floor.

"The music stopped, Cody."

"Did it?"

"People are ... staring at us?"

"Really? I can't see that."

She giggled, gazing up at him and seeing his lips stretch into a smile. The music started again. "You want to keep dragging me across the floor?"

"If it will keep you in my arms, I'll do it all night."

"How can you dance like this and not see where you're going?"

"Some things you can do just fine with your eyes closed. Like kissing." He bent his head.

This time she met him halfway.

Against every will she had, she trembled in his arms, confirming everything he'd said a few minutes ago. He put one hand on the nape of her neck and cupped her cheek with the other, his thumb brushing her lips. And then he kissed her again.

It amazed Lyssa that she didn't pull back. Not this time. For most of her life she'd played things by the rules, pulled back when unsure, plunged in when she knew things were right. Took care and didn't take chances.