smelled appetizing. His gray eyes darkened, glittering, making her skin tingle in response.
“Man, I love that blush.” His voice was husky and she felt an answering surge of heat race through her. Her reaction confounded her. Kayla hadn’t even looked at another man with interest in the last four months. Why did it have to be Cord who reawakened that part of her?
“The bathroom door was locked last night. How did you get in?” Kayla was desperate for a distraction, not wanting to let on how he affected her.
“Easily.” He grinned at her, his smile so full of mischief she almost smiled back. He was normally so serious and intense.
“It was locked for a reason, Cord. You had no right to come in, no right to-to—”
“Dry your naked body? Carry you to bed? Sleep beside you, holding you all night?”
She blushed, shocked. “Yes,” she ground out between clenched teeth. “Those things.”
“You were freezing. I didn’t want you to catch a chill.” He walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Now sit, drink your juice.”
He turned back to the kitchen.
“I don’t drink juice, but Luke keeps bringing it over. I’ll make some coffee.” Kayla moved toward the kitchen but Cord blocked her exit, shaking his head, two plates of steaming food in his hands.
“No coffee. Drink your juice, it’s good for you.”
“Cord, I don’t like juice. I like coffee.” The look he sent her clearly said he didn’t give a damn what she liked—she’d do what he thought was good for her.
“Juice is better for you. Caffeine makes the panic attacks worse.”
Kayla sat with a thump. “How do you know that?”
He shrugged, forking up some hashed potato. “I did some research while you were asleep.”
“Did you just…” She tried the scrambled eggs, almost sighing in bliss as they hit her taste buds. “It’s good.”
“Well, you don’t have to sound so surprised,” he mock-growled.
Quarter of the way through the pile of food, she sat back with a groan, watching in amusement and awe as Cord finished off his whole plate.
“Eat more.”
Kayla shook her head. “I can’t. I’m going to burst at the seams as it is. Thank you, it was lovely.”
Sitting back, he stared at her for so long it was all she could do not to squirm or make up something to confess.
“Well, if you’re sure you’re finished, it’s time we had a little talk.”
“About what?”
“About who could be trying to harm you.”
“I have no idea. I really don’t. There’s no reason for anyone to harm me, Cord. It had to be random. They were waiting for a woman alone. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think so. It just doesn’t feel right to me. Masked men don’t hang around outside bathrooms, looking to kidnap woman. They don’t usually have getaway vans. There were still a lot of people around. This was planned. Combined with the attack on you four months ago—”
“Which was bad luck. The police said there had been other attacks on women close to my neighborhood.”
“They were waiting in your apartment for you. How did they know you lived alone?”
He wasn’t asking anything she hadn’t thought of.
“The police thought that my attackers must have followed me home from work, seen that I lived alone,” she replied stubbornly. “Then when I left to meet my friends, they think they snuck inside to wait for me to return home.”
“Hmm,” he replied.
“Luke really beat himself up over it. I was living in the apartment he’d rented for Lily and he felt like it was his fault. Cord, there’s no reason why the two attacks would be connected.”
“So you think it’s just bad luck that you get attacked twice in one year? I’m not going to let you stick your head in the sand over this, Kayla. We need to look at the worst case scenario and react accordingly. You may think all of this is pointless, but I won’t take any chances on making a mistake and risking
“Man, I love that blush.” His voice was husky and she felt an answering surge of heat race through her. Her reaction confounded her. Kayla hadn’t even looked at another man with interest in the last four months. Why did it have to be Cord who reawakened that part of her?
“The bathroom door was locked last night. How did you get in?” Kayla was desperate for a distraction, not wanting to let on how he affected her.
“Easily.” He grinned at her, his smile so full of mischief she almost smiled back. He was normally so serious and intense.
“It was locked for a reason, Cord. You had no right to come in, no right to-to—”
“Dry your naked body? Carry you to bed? Sleep beside you, holding you all night?”
She blushed, shocked. “Yes,” she ground out between clenched teeth. “Those things.”
“You were freezing. I didn’t want you to catch a chill.” He walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Now sit, drink your juice.”
He turned back to the kitchen.
“I don’t drink juice, but Luke keeps bringing it over. I’ll make some coffee.” Kayla moved toward the kitchen but Cord blocked her exit, shaking his head, two plates of steaming food in his hands.
“No coffee. Drink your juice, it’s good for you.”
“Cord, I don’t like juice. I like coffee.” The look he sent her clearly said he didn’t give a damn what she liked—she’d do what he thought was good for her.
“Juice is better for you. Caffeine makes the panic attacks worse.”
Kayla sat with a thump. “How do you know that?”
He shrugged, forking up some hashed potato. “I did some research while you were asleep.”
“Did you just…” She tried the scrambled eggs, almost sighing in bliss as they hit her taste buds. “It’s good.”
“Well, you don’t have to sound so surprised,” he mock-growled.
Quarter of the way through the pile of food, she sat back with a groan, watching in amusement and awe as Cord finished off his whole plate.
“Eat more.”
Kayla shook her head. “I can’t. I’m going to burst at the seams as it is. Thank you, it was lovely.”
Sitting back, he stared at her for so long it was all she could do not to squirm or make up something to confess.
“Well, if you’re sure you’re finished, it’s time we had a little talk.”
“About what?”
“About who could be trying to harm you.”
“I have no idea. I really don’t. There’s no reason for anyone to harm me, Cord. It had to be random. They were waiting for a woman alone. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think so. It just doesn’t feel right to me. Masked men don’t hang around outside bathrooms, looking to kidnap woman. They don’t usually have getaway vans. There were still a lot of people around. This was planned. Combined with the attack on you four months ago—”
“Which was bad luck. The police said there had been other attacks on women close to my neighborhood.”
“They were waiting in your apartment for you. How did they know you lived alone?”
He wasn’t asking anything she hadn’t thought of.
“The police thought that my attackers must have followed me home from work, seen that I lived alone,” she replied stubbornly. “Then when I left to meet my friends, they think they snuck inside to wait for me to return home.”
“Hmm,” he replied.
“Luke really beat himself up over it. I was living in the apartment he’d rented for Lily and he felt like it was his fault. Cord, there’s no reason why the two attacks would be connected.”
“So you think it’s just bad luck that you get attacked twice in one year? I’m not going to let you stick your head in the sand over this, Kayla. We need to look at the worst case scenario and react accordingly. You may think all of this is pointless, but I won’t take any chances on making a mistake and risking
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