Discreetly, she tugged at the base of the gown.
When his eyes returned to her face, he tilted his head. “I like what you’re wearing. But then, I have a feeling you’d look good in anything.”
Oh, he was a charmer. “Even a paper bag?”
“Especially a paper bag.” One side of his mouth lifted. “How about I get your breakfast ready while you shower and change?”
He was doing nothing to curb this super-sized crush she had on him. Hell, what was she talking about? It was way past a crush.
“Sure, but on one condition?”
“Anything.”
“Share breakfast with me? I don’t want to eat alone.”
That tilt of his lips deepened. “How could I say no to that?”
She stepped back, and when Cody moved inside, she realized he took up all the space. He’d been in here last night, but she’d still been in shock from the attack. Now, he was all she could focus on. His broad shoulders. His tree-trunk arms.
She wet her lips as she closed the door. “I’ll just go get changed.”
“Take as long as you need,” he replied, setting the tray on the counter.
Even though he wasn’t looking at her, her skin tingled as if his eyes were glued to her body as she rushed to grab clothes and move to the bathroom. She took the quickest shower of her life before throwing on yoga pants and a T-shirt. When she stepped back into the room, the smell of eggs and bagels wafted through the small cabin.
“Ali stopped by while you were in the shower and delivered even more food,” Cody said with a smile as he glanced up. “I guess I looked hungry, and she took pity on me.”
Harper crossed the space between them, her gaze brushing over the eggs and bacon Cody had set out on the table.
“Cody…what are you doing here?” She hadn’t meant to ask the question, the words just fell out.
He paused from where he was taking glasses from the overhead cabinets. When he turned, he looked at her with so much intensity that her lungs felt like they were decompressing. “I needed to check you were okay.”
“I’m okay.”
He stepped closer, and that one step ate up all the space between them. When his hands went to her hips, she felt his touch seep through her clothes and into her skin. “I’m just going to mention this one more time, and if you say no, I’ll drop it…but know that the offer is always there.”
She frowned but remained silent.
“The second room in my apartment over the bar has a lock on the door. It’s comfortable. It even has some feminine touches, thanks to my sister. Plus…I’d feel better if you were there, with me.”
He thought she shouldlivewith him? He was already in her head and all she thought about; imagine if she woke up to him every morning. Breathed in his deep, masculine scent every night…
“Cody, you don’t need to do that.”
“I know. I want to. I want you safe.”
“It was probably just a crime of opportunity. I’m sure after seeing you, they won’t be back.”
He looked at her like he didn’t believe her. Like he knew all her secrets, even the ones she kept locked deep inside her. “I like you, Harper. A lot. And I will be whatever you want me to be. The friend. The boss. The protector. I’ll move as slow as you need, but I know—and I think you do too—that this always ends the same way.”
She swallowed, and it took a few tries to get the question out. “And how’s that?”
“You and me, together.”
CHAPTER 10
Harper walked down the street toward Sugar and Spice. She should probably be consumed with thoughts of the attack a couple nights ago, oddly coinciding with the fact her father was out of prison. But she wasn’t. Instead, all she could think about was Cody.
