But she knew he was here.
In her room.
Soon, they’d be together.
You’re already mine.
Chapter Seven
Cody couldn’t believe how well the party turned out. Best of all, he and Kristi were having a good time together. They worked well as partners in conversations. There seemed to be a new easiness between them. She stayed by his side and smiled up at him every time an encounter with guests ended well, like she was proud of him. Proud to be with him. It stroked his ego and made him want her even more. They were like his dad and Susanne, sauntering around the party, making sure the guests were having a good time, but always aware of each other in the stolen glances and whispered comments shared only between them. Kristi had been the perfect companion as they made their way around the backyard, greeting guests. Her father had caught up to them multiple times to talk him up to one person after another.
Cody knew everyone here because of past parties, but he’d never interacted with them like a peer. That’s what he was to them now that he’d established his career.
It seemed so strange and also like the very thing he’d been working toward the last several years.
It also made him miss his dad.
Cody wondered what he’d think of all this.
He looked at Brooke, standing beside Suzanne. Not him. She didn’t even look at him.
Fuck.
He’d handled that thing—that fucking weak moment he’d had when she’d made a move—badly. He should have stepped away and ignored it like all the other times.
But this time had been different. The look in her eyes, filled with such innocent desire. He got caught up in it. No one looked at him the way she looked at him. Yes, it fucking made him feel good. Needed. Wanted. Like he was her everything.
It was too much and not enough all at the same time. He couldn’t remember another woman ever looking at him like that.
Brooke, she did it all the time. And when she did, it was just different. It hit him in some amazing way he couldn’t describe.
She wasn’t shy or coy with him. She didn’t hold back. She put it all out there.
He loved that about her.
He didn’t want to tame that or shame her for wanting something she shouldn’t.
He was too old for her.
She was too young to know that she’d eventually fall for someone less complicated and more suitable.
Did he want that?
He should.
But he loved the attention and the way she made him feel, even if he shouldn’t.
Fuck.
What was he thinking? This couldn’t happen. Especially not now.
He was with Kristi. They were looking toward the future. Sure, that was a new thing, but it was the start of something.
That’s what the board seat was about. Him stepping into a bigger life.
He’d need a partner who knew that world and could stand beside him. Kristi had proved she was that person for him today.
Brooke was headed back to school soon. She’d barely begun her life as an adult.
