Pretty Face (13 page)

She hurt. She had to go. She had to get away so his eyes wouldn’t keep piercing into her heart. Cody found one shoe but not the other, so she just picked it up and left. She couldn’t stay. Running out the door, she fled down the stairs. The boat would be docking in just a few moments. Her car was here, she’d parked it earlier, taking a cab to the launch. Ducking behind a pillar, she hid from prying eyes, panting, tears streaming down her face. She knew she didn’t have to hide from Hunter, he wouldn’t come looking for her. He didn’t want to see her. He never wanted to see her again.

It was over.

Over.

*  *  *

Hunter hit the wall of the stateroom so hard he put his fist through the paneling. Good thing he was a carpenter, he could fix it.

His mind was spinning, his heart was aching and he felt like he was going to be sick. He needed to get out of here. Sage—Cody—would be gone, she was very apt at disappearing, only this time, he knew right where to find her.

Jerking on his clothes, he went to the restroom, washing his face. He stared at himself in the mirror. For the first time in a long time, Hunter felt alone. In the past, it was Sage he would turn to when something happened in his life that he needed to talk about. Now he had no one.

When he started to leave, he took the stateroom key off the key ring and left it on the dresser. His eye went to that small ornate key she’d said was the key to her heart. He had no idea what it even fit. As he started to walk out the door, he saw Sage’s shoe. Hunter almost left it, but something made him stoop over and pick it up.

Stuffing the key ring in his pocket, he walked down to the dock and looked around. There was no sign of Cody. He hailed a cab and went back to his truck, placing her shoe on the seat beside him. All the while, thoughts were swirling around in his head. Why hadn’t he seen it? That Cody was Sage was as plain as day. Their lips were the same, that little turned up nose was the same. Damn, the hickey! His flight number written on the paper! Hell, she was the owner of TRO. Similar taste in books, movies, music. Even her eyes. Why hadn’t he recognized her? She didn’t look that different. The photos she’d sent were outdated, photos of a girl when now she was a woman.

Hunter tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, warring emotions fighting for the upper hand. If he were to tell the truth, he’d always suspected the pictures she sent weren’t really of her. Oh, he’d loved looking at them. No doubt about it. But some of them had appeared staged. The fact was—he hadn’t really cared. What attracted him to Sage was her heart, her mind, her spirit.

The same things that had attracted him to Cody.

Hunter groaned. He’d loved making love to her. The sex had been out of this world, they’d connected on every level. Hearing her cum—hell, making her cum would be the highlight of his life.

Damn, he couldn’t see. He turned on the windshield wipers, then realized the problem wasn’t the window—it was his eyes. Angry at himself, he dashed the moisture from his eyes. He wouldn’t call them tears. Men didn’t cry.

When he got back to the motel, he pulled in slowly. What was he going to do? God, he didn’t know. In a few rough moves, he took off the stupid tux. He’d have to pay damages on this one too. Good thing he had that money…damn, she’d paid him early because she’d expected him to react just the way he had. She’d expected him to get angry and walk away. She’d expected him to take one look at her face and turn his back on her—and she’d been right. Fuck!

And she’d gotten him the restoration job. He wouldn’t take it now, there was no use. Was there? He had no reason to stay. God, he was so confused.

Once he was naked, he crawled in the shower, letting the water run on his head, hot as he could stand it. Even though he tried to keep the thoughts away, memories of touching Sage…Cody came to him. The way her breasts felt in his hands, the taste of her kiss, how it felt to sink his cock inside of her. How she’d responded. She’d flared for him, lighting up with happiness, desire, and love. Before he knew it, he was fisting his cock, pumping himself hard and fast. Just like old times. Only this time, it wasn’t a fantasy in his head that got him off—it was a memory.

When he was through, he pressed his hot cheek to the cool tile and panted. Despite his intentions, his mind wandered to Cody. What was she doing? What was she thinking? Throwing a towel around his waist, he did something he didn’t think he’d do. He got his computer. He turned it on. He went to Facebook to click on Sage’s name.

Her page was gone.

*  *  *

Dr. Cody Sage Donavan Napier stood before her class. “What do quantum physics and emotions have in common? Several psychologists have made an incredible discovery. In the completely opposite domains of atoms and intimate relationships, our thoughts can have undeniable effects. In quantum experiments, when we change our minds, we can actually change the state of matter. Think about it—our thoughts directly affect our relationships.”

Hunter sat at the back of the class, unobserved, and watched her teach. She was a completely different person here than she’d been either online or at her home. She was in charge. She was confident. And what she was talking about—did she actually believe it? Was it real? Cody was a very well respected leader in her field. So, he listened and learned.

“There is a new theory being tested among physicists, that consciousness is a state of matter like a solid, a gas or a liquid. If this theorem is upheld, we will view it more as a computer, a place where information can be stored and retrieved. The thought-wave state of matter moves more quickly and more efficiently than even beam matter, which moves at the speed of light.”

She turned to change a PowerPoint slide and his eyes couldn’t help but take in her perfect little shape. After that, several students asked questions which she answered with grace. Hunter hung on her every word until she finally announced. “Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday and we won’t be having class. I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have an appointment back in New Roads. If any of you have any questions, leave me a voice mail and I will see you on Wednesday. No one drink too much!” While she made a couple more announcements, Hunter crumpled the empty paper cup in his hand, rose, and slipped back out. This was Monday, he should have gone in to finish her kitchen this morning. But when he’d called, the person who’d answered her phone had been Marnie. And Marnie told him it would be better if he stayed away, to give it time. She’d said she didn’t think Cody could just act like nothing had happened, that business as usual wasn’t possible at the moment.

Hunter didn’t know about that, she sure as hell had acted like ‘business as usual’ in the classroom was no big deal. For the past twenty-four hours, Hunter had been obsessed with Cody/Sage and trying to figure out how he felt, what he wanted—what was next in his life. He’d even gone on to her TRO site. For a while, he’d played with the thought of filling out an application. But he hadn’t. There was only one woman he was interested in and she wasn’t signed up. Sage was still perfect for him. The only problem was—Sage didn’t exist—or did she? That was what he had to figure out. Hunter took long walks, long drives, long showers—thinking, cursing, and worrying. Hunter had to reconcile himself with the woman he fell in love with, the other woman he’d come to admire, and the fact that they’d both betrayed him.

Maybe he needed to go see Dr. Rowan himself.

By the time he got finally sat down to catch his breath, Hunter knew he wanted to see her. He missed Sage so much he could taste it, but what he’d finally realized was this—Cody was Sage.

She wasn’t gone. She’d never left. He’d been the one to walk away. Yes, he and Dr. Cody Napier still had some talking to do.

Now, he just had to get her on the same page.

First he tried the cell number he always called Sage on, but like her Facebook page, it was no longer working. Next he tried the house phone and there was no answer. Disgusted, he turned on the TV and what he saw almost stopped his heart.

There had been a pileup on the road between Baton Rouge and New Roads. It must have happened right after he’d made the trip and the TV camera was focused on a red Mazda Miata that was completely crushed.

“Cody!” he screamed, his heart in his throat. “Don’t be hurt, please don’t be hurt.” Hunter jumped up, not knowing what to do—who to call or where to go. “I need the chance to tell her I’m sorry. I need another chance to tell her how I feel.” All he could think to do was jump in his truck, head over to her house and pray she was there.

*  *  *

Cody stretched out on her bed with a pillow over her head. Finally, she was alone. She’d practically had to force Marnie and Trinity to go home. They had come over the moment she’d called, as she drove home from the riverboat. When she had cried her heart out over losing Hunter, they had stepped in and become her support system. Both of them had tried to get her to contact him, but she’d remained adamant. Cody had already said all there was to say. It had taken all of her powers of persuasion, but she’d managed to convince them she was functioning and able to cope. The truth was, there was a hole in her life so big that she was afraid she’d slip through it and disappear.

Hunter was gone and she was devastated.

Her normal routine of sharing, laughing, hoping, dreaming with him was over. Cody sans Sage was going to have to find a new way of existing.

Her computer didn’t sound anymore, it was quiet.

The only ones who called were Marnie and Trinity—and they weren’t the ones she longed to hear from.

Cody groaned and rolled into a little ball. The sad fact was—she had no one to blame but herself. She’d brought this whole thing down on her head. It had been her bad decisions that created the situation. Hunter wasn’t at fault. Hunter had reacted exactly as she’d known he would.

And she didn’t blame him a bit.

Well…

No, that was true. She didn’t blame him.

But, she was a girl, a dreamer, a romantic. Cody was in love and in the dark of the night, when she was all alone, Cody let herself dream.

See, this is how it would work. She’d be lying here in the bed, getting her beauty sleep—which she sorely needed and there would be a knock at the door. Cody would rise slowly, wondering who it could possibly be and float to the door with her peignoir robe floating behind her. Throwing the door open, she’d find Hunter, who wouldn’t give her time to say a word. He would pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately, telling her he was sorry, he was wrong and he couldn’t live without her.

Ah, such is fantasy.

Because even if it were to happen, Cody wouldn’t ever put herself in that situation again.

The dogs and cats were all lined up at the end of the bed, watching her. They had proved to be patient observers to her pain. Nana had been the most vocal in her small circle of sympathizers. She’d told Cody to march over to Hunter’s hotel room wearing only a trench coat and high heels, throw it off and seduce him. “Believe me, that’s how you get a man’s attention.” Nana’s advice had thrown Cody a bit, she sounded very sure of her ploy. Her confidence made Cody think she’d once practiced what she preached.

“Foot!” she yelled at the top of her lungs as she kicked her covers off and scattered canine and felines to the right and to the left.

The barking and meowing and her shushing and chasing drowned out the door knocking. In fact, Cody had gotten as far as the living room before she heard it.

Knock! Knock!

Who could that be? Probably a Jehovah’s Witness or perhaps the paperboy coming after his payment. Cody wasn’t dressed up, she was still in mourning, wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a T-shirt. Pink. The T-shirt read I’m Not Crazy, My Mother Had Me Tested.

Knock! Knock! “Cody, if you’re in there, open the damn door!”

Hunter! And he sounded angry. She backed up against it and rubbed her eyes. “Go away! I must be sleepwalking.”

Outside, Hunter sagged against the door. She was all right. Thank God, she was all right. “No, you’re not, baby. Open the door.”

Baby? “I may not be sleepwalking, but I’m definitely dreaming.” Cody looked down at her disheveled state and thought about going to change clothes. What good would that do? He’d seen her naked and in her best and wasn’t impressed with either—not enough to stay.

Knock! Knock! “Cody, please let me in. We need to talk.”

Okay. Okay. Taking a fortifying breath, she steeled herself and opened the door. As soon as she did…

Hunter swept her up in his arms, held her so tight she squeaked and kissed her face over and over again, finally settling on her lips where he drank from them like a man starving for water.

Cody didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t hug him—her hands kept going up to touch his shoulders, then back down, up, down. She couldn’t go through this again. The kiss was amazing, a miracle she thought she’d never experience again. But the pain when he walked away again was something she couldn’t survive. And he would.

Because he was Hunter and she wasn’t Sage.

Somehow she survived his sensual onslaught. He held her tenderly, his lips sliding from her mouth to kiss her neck. “God, baby, are you okay?”

The fact that she hadn’t returned his kiss seemed to have escaped his notice. It was official, Hunter had lost it. “What’s wrong, Hunter?”