Page 7 of Cody


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“Luce—”

“No.” I step forward, my finger is in his face. “No, you don’t get to call me that anymore. I was over you. I moved on. I don’t understand why seeing you now… affects me this way.”

He visibly swallows as he nods. Maybe there is some emotion under there after all. His large hand engulfs my finger, and it sends tingles over my entire body. The memory of him touching me, holding me, it’s right there. I yank my hand back. It’s too much.

His eyes are glassy. “I’m sorry. I was young, and I didn’t see any other option.”

His voice is deep with regret. But that’s not enough. Not for how he devastated me.

“Don’t blame being young. Your option was to go to college like we planned. If you were having doubts, you should have talked to me. No, instead you decided andtoldme how it was going to be. I had no say. You know what? Let me return the favor. I don’t want to see you; I don’t want to talk to you. Get out!”

“Lucy, please. What are the odds we would run into each other like this? Leaving you has always been my biggest regret.”

It is in this moment I see the pain in his eyes. His hair is standing up more than it was when I first saw him. Does he still pull on it when he’s stressed? He doesn’t break our gaze as I let what he said sink in. He looks sincere.

But no, he could have found me before now. And even now, he wasn’t looking for me.

I can’t stop the tears from falling. “No, you can’t say things like that. You can’t come in here and disrupt my life. Go.”

“Lucy.” He takes a step closer.

“Please,” I beg.

A vein bulges on his forehead. Finally, he gives me a small nod and leaves.

The moment the door closes, I collapse into my chair and let the tears flow. Damn him for everything! I’m a sobbing mess, and the pain in my chest is as strong as it was the night he left. I take several deep breaths to calm myself.

No other man has ever been able to measure up to my memory of him. I’ve tried dating, I really have. But after making the mistake of marrying Joseph, I’ve finally had to acknowledge to myself that I have bad luck when it comes to my love life. I’m better off being alone.

CHAPTER3

Cody

I never thoughtI’d see Lucy again, but now that I have, I realize how much I’ve missed her. I miss the freckles on her nose. I miss the way her hair waves and frames her large, light brown eyes. I miss the way she rubs her fingers together when she’s nervous. But what I miss the most of all is the heat in her gaze when she looks at me. I got a glimpse of all that, and fuck… I want her. I’ve always wanted her.

But damn, I didn’t handle any of this well. I should have come up with a plan before heading to her office. I always have a plan.

I make my way back across campus to Joseph’s office, where I take a seat and wait. When footsteps approach the door, I stand up straight.

“Joseph—Oh, I’m sorry, I thought Joseph would be in his office.” A man in an expensive suit stands in the doorway; he’s wearing diamond cufflinks and a very nice watch. He has an air of importance about him.

“I’m Cody Anthony. I’m working with Joseph today.”

The man frowned. “I’m Charles Ziff, president of the university. Exactly how are you working with Joseph?”

“Ziff, I understand you are the one that hired protection from Reed Hawthorne Security.” I pull my business card out of my wallet. “I was sent here to protect him.”

The man reads my information and then smiles with what appears to be relief. “Cody, I’m glad you’re here. Call me Chip. Everyone does.”

I give him a nod. “Chip, do you have a moment? I’d like to ask a couple of questions.”

“Sure.”

I sit back down, and Chip takes the chair next to me.

“Any idea why Joseph doesn’t believe my services are necessary?”

The man chuckles. “Well, he likes to handle things himself, and he thought I was making too big a deal out of the situation. But I explained that, as his superior, I have the duty of hiring protection for him if there is cause for concern.”