Only Her (A K2 Team Novel)

by Sandra Owens

  “Why?”

  “I understand someone’s poisoning pets under your care? We think it’s related to that. Who would want to harm you, Dr. Austin?”

  She couldn’t think of a soul. “I don’t know.”

  “Mr. Roberts mentioned while we were waiting to talk to you that there was an earlier incident. He believes someone tried to run you over.” The detective raised a brow as if asking why she hadn’t volunteered that information.

  “That could have been a driver not paying attention to the road.” God, she wanted to believe that. All three men exchanged glances, which irritated the hell out of her. “Stop looking at each other like that. In fact, go away. All of you.”

  “Not going anywhere, darlin’,” Cody said, and although she wouldn’t admit it, she was relieved that he wasn’t an easy man to run off.

  With instructions to try and come up with names, the detective left. Mike leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead. “Take care, Riley. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks.” After he walked away, she glanced at Cody, who was glaring at Mike’s back. “He’s just a friend.”

  “One who feels free to kiss you?”

  She laughed. “God, my head hurts. Don’t make me laugh. Friends do give innocent kisses, you know.”

  “I don’t want to talk about him.” Still holding her hand, he toed the chair up to the bed and sat. “Christ, Riley, when I saw you facedown on the pavement, my heart stopped.”

  “I’m sorry, but mostly I’m sorry for missing last night. I was looking forward to it, you know.”

  “Hush, darlin’. Concentrate on getting better so you can get out of here. There’ll be plenty of nights for us.”

  “Okay. I’m tired.”

  He brushed his fingers softly down her eyelids, closing them. “Sleep. I’ll watch over you.”

  “Kay.” It was nice knowing he’d be there when she woke up. “Cats?” she said, suddenly thinking of them.

  “Taken care of.”

  “Thank you.” She didn’t have the energy to ask how as she drifted off, knowing Cody was there, keeping her safe.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Riley wasn’t happy. That was apparent by the glare she was sending him and Brooke. “You’re not returning to work until you get checked out on Wednesday, and that’s final,” he said. “Doctor’s orders.”

  Brooke gave a vigorous nod. “I rescheduled all your appointments and called Dr. Andrews. If there’s an emergency, he’ll cover for you.”

  “Why don’t the two of you go away?” Riley made a shooing motion with her hand. “I don’t like either of you right now.”

  Cody grinned. “Funny woman.” That got him another glare.

  It was Monday afternoon, and the doctor had only agreed to allow her to come home if she promised to rest and had someone with her round the clock. Cody didn’t plan to leave her alone, and she was going to rest if he had to sit on her to keep her from going to work like she wanted to do. She was prone on her sofa with a pillow under her head, and her protests that she should be at work were halfhearted. Riley’s three cats held positions on her body, sitting like sentinels bent on guarding her. The little one finally grew bored with that task and began to play with the fringe on the afghan covering her.

  “Can you stay for a few more minutes?” Cody asked Brooke. “I need to let my dogs out and then feed them.”

  She nodded, her pretty blonde hair bouncing around her neck. Riley had told him Brooke and the cop were dating, and that news had pleased him because it meant Kilpatrick was no longer going after Riley. Although she was probably better off with the man. Mike, at least, seemed to have his head on straight. Cody didn’t care. Riley was his for as long as it lasted, and in his mind, he’d already stretched that time from a few weeks or a month to open-ended. Until she wised up and realized she could do better.

  As he made his way across the street, his phone buzzed, and Kincaid’s name came up on the screen. “Boss.”

  “How is she?”

  “Grouchy. Doesn’t like ordered bed rest.” He’d called Kincaid that morning, asking for a few days off so he could stay with Riley, and after he’d explained why, his request had been granted.

  “Maria said she’ll shoot you over an e-mail list of cars with those first two letters as soon as she has it. She’s also going to come stay with Riley tomorrow afternoon so you can keep your appointment.”

  No way was he leaving Riley. “I appreciate it, but—”

  “You will show up at Tom’s office promptly on time. Maria and Riley are already friends, so Riley won’t have a problem with that.”

  Cody opened his door and let the dogs out. They raced to the yard to do their business. He’d left them alone too long. “I didn’t know that. I guess if it’s okay with Riley, that’s fine.”

  “Good. Stop by here after you finish with Tom.”

  Cody recognized that as an order. “See you tomorrow.”

  Kincaid hung up without responding. Cody chuckled as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. His former SEAL commander still knew how to get his men to ask how high when he said jump. The thing was, Cody would jump to the moon if the boss gave the order. There was no other man he knew who would take on a screwed-up, PTSD-suffering warrior, while also turning over all his resources to keep a woman who Cody cared for safe.

  After the dogs were fed, he told them to stay as he made to head back to Riley’s. They both looked so pathetic as they watched him walk to the door that he paused. “If I take you with me, will you promise to behave?” He went back to them and knelt. His team claimed he was a dog whisperer, but that was about to be put to the test. “There’re cats where I’m taking you, and they outnumber you by one. If you go after them, you’re going to end up with bleeding noses. You can go with me if you promise to ignore them.”

  Sally and Pretty Girl heard the word “go” and, unable to sit still, their butts bounced on the floor. “That’s not the same meaning you’re thinking it is.” He stood. “I’m telling you right now, the minute you ignore my orders, you’re going to prance yourselves right back home. You understand?”

  Both barked their understanding, but he didn’t quite trust them. He’d never trained them to be around cats because it had never occurred to him that he’d fall for a woman with the creatures. Fall? No, he hadn’t fallen for her. He just really liked her and wanted to have sex with her. Nothing more to it than that.

  “Heel,” he said as the dogs followed him down the porch steps. At the end of the yard, they stopped and planted their butts on the ground. He clipped on their leashes. “Come.”

  Riley was probably going to freak when he walked into her house with his dogs, but if he was going to spend time with her, that was going to include his dogs getting to know her cats. It was going to be an interesting evening.

  At Riley’s front door, he said, “Sit. Stay.” Both obeyed, looking up at him expectantly, as if asking what next? He opened the door and stepped in. Riley was asleep, and he crooked a finger at Brooke. She rose from the chair where she sat and came next to him.

  “She conked out about five minutes ago,” Brooke whispered. “After telling me what she thought of us both.”

  Cody chuckled. If nothing else, Riley never hesitated to speak her mind. “Thanks for staying. If there are any further poisonings, call me. Give me your phone.” She handed it to him and he put his number in.

  “Cool. Now I have Stud One’s and Stud Two’s phone numbers.” She tossed him a wave as she skipped out.

  What did that mean? No doubt he was better off not knowing. The three cats were curled up asleep on various parts of Riley’s body. He knelt in front of his dogs. “Here’s the deal. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a cat in your life, but I do know that your first instinct’s going to be to chase them. You will not do that, or you will be banned from here forever. Got it?”

  He was clueless why he wanted Sally and Pretty Girl to make friends with Riley’s cats. I
t was in his head that he might—hopefully might—be spending some time at her house, and he didn’t like the thought of his dogs being left alone when he was only across the street.

  Although they didn’t understand his words, both tilted their heads as if trying hard to get his drift. “Just do what I tell you and we’ll be good.” He stepped back into her living room. “Come.” Apparently, they sensed his concern, because they crept up next to him. He put his hands on both their heads. “Stay with me.”

  He moved to a chair near Riley, his dogs slinking along with him. They sat at his feet. “Have either of you seen a cat before?” he whispered to keep from waking Riley. He didn’t know their backgrounds, but considering their country of birth, it probably wasn’t a good one. If they’d never run across a cat before, no telling what their reaction was going to be if one of the felines decided running was the best response to seeing two large, scary dogs.

  Merlin was the first to blink open blue eyes, his gaze landing on the invaders in his home. Cody forced himself not to tense so that his dogs didn’t pick up on his apprehension at what might happen next. Merlin yawned, and then stuck his nose back under his tail, apparently going back to sleep.

  Sally and Pretty Girl had lifted their ears, their sights on the black cat. When Merlin ignored them, they both deflated as if totally disappointed they’d been deemed not worthy of attention.

  “Pelli,” Cody said. When the kitten didn’t stir, he called to it again. Pelli sat up, eyed him, and then his Siamese crossed eyes fell on the dogs. He rose to his toes, the hair on his back sticking straight up. Cody pressed his hands harder onto his dogs’ heads. “Easy. Friend.”

  The kitten hissed, then hid himself under Riley’s hair. At Pelli’s warning, Arthur awoke. He stretched his orange striped body, reaching a paw into the air. His yellow-orange eyes looked first at the sleeping Merlin, then to where Pelli had disappeared to, and then his gaze settled on Cody and his dogs. If Cody wasn’t mistaken, the cat appeared delighted at what he saw. He jumped off the couch and marched toward the dogs.

  “Friend,” he said again, hooking his fingers around their collars to hold them in place while he waited to see what Arthur would do. The cat stopped a foot out of their reach, plopped down on his back, and peered at them upside down.

  “You’re a clown,” he told Arthur. Still keeping his hold on the dogs, he let them stretch out enough to touch noses with the cat. Pretty Girl licked a slobbery tongue over Arthur’s face. The cat purred. Not to be outdone, Sally belly crawled closer and gave the other side of Arthur’s face a bath.

  Riley slept on. He took the dogs into the kitchen with him and inventoried Riley’s food supply. For a woman who lived alone, she had a ton of food on hand, both in her pantry and in her freezer. He rifled through the contents of the freezer, finding a container that had “chicken noodle soup” written on the lid.

  “A cure all,” he said, used to talking to his dogs. He put the soup in the microwave, punching the Express button several times until it was defrosted and starting to bubble. There was a loaf of wheat bread in the pantry, and he toasted some slices, slathering them with butter after they popped up.

  After waking her, he helped her sit up. She ate half the soup and a slice of toast before her eyes slid closed. He picked her up and carried her to bed, liking how she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Are you staying with me?” she asked as he pulled the covers over her.

  “Try to get rid of me, darlin’. Back in a minute.” He made a pit stop, went to the kitchen, rinsed and stacked the dishes in the sink, then collected his dogs from the corner where he’d ordered them to stay. In the bedroom, he showed them where they could sleep. Stripping to his briefs, he climbed into the bed and spooned her, dislocating the cats that were using her as a bed.

  She snuggled against him. “Not quite how we planned our first time in bed together, is it?”

  Her hair smelled lemony from the shower she’d insisted on taking as soon as he’d brought her home. “No, it isn’t, but now we have something to look forward to.”

  “That we do.”

  She wiggled some more, and he groaned, putting his hand on her hip to still her. “You’re killing me here, darlin’. Stop moving around.” Her little giggle was cute, and he smiled into her hair. When she grabbed the hand he had on her hip and pulled it around her, tangling their fingers together, warmth curled its way around him. He experienced something he’d not felt in a long time. Good. He felt damn good.

  It wasn’t long before her breathing settled into the rhythm of sleep. He stayed beside her, holding her, thinking about her. He couldn’t see a future for them, believing she would be the one who would be the first to say she’d had enough of him. What he did know was that for as long as she wanted him he was hers. He just had to make sure he didn’t fall in love with her.

  She had laughed when he had warned her not to fall for him, and at the time, his message had been intended for her, but he was beginning to fear that the laugh was going to be on him. She was feisty, caring, and fit perfectly in his arms. If he were smart, he’d run for the hills before he got any more attached to her, because something told him that in the end the joke would be on him.

  When his eyes burned from keeping them open, he eased out of bed, snapped a finger at his dogs, and slipped out of the room. One thing he wouldn’t do was fall asleep next to her and risk having a nightmare. If he woke up with his hands around her neck, he’d never forgive himself. He fell asleep on her sofa with Sally and Pretty Girl on the floor next to him.

  Yelling startled Riley out of sleep, and she sat up so fast that her head protested the sudden movement by sending a sharp pain down the back of her skull. The cats scrambled off the bed and dove under it.

  “Nooo!”

  Cody? Puzzled, she slid her hand over the sheets. There was no lingering warmth from his body, and she remembered that he’d said he wouldn’t spend the night in her bed because of his nightmares. She switched on her bedside lamp, then went into the living room and turned on a lamp in there.

  “Don’t. Please don’t hurt her.”

  Pretty Girl sat near his head, her body shaking. Sally pawed at his chest, apparently trying to wake him. Cody had the afghan she’d left on the couch tangled around his legs as if he’d been fighting its confinement. He twisted his body from his side to his back.

  Taking him at his word that he might try to hurt her if he didn’t realize who she was, she was at a loss as to what to do. If she went up to him, would he grab her or fight her? If he did anything to her, he would hate himself. That much she knew about him already. He fisted a hand and aimed it for Sally. The dog dropped his belly to the floor before he was knocked across the room, and Riley let out a relieved breath, wondering if Sally expected Cody would come at him and was prepared for it.

  That was so sad that tears pooled in her eyes for both of them, and for Pretty Girl as she cowered in fear. When Cody yelled again, Sally sat up and licked his face. He kicked off the afghan, giving Riley a view of his magnificent body. The man was all muscle from head to feet, and if she weren’t watching him in the middle of a nightmare, she’d take the time to admire the hottest male physique she’d ever seen.

  He grumbled something and pushed Sally’s face away, and then turned onto his side with his back to the room. Since he seemed to be over his nightmare, and since he’d presented such a perfect view, she let her gaze roam over him, up his long legs, pausing at his butt, which unfortunately was hidden by his briefs, then over a broad back that she couldn’t wait to get her hands on.

  “You going to stand there and stare at me all night?”

  “Oh, you’re awake.” She started toward him.

  “Go to bed, Riley. Turn off the lamp on your way.” He kept his back to her.

  If she had to guess, she’d say he was embarrassed that she’d seen him having a nightmare. She hesitated, wanting to comfort him. He pulled up the afghan, covering his beautiful body, and buried h
is head under the pillow. Fine, she could take a hint. She switched off the light, and stomped back to bed, making as much noise on her wood floors as possible. Pissy, she knew, but he’d been there for her when she needed him, so why couldn’t she return the favor? She left the door open so she could hear if he called out again.

  Although her head still hurt, the pain had eased significantly, and she didn’t feel as out of it as she had the day before. Even so, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t go back to sleep, and finally gave up, letting her mind do what it wanted, which was to think about Cody.

  Was she making a mistake wanting to be with him? Maybe his problems were too deep for her. Her biggest worry was that she didn’t know how to help him. She could clip an animal’s toenails, set a broken leg, treat pretty much any ailment, but delving into the mindset of a man having nightmares from his past was out of her league.

  And who was her? He’d called out, begging someone not to hurt “her.” Was it a woman he’d had a relationship with, someone he’d loved? Still loved? All questions she had no answers for, and if he had them, she doubted he’d share. More than anything, she wanted to know about the “her” that was haunting his dreams.

  It was impossible to fall back asleep, and as light from the rising sun crept through the sides of the blinds, she gave up trying. Two of her cats had returned to the bed, Merlin in his usual place at her feet, and Pelli curled up next to her neck. Arthur was missing. When she sat up, the kitten opened one eye, blinked at her, then stuck his head under his tail and went back to sleep. Merlin’s attention was on the open doorway, where Cody was visible. Riley peered out and found her missing cat. Arthur was snuggled between the two dogs, all three fast asleep.

  “Silly boy,” she murmured.

  She went into the bathroom, flipped on the light, eyed herself in the mirror, and gasped at the rat’s nest that was her hair. She’d washed the bottom half when she’d showered after returning home, but hadn’t wanted to get shampoo in her wound. Along with the mess that was her hair, there were purple bags under her eyes.