Stormwalker Page 21

  He slipped the coat off her shoulders and then disappeared for a few minutes. Sara watched him leave, the anxious feeling in her heart reflected in her eyes. He hadn't said anything. Was he angry with her? Disgusted? She closed her eyes and then opened them to stare into the fire. It was too late to turn back now. She'd made this decision and she just had to believe it was the right one.

  When Cody returned, he was carrying a cup of steaming coffee, and a thick terry robe was draped over his arm. He set the coffee down on a scarred end table next to Sara and dropped the robe on a chair.

  Sara looked at him as he bent to tug her boots off, but his eyes didn't meet hers. He might have been totally unaware of her, but she didn't believe that. She couldn't believe that. The firelight caught on the chiseled planes of his features, highlighting the stubborn thrust of his jaw. Did he look older than he had? Were the lines beside his mouth a little deeper?

  Her boots were set aside and Sara couldn't help her startled gasp when he reached for the bottom of her sweater. Any protest she might have made was lost as he tugged the heavy wool over her head. He stripped her as if she were a child, but Sara said nothing. She caught a glimpse of his face as he reached for the buttons on her shirt and there was nothing in his expression to indicate that he thought of her as childlike.

  There was something amazingly erotic about having him undress her in front of the fire while he retained every stitch of clothing. He unsnapped her jeans and slid his hands inside to ease them down over her hips and, as if compelled, his eyes met hers. The fire that burned on the hearth was nothing compared to the green blaze in his eyes, and Sara was suddenly much more confident. He still wanted her. That was something. And he didn't look in the least bit disgusted.

  He swallowed hard when she at last stood before him clad only in a tiny pair of violet panties and a matching bra. Sara could see perspiration on his forehead and there was a ragged edge to his breathing. He stared at her slim body for a long moment and then reached for the thick towel he'd brought. His movements were brisk as he rubbed the circulation back into her chilled skin. It wasn't necessary. One look from him and Sara was as warm as if it were a hot summer day, but she said nothing. She liked the feel of his hands on her, even through the heavy towel.

  He wrapped her in the terry robe as if putting temptation out of sight, and Sara almost smiled. Her body tingled, both from the rubdown and from his nearness. Neither of them had said a word, but she had to believe that it was going to be all right, that she'd made the right decision.

  Cody sat down on a chair opposite the sofa and picked up his own coffee. Sara snuggled back into the worn leather of the sofa and sipped the hot black liquid, staring into the fire. Outside the wind still howled maliciously, but it was cozy and warm inside. For the moment, she was content just to be here with him. This is what it would be like if they were married. Just the two of them sitting next to the fire on a cold winter night.

  "Why did you come back?"

  The husky question snapped her out of her dream, and tension abruptly lodged in her stomach again. She set the coffee cup down and wrapped her fingers in the belt of the robe, twisting the fabric as she stared at the floor. The moment had arrived. Now was the time to tell him how she felt.

  "Sara?" His voice seemed to wrap around her name and she shivered, her eyes meeting his for an instant. It was impossible to read his expression.

  "I've done a lot of thinking since I left here." She spoke rapidly, needing to get the words out before she lost her nerve. "I thought about^what you said about never asking a woman to give up everything for you. And I thought it might be different if she were to offer."

  "Sara..."

  She hurried on, wanting to get it all out before he told her it would never work. "I never have really liked modeling. I've worked hard at it, but it wasn't my first love. Cullen has informed me that he no longer needs me to baby-sit him, and I thought maybe it was time to pick up my sculpting again. Denver isn't that far away and there's galleries and classes and stuff there. I could work here and just make the trip to Denver when I had to."

  "Sara..."

  "This isn't a snap decision. I've thought about it a lot. I think it would work. I don't know much about ranching, but I'd be willing to learn."

  "Sara..."

  "The thing is, I was miserable in Los Angeles. I missed the quiet and I missed the horses and Dog and.. .1 missed you."

  "Sara..."

  She gulped, struggling against the tears that threatened to overflow her eyes. "I love you, Cody." The words came out stark and unadorned, and she bit her lower lip, trying to steady her voice. "I think..."

  But he didn't seem to want to hear what she thought. He caught her hands and tugged her to her feet, his palm cupping the back of her head, muffling her words in the warm flannel of his shirt. Sara's hands clutched his shoulders. What was he thinking? His hold was strong and tender but he hadn't said anything. Was he trying to find the words to tell her that he loved her or that he didn't? Did he feel sorry for her? She could bear anything but that. If he pitied her, she would run out of the house and take her chances with the storm.

  "Didn't you wonder how I knew that you were out in the storm? How I knew you needed me?"

  Sara swallowed a sob and shook her head, not lifting her face from his shirt. His fingers slid into her hair, tilting her head back until she looked into his face. The tears in her eyes made it impossible to read his expression. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. There was something there that she'd never seen before.

  "I couldn't sleep. All my dreams have been filled with you, but I couldn't read them anymore. But tonight felt different and I didn't dare let myself sleep. I was afraid of what I might dream.

  "And then I heard you call my name."

  "But I didn't..." She stopped, remembering how badly she'd wanted him.

  "Didn't you?" His thumb rubbed the delicate line of her jaw, his eyes a deep unfathomable green. "You are the other half of my soul. You are everything I need to make me complete. How could I not know when you needed me?"

  "Cody?" Her hand shook as she lifted it to his face, needing to touch him to believe that this was real.

  "I love you. I love you so much, it's a constant ache in my gut when you're gone. I hope you know what you're doing because I can't bear to let you go now."

  "I don't want you to let me go." She laughed shakily. "I don't want you to ever let me go."

  His arms slid around her back, drawing her onto her toes as his head bent to hers. "I won't. I need you too much."

  She met his kiss, feeling happiness bloom in her chest and spread in a warm tide throughout her body. They'd gone through a lot to find each other. But he was hers, finally and forever hers. Their kiss deepened, and her hands twined in the thickness of his hair as he sank to his knees, carrying her with him.

  The first time they'd come together it had been in a storm, and now another storm raged outside. It seemed fitting that they should make this commitment with the wind howling around the eaves.

  She struggled with the buttons on his shirt, feeling the fire hot against her back as he eased the robe open. Storms and fire. She'd come to associate both of them with this man. Never again would she be frightened of either. He'd come into the storm tonight to find her. Stormwalker. Her Stormwalker. Always and forever.