Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(16)
Author: Gena Showalter

I clapped my hands, a plan already forming. I was going to glue myself to Rome’s side. Simple. Easy.

"But probably painful, all things considered."

"What is?" Cody asked.

Oops. I hadn’t meant to say that aloud. "Never mind." Up the steps I climbed – and stopped abruptly.

A vase of pink, violet and azure orchids waited beside my door, an emerald bow circling the amber glass. A rainbow of colors, just as I liked. To match my living room?

I rushed forward and crouched beside them, my eyelids closing as I inhaled deeply. A sweet summer’s breeze wafted through me, transporting me from my doldrums for a moment.

"Who are those from?" Cody asked.

Rome? A girl could hope. "Let’s see." My hand shook as I reached for the card. Shook even more as I unfolded the paper. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman," I read. "I hope you enjoy them as much as I’m enjoying you. Yours forever." Rocked by the force of my disappointment – Rome was not currently enjoying me – I glanced up at Cody. "There’s no name."

"Hey, Rome could have – "

"No. He couldn’t have. Rome would have signed his name."

Cody shrugged, an I-tried gesture. "Yeah. He’s not much for allowing others to take credit for his work.

This I know from experience."

Part of me had hoped Cody would lie and disagree with me. "So who could it be? The only man I know who likes me, or rather, used to like me, was Rome." It was sad, really, that I couldn’t stop foolish hope from forming once more and mixing with my disappointment. "Do you think he maybe could have remembered all about me in the last hour and called from PSI and had these rushed over but there wasn’t time to add his name so he – "

Cody shook his head, his eyes kind. "Not to rain on your parade, Weather Wench, but Rome didn’t send those. He would have been here with them. Probably naked. You two really were disgusting." His words shredded my hope to ribbons and left only that crushing despair. Rome took what he wanted, when he wanted it. Something I loved about him. Cody was right; if he’d had flowers to give me, he would have thrust them into my hands, cupped my chin and raised my mouth for a bruising kiss.

At least, that’s how I imagined it would go down. No one but my dad had ever sent me flowers. Despite my imaginings, I knew Rome considered them "too easy." He liked the challenge of picking a gift that had personal meaning for the one receiving it.

"You, then?" I asked.

Cody’s lips curled sweetly. "Sorry, but not me, either. One, I’m not that thoughtful. And two, you’re not my type."

Ouch. Even though I’d already known, the words stung – so much rejection in so little time. "What type am I?"

"Taken."

Once, that would have been accurate. Now…I know I’d thought this earlier, but some things were worth repeating. This sucked. "Tanner could have sent them, I guess." Cody barked out a laugh. "Have you met the boy? He would have complimented you on your pretty ni**les somewhere on that card."

True again. Confusion growing, I gathered the vase and pushed to a stand. "My hands are otherwise occupied, and my keys are in my purse. Can you get them?"

"My pleasure." After rooting through the contents of my purse for God knows how long, muttering,

"What the hell do you keep in here?" Cody finally found my keys and opened the door.

I sailed inside.

"You ready to talk now?" he asked.

"Depends on what you want to talk about." I didn’t stop until I reached the kitchen. Seriously, who had sent me such a lovely gift? The vase made the perfect centerpiece for my table – was even flecked with the same cerulean crystals that decorated my countertop.

I stood there, admiring them for a moment. The flowers seemed to perk up as sunlight streamed in from the windows.

My cell phone was a few inches from the vase, I noticed. Shit. I’d left it home again. I picked it up, flipped through the caller ID and saw that my dad had called. So had the caterer and so had the dress shop, probably hoping to confirm my marathon "trying on" session set for tomorrow. I sighed. I’d call them all back later. Right now, I didn’t even know if my wedding was going to happen.

According to Lexis, it was. With a different man. The one who’d sent me flowers? Don’t think like that! Rome and I belonged together. We’d work this out. We had to.

"What do you think they’re doing right now?" There. I’d asked. Gotten it out in the open.

Cody didn’t have to inquire as to who I meant. "Rome and Lexis are talking. That’s all." Good. That was good. Was he lying? My hands fisted as I choked out, "About?"

"The weather. Definitely about the weather."

Now I knew he was lying. Forcing myself to relax, I toyed with one of the flower petals, letting the velvety softness tickle my fingertips. Maybe I didn’t know my own strength, because several of those petals tore from their base and fell to the table. "Think they’re kissing?"

"If they are, Rome’s not liking it. Guaranteed. He’s a one-woman guy and you’re his woman. He’ll figure it out sooner or later."

I prayed that was true, sooner rather than later. I didn’t know what I’d do if he and Lexis made lo – had sex. Didn’t know if I could forgive, even with these screwed-up circumstances.

"If I were a gentleman," Cody said, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles, "I’d try and steal a ten-minute Frencher, make out with you a little and, if you insisted – which I know you would, because it was clear from your interview with Rome that you’re begging to be so sated you can’t talk – take you to bed. You wouldn’t regret it, and it’d be great fodder for making Rome jealous." I snorted, pulling my hand from his clasp. He was never going to let me live down my comments in that interrogation room. "All that if you were a gentleman?" What would he do if he weren’t?

Another curl of his lips. "But I’m not, so no reason for us to discuss it and get your hopes up. Why don’t we discuss your friend Sherridan instead?"

After the way he’d looked at her in John’s office, part of me had seen this coming. I faced him, crossing my arms over my chest, prepared to do what was necessary. "Do you like high-maintenance women?"

"No."

I’d known that. In the months since I’d met him, I’d watched Cody interact with the opposite sex.

Those who enjoyed a good time – and nothing more – he charmed. Those who preferred hearth and home, he avoided. "Then stay away from Sherridan. She’s as high as they come." His head tilted, and he studied me intently. Even propped his hip against the counter as though he were settling in for a long conversation. "What makes her high-maintenance?" I shrugged. "I told you she had a crappy childhood. I wasn’t lying. And that’s all I’m going to tell you about her." Crappy wasn’t the half of it. She’d been ignored and neglected most of her life, and that had made her a needy adult. Nothing wrong with that, I adored her, but some men couldn’t tolerate it for long.