Questing Heart: Fighting Heart Erotic Bad Boy Romance Series Book 2 (7 page)

It was a warm morning in Yorkshire and Cody was grateful for a few hours away from readings, stage-fright, over-opinionated literary types, and stale beer-stinking pubs. This morning he was spending his free time with Ashley to convince her that he was the same man he always had been –that there was no relationship with Joanna. Joanna was certainly a looker, she was clever and she was an excellent kisser, but she could never be Cody’s Seismic Girl. He wanted to be with Ashley.  This morning he walked in the countryside around York, looking out at the endless green views across the dales towards the higher peaks of the Pennines beyond. It was a tremendous landscape and it felt momentous to share the view with Ashley. It meant something, he was sure of it. Ashley had travelled hundreds of miles away from college and away from Brandon to see him. Now that was a spectacular thought and as he considered the implications of it, Cody was shocked and delighted too.

He wanted to hold her hand, but there was repair work to be done first. They weren’t a couple. Not yet. He had to prove myself again and mend her hurt. He decided his best strategy was to make her laugh.

“So, you like what you see?” said Cody.

Ashley turned around and squinted as the sun lit her eyes and gave her blonde hair an aura.

“Tell me what I’m seeing…”

“The countryside panorama. And me of course.”

Ashley laughed at that, but Cody saw her restraint.

“Yeah,” she said moderately. “I like what I see. But I also like who you are, Cody. Not for your writing or your publisher or whatever. I’m glad you’re getting success. That’s cool, but I couldn’t give two shits about that in terms of why I like you.”

Wow
, Cody nodded, taking it in.

“I like you because you tried to help me for no good reason. You didn’t have a vested interest. You helped me because you saw I needed help with my studies. And you’ve always been honest with me, unlike a few other people I know.”

Cody smiled, wondering where to go with this, but he went with his feelings in spite of his doubts.

“So, maybe I did have a secret
special
interest…” He let the words hang.

She looked around again and made an indignant face. He saw the smile through it. “Cody Barnes, whatever could you mean?”

Man, she was good looking when she did the serious face, but with the sparkle of jest in her eyes, she looked stunning. Cody was hooked.

“Ummm. Maybe you could take a guess.”

Ashley walked on, picking a stalk of lavender that was pressing though the picket fence of a country garden.

“Maybe I did take a little guess.”

“And what did you guess, Ashley?”

She looked over at Cody, her smile fading. “I guess I was wrong.”

He took the hit without complaint. “Are you sure you were so wrong Ashley? Look at us. Look where we are. It’s autumn but for us here it’s like we’re walking in golden summer sun in some of the best countryside I’ve ever seen. Doesn’t that tell you anything? I think our surroundings say it all.”

“Maybe,” she smiled thoughtfully. “Tell me… your book.”

Cody’s heart rate picked up.

“How long did it take you to write?”

“The truth? About ten days. I wrote it like there was no tomorrow. I just couldn’t put my notepad down.”

“When did you start work on it, Cody?” His heart was going a little faster all the time. She was like a detective pressing on at the moment of truth.

“Soon after the start of college.”

She looked at him and flicked her hair back out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her sweet face was in profile, looking coy.

“Do you remember the day you started on it?”

He nodded and gulped.

“What prompted you, Cody? What inspired you to write this thing?”

“You do know what you’re asking me, right Ashley?”

She tilted her head in a shy little ‘maybe’ gesture. Cody touched her forearm and drew their country walk to a halt. She looked at him.

“It’s all about you, Ashley. You’re my Seismic Girl.”

Ashley’s eyes widened. Her lips moved and Cody hoped he saw joy in her eyes, as well as a furrow appear on her brow. She smiled.

“That’s amazing…” there was a mix of emotions in her voice, and Cody waited, his heart thudding in his ribcage as they started walking again.

She reached for his hand hand, and her fingers nestled through his, squeezing with gentle pressure. It was as if warm liquid joy was bleeding up his arm from her touch.

“I’m glad we’re friends, Cody. You don’t know how much it means.”

Not long after a familiar face pulled up in her black Toyota Aygo. Cody recognised the little black car immediately though he tried to make nothing of it.

“Oh, look, it’s Joanna, my agent.”

Ashley’s hand let go of Cody in an instant. They walked up to the car as Joanna got out and locked it. Today, Joanna was dressed in a floral summer dress with a wide white belt in the middle. It narrowed her waist and flattered her immensely.

“I can’t believe how hot it is today! Not for October!” She smiled. She looked at Cody and Ashley in turn.

“You must be the muse, I’m guessing. I’m Joanna Laws. It’s good to meet you,” she said, extending a slender hand. Ashley took it and they shook once.

“Likewise. You’re the agent, Joanna.”

“Yes, that’s me. Oh, it’s just so warm, isn’t it? You know, I’d really like an ice cream right now, wouldn’t you?”

The Aygo was parked a hundred yards from a village shop ahead on the lane. Cody and Ashley waited for Joanna to spot it, to head off and buy an ice cream, but she didn’t. “Oh, right,” said Cody, the penny finally dropping and left the ladies behind. He walked slowly wondering about the ladies he was leaving behind and what was going to unfold while he was gone. When he returned a few minutes later, he saw the increased distance between them. They were facing different angles, looking quietly at different views. What the hell could have happened inside two minutes? Cody gave them each a Magnum ice cream and tried to read their faces, but their acting was immaculate. They both smiled. But in the corner of Ashley’s mouth, was the slightest crease of unhappiness. She looked at Cody and did her best to smile and then looked away.

“What a lovely day,” said Joanna.

Up until that moment, it
had
been a lovely day. But now Cody saw his hope for turning up the heat with Ashley had hit a serious road block…

Ashley wouldn’t talk about it and she didn’t hold Cody’s hand like that again for the rest of the day. He was confused and perturbed, and wanted to reset their relationship back to the morning when they started on their country walk. And he wanted to speak to Joanna to find out what had happened. For that he needed to be alone with Joanna too. Why did everything have to be so awkward? Cody didn’t know the answer to that, but he needed to get some clarity.  He saw the conflict in Ashley’s eyes. Before they returned to York for another book reading, Cody found a moment when Joanna had left them to call the tour organiser. She left them overlooking a sweeping vista of green dales, farm land with sheep and grazing cattle and the sounds of the country. The shadows of the day were stretching longer now. Cody wanted Ashley to speak, but she didn’t, so he broke the silence.

“Hey. We had a nice morning together you and me, am I right?”

Ashley smiled and glowed for a few seconds. Then she sighed. “Yeah, it was lovely, Cody. Thanks for walking with me today.”

“Thank me for walking with you? I should thank you. My muse returned to inspire me for my readings. Heck, Joanna should be paying you to be here.”

She laughed and looked across the fields. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to happen, Cody.”

“Ashley?” He said. There was a bittersweet look in her eyes. “Ashley, you’re still my muse, right. Whatever is going on in our crazy messed up, lives, that’s just how it is.”

“I know how the land lies, Cody, you’ve been sweet to me, and I realise me turning up like this has been difficult for you, but I really need your help. I’m homeless because of Brandon and you remember how he threatened to ruin my course if I left him. I just don’t know what he’s going to do… and most of the time I’m in control of my destiny, but right now I’m worried and it feels like you’re the only friend I’ve got. The only one I can trust. So don’t worry, Cody. I’m not upset, but please just promise me you’ll help me.”

Cody tried to read between the lines rapid-fire. He felt a new distance between them. She hadn’t accepted the feelings he’d declared for her. It was as if she hadn’t heard any of it. All Cody heard was that Ashley believed she wasn’t welcome in York and that they were nothing more than friends. Cody shook his head. He wanted much more than that.

“I promise I’ll help you with all of that stuff. I care about you, Ash.”

Ashley nodded. “My timing sucks, huh?” and gave Cody a friendly yet still distant squeeze on the arm. Cody was at a loss, and getting irritated with the situation. What had actually happened? But then he couldn’t ask her because here was Joanna, her smile as broad as the view and as bright as the late afternoon sun.

“Okay, are we all done here? It’s time to get back to the city and prepare for your next reading, Cody. Ashley, can I offer you a lift?”

Ashley was about to refuse when Cody intervened. “Yes, that’d be great. Fifteen miles is a long way to walk.”

They crammed into the little black Aygo and made their way back to York. Joanna seemed on top of the world. In the back seat, Ashley was silent for almost the entire journey.

At the evening performance Cody was glad to see Ashley in the audience, but when he stepped down from the makeshift stage, she was gone. As he looked around he felt a hand on his shoulder and when he turned around Joanna pressed close to him, her soft pretty face full of happiness with a glimmer of something else in her eyes.  She left her arms on his elbows in a small embrace. “That was superb, Cody. I really felt your emotion, and the quality of your writing shone through tonight. I honestly think you could be a star.”

“Thanks, Joanna. Do you know where Ashley is?”

“She said she was tired and would see you in the morning. She wants to discuss some practical matters with you, I think. Something about her studies and her lodgings in London.”

“Yeah. I’ll need to spend some time with her tomorrow to help her fix things. She’s in a dilemma right now.”

“Fair enough, but don’t dwell on that now. But she’s not here now is she? You can start on that tomorrow. Tonight we dine and plan your rise to the top.”

Her good humour made Cody laugh. Good looks and charisma made Joanna very persuasive, but the way she attempted to dismiss Ashley from proceedings stung him. Nonetheless, she took Cody and they went into the evening.

***

The booze was lightening Cody’s mood, but he still had questions on his mind. Joanna paid for a light three course dinner at Prezzo and had seemed chirpy all through the meal. While Cody tried to be positive the change in Ashley kept coming to his mind.

“When you turned up to find me this morning…” he started.

“In the countryside with Ashley.”

“Yes. You sent me to get an ice cream, do you remember.”

Joanna blushed and presented a bright smile with a hint of mischief. She was stunning, but Cody’s mood trumped her beauty.

“I remember.”

“What happened between you two while I was in the shop?”

“Oh, nothing. We had a little chat to pass the time,” she said.

Cody waited for me. The silence was a vacuum. Eventually she filled it.

“Okay. I wanted to put her in the picture, Cody. That’s all I did.”

“What picture?” he said.

“That we had enjoyed something of a meeting of minds and I thought we were hitting it off.”

“Meeting of minds? Hitting it off? Joanna, what did you actually say to her? When I came out of the shop, she was totally different with me.”

“Oh, was she? Well you know she has a lot of problems right now, Cody, and you’ve got a busy schedule. You’ve got your college career and your writing career to think of. You don’t need some girl with a sackful of issues dragging you down with her.”

“Excuse me, Joanna. But isn’t that my decision? Please, now what did you tell her?”

Joanna picked up the glass with the last of her wine, swishing it before she drank it down. “I told her that we’d been
close
this week. You know how close we were, Cody. I know you wanted me and I wanted you too… we could be amazing together.”

“Joanna…” Cody shook his head.

“Come for a drink with me. Don’t be upset. You know why I told her. It is your interest. Our interest.”

“Joanna. Show me your left hand.”

The woman laid her slender hand on the table. He felt Joanna’s tension and excitement rise a notch and Cody’s heart raced too. This beauty had staked a claim on him, and it was flattering, but also angering. He touched her ring finger and pointed at the pale strip of skin where a ring had been not so long ago.

“You were married, Joanna and you didn’t mention it.”

“Is that all this is about? Darling, that’s all that’s holding you back? No. I should have told you, but I am a free woman. I got divorced at the end of last year. The ring finally came off eight months ago… I’m free to love who I want.”

“Joanna…. Look… you are incredibly attractive. You already know that.”

“Why thank you, sweetheart.”

“But, Joanna, you said you were free to choose who you love, right?”

Joanna stopped smiling – immediately she saw where Cody was going. She drew her hand away from the table.

“I want that freedom too, Joanna. I enjoyed that night with you, but I’m not even half way over Ashley. I don’t know if she cares about me, Joanna, but I think she might and I need to find out. Now this is important. Is our business relationship dependent on…
other things
?”

“Oh, God no, Cody. I think you’re a dish, but I’m not a bunny boiler. If I was like that, I wouldn’t have a business at all would I?”

Cody laughed out loud. “My whole story is about Ashley. You said she’s my muse and you were right, Joanna. I can’t throw that away. You understand?”

Joanna sighed. “I suppose you’re telling me that you don’t want to indulge in a spot of late night carnal pleasure.”

“You could say that, yes.”

“She’s a very lucky girl, Cody. But be warned, I’ve got a very animal nature, Cody. I can’t promise I won’t try to seduce you again. So you’d best be on your guard.”

Cody leaned across the table and guardedly pecked Joanna’s cheek. “Good night, Joanna.”

He took her warning in jest, yet also knew she was telling the truth. Joanna was wily and as flattering as her attention was – Cody wanted to be with Ashley. Joanna was an opportunist on the rebound from a divorce. She wanted some fun, and Cody guessed he looked like a good bet. Joanna Laws was his meal ticket and his biggest fan. But she was also the road to ruin with Ashley. Tomorrow, Cody had it all to do if he was to persuade Ashley that his heart was focussed all on her.