Free Hot Seduction by LISA CHILDS

shower?” Ethan asked, arching a bushy brow.
    Yes, with thoughts of his hot landlady. Or he might have noticed that the tub had been tampered with before he’d stepped into it.
    Trent groaned. “I think that’s Mallehan subtle way of letting us know he hadn’t been alone.”
    He had been but not for long. Serena had rushed to his rescue. But she would have done that for anyone. It was her nature to care for others. Over the past few days that he’d been sidelined with the concussion, he’d watched her take care of the other boarders.
    She treated Mrs. Gulliver, with her pink-streaked hair, more like a grandmother than a boarder. She brought her tea and cookies to munch on while the old woman watched her soap operas. She flirted with dirty old Mr. Stehouwer more than she’d ever flirted with Cody. She treated Stanley like a kid brother. And over the past few days, she’d treated Cody like an invalid, making sure he had aspirin and rest.
    Hell, despite her not wanting the mutt in her house, she took care of Annie, too. The overgrown puppy adored her, just like everyone else. She followed Serena from room to room. Cody had wanted to follow her, too.
    It was good he’d had the meeting to attend—a reason to escape the house and his feelings for her. His desire.
    He wanted her. That was all it was: attraction. Nothing else.
    That was why he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Even now he thought he saw her on the street below. Was there another woman in town who had black hair that long and silky-looking?
    She had just stepped out of the bank down the street. Her slender shoulders were slumped, and she lifted her hand to her face, as if brushing something from her cheek. Tears?
    What had upset her?
    Someone snapped fingers in his face, drawing his attention away from the window. He turned around expecting to see Trent and Ethan. But it was Braden who stood in front of him.
    â€œYou okay?” his boss asked.
    He gazed around the room and realized everyone else had left. “Sure. Yeah, of course I am.”
    â€œYou seem out of it,” Zimmer said.
    He’d been distracted. He glanced back to the window, but the black-haired woman was gone. Had it been Serena? Or was he only imagining her everywhere?
    â€œI’m not sure you should have come back yet,” his boss said.
    â€œThe doctor cleared me,” he reminded Braden. He’d had to get a note to prove that he was physically ready for the demands of his job. Of course it hadn’t been all that demanding lately. Maybe that was why he’d been so edgy; he was just restless. It had nothing to do with Serena at all.
    Braden nodded. “Yeah, you’ve got the medical clearance.” His brown eyes narrowed as he studied Cody’s face. His look was uncomfortably close to how Serena looked at him. But it was clear Braden was still trying to understand him. It was like Serena already did. “What about the mental clearance?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” But he was afraid that he knew. And it wasn’t just restlessness. He’d been restless before, but he’d never felt like this.
    â€œYou okay?” Zimmer asked again. “You seem really preoccupied.”
    Damn Serena.
    â€œJust antsy to get back to work,” he said. And away from the temptation that was Serena Beaumont.
    â€œThis season has been hard on you,” Braden acknowledged.
    Cody shook his head. “It’s been easier than any other one. We’ve spent most of it here in Northern Lakes.” Waiting for the damn arsonist to strike again.
    â€œThat’s why it’s been hard,” Braden said. “You’ve been stuck in one place. I know that’s not easy on you.”
    It wasn’t easy because it wasn’t familiar.
    â€œI get it,” Cody said. “It’s our responsibility to protect Northern Lakes.”
    â€œIt’s mine,” Braden said. Maybe it was because