Free Questing Heart: Fighting Heart Erotic Bad Boy Romance Series Book 2 by Nicole Hamilton Page B

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