The Shore by S. E. Brown

peripherals he might need. The desk was huge, and Ryan envied the amount of workspace he had. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a shelf with numerous books related to the various programming languages web developers might use. Ryan loved reading on her iPad, but there was something about having a reference book in front of her.
    They passed two smaller bedrooms and a bathroom before they reached the master suite. Cody stopped in the doorway of his room so Ryan could take a peak. He didn’t dare actually go into the room as he was afraid they wouldn’t come back out.
    Ryan took in the king-size bed covered in a cream and brown duvet that was bookended by dark chocolate wood nightstands. The headboard was made of the same wood as the nightstands, but looked like simple slats attached to the wall. There was a matching tall dresser along one wall, and a shorter matching dresser along the opposite wall. The walls were a cream color, which made the furniture and dark drapes stand out.
    Cody looked to Ryan and saw her eyes were fixed on the bed. “What are you smiling about?” he asked, squeezing her hand.
    “Nothing. It just looks like a very comfortable room … and bed.”
    “Yes, it is. They are. And if we don’t leave this doorway right now,” he moved his body closer to hers, “you may get a different kind of introduction to the contents of this room.”
    Ryan looked at him and swallowed hard. Her heart began to race. She wanted to stay, but instead said, “We should probably get moving along then.”
    Cody looked at her for a long moment, thinking of how easy it would be to walk her into the room, lay her on the bed, and make love to her all afternoon. Then he cleared his throat, turned on his heel, and pulled Ryan toward the kitchen.
    This kitchen was … impressive. She wasn’t sure what her favorite part was: the huge island/breakfast bar, the butcher block countertops, or the little veggie sink her hand slid across. “You must be one hell of a cook.”
    Cody looked at Ryan. “What makes you think that?”
    “Have you looked at your kitchen lately? It’s beautiful!”
    But there was something that had been nagging Ryan since they began the tour. She hadn’t been able to put her finger on it until they got to the kitchen. There was a woman’s touch here. Maybe his mom had helped with the decorating, but Ryan had a feeling it was more than that. Almost as though a woman had lived here.
    Cody felt a slight twinge in his chest. This kitchen was definitely not his most favorite part of the house. It brought back memories. Too many memories. He wasn’t ready to dive into those details with Ryan quite yet.
    “I can hold my own,” referring to her comment about being a good cook.
    “Maybe you’ll make dinner for me one night?”
    Cody tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Sure.”
    They heard a thump and looked over to see Berkley waiting, not so patiently, by the sliding door that led to the deck. On the other side of the glass sat Wrigley, his tail wagging, too. They both laughed as Cody walked over and opened the door. Berkley leapt onto the deck. The dogs circled each other, doing the best job they could of butt sniffing, and eventually started playing. Wrigley would chase Berkley, then Berkley would chase Wrigley.
    “Maybe we ought to get them down to the beach,” Cody said still laughing. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cellphone and set it on the counter. “Don’t want it to get wet in case one of the dogs takes me down with them.”
    Ryan nodded in agreement. “Good idea. You never know when one of the dogs might just push you into a wave.”
    Cody’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Don’t even think about it.”
    Ryan winked and turned to find her bag where Cody left it near the front door. “Be right back.”
    Cody’s breath caught when Ryan returned. He figured she went in search for her bag, but hadn’t expected her to take off her shirt and come back in a