Hot Seduction by LISA CHILDS Read Free Book Online Page A

that he was surprised he could remember anything—even his own name. Well, the name the young couple had given him after they’d adopted Baby John Doe.
    The last thing he remembered was turning on the water to cold because of her .
    â€œYou must have slipped and fallen,” Owen surmised.
    He fought through the pain to make a cocky reply. “You think?”
    â€œYou don’t remember.”
    â€œNo.” But then he recalled the porcelain had been so slippery. Why?
    â€œWhere are your clothes?” Owen asked.
    â€œClothes?” he repeated. He was still struggling to focus. Where had he left them?
    â€œSome of the nurses have probably already seen you naked, but you should still get dressed before I take you in,” Owen said.
    â€œIn where?”
    â€œTo the hospital,” his friend patiently replied.
    He was once again glad Serena hadn’t called Wyatt or Dawson. He doubted either of them would have been nearly as patient with Cody’s befuddled mind.
    â€œWhy would I go to the hospital?” he asked as he tried to remember how he’d wound up on the bathroom floor. Had he fallen out of the tub?
    Serena wouldn’t have been strong enough to move him. It must have been Owen; the guy was huge. How long had Cody been unconscious?
    â€œYou need to have a CT,” Owen said. “I think you have a concussion.”
    That would explain the headache and memory lapse. But what about his fantasies about Serena? He’d had those long before he’d ever hit his head. What was wrong with him that he couldn’t get the black-haired woman off his mind?
    * * *
    S ERENA STARED OUT the attic window into the darkness. Still no lights appeared in the driveway. Should she have gone to the hospital with him? Cody’s coworker had taken him in hours ago. Seeing Owen James again—in this house—had been hard because it had reminded her of the day she’d lost her mother.
    That horrible day when she had felt so helpless...
    But, this time, Owen had assured her that Cody wasn’t seriously injured. He only wanted to get him checked out at the hospital—get him the CT she’d suspected he needed and stitches for the laceration on his forehead.
    Should she have ridden along with him anyway? Or followed the ambulance as Stanley had?
    Was he truly all right?
    Head injuries could be dangerous. Not only had he lost consciousness, he’d nearly lost control with her.
    What was her excuse?
    She hadn’t hit her head. Why had she kissed him back? Why had she wanted him, a self-professed player?
    Unable to bear the silence and all the thoughts flitting through her mind any longer, she picked up her cell phone and hit Fiona’s number. It was late, but her friend answered right away.
    â€œSerena?” She must have looked at her caller ID.
    â€œDo you know that Cody got hurt tonight?”
    â€œYes, Wyatt, Dawson and Braden went up to meet him and Owen at the hospital,” she replied.
    It must have been bad for Wyatt and his fellow Hotshots to go to the hospital, too. Owen hadn’t let Cody walk out of the house; he’d had Stanley help carry him out on a stretcher.
    She should have gone, too. It would have been better than pacing her apartment.
    â€œHas Wyatt called to let you know how he is?” she anxiously asked.
    â€œYeah, Wyatt told me he’s on his way home.” That must have been why Fiona was awake; she was waiting for her fiancé.
    â€œWhat did he say about Cody?”
    â€œHe’s fine,” Fiona assured her. “He has a slight concussion. But his pride is what’s hurting most.” The other woman chuckled. “Probably because he knows the guys will never let him live it down.”
    â€œLive what down?” she asked. “It was an accident. He slipped.”
    â€œExactly,” Fiona said. “Hotshots have these extraordinarily dangerous jobs, but he got hurt taking a shower.