Read Online Bodychecking by Jami Davenport - Free Book Online Page A

this road trip worrying about Bella and not enough concentrating on his game. He’d hated leaving her forty-eight hours after the attack. Yet her texts and phone calls sounded normal. Regardless, this niggling feeling told him she wasn’t nearly as okay as she claimed. He didn’t have a fucking clue how long it took a person to recover from something like that, or if they ever did, but he was fairly certain she couldn’t be okay after only a few days. And as normal as she appeared to sound, he heard a hint of panic and fear in her voice every time they talked.
    The bad stuff was part of any relationship, as much as the good stuff. If they survived this, they should be able to survive anything. Cedric didn’t regret Bella moving in. It’d be an adjustment. He’d never lived with a woman before, especially one dealing with serious trauma, and he felt ill-equipped to handle the situation. He’d do right by Bella and hope to God his best would be good enough.
    He should talk to Coop or Ice. They’d both dealt with some pretty heavy pasts, while Cedric in comparison had it pretty easy. Maybe his parents had never shown any love or encouragement, but they’d never abused him either. They were guilty of neglect and indifference. The rare times they noticed they had a son, his father would heap on heavy doses of criticism. His mother chose guilt and manipulation as her parenting method of choice. Most of the time, they pretended he didn’t exist. In fact, he’d gotten into hockey through an uncle, and they’d gladly paid for it so they didn’t have to deal with a child who was obviously a major inconvenience.
    Cedric avoided contact with both parents, which wasn’t difficult since they lived in Toronto, where his father ran a large corporation and greased the palms of politicians to get what he wanted. Neither of them put any pressure on Cedric to come home for the holidays. In fact, he rarely heard from them beyond the obligatory birthday calls.
    When he’d first met Bella, he’d recognized a kindred spirit. He wasn’t sure how, but he had. They’d both been raised by neglectful parents and struggled with not being shown love as children. Cedric had avoided therapy, but any good shrink would claim that his partying and whoring around stemmed back to not feeling worthy of love.
    What the fuck ever.
    This self-examination shit was getting to be a habit, and one he’d avoided in the past. Avoidance didn’t seem to be working either for him anymore. His problems had moved into his head and made their fat asses comfortable as they proceeded to trash his orderly life. But he couldn’t help Bella if he didn’t face the tough stuff head on.
    Bella. God, he’d missed her.
    As soon as he got off the plane, he texted her, and she replied she was waiting up for him and had a surprise. Feeling anxious and worried, he drove home a little too quickly, not sure what he’d find when he walked in that door.
    A few minutes later, Cedric unlocked his door and entered—what, he didn’t know. This could not be his condo.
    Nothing prepared Cedric for the transformation his home had undergone in a few short days. Once a bastion of bachelorhood with everything spare, neat, and tidy—just like he liked it—this room was unrecognizable. Dropping his duffle bag on the floor, he reopened the front door and checked the number outside.
    He was in the right condo, but it sure as hell didn’t look like it. Not one damn, fucking bit. Nor did it smell like it. Incredible aromas teased his nostrils, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten much before or after the game. His stomach growled in approval. His head reminded him not to get his hopes up. Bella cooked as much as Cedric’s mother—and, unfortunately, that meant never. Fuck only knew what her cooking tasted like.
    Forgetting the aromas for a moment, he swung his gaze around his living room at a complete loss for words. His leather furniture had been replaced with light pink and