then the mattress dipped next to him . noticed the confusion between the l 's and r 's , but he knew what she meant . cole stowed them away , carefully avoiding her eyes . `` what james says is between him and me . '' god , i could have melted into a puddle of slush from those arms . i take the last step , placing me a foot away . `` i did n't have any other choice , '' she said . a man who fights for coin is loyal only to his purse . '' 