Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,162

a barrier.”

“Aunt Chelsea,” Jade calls out. “Someone just knocked on the door.”

“Don’t answer.” I look at Dean. “Not a true test, I just wanted to see how you’d fit into my life now. How you’d handle it when it’s not just all about us.”

A cocky smile plays on his lips. “Like everything else, with perfection.” He presses his lips to my cheek. “I’ll grab the door.”

My hands grip the counter, preparing myself for a night of temptation.

By the time I get to the living room, Dean’s shutting the door and he’s got the pizza in his hand.

“The money was on the table.”

He shakes his head.

“I bet you’re a cheese girl, right Jade?” he asks.

“How did you know?” She follows him to the small kitchen table.

“Is that the floss?” Dean asks, placing the pizza on the table and opening the box.

“Yeah.” Jade’s hips start moving and her arms swinging from side to side.

Dean steps back from the table, watching her and then he juts out his hip. “Move your arms back when you swing your hips sideways.”

Jade looks like the kid from the video and Dean looks like if you put the video in slow motion.

I lean against the doorframe of the kitchen watching the two interact.

Jade’s easy, I know that. She’s not going to act like a brat or give him a hard time. She’ll say her pleases and her thank yous. Still, it’s nice to see the two of them joking around.

“Have you ever done the Cupid Shuffle?” Dean stops attempting the floss and starts singing the cupid shuffle song and doing the dance.

Jade watches his feet, mimicking him.

“Wait, wait. We need the music.” Dean grabs the remote from the table and searches Cupid Shuffle on YouTube. A minute later after an ad, the song begins and Dean pushes the coffee table against the couch.

He motions for Jade to come to the dance floor. She looks at me and I nod, then she runs to join him. Dean takes her hands and the two follow the directions of moving to the right and then to the left. They go through the entire dance together, her following Dean’s steps and movements. Even the flexing of the bicep.

“Can we do it again?” Jade asks with a big smile and sparkling eyes.

“If Chelsea joins us.” Dean looks in my direction, clearly issuing me a challenge.

Jade runs over to me, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward them.

“The pizza will get cold,” I protest.

“Excuses, excuses,” Dean says, tsking me.

“Watch us,” Jade says, eyeing Dean to press play.

“Sweet Jade, I’m the master.” I puff my chest out.

“What happened to the pizza-will-get-cold girl?” Dean teases, stepping to the side to give me some space.

“I just didn’t want to show you up.” I wink at him.

Dean laughs, and presses play. “Then show me up, beautiful.”

Jade’s all in and has most of the moves down. Oh, to be a kid again. She’s strutting along the floor, her hips in sequence to the rhythm and she’s even singing the lyrics. “You’re really good, Aunt Chelsea.” She shoots a fleeting look in my direction.

Dean dances over to the pizza, grabbing a slice and eating it while he watches us.

“A plate wouldn’t kill you,” I say over my shoulder.

His deep chuckle grows closer and he leans over my shoulder, biting a piece of the pizza.

“You want to see Aunt Chelsea flip out?” Dean asks Jade.

She turns and continues her dance as she watches us.

“You’re buying me a new rug if you drop it.” Although it’s making me slightly worried, I’m going to let this go.

“Deal.” His arm wraps around my waist and he holds it up in front of my face. “Live on the edge and take a bite.”

“Nuh-uh.” I shake my head.

“Come on Aunt Chelsea.” Jade jumps up and down next to us.

I look down at the girl and then to Dean, opening my mouth. I figure a small nibble will do, but Dean puts the entire piece in my mouth and walks away.

I chew and they both laugh at me and my chipmunk cheeks as I try to chew it enough to swallow.

“HOLY…” Dean screams as Beyoncé’s “Put a Ring on It” starts. “Now this is Aunt Chelsea’s song. She sang it to me one night five years ago.”

My cheeks instantly heat. I search for the remote, finding it in Dean’s hands, wiggling it back and forth in the air.

“She can show you how to dance to this.”

“You danced to this?” Jade sits down on the floor and