Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,226

to just going on concrete. Downtown life.” I shrug.

He chuckles again and nods into the kitchen. “Come on. I was just preparing my shrimp linguini. Join us.”

If it’s a choice between dinner with the Warner/Clarke’s or me sitting around alone anticipating spending four hours in the car with Roarke tomorrow on top of an entire weekend, shrimp linguini wins.

“Thanks, I’d love to.” I follow him into the kitchen.

“You know how he knows that we’re dating, right?” He taps Victoria’s ass to slide over so he can reach the stove.

“You lawyers have your ways I’m sure,” I say.

“We have private investigators and sources.” He holds a piece of pasta in front of Victoria.

She chews it and swallows it down before giving him a chaste kiss. “Maybe a minute more.”

He nods and she continues on with what she was doing.

I watch in fascination. Truthfully, I never had this. Todd and I never prepared a meal together. We dined out almost every night when we were married. Our kitchen was only for late night snacks and when we had the occasional gathering, the caterers were the ones to take it over.

“I know he’s looked in on me before. I mean during the divorce.”

Reed places the spoon down next to the stove and turns around drying his hands on a dishtowel.

“Then I think you can expect he knows everything about you now.”

Victoria returns from where ever she went. The woman never sits down.

“Where’s the spontaneity then?” I ask.

“Are you looking for spontaneity? I thought you hated him?” Victoria asks with her usual half-cocked grin saying she knows the answer, but she’s enjoying putting me in the hot seat.

“I do hate him, but if he wants to win me over—his words not mine—then why find out about my friends and all the personal stuff? Half the fun of dating someone new is discovering who they are.”

Victoria pulls out a wine bottle from the fridge, holding it up at me with her eyebrows raised.

I nod because, hello, I’m wound tighter than a spool of fishing line and I need something to relax me.

“Roarke Baldwin strikes me as the type who doesn’t like surprises,” Victoria says.

Without testing the pasta a second time, Reed grabs two hot pads and picks up the pot, taking it over to the sink. A rush of steam erupts like a volcano as he pours the pasta out into a colander.

My eyes focus in on the wine splashing into the two glasses. “But what would be the point of finding out about you guys?”

Reed turns around bringing the colander back to the other pot with the sauce and shrimp inside. Seriously, Victoria should be thanking the heavens above every night for bringing her Reed.

“I think he only knows about us because I’m the Assistant DA. It wouldn’t take a whole lot of digging to find out. When a guy stops pulling all-nighters and starts cutting out early on Fridays questions get raised. Assistants talk and rumors circulate. Everyone knows I found my dream girl.” He winks over at Victoria.

A lovesick smile overtakes her face. “Here.” She slides the wine glass across the table to me.

Tension fills the space and I wonder if I’m keeping these two from fucking on the counter with my presence. Lucy barks from outside and then I don’t feel so bad, remembering that Jade is here, too. Not to mention Victoria’s mother lives right next door. Reed must be used to having multiple cock blocks around at this point.

“He knows Victoria works at RISE,” I say.

Reed’s casual demeanor continues. “I know he has this reputation around the divorce court, and Vic told me how he represented your ex, but honestly, I thought he was a pretty cool guy when I met him at your party.”

My party. I snap my fingers. “That’s where he figured it all out.” Irritation sets in as I remember a couple months ago when a woman I’d invited to a gathering at my place brought Roarke as her date.

Reed’s eyebrows furrow. “Hannah, you seem to think this guy is still out to get you.”

Victoria hands Reed plates and he dishes out the meal on each then places them on the breakfast bar. Wanting to earn my dinner, I slide from my stool and carry the plates to the already set table.

“Can you blame me?” I sigh.

There’s no arguing with Reed. But the fact that he knows more about me than he should, puts me on edge because I’m at a disadvantage when it comes to