Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,65

from the console and stares at it in his lap.

“How about a rain check on that kiss?” I say, trying not to laugh.

“Abe shut your eyes,” Reed instructs, not taking his gaze off me.

“Um…”

“Just one,” he says in a low voice that makes it hard to resist.

Then he slides forward, his strong thigh presses to mine, his hand moves to my neck and his lips land on mine. The kiss is brief but heart-stopping and by the time I’m opening the door to get out of the car, Abe’s cheeks are as flushed as mine.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

“No worries, I’ve heard worse.” He salutes me as a goodbye and I exit the vehicle.

Reed and I both laugh as he walks me to the door of the office tower. I bet Abe has some stories that are better than the Second Date Update ones.

“Don’t you have a job to get to?” I ask when he steps into the small foyer of the office building.

“I’m not sure I’m going to survive waiting until Friday.” He wraps his arm around my waist and hugs me to his body.

“Well, you’ll have to.” I kiss his chin, the stubble from his neatly trimmed beard pricking my skin.

“Keep doing that and I will stalk you.” He squeezes me tighter to his body.

I pull back. “Something tells me you know way more than you should about me.”

I know he has connections to a database that probably shows my underage drinking ticket from high school.

He says nothing which I take to mean he has looked me up. I don’t really mind though because in all honesty, I’d have done the same.

“Have a good day, counselor.” I let my hand drift down his back and take a quick squeeze of his firm ass.

“You’re playing dirty,” he whispers in my ear, my earlobe finding its way into his mouth.

“Two can play that game.” I kiss his lips, short and chaste. “Bye, Reed.”

“Payback is a bitch,” he says as he takes a step away, walking backward. “I’m going to open my door naked on Friday.”

A woman who looks to be in her mid-fifties is approaching the elevator at that exact moment and glances over to him in disgust.

“Sorry, Ma’am.”

She presses the elevator button as Reed and I stare at one another. I wave, and he steps back until the door is in his hand and he’s gone with only a smile.

The woman and I step into the elevator, each pressing the buttons for our floors.

“If I was your age, I’d be showing up in a trench coat with nothing but my birthday suit on under it on Friday.”

The elevator doors open on her floor and I’m too slack-jawed to respond.

I know that things with Reed will probably escalate into his bedroom, or more likely his kitchen table on Friday night and that has me mentally taking inventory of my body. My post-baby body. The one where nothing really went back to where it started.

I cup my breasts, lifting them then letting go, and watch as they fall back down like two sad sacks of flour.

I don’t even turn on my computer after I walk through the office doors.

“CHELSEA!” I scream. “Divorcee dating meeting—stat!”

Chapter Twenty-One

Chelsea walks out of the break room with a coffee in one hand and a donut shoved in her mouth, powdered sugar sprinkled down the front of her blouse.

“What are you doing?” I ask, tossing my bag on the chair in front of my desk. “Those need to leave this office immediately.”

I stomp past her and she follows me in.

“They’re sooo good though. A gift from the new bakery around the corner.” There’s a whine in her voice as she watches me throw them in the trash.

“I need your help and I can’t have donuts around at a time like this.”

She sits down at the table, licking the sugar off her fingers. “What’s up?”

“What’s up is I’m going to be naked this weekend and this body has been consuming refined sugar and complex carbs for the past two years. The only way I’ve worked up a sweat is by eating spicy food or cleaning the bathroom.”

“Naked?” Her eyes light up with mischief. “The steak?”

“Yes.”

“So, the date went well?”

“The date did and now he’s asked me over to his house on Friday.”

“And the plot thickens.” She leans back in the chair and crosses her legs in front of her with a smirk.

“This isn’t some mystery. He’s a man. I’m a woman. We’re both old enough that we’re not holding our