Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,80

can’t fight the smile on my face. “It’s you.”

He chuckles. “Is this what girl’s night entails? Getting shitfaced?”

I rest my head on his strong shoulder and then somewhere between staring at his beautiful blue eyes and luscious lips, we’re in his condo, where he lays me down on the couch.

“Is this where I’m sleeping?”

“I need your phone, Victoria.” He places my purse on the table.

“Do you have another woman in your bedroom?” My eyes finally focus in on his shirtless self, pajama pants hanging way too low on his hips to be appropriate.

“What?” he asks with a crease in his forehead.

“Who’s on your permanent list?”

“My permanent list?”

I sit up and the room spins for a second.

Oooooooooogggghhhhhhhhofofofofofofofffff

A huge burp escapes and my hand flies up to my mouth. “Excuse me.” Even with how drunk I am, I feel the heat rushing up my neck to my cheeks.

He chuckles. “I need to call your mom, babe.”

I pick up my purse and then put it in his lap. “It’s in there.”

My head falls back to the cushion and the weight of my eyelids wins. I feel him pick up my arm and use my thumb to open my phone and I’m suddenly too tired to protest or think of how ridiculous that is.

“Hi, Mrs. Clarke. This is Reed Warner, Victoria’s boyfriend.” There’s a pause. “She’s here, but she’s had a few too many drinks with the girls. Are you okay if she stays here tonight?” Another pause. A laugh because my mom is oh so funny. “You can handle Jade, too? Great. I’ll bring her home in the morning.” Another chuckle on his part. “Have a good night.”

He rounds the couch and I attempt to pick up my head, but it falls back down to the couch. “Good news, babe, your mom said you can spend the night.” He laughs, his two arms sliding under me again and picking me up.

“I thought I was sleeping here.”

“You sleep in my bed.” He carries me down the hall, sets me on the bed. He gently takes off my shoes, strips off my clothes, and places a t-shirt over my head before tucking me into bed.

“You’re sweet,” I say, my hand running along his cheek, my thumb pressing into the cute dimple on is left cheek.

“You’re drunk.” His smile says he’s not mad. “I just have to finish up some work. I’ll check on you in a few.” He walks to the door, turning off the light.

“Reed?”

“Yeah?”

“You won’t listen to Pete, right? You won’t let him bully you into not dating me?”

The light flicks back on and his footsteps on the hardwood floor grow closer. The mattress indents and he takes my hand in his, kissing my knuckles.

“Is that what you’re worried about?”

“That and your permanent list.”

He laughs. “You don’t need to worry about either. Pete can’t bully me into giving up the best thing I’ve ever had. Just because he’s an idiot and fucked it up, doesn’t mean I’m going to do the same.” He kisses my knuckles. “And, so we’re clear—you’re the only woman on my permanent list. Not even my mother is on there. I added you and Jade after last Friday.” He bends down and kisses my forehead. “Now, go to sleep.”

The mattress rises without his weight on it anymore and I slip into sleep at peace with his answer because I believe him.

When my eyes open next there’s still darkness filling the sky and I’m in bed by myself. Pulling the sheets back, I sit up and stay in that position for a second assessing how I feel. When I notice the bottle of water placed on the nightstand, I crack it open and down half the contents, feeling my hangover setting in already.

The echo of papers rustling, and buttons being punched on a computer comes from outside the bedroom and so I follow the noises to Reed’s dining room table. He sits there bare-chested in his pajama pants, a beer in his left hand, a pen in his right, looking over some papers sitting beside his computer.

“Hey,” I announce my arrival into the room.

He slowly glances over, and his smile warms my insides. Raising his hand, he holds it out for me and I walk over.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“Don’t be. I quite enjoyed working out here knowing you were in the other room.”

My fingers entwine with his and he slides the chair back, pulling me onto his lap.

“Still, you saw me at my worst.”

He buries his face in my neck,