Fool Me Once (Codie Snow #1): A Romantic Suspense Series (8 page)

Chapter Ten

SLADE CAME INTO full view and Codie felt her internal engine begin to purr.  This man felt like
the
guy for her—no matter what they’d gone through over the past few years and no matter how much she’d swear they were done for good, as soon as she’d lay eyes on him, all bets were off.

She loved him, yes, but it was more than that.  She was drawn to him like a magnet.

Codie could now see Slade in full view, and she wasn’t about to look away.  He still wore the suit she knew he must have donned for court.  She knew he tended to be a little more casual in the office.  Lots of times, the tie and jacket would be gone and he would simply wear a nice shirt and slacks.  Codie enjoyed the look because it left less for her imagination.  That wasn’t to say, though, that she didn’t like him in the suit, because she did.  Hell, who was she kidding?  This was Slade.  She couldn’t imagine him looking shitty in anything.  Even workout clothes made the man look hotter than hell.

Codie felt saliva pooling in her mouth as she pictured him in the white button-down shirt without the jacket over it—not tight or even snug but closely fitted enough that she could almost see the definition of his pecs and abs.  She hadn’t forgotten what his body looked like.  But she needed to focus.  She was distracted and that could be dangerous with Slade.  That was how she always wound up with him again.

The suit was black, an indication that he had gone into court not entirely sure if he’d win the case.  When he was positive he’d win, he’d stray from the black-and-white look, but when he had doubts, there was one look and one look only, what Codie thought of as
funeral attire
.  There were lots of reasons why Slade did it, and when she first realized it, he tried blowing her off, pretending that it was her imagination.  She finally got him to admit it, though, and he had more reasons than she’d ever be able to recall.  In fact, she sometimes wondered if his “reasons” were utter bullshit to throw her off the trail, because she often questioned if it was merely a superstitious thing the man did.  He was highly intelligent, one of the smartest guys Codie knew, which was why she suspected superstition—because coming up with other reasons would mask his real intentions.  She could remember one time he told her he wore black and white to lull the opposition into a false sense of security; another time, he’d said he kept it simple because the focus needed to be on the case, not the lawyer.  Other colors were not so clean and could be distracting.

Yeah, because gray could be distracting as all get out.  Uh-huh.

Most likely superstitious as hell.

But damn.  The guy’s charisma leapt off him like a tiger.  It wasn’t just Codie who responded to his charms.  Even though Slade’s presence always had a profound effect on her, she’d seen it happen time and time again with people other than herself—in the courtroom, in public…even in the gym.  Men and women alike couldn’t help but notice his commanding presence.

Codie couldn’t stop herself from responding even now while leaning against her kitchen counter and trying to fade into the background.

Her heart ached as she took in the details.  His black hair slicked back reminded her of all the times she’d woven her fingers through it while demanding he give it to her roughly.  His sharp brown eyes looked as lively as ever, especially because she knew he was taking in everything around him, just like he always did, even mentally recording details about things he’d never look directly at.  The past year, he’d grown facial hair too—it was shaved close, but he had a mustache and goatee just the same.  The change made him looked just a little rugged in the midst of the city suaveness he’d always oozed.  Even now, Codie could still picture the cute cleft in his chin under the beard hair, and it was almost as though her heart clenched in her chest cavity, pining for something she knew she shouldn’t have.

She and Slade were shitty together.

But as he turned and focused his warm gaze on her, she knew they probably weren’t over yet.  Not by a long shot.  In that regard, she supposed, the man was like a drug—and she was most certainly an addict.  “My lovely Codie,” he said, striding the few feet toward her as though he owned the room—and her.  “How have you been?”

The answer was not “Lost without you”…even though her heart sounded to her mind like it was singing that tune, like it hadn’t known how to behave without this man in her life.

Lovely, eh?
  So Slade was gonna lay it on thick.  Surely, he didn’t think she was just going to fall into his arms right away.

Although it wouldn’t be the first time.  Codie recognized the pattern.  After being separated for a few weeks, Slade was once again remembering how much he liked having her around.  He’d said as much before.  This time, though?  Too damn bad.

If she could keep her feelings at bay.

He pulled her into a tight embrace before she could even try to rebuff him.  Oh, shit.  There was that cologne she’d always loved, a scent with notes of patchouli.  It was Slade’s signature scent and she felt like drooling just breathing it in pressed up close to him.  “I’d like for
you
to come to dinner as well.”  Slade was talking in his bigshot lawyer voice…meaning it was not an invitation; it was an order.  And, for some reason, that tone of voice always affected her.  In spite of the fact that she hated feeling bossed around, Slade acting forceful was a bit of a turn on.

But that wasn’t going to happen tonight, and no way in hell was she about to admit what he did to her.  “Thanks, Slade, but—”

Matthew leaned over—a little too close to both of them, but that wasn’t anything unusual for her sometimes touchy-feely friend—and said, “Yeah, Codie.  You have to come with us.  It’ll be fun!”

“No, really, I—”

“I insist.  I’ll be buying the finest wine in the house.”

Matthew tittered.  “Not if I pick Burger King.”

Slade frowned, his brow lovely when he used it to show frustration.  “That’s right.  I said you could pick.”  He sucked in a breath through his nostrils.  “Choose wisely, my friend.”  Matthew wiggled his eyebrows, taunting Slade, but the lawyer simply stared his employee down.

Codie couldn’t believe Slade even tried to warn Matthew.  Her roommate had champagne taste beyond most people’s imagination.  She knew he would never blow this chance to experience something he rarely did.

Matthew’s lips curled upward slowly before he asked, “Are we limited to places in Dalton?”

“Yes, we sure are, because you and I have work tomorrow, bright and early.”

“Damn.”

While Matthew fretted over his decision, Slade returned his attention to Codie, his brown eyes seeming to burn through her and take her breath away.  How had she forgotten his captivating aura?  As much as she wanted to say no to him, she was already contemplating going with them—wherever it might be. But she didn’t want to admit it.  “What were you planning to have for dinner all by yourself, Codie?”  She started to say she didn’t know, but before she could, Slade added, “Be honest.  I’ll know if you’re lying.”

Part of her flared anger at that statement, because it was actually none of his damn business nowadays, but she found herself telling him anyway.  “A peanut butter sandwich.  Because I’m not that hungry.”

Slade’s face remained neutral—something he was able to do when presenting a case as well—but Codie could see the twinkle in his eyes.  Dammit.  It made her toes curl.  “You could have sirloin and a fine red, but you’d rather eat a sandwich?”  He blinked once before saying, “Go change.  We’ll wait.”

Time to dig in her heels.  “I’m not going.”

Slade blinked twice more and then spoke with pure authoritative confidence.  “I won’t force you, Codie, and this is the last time I’ll ask…but Matthew and I would love the pleasure of your company.”  The purr of his voice was what convinced her.

Damn it.  She had no idea what to wear.

Chapter Eleven

HALF AN HOUR later, Codie was sitting in Dalton’s only French restaurant, feeling underdressed. 
Very
underdressed.  She’d put on a silky blouse and summery skirt with sandals, but next to Slade, she looked like she was slumming.  Yes, Matthew was dressed casually, but he had the handsome good looks to pull it off anywhere he went.  Codie?  She just felt out of place.

Well, truthfully, it probably wasn’t the clothes making her feel that way.  It was Slade.  He’d invited her along but had hardly spoken to her since they’d arrived.  Playing hard to get, she guessed.

He had made it a point to flirt with their waitress…a girl who very obviously knew and liked Slade.  A lot.  Codie knew then that Slade was trying to remind her what a desirable commodity he was.

Dammit.  It was working.

The waitress had brought the wine to the table and she and Slade were discussing grapes while Codie fought not to roll her eyes.  She’d never cared much for wine, and so she certainly didn’t give a shit about how the proper choice of a wine signaled a person’s place in the hierarchy of affluence.  If wine choice indicated a person’s financial state, then she was nonexistent.

And she
definitely
felt that way right this minute.

She also didn’t care much about how to pair wine with one’s food.  She liked beer with pizza and tequila with lime.  All else was irrelevant.

The girl giggled.  Matthew had been chatting with Codie, trying to keep her mind and eyes off Slade, but it wasn’t working.  After blushing, the girl touched Slade’s shoulder, and Codie felt a flare of anger burn in her belly.

Okay…so it was jealousy.  Seething, raw, unmitigated jealousy.

“Mr. Sheppard, I heard about your win today.”

“You did, did you?  Word gets around that fast in Dalton?”

“No.”  She tilted her head toward the lounge section of the restaurant.  It wasn’t the kind of place where one of Dalton’s homeless could wander in with loose change gathered from sympathetic passers by.  It was instead a restaurant where the moneyed people in town would go when they wanted a drink or two.  “The defendants are nursing their wounds with some thirty-year-old Scotch.”  She leaned over and whispered loudly.  “I heard them say something about an
appeal
.”

Slade sneered.  “Let them bring it.”

God, Codie hated this place.  She’d never been a fan of it and had only been there once before.  The few rich people in Dalton gathered here while the rest of the town slaved away to make them feel pampered.  Most of the wealthy had left Dalton long ago, especially after the local MC made the town feel its influence, but there were a few old ones left—ones who’d made their money in Dalton and planned to die there.

Like Slade’s dad, for instance.

But Codie was trying to choke down her bitter feelings, because, much as she wanted to scratch the waitress’ eyes out, she found herself remembering how desirable that man was:  wanted by every woman in town, rich and working girl alike, and he seemed to only have eyes for Codie.

Except for right this second.

The little slut bag finally left, laughing at Slade’s joke like he was holding a mike at The Comedy Store.  When Slade turned back to the table, Codie hoped her eyes weren’t giving away first how much she wanted to scratch the waitress’s eyes out and second just how bad his joke was.

Well, eye rolling would be fine.  After all, “The guys in the lounge can whine but we’ll be drinking it” barely deserved a titter, much less the standing ovation the ditzy server gave it.  She was trying to pay attention to Matthew’s excited chatter about the hot guy sitting with the enemy, but—again—her focus was divided.

“No sleeping with the enemy, Matthew,” Slade said, arching one gorgeous eyebrow before tilting his wine glass.

Great idea,
Codie thought, bringing hers to her lips and taking an unladylike gulp.

“I’m just drooling over the menu, boss.  And, besides…he’s not the enemy now that we’ve won, is he?”

How Slade could keep a straight face with Matthew, Codie would never know, because she usually couldn’t help feeling overly emotional—usually happy and bubbly—around her roomie.  The guy just managed to evoke those feelings.

“Didn’t you hear Antonia say they’re over there brooding and conjuring up an appeal as we dine?”

“You don’t think she was just saying that?”

“Let me just say they’d be stupid not to…and so you need to stay in our camp.  I can’t have you giving away strategy over pillow talk.”

Matthew gasped in mock horror.  “Slade, I
never
talk business with a pretty boy. 
Ever.
”

The smirk on Slade’s face told Codie he believed his employee.  “I don’t doubt that for a second.  Just stay smart.”  He then burned his gaze onto his ex.  “Codie, my dear.  I’m sorry I haven’t given you your due attention.  How have you been since I saw you last?”

She was pretty sure he would have liked to hear that she’d been moping and crying and upset after leaving him, but even if she had, she wouldn’t have given him the satisfaction.  Slade’s ego didn’t need inflating.  Did she miss him?  Sometimes.  But she also didn’t miss feeling like another item on his to do list.  “Fine.  Researching another career actually.”

For the first time that evening, Slade looked genuinely curious.  “Really?”

Matthew hadn’t already told him?  Hmm.  Well, if he had, Slade was doing a fine job of pretending not to know.  “Yes.  I went on a ride-along with a policeman last night.”  She was sending psychic messages to Matthew to not say a word about Pete.  No need to muddy the waters.

“Police?  Codie, you’re thinking about law enforcement?”

“Just entertaining the idea.”

Matthew couldn’t help himself.  “Slade, if you saw the gorgeous men on the force, you wouldn’t blame Codie for wanting to surround herself with that hotness.”

Leave it to Matthew to make her think about Pete while next to the only guy who could hold a candle to him as far as she was concerned.  And, if they were going to ease up close to the issue, there was a chance Matthew would take the full plunge.  More wine was in order.  Right.  This.  Second.

Gulp.

Slade was all business, though.  “Codie, law enforcement is a noble profession.  I just don’t know that it’s right for
you
.  You’re a nurturing soul—a giver, not a taker.”  Codie set her glass on the table, because she could tell that, out of most of the things Slade said on a daily basis, this one was actually tapped straight into his heart.  What the hell?  And over dinner, no less.  “That’s one of the things that’s always attracted me to you.”

Thump.
  Goddammit.  How Slade always managed to remind her that she was still deeply in love with him, she’d never know.  She could sense that Matthew wanted to chime in with something else, and her fingers couldn’t be pried from her wine glass if anyone had needed to.  She tried to think of something else to say…

…but didn’t need to, because Antonia, flirting, giggling, ogling slut bag waitress supreme, came back to their table with salads and rekindled a conversation with Slade.

Codie hoped he was considering buying a second bottle of vino, because she thought she might need it.