to bill her sisters for the time and money he actually spent. He was that stubborn, that persistent and apparently still that determined to make her suffer.
Luckily, just being in the same room with him for any length of time these days was enough to achieve that.
Then again, dinner looked and smelled delicious, so it wasn’t all that bad.
She picked up her fork and knife, but waited, not wanting to be the first to begin eating. Grabbing his own utensils, Reid inclined his head, gesturing for her to dig in.
“My mother used to tell me that nothing impressed a woman more than a man who can cook,” he said, cutting into his meal. “So I let her teach me, then learned a few more things on my own along the way.”
“And did it work?” she asked.
He popped a piece of meat into his mouth, chewing for a minute before he replied.
“I don’t know,” he said, lips quaking. “Are you impressed?”
It pained her to admit it, to even be bantering so comfortably with him when there were vital issues lying just beneath the surface, but she found herself smiling in return and saying, “Actually, I am.”
“Then it worked.”
He took another bite, as did she, and for a while they ate in companionable silence.
“Why didn’t you ever cook while we were...” She stopped midsentence, not entirely sure of what she meant to say. While we were together? While we were having our torrid affair?
A stony mask fell over Reid’s features, but otherwise he didn’t react to her blunder.
“There never seemed to be time,” he responded instead. “We always seemed to be in a rush when we got together and fell right into...other things. Or we met somewhere without a kitchen that we wouldn’t have bothered using anyway because we were always too busy...with other things.”
His innuendos couldn’t have been clearer if he’d drawn a picture on his cloth napkin, and her face flamed at the memories, as well as his suggestive tone.
“Besides, you always seemed to want takeout or delivery. Not my favorite, but it made you happy.” He shrugged one broad shoulder, gaze turned down to his plate while he cut another slice of beef medallion. “And it gave us more time to do what we did best.”
That was why she didn’t want him here. There was too much history between them that he wasn’t the least bit shy about bringing up. Something she suspected he would do quite often, both to needle her and remind her of what they’d had together. What she’d been missing ever since she’d left him and ended up right back where she’d been to begin with, engaged and planning her wedding.
He also knew her far too well. She remembered how he used to watch her from beneath those hooded lashes, studying her every move. He was a detective; he profiled people for a living.
She might be able to fool him for a while, but eventually he’d figure out that she was acting off. That there was more going on than simply cold feet and the decision not to go through with a wedding she’d been second-guessing all along. To steal a line from her British soon-to-be brother-in-law, he was too bloody smart that way.
Glancing down to avoid the flesh-and-blood reminder of just what a fix she was in, she saw that her plate was nearly empty. She hadn’t realized how hungry she truly was after babying her stomach with saltines and weak sweet tea for so long.
Reid’s meal, however, was hearty and appetizing, with no components that aggravated her delicate stomach. She felt like she should thank him, but since she was still fostering a good mad at him, she kept her mouth shut on that count.
Desperate to change the subject and get as far away from “other things” as possible, she wiped her mouth with her napkin, then sat back in her chair and asked, “So how exactly did you find me? I mean, I know that’s what you do, but specifically how did you find me?”
Reid, too, had cleaned his plate. He scraped up what little was left and took a final bite
Luckily, just being in the same room with him for any length of time these days was enough to achieve that.
Then again, dinner looked and smelled delicious, so it wasn’t all that bad.
She picked up her fork and knife, but waited, not wanting to be the first to begin eating. Grabbing his own utensils, Reid inclined his head, gesturing for her to dig in.
“My mother used to tell me that nothing impressed a woman more than a man who can cook,” he said, cutting into his meal. “So I let her teach me, then learned a few more things on my own along the way.”
“And did it work?” she asked.
He popped a piece of meat into his mouth, chewing for a minute before he replied.
“I don’t know,” he said, lips quaking. “Are you impressed?”
It pained her to admit it, to even be bantering so comfortably with him when there were vital issues lying just beneath the surface, but she found herself smiling in return and saying, “Actually, I am.”
“Then it worked.”
He took another bite, as did she, and for a while they ate in companionable silence.
“Why didn’t you ever cook while we were...” She stopped midsentence, not entirely sure of what she meant to say. While we were together? While we were having our torrid affair?
A stony mask fell over Reid’s features, but otherwise he didn’t react to her blunder.
“There never seemed to be time,” he responded instead. “We always seemed to be in a rush when we got together and fell right into...other things. Or we met somewhere without a kitchen that we wouldn’t have bothered using anyway because we were always too busy...with other things.”
His innuendos couldn’t have been clearer if he’d drawn a picture on his cloth napkin, and her face flamed at the memories, as well as his suggestive tone.
“Besides, you always seemed to want takeout or delivery. Not my favorite, but it made you happy.” He shrugged one broad shoulder, gaze turned down to his plate while he cut another slice of beef medallion. “And it gave us more time to do what we did best.”
That was why she didn’t want him here. There was too much history between them that he wasn’t the least bit shy about bringing up. Something she suspected he would do quite often, both to needle her and remind her of what they’d had together. What she’d been missing ever since she’d left him and ended up right back where she’d been to begin with, engaged and planning her wedding.
He also knew her far too well. She remembered how he used to watch her from beneath those hooded lashes, studying her every move. He was a detective; he profiled people for a living.
She might be able to fool him for a while, but eventually he’d figure out that she was acting off. That there was more going on than simply cold feet and the decision not to go through with a wedding she’d been second-guessing all along. To steal a line from her British soon-to-be brother-in-law, he was too bloody smart that way.
Glancing down to avoid the flesh-and-blood reminder of just what a fix she was in, she saw that her plate was nearly empty. She hadn’t realized how hungry she truly was after babying her stomach with saltines and weak sweet tea for so long.
Reid’s meal, however, was hearty and appetizing, with no components that aggravated her delicate stomach. She felt like she should thank him, but since she was still fostering a good mad at him, she kept her mouth shut on that count.
Desperate to change the subject and get as far away from “other things” as possible, she wiped her mouth with her napkin, then sat back in her chair and asked, “So how exactly did you find me? I mean, I know that’s what you do, but specifically how did you find me?”
Reid, too, had cleaned his plate. He scraped up what little was left and took a final bite
Similar Books
