Free Fool Me Once (Codie Snow #1): A Romantic Suspense Series by Jade C. Jamison Page A

keeping around, but seeing him in his arena—so to speak—had encouraged her to give him a fair shot.  The man was likely one of the best performers she knew.  She might have even called him an actor, seeing how he could turn emotional responses like anger and empathy on and off like a switch.
    The day she’d sat in on the trial was one she’d never forget.  Slade had been wearing a dark gray suit.  His black hair was slicked back, his brown eyes blazing.  She hadn’t seen him in his birthday suit yet, but watching him storm back and forth from his table to the witness stand to then pace in front of the jury before delivering a passionate tirade made her want to.
    Their first night of sex was fueled with those memories.
    Now, though, it seemed like that was where Slade’s mind always was—in the courtroom.  Most lawyers might have preferred to dicker about on paper, but Slade was meant to perform in that venue—and he was fun to watch.  The boring stuff like divorces he left to his paralegals and Slade just overlooked what he had to and signed off.  “Exciting, huh?”
    Matthew started unbuttoning his white button-down.  “You know Slade…”  Yeah, she knew Slade.  “Some construction company was up to some questionable practices in town—with the silent blessings of city council, mind you—and three Main Street businesses hired Slade to set them straight.”  Matthew slid the shirt off his shoulders before draping it over the back of the chair next to the dresser.  “And, believe me, he did.  The judge already ruled on it this afternoon and told the assholes to pay restoration for damages.”  Matthew opened a drawer and lifted one item after another until he found a shirt he wanted to wear—a skin-hugging black tee—which Codie found strange, because Matthew should have been changing into his workout outfit like he always did this time of day, but that particular t-shirt was one he liked to wear when he was going out.  She started to ask when he said, “So Slade and I are going out to dinner to celebrate.”
    Ah.   That explained it.  “Where you goin’?”
    Matthew slid off his shoes and then placed them in the closet on a rack before unbuttoning his slacks.  Codie knew anyone watching would find it strange, but she and Matthew had been close friends and roommates for so long that each other’s partial nudity didn’t bother the other.  As long as she didn’t see his actual junk , she was fine—and he felt the same way about her.  He’d seen her in bra and panties more times than she could remember, but he’d never seen her completely naked.  “I don’t know yet.  I don’t think Slade knew where he wanted to go yet—just some place with alcohol.”  In seconds, her friend had donned blue jeans and loafers.  “How do I look?”
    “Great!”  They meandered toward the kitchen then, with Codie planning to see Matthew to the door before rummaging around in the fridge to scrounge up something to eat.  When the doorbell rang, though, she realized that her roommate was being picked up for dinner and not meeting his boss somewhere.  Codie wanted to duck in her bedroom until they left, because she was in no mood to face Slade, but Matthew wouldn’t let her run off and hide…and she knew it.  So she took a deep breath, bracing herself to see her ex-boyfriend Slade for the first time in a month.
    Codie didn’t realize at first that she was holding her breath—why, she didn’t know.  Matthew marched with zest to the front door and Codie leaned against the kitchen counter, letting it hold her up.
    As if trying to distract herself from the agony she was beginning to feel, she pursed her lips.  She hated the fact that the first room in the apartment was the kitchen.  In a way, that was a blessing, because they had to keep the kitchen clean at all times for visitors, and Codie knew she’d prefer to be lazy on occasion, but keeping it clean was a priority.  And who was