“I don’t hate you.” His hazel eyes ensnared mine before he nodded toward the restaurant. “I’m just trying to understand. This is one of the top-ranked establishments in LA. They collect more awards than they have room to display.”
I shrugged and warned myself to tread lightly. “Maybe a few dates—or years—from now, that would’ve been my dream date. Like, movie-worthy. Right now, I just want to hang out. But I still had an amazing time. Seriously, five stars. Or ten, depending on your scale.”
Noah breathed out a laugh before placing his fingers on my lower back and leading me through the parking lot. “It’s fine. Just remember that I’ll be the one critiquing tomorrow’s date, hm?”
I chewed on my lip as I enjoyed the warmth from his hand seeping through my light top as we strolled up to the car. “Oh, I will. Trust me.”
He once again opened the passenger door for me, and I quickly slipped in.
I pulled my seat belt on and fidgeted in the leather seat as he swung around the front.
“One more thing,” I said as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Can we stop by the store on the way back? Teresa’s Aunt Flo is visiting.”
“Sure. What does her aunt need from the store?”
I gave him a weird look, wondering how on earth someone could miss a reference to menstruation. “Umm, some Red Vines and Pop-Tarts. And toothpaste.”
Noah’s brow furrowed as he pulled out of the parking spot. “Interesting.”
“And maybe some fuzzy socks,” I added, just to be safe. They were an impulse buy I could never seem to resist.
“Teresa’s aunt sounds like an intriguing lady,” Noah said as he turned out of the lot. I watched the way his hands gripped the wheel so self-assuredly.
“One could say that.” I thought about the last time my Aunt Flo visited. I’d spent hours curled up on the bathroom floor in a psychotic haze of pain, praying for some higher power to give me the mercy of a swift death.
I swore to myself that was the first and last time campus security would ever be called on me.
Noah’s phone buzzed in the middle console, and since he was driving, I reached for it. “Want me to answer—?”
“No.” He grabbed my wrist. I stopped short, lips parting. “I’ll call them back later.”
I barely heard him as I eyed the way his hand grasped my wrist. In different circumstances, it would’ve felt nice. His grip was firm, but not overpowering. Instead, I cleared my throat and tried to play it cool. “Touchy about your phone?”
“What?” Noah took his eyes off the road long enough to realize what his hand was doing, and he dropped my wrist like it’d burned him. Reaching for the still-vibrating phone, he silenced it and focused back on the road. “No. My job can be invasive, and I don’t want it interrupting our evening.”
I swallowed and stuck my hand under my thigh while trying to ignore the way my wrist tingled. “Right.”
Note to self: Don’t touch Noah’s phone.
CHAPTER17
A Question
When a knock soundedon the door at promptly five o’clock the next evening, I was ready for it.
I swung the door open with a smile and nodded in approval as I took in Noah’s dark green sweater. He’d taken my instructions seriously. The nice slacks were still there, but I wasn’t trying to change the guy… just help him chill out a bit. “Hey. Got a free hand to help carry?”
“What’s all this for?” Noah asked as he offered a hand. I passed a bag to him and swung the backpack over my shoulder before heaving up a box with both arms.
“Date supplies.”
Noah weighed the bag in his grip. “Such as?”
“Oh, you know. Tarp, duct tape, rope. That sort of thing.” I gave him my best innocent look. “Also, very,verysharp knives. Why do you ask?”
Noah returned my look with his own unimpressed one as we made our way down the dorm’s deserted hallway. It made me wish I had said the box was filled with kinky sex toys just to see his reaction.
Outside, the weather was gorgeous, and most students were taking advantage by eating outside or hanging out on the grass. Noah headed for the street parking, but I nudged his shoulder and nodded toward the classroom buildings before he could go further.
