Page 110 of Fallen Flame

Oliver didn’t move.

A second throat joined the first.

He slowly lifted his head and looked over my shoulder.

Arlo stood next to Pipe, both smiling like idiots.

“I was going to ask if you two needed a room,” he said. “Then I remembered we have lots of rooms.”

“You both actually have your own room,” Pipe laughed.

Oliver stared at him.

Arlo’s grin faltered. “I’m going back to the garage.”

Pipe laughed and headed back over to Nikki.

“Good idea,” Oliver growled.

Arlo turned around, and Jude clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. “You flew too close to the sun.”

“I thought he was getting soft,” Arlo argued.

“He is. For her,” Jude replied.

Ever smacked Jude’s arm.

“What?” he asked. “That was romantic.”

“It sounded like you were talking about bread.”

Oliver looked back down at me.

I was trying not to laugh.

“You find this funny?” he asked.

“A little.”

His arm remained around my waist. “I can leave you here.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m your favorite too.”

He studied me for a second. Then he kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re not wrong.”

I grinned and tucked myself against his chest.

Around us, the clubhouse stayed loud.

Alice argued that she should be allowed to keep the game at the clubhouse permanently. Wrecker informed her he would throw it in the fire. Penny and Demi divided stolen cookies beneath the coffee table while Drew pretended not to see them. Pipe stood beside Nikki near the refrigerator, and when I glanced in their direction, Nikki was smiling at Oliver.

Pipe was too.

The smile disappeared when he caught me looking.