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Zoey spoke up before I could answer. “Oh, I could take her home, if you want.”
Oren instantly scowled. I liked that he wanted to be the one to drive me home. But then he sighed in defeat and mumbled, “Yeah. That’d probably be best.”
So Zoey ended up driving me home, but not until Oren had yanked me into the hall for a goodbye kiss. “If Gam gives you any shit for staying out all night, call me.”
I grinned up at him and slid my fingers over his sexy scruff. “And what’re you going to do if he does?”
He shrugged and grinned back, rubbing his nose against mine. “I’ll come over and run interference, make him hang out with me or something so he can’t rag on you.”
“That’s sweet.” I lifted my mouth to his, but didn’t kiss him. “You’re so sweet.”
“Oh, yeah? How sweet?”
“Sweet enough that I may want to see you again.”
“You better, woman.” To stake his claim, he kissed me hard and long. Zoey finally had to clear her throat to break us apart. Still, Oren had to pat my butt and nuzzle my neck a second longer before stepping back and letting me go.
I couldn’t stop glowing all the way home.
“You’re still smiling,” Zoey said, glancing across her car at me.
With a sigh, I nodded. “I just can’t stop.”
“He makes you happy.”
I glanced at her, scowling slightly. “Well, yeah. Did you think he’d make me miserable?”
“No, but I thought you guys would...I don’t know, argue more, I guess.”
I shrugged, thinking it through. “We do...kind of. But we seem to be just as quick to make up. Disagreeing with him is like...foreplay.”
Zoey sputtered out a laugh. “Okay, that’s more than I wanted to know, but still, I’m glad for you. I hope it all comes out okay.”
“So do I.” I leaned over and slapped a quick kiss to her cheek as she pulled into my driveway. “Thank you for being the best friend ever.”
“Just take care of yourself,” she warned as I opened the door. “And call if Noel gets mad. I’ll tell him you stayed on our couch.”
I felt bad for making her lie as much as I already had, so I blew her a kiss after I slid out of the car. Then I jogged to the back door, thinking I’d be less likely to run into anyone in the kitchen than the living room.
But there Noel sat at the kitchen table, reading something on the laptop in front of him. He looked up as I eased open the door. When our gazes met, I froze.
“You’re home,” was all he said.
I came the rest of the way inside and shut the door quietly behind me. “Yep,” I answered the obvious.
“I left you about a dozen messages.”
“And I answered you.”
“All you said was, ‘I’m fine.’”
I shrugged and glanced away. “Well…I was.”
“No, you weren’t.” Clasping his hands together, he set his elbows on the table and kept watching me. The fact that he wasn’t shouting was a small miracle, but still…I didn’t really want to talk to him just yet. I needed time to prepare my words.
“Where were you?” he asked.
I snorted and shook my head. When I started for the doorway to leave the kitchen, he hopped from his chair and darted into my path.
