Page 58 of Zone Protection

I lean in and kiss her, my tongue seeking hers. Our tongues twirl, and she moans into my mouth.

When she pulls back, she looks at my mouth. “I’d better get inside.”

“Okay, darlin’. I’ll walk you in.”

She nods and then reaches for the door handle.

I pull the handle on my door and push it open. Then I walk around the front of the car and take her hand as she reaches me.

“Do you want to come in while I get ready?” she asks, a wicked smile on her lips.

“Ha! We both know that if I come in and watch you get ready to leave, you won’t be leaving any time soon. So, if you really want to go to your parents’ tonight, I’d better just kiss you goodbye at the door.”

“Okay, fine. You’re no fun.” She giggles.

“Baby, there is nothing I want more than to slip inside that tight pussy, but there’s no way I’ll be letting you leave if I do.”

When we reach her door, she lets go of my hand and pulls her keys out of her bag. “Thanks for coming with me today.” She looks up at me and smiles.

“Of course. Always be here for you if I can be.”

“I know, but I still appreciate it.” She reaches for my hands and takes them in hers. “Give me one more kiss before you go.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” I lean in and kiss her, but instead of letting this kiss grow hot, I kiss her sweetly.

She has a smile on her lips when I pull back.

“Good night, darlin’.” I step away, so I don’t follow her in.

“Night, Arch. I’ll text you the details and my parents’ address for tomorrow.” She walks into her apartment and turns, shooting me a smile before she closes the door.

As I walk down to my truck, I can’t help but laugh to myself. I have never had to meet the parents before. The girls I took to prom or other school dances, I grew up with all of them, so no introductions were necessary. But the stakes are higher on this one. I mean, I get along with everyone, so I don’t think anything will go wrong, but still. Just another situation I couldn’t have imagined being in this year.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

EMMA

I got to my parents’house just before nine p.m. last night. I stayed up with my mom for a while, and we made a pumpkin pie and a sweet potato pie. I don’t like the sweet potato pie, but I could seriously eat the entire pumpkin pie. I’m kind of wishing we had made an extra.

We talked about the baby and started to make a list of all the things we needed to buy. There are so many things these little babies need. And even though it’s slightly overwhelming, I can’t deny that I’m getting excited to buy some of the basics. The big stuff will probably need to wait until we figure out our living situation, but I think starting to get some onesies and picking out bedding and some of the cute gender-neutral items will be fun.

Archie is due to get here any minute now. I don’t really feel nervous, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious. Our relationship has only come up a few times in conversation, but I think it will be easier to answer some of the questions they have when he’s here with me.

My dad is excited to have another man in the house. It’s a bonus that Archie also plays football, and now he has someoneto watch the Dallas Cowboys play the Detroit Lions. It’s a game that has been played for years between the two teams. My dad is a huge Cowboys fan.

I’ve told them who he is, so I’m sure they’ve looked him up. My tip that they have looked him up is that they aren’t asking a ton of questions about him, which is surprising. Even with the friends I’ve made at school, they’ve always been very curiously cautious about who I spend my time with.

Just as I’m taking the stuffing out of the oven, I hear the doorbell ring.

“I’ll get it,” I holler from the kitchen so my dad doesn’t jump up and answer.

I want to have a minute with Archie before I have to share him with my parents.

After setting down the dish, I take the potholders off my hands and place them on the counter. I look over at my mom and see her watching me with a soft smile on her face.

“What?” I ask her.

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