Page 28 of Mr. Infuriating

“I was just curious.”

Part of me was relieved at her response, because if she had explained her situation, I would have had no choice but to confess.

She’d left me with plausible deniability, and I appreciated that. I was having too good a time for it to end just yet.

Chapter Nine

Gretchen

“Okay, kids. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” Dan the bartender said with a smile when he removed the empty glasses in front of us as the lights came up.

Derrick appeared from behind the bar, wearing a brown leather bomber jacket. With his hands in his pockets, he held out his arm for Laura, which she took with a giggle.

I wasn’t surprised the two were leaving together; they’d been flirting and eye-fucking each other all night. But I was surprised Derrick wasn’t staying later than we were.

“You don’t have to stay and close?”

“Nope. Not my turn.”

Although the way my friend looked at the handsome bar owner, I suspected if it had been his turn, she would have waited with him and the two of them would have gone at it in one of the booths. I’d be impressed if they made it out of the parking lot with their clothes on.

Laura looked at Gabriel.

“Can you stay with her until her Uber gets here?”

“No problem,” he said, and with a wave, the horny couple practically ran to the parking lot. Gabriel directed his attention toward me. “Why don’t I just drive you home?”

“Oh, I don’t want you to go out of your way.”

“It’s no problem, sweetheart. Besides, I’d feel better knowing you made it home safe and sound.”

“I could just text you when I got home.”

“No…” The corner of his mouth turned up. “You’d forget, then I’d have to call Derrick to ask Laura for your number. But hewouldn’t answer, so then I’d have to go to his house and pound on the door. Except they would be at Laura’s, so then I’d have to drive around all night looking for his car, and I wouldn’t get any sleep.” He shook his head. “It’d just be easier if I drove you home.”

I wasn’t going to point out I could just give him my number right then. I liked the idea of him driving me home.

“Well, I wouldn’t want you to have to drive around all night and not get any sleep…”

He reached for my hand.

“My truck’s this way.”

****

Gabe

Gretchen’s hand felt soft and tiny in my calloused one, and I had to fight the urge to stop in the middle of the parking lot and pull her into my arms. Or keep my hands off her ass when I helped her into the passenger seat of my truck.

Not for the first time tonight, I wished our circumstances were different. Because this night would end very differently otherwise. Like, with her waking up in my bed, instead of me driving her home and politely making sure she got inside before driving away alone.

I slid behind the wheel and took my phone out of my pocket.

“Where to, sweetheart?”

“1215 Evergreen Road.”

I plugged her address into my navigation app and was disappointed to find it was only seven minutes away.

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