The Thing About Three

chapter twenty-four | hammer and nail

A HANDSOME MAN needed an oil change for his truck the next week at work. I didn't think much of him, but Noah sure did when he walked in and spotted me asking the man for his vehicle's information.

I kept glancing at my somewhat-boyfriend throughout my interaction with the new customer, focused on the way his lips pressed together in contempt and eyes tracked the opposing man like he was a threat.

Noah didn't move from his spot until the man walked outside to take a phone call.

"What's up with you?" I asked as he approached my desk. "You look irritated."

He didn't respond to me, instead rounding my desk and grabbing the arms of my swivel chair, caging me in and kissing the confused frown off of my lips.

"Noah!" I admonished when he pulled back from me, smirking. My eyes flicked around the room for signs of any spectators, sighing in relief when Dallas's office was still empty and the customer on the phone outside had his back turned to us. "You can't just kiss me like that!" I scolded with the smile I was never able to keep from my lips when I was around him.

"What? Was that not a good enough kiss for you? I can do better." He started to move toward me again, but I stopped him with a hand at his sternum.

"No, it was a great kiss, but it would've been even better if it had been in a private place far away from work," I replied.

He shrugged, leaning against my desk as he smirked down at me. "We're good. No one saw." He glanced over his shoulder at the handsome customer through the glass door. "Though, I wouldn't mind if he saw."

I grinned, nudging his foot with mine. "You know there's no reason to be jealous, right?"

He looked back at me, shrugging. "I can't help it. I'm scared of losing you."

My heart jumped. "Well, don't be." I told him, reaching out and grabbing his hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

Just when he started to lean forward and claim another kiss from me, Mr. Mel yelled for him to come back into the garage from the break room.

Noah sighed and pushed off the desk, heading to the back.

"Wait," I called to him before he could leave. "Let's do something tonight. Like let's go see a movie or get dinner or something."

Noah shook his head. "Can't. I forgot to tell you—I've actually got to leave early to meet my mom at my aunt's for dinner."

I frowned. "Really?"

He nodded. "Sorry, baby, but I'll make it up to you with a date this weekend."

That made me smile. "Okay, but I expect a really romantic date with flowers and stuff."

He winked. "You got it, Champagne."

He left and didn't come back to the front until thirty minutes before closing, bidding me a quick goodbye and dropping a discreet kiss to my lips before speeding off to the parking lot.

I followed suit when it was time for me to leave, ready to get home and curl up in bed after a long day, but Dallas intercepted me before I could leave the building.

"You just gonna leave without saying goodbye?" he asked from the doorway of his office.

I whirled around, having forgotten he was there. "Oh, I'm sorry," I apologized. "I totally forgot. I was running on autopilot, I guess."

"You're good," he said, leaning against the doorway. "What're you doing tonight?"

"Literally nothing."