The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,280

with darkness.

She scooted off him but stayed close. “Noah? Can I ask you a favor?”

“Anything . . . well, except for buying you tampons. A guy has to draw the line somewhere.”

She laughed. “You’re safe there . . . for now.”

He grinned in the dark. “What’s your favor?”

She paused, and when she finally answered, her voice sounded unsure. “Will you hold me?”

He didn’t answer, just rolled onto his side and reached for her, pulling her back to his chest, bending his hips back in case touching her aroused him again.

She put her hand over his. “You’re the only one who stood by me today.”

The thought sobered him. How could that be? He was the least responsible of all of her friends. He instinctively pulled her closer. “Oh, Lib. I’ll always be there for you. I promise. I’m sorry I said I wasn’t coming. If I’d kept my original flight yesterday, maybe I could have helped you change your mind.”

Her head rubbed against his chest as she shook it. “No. You couldn’t have. I was sure I knew what I was doing.”

The sadness in her voice wrecked him. “It’s over. Tomorrow is Libby Day and we won’t mention any of this at all, okay? Just fun.”

“Okay.”

Soon her breath evened again, and he drifted off to sleep too, wondering if this was what contentment felt like. If it was, he knew he wanted it with her.

Chapter Eight

Libby woke facing Noah, their legs intertwined. For a few moments she was confused and horrified. Had she had sex with him? But the thought barely had the chance to form before she remembered everything. He’d only held her.

She’d slept in a bed with Noah and he hadn’t made a move on her. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or insulted. She settled on disappointed—another surprise. But sex with Noah was bound to ruin everything, she reminded herself. Yesterday he’d proved himself to be a loyal and supportive friend. She couldn’t let her hormones screw that up.

She untangled herself, making him stir, then propped herself up on one elbow. “Good morning.”

“What time is it?” he muttered, keeping his eyes closed.

“I don’t know. I can’t see a clock.”

“Go back to sleep,” he grumbled. “Whatever time it is, it’s two hours earlier in Seattle. For me, it’s like the middle of the night.”

“It’s not the middle of the night. The sun’s out.”

Groaning, he rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand, then groaned again.

“So what time is it?”

“9:13.” He didn’t sound very happy about it.

“I’m hungry.”

He lay on his back, looking up into her face. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. “You’re worse than Tortoise.” Then his eyes widened. “Hey, where is Tortoise?”

“Did you seriously think I was irresponsible enough to leave my dog alone overnight?”

“Well, no.”

“Liar.”

He looked relieved when she laughed.

“He’s with my friend Steph. She treats him like a little prince.”

“I miss him.”

That surprised her . . . then it didn’t. She’d adopted Tortoise while Noah was in town—they’d gone to the dog shelter together—and he’d teased her to no end about the name she’d given him. But he’d grown attached to the animal too, and often asked about him, as infrequent as his calls had become these past weeks.

“Hey,” she said, giving his arm a shove. “Why haven’t you called me very much over the last month?”

“That’s a two-way street, Libby.”

It was true. She’d pulled away from him after telling him about her engagement. She realized now it was because his disapproval had smarted. Even though she hadn’t intended to go through with the wedding, she’d known all along he was right about marrying Mitch.

“None of that,” he said, pulling her close again. “Yesterday happened in a vacuum.”

It hadn’t, not really. But it was nice to pretend it was true. “Maybe so, but today has its own very real problems.”

He frowned. “What problems could you possibly have on your special day?”

“Remember? The only thing I have to wear is a wedding dress.”

“Hmm . . . I see your point. Should I go out and pick up an outfit for you?”

“Are you kidding?” she asked in mock horror. “I don’t care to spend my special day dressed like a hooker.”

He leaned to the side to catch her gaze. “I’m slightly insulted by that.”

“Only slightly?”

“Well, I admit, it’s a legitimate concern.”

She lifted her eyebrows in mock surprise.

“I have a pair of sweatpants in my bag. You could wear those.”

“So I’m going to pair your sweatpants and T-shirt with my white beaded