my mind and I was sure the scene he witnessed did just that.
We pulled up to my house and Corey released me to climb out of the car. Instead of walking towards my house, he moved around to the trunk door. When I joined him at the back end of his vehicle my mouth hung open when I spotted a brand new tire sitting in on his back deck. Corey hoisted the tire out and carried it to my flat. After leaning it against the car, he returned to his to grab the necessary tools to finish the job. The whole time I watched in awe, hardly believing that he went through all this trouble for me.
“You bought me a tire?” Corey shrugged; setting the tools down on the ground. Before he sat down to work, I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck. It took him a moment to register what was happening, but eventually he tightened his hold on me.
“Thank you.” I backed away and cupped his face in my hands. My eye contact was unfaltering, as I needed him to truly hear me. “I didn’t know he was going to be there tonight. My Gram thought it would be wise to surprise me.” I stood on my toes to brush my lips against his; the tension in his jaw softened under my touch. I released him and sat on the ground to watch him work. He slid the jack under the car and I got a pretty fantastic show of watching his muscles stretch and flex as he pumped the handle to lift my car. I discretely wiped the corners of my mouth to make sure I wasn’t drooling.
“How did Violet even know to invite him?” His words were supposed to seem passive, but I heard the edge behind them.
I sighed. “Oliver told his grandparents he took me out and they told my Gram. So she took it upon herself to invite him over.”
Corey nodded and continued to work, trying his hardest to look unaffected by my explanation.
“If it makes you feel better, Gram saw our kiss when you dropped me off.” Corey let out a laugh, an easy smile reached his eyes as he continued working.
“Oh yeah, what’d she say about that?”
“She used her clever tactics to get me to confess to a relationship. I don’t buy into my grandmother’s tricks though, which is why she probably dragged on the dinner. Pure torture.”
“So you didn’t like having him there tonight?” His eyes cast a glance at me.
“No, if I was going to have anyone there with me—it would have been you. Don’t forget, I asked you to join me for dinner. I had no hand in inviting Oliver.”
Corey finished replacing the tire and stood to face me. “You know when he hugged you goodbye that fool looked over at me with this smug ass grin on his face.”
“Oh.” What exactly did that mean? Was this just a game for Ollie—or was he trying to prove to Corey he had some kind of hold on me? Whatever the reason—I wasn’t happy.
“I don’t like him, Danielle. If you want to date others, fine. I promised to do this your way so I’m not going to stop you, but if you find some jackass that doesn’t treat you with the respect you deserve, there’s no way in hell I’m just going to stand back. Whether you’re my girl or not, you’re still my friend. Hell Danielle, you’re my best friend and I won’t let you get walked over by some douche-bag.”
There were no words to say to show my gratitude. I wound my arms under him and held onto his shoulders as I buried my face in his shirt. The intoxicating scent that clung to my clothes and blankets whenever he’d left our bed filled my every sense. He slowly slid one hand up and down my back while the other held me close. I backed away, but only enough to allow our mouths to collide. I opened willingly to his tongue as it caressed mine and a slow tantalizing dance. We stood that way for a few blissful moments and when we pulled away I wanted nothing more than to pull him inside and have my merry way with him.
“I’m going to pay you back for that tire, by the way.” He viscously shook his head back and forth.
“Absolutely not! Dani, I don’t want your money.” When I opened my mouth to protest, he pressed