Page 11 of Mr. Infuriating (Mister #1)

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 he wouldn’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 .

The smell of her perfume filled the truck’s cab, and for the first time in my life, I cursed there wasn’t any traffic in our small town. I didn’t want this night to end. I gave zero fucks that my ass was going to be dragging in the morning.

“Oh, I didn’t realize it was a full moon tonight,” she observed as we drove along the quiet streets of Lancastle. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That explains it.”

My glance briefly left the road to look at her. “Explains what?”

With wide eyes she turned toward me. “You heard that?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle when a small hiccup escaped her. “I don’t think you were as quiet as you think you were, darlin’.” I asked again, “Explains what?”

“Me going home with someone I just met.”

The way she phrased it made me think she had more in mind than a car ride home, and my cock jumped up and took notice. He was on board with the idea, one hundred percent.

Hell, I was on board with the idea. The thought of her soft body underneath mine, kissing her perfect bow lips while my hands roved along her curves… fuck yes.

Except for that one small detail. She thought I was the “infuriating Jerk of the Year”. She just didn’t know we were one in the same. No, she wasn’t looking at me now like she thought I was a jerk. There was no mistaking the lust in her eyes.

When my GPS announced her house on the right was in one hundred feet, I slowed my truck. All the colonial brick houses in her upscale subdivision looked similar, so I wanted clarification which was hers before pulling into a driveway.

Gretchen pulled her phone from her purse and clicked some buttons. A second later, a garage door opened .

She gestured to the lit-up garage. “It’s that one. You can just pull in.”

I knew if I pulled my Ford into that stall, I wouldn’t be leaving until morning.

I had an ethical decision to make.