One Last Time(91)

“Noah!”

“One minute!” I call back over my shoulder. I place the phone on the road right in front of my tire, climb into my car, and start it up.

Kristin stands on the porch with a confused look on her face. Maybe she missed the fact that I’m going to run the piece of shit over?

I shift into drive and roll forward and backward a few times. Should be good.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asks while descending the steps.

I grab the smashed device from the ground and smile. “You’ll have a new one with a new number in a little bit,” I inform her as I place the crushed phone in her hand.

“You’re insane! That was my phone!”

“It sure was.” I wait for the fight.

“You smashed it.”

“I did. And I’d do it again.”

No one is going to threaten us again. I don’t care if I have to run over a hundred phones. Kristin, Finn, and Aubrey will have new, fully paid for, phones within thirty minutes. I’m sure I’m going to get shit for getting Aubrey one, especially since I don’t think she currently has one, but . . . I have to keep my status. There’s no way I could handle the damn puppy-dog eyes.

“You ran it over.” Kristin looks at the remnants in her hand. “We could’ve just taken the program off my phone or changed my passwords, but . . . Noah!” She smacks my arm. “How the hell am I going to get all my contacts, you moron!”

I didn’t even think about that. “The cloud?”

“Such a man! You act first and think second.” She starts to walk away mumbling. “Get a new phone now, no job, but sure I can go to the store and say”—Kristin stops walking and yells through her gritted teeth—“my idiotic, jealous-for-no-reason boyfriend ran the phone over. I’m sure that’s covered under the warranty. Oh, but don’t worry, he backed over it again for good measure.”

I laugh, which earns me a scathing look, to which I laugh again.

“The new phones are coming. No need to go to the store.”

She glares at me, puts the phone on the porch, and grunts. “I can’t with you.”

I climb the steps two at a time and grab her waist, pulling her flush against me. “You can’t without me.” My voice is low.

“You think so?” Kristin asks coyly, all the feigned anger melting away as her hands come to a rest on my chest.

I purse my lips and nod. “I do.”

“What makes you so sure, Mr. Frazier?”

“Just a hunch.”

“Hmm.” She plays with the collar of my T-shirt. “Maybe you’re right, but how can you be sure?”

“I could kiss you.” I tease her. “I could see if you melt in my arms like you usually do when I get all ‘flirty,’ as you call it. I would be able to tell by the way your body gets tight because you want more, but you can’t have it.”

“You could.” Kristin keeps her tone even, but I see the fire in her eyes.

She has no idea how much control she has over me. If she asked me for anything, I’d find a way. This girl fell into my life, pulled me into the water with her, and I never came back up for air. Even when everything fell to shit, I couldn’t convince myself it was over.

I don’t see my life without Kristin in it.

“I should,” I say as I bring our lips closer together.

Her back arches as my hands glide higher. Just as I finally touch her perfect mouth, I hear a noise.

We both turn our heads to find Finn staring at us.

Shit.

I drop my hands and take a step back.

“Gross,” Finn says.

Most of our time together has been just the two of us, so I’m going to need to remember to tone down the PDA around here.

“Oh, give it up,” Kristin says with a laugh. “You like Noah, and he gives you street cred.”

“Did you seriously say street cred?” I ask her with laughter in my voice.

She shrugs. “What? Isn’t that what it’s called?”

“Yeah, if you’re my age!” Finn corrects her.

“Stop being so jealous of my coolness.” Kristin saunters away while flipping her hair back. “I’m like, the leader of the cool people. You all worship at my house of cool.”

Finn and I share a look and burst out laughing. “She needs help, Noah. Please”—he drops to his knees and folds his hands—“I’m begging you. Fix her before it’s too late.”

“I wish I could, but apparently, she has the keys to the house of cool.” I shrug and follow her back inside.

I watch her flop onto the couch with her arms stretched, and she takes my breath away. She has her hair pulled up, isn’t wearing any makeup, and is rocking a pair of black shorts and a baggy T-shirt. Yet, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Kristin tilts her head and gives me a smile that makes me want to take her to the bedroom and wipe it off her face. “What?”

“Nothing.”

The corners of her eyes crinkle. “You’re thinking something.”

I smile and walk to her, place my hands beside her shoulders, and brace myself over her. “I’m thinking I’m a lucky man. Not only did I find you, I made you love me, and I’ve convinced you that you need me. I’m batting a thousand here.”