“Yeah, but…”
“No,” he says. “You’re going to go in there, have a few drinks, shake your ass a little, and have the time of your life while Tully drags you around, talking shit,” he tells me with a grin. “Besides, it’s been ages since our last party. Mom and dad are out and I won’t stop until you’ve had the best night of your life.”
“You know, I might have been a loner back then, but I heard about what happened at your last party. Maybe this isn’t such a great idea.”
He pulls back slightly, giving me a strange look. “Were you not at that one?”
“No, that was during my ‘hating myself for allowing Jackson and Kaylah to have such an effect on me’ stage.”
“Ahhhh,” he says with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Back when you were Frankie No Friends.”
I punch his arm. “And that’s the way I liked it until you forced your annoying self on me. I mean, how do I get rid of you? Is there a trick I haven’t worked out yet?”
“Nope,” he says, lowering his hand around my waist and yanking me in hard against his body. “You’re stuck with me.”
“Damn. How does one ever become so unlucky?”
“Watch it,” he warns me. “I don’t have an issue putting you in your place on your birthday.”
“And how do you intend to do that?”
His lips crush down on mine, devouring me for a short moment before he pulls away all too soon. “Trust me, Spitfire. You haven’t even touched the surface of what I’m capable of doing to you.”
Heat instantly floods me as I raise a curious brow and snake my arms around his neck. “Really, now?” I murmur, hovering my lips just in front of his, teasing him just as he’s done to me. “Even more reason not to walk into that party. I need to see how much you’ve been holding out on me.”
“You will,” he promises, closing the gap and taking my lips in his. “As for now, you need to get that fine ass of yours inside my house and enjoy your party. I’m not having all these fuckers trash my place for you to sit out front, sulking about having all the attention on you. Get in there and enjoy yourself, though please try to refrain from taking a joint from anyone, especially douchebags like Spencer. That’s the last thing I need to worry about tonight.”
“No, your only worry is making sure Nate and Jesse don’t turn up at this one and start a brawl like last time.”
“Too late, those fuckers are already here.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Tora declared you a friend and that makes you family. And I don’t really picture any of them passing up an opportunity to party with their family.”
I smile as I get hit with the warm fuzzies deep within. “I guess you’re right,” I tell him. “What about Kaylah?”
“You really think I’d forget to tell Kaylah about this? Besides, if Jesse is here, you know Kaylah isn’t far behind.”
“You’re the best.”
“And don’t you fucking forget it,” he says before turning me towards the door and hooking his arm over my shoulder. “So, tell me,” he says with a sly grin. “How do you want me to announce your grand entry? Should I get a few guys and carry you in like an Egyptian goddess or would you prefer I roll out the red carpet?”
I nail him in the ribs. “If you do anything to embarrass me, I’m going to castrate you.”
He looks down at me, feigning innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Shit,” I sigh, stopping by the open front door and turning to look up at those sparkling green eyes. “You’ve got something planned.”
He shakes his head but the truth is written in the way his eyes laugh at me, glistening with excitement, and teasing me with their hidden secrets. I fucking love it. There’s only one thing in this world that could possibly top the way he makes me feel when he teases me and that’s the way he makes me feel when he shows me just how much he loves me.
Noah doesn’t respond, just pulls me along beside him. I make myself a promise to be alert all night. Whatever he has planned is going to be big and while I can’t wait to see whatever it is, I’m also terrified of the embarrassment which will surely come with it.
We squeeze our way through the front door and within the first two seconds, my ass has been grabbed and my tits pressed up against some dude I don’t know, though both incidents were caused by close proximity and tell me that tonight is going to be fucking awesome. It’s a real Haven Falls party.
The music is blaring and bodies are grinding and pressing into one another. Skanks are standing on the dining table, putting on a show for the group of football players around it. People are falling out the back door and into the yard where nearly everyone either has a cigarette or joint between their fingers. It’s going to be a messy night, wild and unpredictable and that’s the kind of party that I know I’m going to love.