Page 76 of Instigator

Behind us, Bex squeals and claps with delight.

“Hi. You ready to go?”

Aidan grins. “You don’t have to work?”

“I’m good here. Nothing I can’t take care of tomorrow.”

“Awesome.” He kisses me again, sweet and chaste. “Get your bag. I’ll drive you home.”

I love that he knows I didn’t drive in. Not because I want to manipulate him into driving me, but because he knows I hate driving, period.

He leans against the closed door as I pack up my stuff.

“How long has this been going on?” Bex asks him. She knows better than to try to get any information out of me.

“Not long enough.”

She sighs, fluttering her lashes. “Why didn’t you tell me?” This, she directs to me.

“There wasn’t anything to tell before. Now there is.”

“You’re going to treat my girl right?”

“You know it.” Aidan runs a hand through his hair, eyes locked on me as I move around my desk. “Always have. Always will.”

She swoons again. “You know, this means we can double-date now. Triple, with Vanessa and Sven.”

“Definitely,” he cuts in before I can answer. “We’d love to spend time with your friends.”

My eyebrows dart up into my hairline. “We would?” Isn’t that something we need to discuss first? I know we just agreed to a double date with Colt, but this…

“They’re your friends. They’re important to you,” he says. “That means they’re important to me. And they’re my teammates. I like my teammates.”

He says it like it’s that simple. And maybe to him, it is.

“Okay, then yes, we can go on a double date,” I tell Bex. “We can figure it out later. Right now, I’ve gotta get home.”

“Yes, you do.” She smirks. “Get out of here.”

Aidan reaches for me, taking my backpack off my shoulder and slinging it onto his, then sliding his hand into mine.

“See you around.”

He pulls me from the office, holding my hand the entire way out to the parking lot.

“So, uh, that happened,” he mutters as he helps me into the car. His face flushes, and it has nothing to do with the bitter January wind whipping around us.

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag. How are you feeling?”

“I meant what I said. I don’t want to hide.” He closes the door for me, then rounds the car and continues, “I texted Hailey. She’s gloating already.”

“For setting us up?” I giggle. “She can take the credit. You and I know the truth.”

He leans over the console and kisses me. “No regrets?”

“None.” I kiss him again. “Now take me home.”

“Your place?”