His eyes narrowed. “Where do you want to go?”
She laughed. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to learn the rules.”
“The rules are we don’t do anything responsible. We just have fun.”
Her lips pursed as she considered it, then she grinned and held out her hand. “Deal.”
“Deal.” He shook her hand, holding it a few seconds longer than necessary before releasing it.
She leaned toward him. “So where are we going?”
Then he knew how to make it really fun for her. He’d never met anyone who loved surprises more than Libby. “I’ve decided not to tell you. You’ll find out tomorrow.”
“You have no idea.”
“I guess you’ll find out.” She was right, but he’d never admit it. But as long as she continued to look this happy, he’d figure out how to get her to the moon if she wanted to go there.
Chapter Six
Over the course of their dinner, Libby relaxed and tried to forget the wedding gone wrong. Several of the customers—and even the staff—grew bold enough to ask for photos with her. Some, like the woman who’d cat-called him, wanted a photo with Noah. By the time they finally left, Libby had taken a photo with almost everyone in the restaurant. The restaurant manager even offered to comp their bill if Libby would let him hang his photo with her by the entrance.
When Noah held the door to the parking lot open for her, she felt happier—and freer—than she had in months, even if she was freezing. “Now what?” she asked.
“I think we should find a hotel and stay in Junction City tonight. Your photo session took over forty-five minutes and now you’re all over my Twitter feed. Did you have to give them your Twitter handle?”
“Why not?” she teased as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked her to the passenger door. “Garrett got his fifteen minutes of fame when he was on his way to break up Blair’s wedding. Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because, Libby St. Clair,” Noah leaned close, his breath warm on her cheek, “you are a dazzling star who can’t be reduced to a few tweets of you posing for photos in a Kansas steak house wearing a wedding dress.”
“Cut the bullshit, Noah.”
“I mean every word.” And strangely enough, he sounded like he did.
Overcome with gratitude and something else that warmed her insides, she threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
He pulled her close, but slowly, as though she might break. “What did I do?”
“You took a miserable night and made it more than bearable.”
“That’s what best friends are for, right?”
She leaned back and looked into his face. “Who knew you’d be so good at this best friend thing?”
A strange look crossed his face. “Yeah. Who knew?” He broke loose and opened the car door. “You need to get in the car before you freeze.”
After he got in and turned on the engine, he turned to look at her. “So find a hotel here in Junction City?”
“Yeah.”
“I saw a sign for a decent-looking place when I turned off the interstate. Let’s try it.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the hotel, both of them keeping quiet during the short drive.
When he parked in front of the entrance, he turned to her. “Wait for me to come around and get you.”
“Why?”
“It’s freezing outside, and you’re wearing a sleeveless dress. I’m going to pull a jacket out of my suitcase for you.”
“I’ll be fine.” She pushed the door open and scrambled out, forgetting that it would take more effort than usual with all the material of her skirt. The next thing she knew, Noah was there next to her, offering her his hand. She looked up at him with a scowl. “I said I could do it.”
“And I’m sure you can, but why not let me help you?”
How could she explain to him what she didn’t understand herself? She’d always had trouble accepting help from other people, but for some reason, right now she found it even more difficult to accept help from him.
He helped her out and she landed against his chest. He snaked his arm around her back and pulled her closer to keep her steady. An unexpected wave of heat washed through her when she looked into his eyes. She’d learned to tame her lust for Noah after months of friendship. So why did it feel like such a struggle tonight?
She pulled free and started walking toward the entrance. Noah fell in step beside her, thankfully not mentioning their awkward embrace.
There were less than half a dozen people in the lobby, so Libby was less of a spectacle here than she’d been in the restaurant. Noah stopped and turned toward her, looking uncomfortable. “Do you want two rooms?”
Libby’s heart stuttered. What was the right way to answer that? She didn’t want to be alone, but she was too humiliated to admit it.
But he misinterpreted her hesitation. He nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. I don’t mind the extra money.”
She grabbed his arm to stop him as he started toward the front desk. “No. One room is good. We can just get two beds. No need to spend the extra money. Besides,” she added in a rush, “you’ve spent the night in my apartment before. This is no different.” But it was very different and she could see he knew it too.
He studied her face with a seriousness she wasn’t used to from him. “Are you sure? Maybe you just want to be alone. I understand if you do.”