Chapter 967

After hanging up, it took another agonizing thirty minutes for Noreen to actually

make it out of the car. Seth’s predatory gaze tracked her every movement, unable to tear his eyes away until she completely disappeared into the building.

Leaning back against the leather seat, he let out a long, ragged exhale, trying desperately to force the roaring heat out of his blood. His body was coiled tight with tension, and it took a very long time for his muscles to finally unknot.

He tugged at his collar, cursing his own misery. His ‘little mother-in-law’ was a worse roadblock than a real one. And the worst part was that Noreen was fiercely loyal to her. Seth honestly wondered if he would ever outrank the best friend.

Thoroughly frustrated, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

When Noreen finally walked into the apartment, Claire was feeding Beau his formula. The kitten had gorged himself until his belly looked like a furry football.

“You said you were downstairs almost an hour ago. What took so long?” Claire asked casually.

Thank God the entryway lighting was dim enough to hide the sheer panic in Noreen’s eyes. She hadn’t been this anxious even when she was sneaking around

with Seth as a teenager.

“There was a little traffic.”

“Traffic? Right outside the building?” Claire hit her with a deadpan stare.

Noreen realized she was terrible at this. “Uh, I think there was a minor fender- bender at the intersection. Held things up for a bit.”

“Oh,” Claire said, dropping the subject. It was impossible to tell if she actually bought it or not.

After Noreen washed her hands, Claire brought out the reheated food and sat across from her at the table. As Noreen ate, Claire just sat there, staring at her intently.

Noreen shifted uncomfortably. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Your lipstick is smeared everywhere,” Claire pointed out.

“Must have been the wine.”

“Your assistant didn’t remind you to touch it up?”

Noreen nearly choked on her food. Not only did her ‘assistant’ not remind her, he was the one who had completely devoured it off her face.

“And did you go heavy on the blush today?”

Noreen guiltily touched her burning cheeks. It had been nearly an hour; why was she still on fire?

Desperate to change the subject, she blurted out, “What time is your flight the day after tomorrow? I’ll see if I can drop you at the airport.”

Claire mercifully let her off the hook,

mostly because she was afraid

Noreen might spontaneously

combust. Before she could

Noreen not to bother, her phone

rang.

FindNovel.net

A few seconds into the call, Claire leaped up, her voice pitching up with excitement.

“Are you serious? Yes! I’ll fly out first thing tomorrow morning!”

Noreen waited for her to hang up before asking, “What happened?”

“I just booked a massive brand deal! A luxury jewelry line! They want me to fly to

Northcrest on the first flight tomorrow to finalize everything!”

She was so hyped she practically sprinted out of the kitchen, completely abandoning her interrogation. “Babe, I have to go pack! Take your time eating, and don’t forget to wash the dishes!’

“Got it,” Noreen said, exhaling a massive sigh of relief the moment Claire disappeared into her bedroom.

It wasn’t until she had finished eating, washed the dishes, and taken a long, cold

shower that the heat in her cheeks finally subsided.

Just as she slipped into bed, Seth’s text popped up on her screen.

“Are you asleep?”

“Just getting into bed. Why are you still up?” Noreen typed back, not even realizing

she was willingly keeping the conversation going.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

“Take a wild guess.”

Noreen stared at the screen. He… still hadn’t taken care of it? It was true what they said about men having a harder time suppressing that kind of tension.

Biting her lip, she typed: “Maybe… take a cold shower?”

Seth replied instantly: “You think I haven’t tried that?”

She wished she could unsend that.

V

“I’m kidding. It’s late. Go to sleep.” Seth could easily picture how red her face must be knew, if he pushed any further, she’d die of embarrassment.

She’d die of embarrassment.

With the teasing over, Noreen’s anxiety finally ebbed.