The thought of being warm and happy in bed with him tonight was the only thing keeping me going.
Was that ridiculous? It was probably ridiculous. Morgan wasn’t really my boyfriend, and I shouldn’t have been treating him like he was. Things were going back to normal after this. I’d quietly tell Chris and Alex that we’d broken up in a few weeks—probably around the time one of them remembered to ask how he was—and that would be that.
“I need to shave at least twenty seconds off that,” I said, heading over to double-check the time. I trusted Alex, I just couldn’t believe I’dlostfive seconds since the last run.
My arms hurt. I was hungry. Anddamp.
The sun was bright enough, but the river was ice cold, and Morgan wasright there, and he was so warm. So tempting.
He wouldn’t have minded me getting him all wet. Morgan was the most generous soul I’d ever known, if he thought Ineededa nice long hug to warm my extremities up again, he’d do it for me.
“You wanna go again? I still can’t feel my ass,” Alex said.
“I can feel it for you if you want,” Chris said, falling in beside him with a broad grin on his face.
“Once more?” I said. “Then I’ll take over timing. I figure I won’t be able to feelmyass by then.”
“Morgan could,” Chris said, continuing the joke. “Although no, actually, I’ve noticed he has a thing about that.”
“It’s not him,” I said automatically, not wanting Morgan to look like he wasn’t exactly the right amount of affectionate. “It’s me.”
Chris raised a disbelieving eyebrow, and I realized the mistake I’d made. I was physical witheveryone, I’d sat inhislap before, why would I suddenly get shy around my actual boyfriend?
“It’s mutual,” I tried. “This is new. Leave Morgan alone.”
Chris snorted. “I don’t think he needs you to defend him.”
I was so glad he was out of earshot, deep in conversation with Julie.
“Put him out of his misery,” Alex said, glancing up as Brad crested the hill and came into view.
“We know you and Morgan aren’t really dating,” Chris said. “Overheard Marta telling Julie.”
“Julie knows too?” I asked, still processing the information thateveryoneknew.
Everyone except Brad.
What did that mean?
“But you totally wanna bang him,” Alex said, not taking his eyes off Brad. “And he totally wants to bangyou, so I’m not really seeing the problem.”
I glanced up at Brad, wending his way around the jagged rocks I’d gotten caught on earlier—definitely where I’d lost the five seconds—and sighed.
“Yeah, Morgan’s cool. What’s the holdup?” Chris asked as Brad passed the marker we’d set down approximately where the competition course ended.
“He’s not interested,” I said firmly. “I don’t know why everyone thinks he is. Now shut up so Brad doesn’t overhear.”
Chris snorted, but obediently shut up.
“Shouldn’t you already be back at the top?” Brad asked, squinting between me and Alex. I wasn’t even sure who he was talking to, although it was a fair assumption that he was talking to me when he was beingthiscondescending.
“I’m going,” I said, hefting my kayak and forcing myself not to shiver in front of him. “Alex is timing once more, then I’m taking over.”
“You know,” Brad said, turning his attention to Alex. “If you were serious about training, you’d get one of them to do this for you.”
Alex blinked at him.
“If you were serious about not being an asshole,” Chris spoke up. “You’d get your mouth sown shut.”
