Page 38 of About That Pact

The pain was still there, but the desire was overriding it. Her legs were wrapped around his back, and she felt the tug of the rumored orgasm. She moaned loudly as her body shook with pleasure. Rafe put his hand over her mouth.

“We have to be quiet,” he said tightly.

He pushed hard into her a few more times before groaning in his release. His head dropped to her shoulder, softly telling her, “I am so glad you waited for me.”

Chapter 14

HOW MANY DAYS was too many to fantasize about one kiss repeatedly? If a week was over the recommended timeframe, Charlotte was going overboard. Anytime she had a minute to herself, she replayed the memory. This was their third time kissing, and he was like fine wine, getting better every year.

The first time they’d kissed when she was thirteen, it had been sweet. Rafe had been gentle and patient. She remembered the way she’d giggled when his tongue had swiped against hers, and he’d joked with her for being so naïve. She had been ecstatic she’d had her first kiss and had wanted to master it. In the shed in her backyard, she’d made him stay with her for another fifteen minutes for a few more kissing lessons.

Their second take on kissing had been when she’d lost her virginity. That kiss had not been sweet. She vividly recalled the demand of his mouth, the possessive grasp of his hands around her face, the needy nips of his teeth against her skin.

The most recent kiss…was hard to define.

There had been a tenderness, but it had also been sensual, like their tongues touching had been about feeling each other. In a way, it was like he’d kissed her to leave her wanting more. If that had been his goal, then hooray for him because it had worked.

Two days after the kiss, when she was on overdrive thinking about him, he texted her. Nothing earth shattering, but enough to remind her how well he knew her and her thought process.

Stop analyzing. We kissed, don’t ruin it.

There was no way she could stop analyzing it, but she took his advice on not ruining it. It was her best kiss yet, and she wasn’t going to freak out that it was with her lifelong friend. It did make her start thinking about Rafe in a different way. She wasn’t going to run after him and demand a relationship, but did he even do relationships? She couldn’t remember ever meeting someone he dated or even a serious girlfriend.

Did he just go around kissing women when it suited him?

That left a sour taste in her mouth.

With the realization that him kissing another woman upset her, she decided she needed more intel about him. In her normal way of rationalizing everything, she needed to grasp how she felt about Rafe. Maybe do a little pro and con list. It was just a kiss, but this lip lock was making her head spin.

Didn’t that make what happened between them something else? Something more? Now was not the time for her to have something more in her life. But…could she turn Rafe away?

FRIDAY CAME AND Charlotte was scheduled to have lunch with her brother. Her and Jason were close and tried to meet up for either lunch or dinner when work wasn’t a complete fire drill for her. Lately, she had been making it a more frequent occasion. This was another activity she could add to her list of hobbies since Rafe was so adamant she had no life outside of work.

Granted, this was scheduled during a lunch break she was forcing herself to take. Still, it counted.

The summer weather was amazing, so they decided to meet at Baker Beach where there was a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and food trucks. Who didn’t love food trucks?

“You’re on time,” her brother greeted when she met him by the pier, his hands full with an assortment of food.

She shrank at his comment. She detested being late, but it was hard to leave work. Today, she’d set four different reminders to make sure she didn’t get derailed and left early.

“I’m trying to have more of a life outside of work,” she muttered, following him as they walked on the beach to find somewhere to sit.

Jason stopped. “Are you okay?”

She turned around, and the normal laughter in his eyes was replaced with worry.

“Yes. It was recently pointed out to me how I spend more time at work than on my happiness, so I’m trying to do what I tell people they need: a better work-life balance. Which, I might add, is harder than it looks.”

He started walking again, shaking his head. “Wow. Does this mean you’ll relax and not check emails while we catch up?”

“Yup,” she said, letting the guilt sink in.

They found a spot, and she pulled a blanket out of her bag, arranged it on the beach, and sat down.

“Does this mean you’ll go to happy hour more than every other month?”

“Debatable and not entirely because of work. I have new hobbies.”