Page 47 of About That Pact

Rafe laid in bed, wondering how the hell he’d gotten himself into this situation. He didn’t want to be friends with benefits. He wanted it all with her. They had something, a tie to each other they both couldn’t shake off. Her dismissal at the possibility of anything more irritated him.

The man with the most patience was quickly losing it.

Chapter 17

WHEN ALL ELSE failed, Rafe turned to exercise. It was a productive outlet for him to clear his mind while doing some good for his body. The way he’d been pushing himself, he’d be able to run a marathon with minimal effort.

As soon as he got home, his phone rang. It was Charlotte.

“Hi there. What are you doing?” she asked as he picked up the call. She sounded like she was on a mission.

He grabbed a towel out of the closet and wiped the sweat off his face. “Just got back from the gym.”

“I went on a run today,” she shared with optimism.

“Me too.”

“I’m surprised you run on a treadmill.”

“I don’t. I run to the gym.”

“Gym and a run? Way to be an overachiever.”

“You appreciate that I’m an overachiever. Correct me if I’m wrong, but last night, you seemed to enjoy it when you orgasmed. Multiple times, I might add.”

She didn’t say anything back to him. He was willing to bet she was looking around to make sure no one had heard him mention her sex life.

“That is one place I will never complain,” she admitted on a whisper.

“I know.”

“You’re full of yourself.” There she was, back to her witty comebacks.

“Again, not something you complained about last night.”

This earned him a giggle. “True.”

“What are you doing?” he asked. “I’m about to get in the shower if you want to come over and join me.”

“Uh, no,” she sounded hesitant. “I need to relax after running five miles.”

“We should run a 5k together,” he instantly replied. If sex was off the table, they could burn calories another way. He put her on speaker and searched for races in the area on his phone. “We can do one tomorrow actually, over Golden Gate Bridge. We’ll have to do same day registration, so it’ll cost fifty bucks instead of thirty-five, but it goes to charity, so it’s worth it.”

“I just ran five miles,” she pushed back.

“What is another three going to do to you?”

It took her a minute to respond. “My legs could tighten up and I could pull a muscle.”

“Did you just Google that?”

“Maybe.”

“You afraid I’ll beat your time?”

There was no contest, really, but Charlotte never backed down from a challenge—especially if it came from him.

“You wouldn’t beat me.” She sounded certain. “I ran cross-country in high school.”