Page 54 of About That Pact

That had been the only confusing part. What had he expected? It wasn’t like she could have slept in his tent and not had her parents go nuts in the morning. Especially since what had happened didn’t make them in a relationship.

Right? Neither of them had made any promises. It was just another pact between them, like it always was.

Not wanting to swim into murky waters during one of the best moments in her life, she gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek and stood up. “Going to my tent. See you in the morning.”

“Yeah,” he said with little enthusiasm.

Something was bothering him, but she had no idea what. “Thanks for tonight,” she said sweetly. This time when he looked at her, he gave her a real smile.

A whole week after she had sex, she was still grinning about it. She wasn’t sure the protocol for a hook-up and didn’t have someone she could ask. She didn’t know anyone else who would understand. Instead, she followed her heart and texted Rafe.

Thanks again for…you know.

He didn’t respond right away, but that was okay. She had so much to do before she left for college. Naturally, she had a list, and just like Santa, she was checking it twice. Her phone vibrated, and she did a giddy dance. He had texted her back.

Don’t thank me. Last week was perfect. I’m glad I was the one you gave your virginity to.

Her heart skipped a beat. This was a side of Rafe she wasn’t used to seeing. She could get used to it. She liked Rafe.

A lot.

She was about to text him, to see if they could catch up before she left, but he beat her to it.

What are you doing tonight?

She didn’t want to sound like a loner, but she had no plans. Even if she did, she had a feeling she would cancel them if she got to see Rafe. There was a sparkle of hope that something might happen again. Even if it was only a kiss, a kiss was worth it to her.

No plans.

You do now. Be ready in thirty.

This was amazing. Rafe wanted to hang out with her. It didn’t mean anything serious, not really. Rafe was twenty-one, and she was now, finally, nineteen. Their age gap was at a crucial time. She was starting college in San Diego, so it wasn’t like she was going to be home. He just graduated and it seemed he was living the playboy lifestyle with her brother. The two of them went to the bars together every weekend, so it made sense.

She stopped hopping around her room at the anticipation of seeing Rafe again. She had to get ready. That, and she desperately needed to calm her nerves down. Rafe and her hanging out was not the start of a relationship.

Not even close.

He even admitted how he dated, but his mom had never met any of the girls. It was like how Jason was always going on about how having a girlfriend would ruin the fun he was having.

Okay, she had to stop overanalyzing.

Rafe was not her boyfriend, nor was he going to be.

This was just a friendly get together.

RAFE KNOCKED A friendly jingle on her front door. She zipped by her parents, yelling something about getting ice cream with friends before rushing out of the house. It wasn’t like she was hiding Rafe, but a random hang out with him would garner questions galore.

He gave her a surprised look when she didn’t invite him in. “Are your parents asleep or something?”

“Nope,” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of his car. “I just didn’t want them to see you.”

Rafe kept quiet, and she took his silence as understanding.

“You know how my parents are,” she continued when they were sitting in his car. “I just convinced them I was happy after my break-up with Adam a couple weeks ago. I am ready to take on college without him. If they see you, there will be so many questions.”

He didn’t start the car. Her and her stupid heart got all fluttery again. Maybe he was going to kiss her before they went anywhere. Ballsy move since he’d parked on her street. But it wasn’t like her parents could see two houses down from the living room window.

“Are questions a bad thing?” he asked with a curious pitch.