Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
It was by far not my last of the day.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Real-dating Rafe Whitman was very different from fake-dating Rafe Whitman. Obviously, the fan-freaking-tastic sex was one of the big differences, but his playful boyishness was another. I loved that side of him. Over the next few weeks, I spent a lot of time at Rafe’s apartment. Mostly because I knew he needed to be close to his clinic for his patients and also because it was easier for me to get to jobs from his place than mine. During those overnight stays, I discovered that Rafe, along with all the veggies in his fridge and freezer, had a drawer dedicated to candy bars. Snickers, to be exact. There was just a drawer filled with Snickers. I couldn’t help but bite back a smile at his adorable defensiveness as he explained that he allowed himself a Snickers bar twice a week and he just liked to make sure he was stocked up. I was at once impressed with his willpower and amused by his need to have a stockpile. The man asserted so much self-control that he needed to know that when he wanted to let loose, he had what he needed to do that.
I wondered if that was part of my appeal for him. That he knew whenever he needed to, he could just let loose with me. The thought made me smile.
Another quirk of Rafe’s was to set two alarms. The first to wake him up, though he’d doze off again, and the second to get him out of bed. He said he didn’t like the feeling of having to jump out of bed as soon as he’d awakened, that his body needed time to accept that it was morning. Worried it bothered me, he told me he’d just set the one alarm, but I didn’t care. I liked knowing these things about him. Like Rafe’s commitment to working out. Even if we’d spent half the night making love, he’d still get up at five in the morning to hit the gym in his building. He’d leave me sleeping in his bed and I’d only get up for the day once he’d returned.
One morning he’d come back and I was already awake and the sight of him all sweaty and flushed turned me on big-time. He’d kicked off his sneakers and grinned at me knowingly. “After I shower,” he promised.
I shook my head. “I want you now.”
A bead of sweat rolled down Rafe’s temple. “I’m a mess.”
“You’re sexy as hell.” I’d pushed the duvet off and my nightie up in invitation.
With an unreadable look on his face, Rafe strolled to me. “You want me like this?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah.”
Then the bastard braced himself over me and shook his head like a dog, spraying me with the fruits of his labor! I squealed, trying to cover myself, and his laughter spread warmth through me as he nuzzled into me. I was still giggling when he suddenly hauled me up into his arms like I was his bride and marched determinedly toward the bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
He grinned at me. “Now you need a shower too.”
I squirmed in anticipation. “You’re an evil genius.”
“Now you’re getting it.”
* * *
• • •
“If it’s going so great between you, why are you worried about what to wear again?” Jude grumbled.
My three best buddies stared at me from my laptop screen, their minimalist living room in the background. The reason I had them on a Zoom call was because Rafe and I had officially been dating for two weeks and this Sunday was my first dinner with his family as his real girlfriend.
I was genuinely nervous this time. It made little sense because I’d met his family, and they all, except for Gigi, thought we were actually dating from day one. Rafe and I had agreed that telling his parents the truth about our start would only hurt them and perhaps even put them off me entirely.
Even so, I had the nerves.
“Is that a no to this dress?”
“I like it,” Roger replied.
“What about the violet-blue dress? The one with the little white flowers all over it? You look so pretty in that,” Kendall opined.
Nodding, I shuffled out of the peach dress I currently wore and walked to my closet in my underwear. “What are you guys doing today?” I called over my shoulder.
“Not a lot. Might go out for a bite later,” Roger answered.
A loud knock at my door signaled Rafe’s arrival to pick me up. Shit. I walked out of my closet, dress in hand. “Come in!”
My boyfriend (boyfriend!) walked in and closed the door, his eyebrows lifting in appreciation to find me in my underwear.
“I’ll be two seconds,” I promised.
“Hey, Rafe!” Kendall called from the computer.
Rafe’s chin jerked in surprise as his gaze flew to the laptop. He took in the sight of my three friends’ faces on the screen, then scowled as he grunted a hello at them before walking out of shot into the kitchen. Tension visibly rode his shoulders. I pulled on the dress as my friends made overexaggerated grimaces at me.