“Was he great?”
“He was a philosophy major.”
“Ohhh.”
“A philosophy of feminism major.”
“I don’t understand,” Zach said. “Is that worse?”
“Not automatically,” she said. “But he definitely just picked it so he could meet girls.”
“How do you know?”
“He told me.” She took another long drink of her beer. “He told me he considered education and women’s studies, because those would also be female-heavy specialties, but decided against them because he thought the women in the philosophy department would be more air-headed.”
“Whoa. He actually said that?”
“I think he thought I might take it as a compliment somehow,” Rhea said. “Like, because I’m not a philosophy major, he’s saying I’m not as much of an airhead. Like I’m better than the girls he usually dates or something.”
“Wow.” Zach drained his bottle and signaled a server for more. “What a jerk.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Anyway, no more dates for me for a while, I think.”
“You can’t let one bad apple spoil your whole college experience,” he said.
“It’s not just one bad apple. This is my third crappy date this month.”
“I guess you are on kind of a bad streak,” he said.
“What happened with you?”
“Oh, she was only after me for my body,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“I’d think you’d be used to that by now,” Rhea said. Zach did have a very nice body.
“Most girls at least want to have a conversation,” Zach said. “As soon as I picked her up, she asked me if I wanted to skip dinner and just stay at her dorm.”
Rhea burst out laughing. “That’s subtle. What did you say?”
“Well, I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt,” he said. “I went inside and asked if she wanted to watch a movie or something. We got about five minutes into the film, and then she was climbing into my lap.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. I told her I wanted to take things slow, and she got all offended and told me I might as well just go home if I wasn’t interested in a good time, and that she had other guys she could call. So I left.”
“That’s wild,” Rhea said as their new beers arrived. “I guess it just wasn’t a good night for either one of us.”
Zach wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “At least I always have you to finish the night with,” he said. “Who needs a hot date when you have a good friend?”
She leaned on his shoulder. “I don’t know why the other guys at this school can’t be more like you,” she said. “Every guy I meet is so high on himself. I just want to go on a date with a sweet, humble guy who actually cares about getting to know me better and showing me a good time.”
“Yeah,” Zach agreed. “And I just want to meet a girl who’s interested in a relationship with a little bit of substance, and who sees me as more than a piece of meat.”
Rhea looked up at him. “You can’t really blame them for finding you attractive,” she teased.
Zach grinned. “I know,” he said. “You think I’m sexy.”
“And you don’t think I’m sexy?”
“Are you kidding? You’re the hottest girl at this school.”
A flash of heat shot through her. Did he really feel that way? She’d always assumed that Zach saw her like a sister.
“You think so?”
“These guys are crazy if they don’t appreciate you, Rhea,” he murmured. “Every time you tell me about one of your crappy dates, it blows my mind. It’s like watching people throw diamonds into the ocean.”
“I’m the diamond?”
“You know you are,” he said, and bent to kiss her.
The kiss was electric, and nothing she had ever shared with Zach before. She tasted her own strawberry lip gloss as his lips moved against hers, picking it up and returning it to her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer into the solid warmth of his body, and for just a moment, Rhea allowed herself to forget the world and lose herself in Zach.
Then he let out a soft groan, and the sound of his voice jerked her back to reality.
She pulled away.
He let her go easily, as if he had been expecting it. She looked up at him and saw the utter confusion in his eyes.
“I wasn’t planning that,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not… it’s okay.”
He nodded.
“But we shouldn’t have done it,” she added quickly.
“Right,” he agreed. His eyes cleared slightly. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
“It’s just that you’re my best friend,” she hurried to explain. “And my romantic life is such a mess. I couldn’t stand to see you get mixed up in that. I don’t want to lose our friendship, Zach.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re right. I don’t want to lose our friendship either. This is more important than anything.”
She sighed, relieved. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
“But you should know,” he said, “that you’re not ever going to lose my friendship. No matter what happens. Nothing is bigger than that, okay? There’s nothing that could happen between us that would cause me to turn my back on you.”
She smiled. “I feel the same way,” she said. “I’ve never had a friend like you before, Zach. I’m not going to give you up. Not for anything.”
Not even for the possibility of more.
Because now that she had kissed him, she couldn’t deny that she felt something. She couldn’t deny that she wanted him much more than she had ever fully realized. She had always known that Zach was attractive, of course—but she had never fully understood how attracted she was to him.
Don’t focus on it. He’s your best friend. You can’t gamble with that.
“We should really make one of those pacts,” Zach mused, spinning his bottle cap on the table.
“Pacts?” she asked. “What pacts?”
“You know those pacts some people have where they agree that if they’re still single by the time they’re thirty-five, or something, that they’ll bite the bullet and get together?”
Rhea laughed. “Real people don’t have those agreements. That’s just in the movies.”
“Sure real people have them,” Zach said. “My buddy Brad has one.”
“I’ve met Brad,” Rhea said. “He’s definitely going to be single when he’s thirty-five.”
“Well, we could be too,” Zach said. “It’s not like we’ve been especially lucky in love. And… you’ve got to admit, we have chemistry.”
“I don’t have to admit anything,” Rhea said, blushing.
But he isn’t wrong.
“Come on,” Zach said. “What do you say? If we’re still single when we’re thirty-five, you and I will get together and give it a try. We both want to get married. We both want a family. And even if it’s just as friends, I could definitely see myself having those things with you.”
Rhea laughed. “Okay,” she said. “Sure. You’re on. If we’re single when we’re thirty-five, you and I will get married and start a family.”
It’s not like anything will ever come of it.
The Baby Pact is available on Amazon now!
CLICK HERE TO GET IT
Sign up to my mailing list and get news, freebies and more!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
Also by Holly Rayner
CHRISTMAS TREATS
Million Dollar Christmas Bride
A Billionaire Boyfriend For Christmas
The Sheikh’s Christmas Triplets
The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby
GREEK GODS
The Greek’s Green Card Bride
The Greek’s Fated Twins
Saved by the Greek Doctor
The Greek’s Hired Triplets
ROMANTIC ROYAL MYSTERIES
The Pri
nce’s Baby Mystery
The Prince’s Devious Proposal
BABIES AND BILLIONS
The Billionaire's Troublesome Triplets
The Jilted Bride’s Secret Baby
His Hush-Hush Baby
The Billionaire’s Illicit Twins
The Baby Pact
KAYYEM SHEIKHS
The Sheikh’s Bride Deal
The Sheikh’s Surprise Delivery
ALL HE DESIRES
The Sheikh’s Must-Have Baby
The Sheikh’s Stolen Bride-To-Be
Wifed by the Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Tempted Prisoner
Auctioned to the Sheikh
BILLIONAIRE COWBOYS
The Single Dad’s New Twins
The Cowboy’s Surprise Baby
The Billionaire’s Convenient Bride
My Bestie’s Brother
The Cowboy’s All-Business Bride
Wanted by the Billionaire Cowboy
RAVISHING ROYALS
Her Accidental Prince
His Royal Quadruplets
The Prince Next Door
The Royal Treatment
The Prince’s Long Lost Baby
LOVE IS PRICELESS
The Baby Miracle
Most Eligible Single Dad
The Deal With Triplets
Playboy Prince, Single Dad
BILLIONAIRES OF EUROPE
Fake Bride Wanted
Single Dad, Billionaire Boss
Big Greek Baby Secret
His For A Price
First Time Lucky
Dr. Single Dad
Married by Mistake
Fake Fiancée, Bride Forever
Single Dad, Billionaire Heartthrob
SMALL TOWN SHEIKHS
The Sheikh’s Small Town Baby
Seduced by the Sheikh Doctor
Bought by the Sheikh Next Door
The Sheikh’s Second Chance Lover
YOU CAN’T TURN DOWN A SHEIKH
The Sheikh’s Surrogate Bride
The Sheikh’s Unexpected Twins
The Sheikh’s Secret Princess
The Sheikh’s Bride Bargain
Indebted to the Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Forbidden Baby
MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR
The Sheikh’s Twin Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Triplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Quadruplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Quintuplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Sextuplet Baby Surprise
The Tycoon’s Triplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Borrowed Baby
The Prince’s Triplet Baby Surprise
The Tycoon’s Temporary Twins
THE SHEIKH’S NEW BRIDE
The Sheikh’s Priceless Bride
The Sheikh’s Bride Bet
The Sheikh’s ASAP Bride
Sold To The Sheikh Bidder
The Sheikh’s Stolen Lover
The Sheikh’s Bought Ballerina
The Sheikh’s Secret Child
SAN BRAVADO BILLIONAIRES’ CLUB
Second Chance Twins
Nanny For Hire
The Baby Bargain
Accidental Triplets
Take My V-Card
Bought By The Boss
Four Secret Babies
My Brother’s Best Friend
Not Marriage Material
The Single Daddy Situation