Page 30 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
I lower my eyes at him. “Don’t take Zoe’s side.”
“I’m not.” His palms come up in front of us. “I’m sure you remember what it was like being her age.”
“Ugh.” I breathe out the chilly air. We better go before the temperature drops even more. I move away from him, and then I quickly start jogging down the sidewalk.
“You coming?” I bait him as I take off down the sidewalk.
Within no time, Carter is running alongside me. We head down the street from the hotel, passing little restaurants and shops along the way.
“I saw online that there’s a park only a couple blocks down. Want to go?” His words are breathy.
I glance over at him, the crisp air burning my lungs. We’ve only been going for a few minutes, and I’m already winded. Thisis embarrassing. Why couldn’t I have been assigned a partner who wanted to clock our hours into the app and then head out for appetizers and margaritas?
Adrenaline is coursing through my veins while I try to keep up with Carter. It’s not that he’s trying to leave me—it’s that I’m lagging. From the corner of my eye, I see his shoulder slice through the air. Dusk has set, and the lights from the open businesses around us turn on.
All I can hear is him panting over the sounds of the cars driving on the busy street beside us. I imagine what it would be like to suck in each one of his breaths while he’s on top of me. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, but I get hit with flashes of what his dick looks like bouncing around inside his gray pants as he runs.
Why did he give me a hard time about my earbuds?We aren’t even talking.
When we approach the park, I’m finally in a groove, and it feels easier to keep running than to stop. One side of the park has a small playground, and the other is a large area of freshly cut grass split into two sections, with a soccer field and a long green belt.
“Over here. “Carter gestures over to the field.
I nod and follow him.
When we reach the softness of the grass, I hunch over, placing my hand on my knees. Trying to catch my breath, my lungs still are on fire, but my body is alive and buzzing.
Carter’s hands are on his waist, and he also breathes heavily.
“Fuck, that feels good,” I say, laughing through my words.
His eyes dart over to mine. They’re dark but bright at thesame time. Sweat beads mist his face as he smiles. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“I do Pilates once a week, and when I can, I hop on a treadmill while traveling, but running this long felt different.”
Carter lets his head fall forward. “You’re probably experiencing a bit of runner high.”
“That’s interesting because at first I thought I was going to die!” I giggle.
“But you didn’t—and now you feel good.” His grin has a bit of smugness behind it, but I don’t care. He’s right.
“I’m glad I didn’t bring music either. It was nice hearing the sounds all around us,” I admit.
“Good. I’m happy you enjoyed it because now we have to run back.”
My jaw drops. “Damn. I forgot about that.”
“Yep.” He nods.
I pull my leg up behind me, stretching out my thigh. “Maybe next time we run in a circle?”
His mouth quirks up on one side. “Fair enough.”
A short distance away, I spot a metal swing set. I can’t remember the last time I got on a swing. I jog over to the playground, with my legs feeling weightless. The sounds of Carter’s footfalls are quickly behind me when he steps from the grass onto the wood chips surrounding the play area.
Hopping onto the swing, I grip the cold chains and start pumping my legs. I feel the intensity of his eyes watching me, which only enhances my high.
“So, we’re going to hang out here then?” he calls out. His voice has uncertainty behind it.
