Page 130 of The Secret

“I’m not sure anyone has ever been more miserable than she’s been.” She thumbed at me casually, like Murray and I weren’t sitting here at all.

But I didn’t care, because Murray’s long fingers were teasingly stroking minuscule circles down the inside of my thigh and I was struggling to concentrate on anything else. I couldn’t even cross my legs because his vice like grip was preventing it and he knew it.

“How long’s this dating thing going to go on for?” Rafe smirked, but Murray didn’t rise to the bait. “What number are we on now?”

“Tonight is date four,” Murray answered and squeezed my leg.

“Is four the same as fourth base?” asked Rafe. “Pennington, what is fourth base?”

“Home run, baby.” His eyebrows waggled, his broad grin aimed at us, and my vagina clenched hard. I didn’t think I’d get a home run tonight, but I wondered how far I could push my second kiss.

“I don’t know why I hang out with you,” Murray shook his head playfully.

“Because you love us, and we know where the bodies are buried.”

“You mean I know where yours are,” he shot back to Penn.

“Exactly. And we keep Rafe around to bail us out.”

Payton laughed loudly, “That sounds like a valid reason if I’ve ever heard one.”

“When’s date five?”

“Actually,” Murray leaned forward before turning to me, “it’s tomorrow.”

I startled slightly, excitement coursing through me at this breaking news. “Really?”

“Yes,” he grinned, pecking me with a quick kiss which in no way counted as our second one for the evening.

“Where is it?”

“It’s a surprise.”

My eyes flared wide. “What is it?”

He replied with a tipped head and a lift of his brow, giving me a second until I remembered the conversation we had about the meaning of the word, and I smothered my smile with a roll of my lips.

“The only thing I will tell you is that I’ll be picking you up at eight a.m. and you need to pack an overnight bag.”

Holy shit. An overnight bag.

Payton put down her glass, her expression filled with horror. “Murray, you can’t just drop an overnight bag situation on her at,” she picked up her phone, “nearly nine p.m. What’s she supposed to pack and what’s she supposed to wear?”

“After fourth base, she’s probably not going to be wearing much,” Penn threw his head back laughing.

“Watch it,” Murray growled, and then addressed Payton. “You can let your friend know that whatever she wants to wear is more than fine with me because she looks beautiful in anything.”

My heart melted, Payton’s didn’t. “That’s spectacularly unhelpful.”

He laughed, picking up my hand and kissing it. “Jeans and sneakers. That’s all you need.”

Payton still wasn’t impressed, handing me my glass. “You need to go home and pack. Finish your drink.”

“Wait,” Penn held his hands up to stop her. “They can go, but we’re going out and you’re coming.”

She didn’t put up a fight, nor had I expected her to.

“Looks like we’re going,” Murray whispered in my ear, and my breath caught. He knocked back his own drink and stood up, holding out his hand to me. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side when I stood, too.

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