Page 16 of Catch a Tiger

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“I desperately need a drink.” She heads into the kitchen.

“Make me one too, bitch!” he shouts after her.

She grins and shakes her head.

Chapter 7

Mark

Mark inclines the treadmill one more level. His leg muscles and lungs scream, but he has a lot of energy to work off this morning.

Last night had felt like a dream. She’s the first girl he’s dated in a long, long time, and he likes her. A lot. He has every intention of repeating last night, of seeing her again, but he could tell that she was a little nervous about where they were headed when she climbed out of the car.

He wanted to text her last night but refrained from doing so. He doesn’t want to seem like the pushy type, and he wants to give her some time to process dating and their kiss before he has another conversation with her.

On the other treadmill beside him, Sean runs at a slower pace. He keeps sneaking glances Mark’s way, and Mark hasn’t failed to notice. Mark expected the questions to happen, but he thought they’d happen when they were done with their run and had moved on to lifting. So when Sean asks, “Okay, what is it?” Mark nearly trips on the belt.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re in your own head today. You’ve barely said three words, and one of them was hello.”

With the towel draped over his shoulder, Mark wipes the sweat from his brow. How much does he tell Sean? The guy who has been pushing him to have a girl on his arm for months now? “I met someone.”

Sean whips his head to the side and stares at Mark’s profile. “What’s that supposed to mean? Like, you fucked someone, or you met someone.”

Mark rolls his eyes. “Why does everything have to do with sex?”

“So the second option then,” Sean murmurs. “Is she hot?”

“Yes. And before you start, back off. She’s not your type.”

Holding up his hands, Sean asks, “What’s my type then, Romeo?”

“Big tits, fake personality, and daddy issues.”

An undignified snort comes from Sean’s nose. “I resent that. But you’re probably not wrong.”

“I’m not.”

“So, what’s she look like?”

“None of your business,” he snaps.

“So testy.” Sean tsks. “She must be one hell of a girl.”

Mark lowers the incline and slows his pace so that he’s not huffing and puffing so hard that he can barely speak. “She is.”

“Does she work in the office?”

“No, thank god.”

“How’d you meet?”

Mark grins and tells him the social media story. By the end of it, he’s chuckling.

Sean whistles low and stops his treadmill. “That takes some serious balls.”