Page 58 of PR Stunt

I give her a flat look. “Glad my misery is entertaining.”

“Oh, my God,” she gasps, clutching her stomach. “You—you—in a mud race? With him? This is the greatest thing to ever happen.”

I stretch my legs out in front of me, exhaling like this isn’t my reality. “I fail to see how.”

Juno wipes at her eyes, still breathless. “No, no. This is karma. The universe balancing itself out. You set him up at the fundraiser, and now you’re stuck literally in the mud with him. It’s poetic.”

I groan, leaning my head back. “I need a new best friend.”

Juno cackles. “You’d miss me too much.” She stretches out on the bench, eyeing me with amusement. Then, in a seriously playful tone, she muses, “You know, it’s actually kind of hot. One time, in Bali, I did a mud bath with this model I met on a bikini shoot, and let me tell you, it was steamy. So maybe it’ll be like that?”

I give her a deadpan look. “Juno, we’re competing in a race. With other couples. And again, I’m on the same team as a swamp monster. Quite literally the opposite of steamy.”

She waves a hand. “Details. I still don’t get why you won’t just admit he’s hot. I saw the way he was looking at you after the hike.”

I frown. “What way?”

“Are you kidding? He couldn’t keep his eyes off you, Char. His predator claim was radiating off him. I could barely hold myself together.”

I nudge her, rolling my eyes. “No, he did not. He had the I love tormenting Charlie Grace and making her life as miserable as possible eyes.”

She snorts. “Whatever makes you sleep at night.”

I sigh, staring at the ceiling. “And besides…if he didn’t get on my nerves so much, if it wasn’t him, then, sure. Maybe I’d say yes to some fun.”

Juno’s eyes gleam. “Oh?”

“But it is him. So, no. Fully off the table.”

“Okay, but on a real note, what do you actually know about him? And Char, if that man did everything by the book, you’d be bored. Don’t even. I know you. I think you low-key like that he challenges you.”

A tiny, irritating part of me hesitates.

I shove the thought away and answer her question.

“Not much. Other than the fact that he’s in love with his bike, surfs, and…” I pause, smirking. “Thinks eye contact with his own reflection is foreplay.”

Juno tilts her head. “Maybe there’s more to him.”

I let out a dry laugh. “No, trust me. He’s not deep and mysterious. That’s like saying there’s more to a slug. He’s cocky and annoying, and somehow, he’s made it his life’s mission to make me lose my mind.”

Juno looks at me like I’ve confirmed every suspicion she’s ever had, but before she can push it further, I sit up with a groan. “Okay, I’m boiling. And starving. Wanna grab food?”

Juno perks up instantly. “Tacos?”

“Can you drive? I rage ran here.”

“Yes, of course. But do you have gum? I have a dentist appointment after this. Apparently there’s a new dentist in town, and everyone keeps saying he’s, like, super good-looking. I’m not about to show up smelling like onions and cilantro.”

Gripping our towels, we head out of the sauna. The rush of cooler air is a relief against my overheated skin. As we change, Juno keeps sneaking amused glances my way, and I know she’s holding back some comment about Grayson.

She hooks her arm through mine as we make our way toward the parking lot. “Okay, but just one more thing,” she says, barely containing her teasing grin.

I sigh. “What?”

She grins. “If Grayson did want to bang your brains out…would you even know what to do with him?”

I shove her toward her car as she howls with laughter.