Page 47 of Rough Ride

She was wrong for him, and she had been right about the ranch. On top of that, they had never engaged in play, just fast and fun sex.

And Eli was damned sure he was in love with her.

Fuck.

fifteen

Crysta wasn’t feeling any better by lunch than she had that morning. After telling Eli it was just a one-night thing, she realized that she wanted to cry again. How pathetic was that? She hadn’t even cried that hard when Ashton had cheated on her. But one night with a man had her acting like a little crybaby.

She knew why she was feeling that way and she didn’t like it one bit. Being depressed over a night of fantastic lovemaking was kind of stupid, but she couldn’t seem to stop feeling sorry for herself. It had been a mistake and, god…she couldn’t even imagine if they had been playing. But she knew to make sure there weren’t any complications with their arrangement—and also to protect herself. Eli St. John was just another name for heartbreak.

“Earth to Crysta,” May said snapping her fingers at her.

Crysta shook herself out of her funk. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

She sipped her root beer, hoping the sugar would give her the boost she needed for the day.

“Really?” May asked.

Crysta nodded and looked around the restaurant. It was just a bit after eleven in the morning and the place was already starting to fill up with customers. There were lots of locals but a good deal of tourists, which told her they had a solid base to work from. They’d gotten a table in the back, secluded enough they were afforded some privacy.

“Well, if you hadn’t been sexing it up with Eli, you would have gotten more sleep.”

Crysta blinked. “What?”

May smiled. “Oh, please. Both of us can tell you had sex last night.”

May glanced at Dee. “Yeah, but I have more class than you do and I didn’t mention it.”

Crysta could feel her face heating up. “I’m not saying we did anything.”

May snorted. “Puleeeeze, you did so. And now we want details.”

“Maylea Aiona Chambers,” Dee said.

It was May’s turn to blink. “What?”

Dee rolled her eyes. “You just asked a woman you’ve known less than twenty-four hours about her sex life.”

She shrugged. “Like you don’t want to know.”

“Again, I point out, I have more class.”

“And that makes me more honest.”

Crysta threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, please, stop. You’re making my head hurt.”

Dee patted her on the shoulder, much as she had the night before. “I’m sorry about that, Crysta.”

“Yeah, sorry,” May mumbled. “I just wondered what kind of Dom he was in private.”

She glanced at both women, then gave in to the need to share. “There was no play.”

A beat of silence filled the booth. “No play? Eli just…you guys just…” Dee didn’t finish.

“Holy cow, he is hung up on you,” May said.

“What do you mean?”

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