Page 51 of Extraction Play

Pixie shrugged. “I like what I like.”

Their gazes locked again, and Eva looked away because she couldn’t handle the sadness in Pixie’s gaze. Maybe Pixie had a good explanation for not talking about a potential move, and maybe she didn’t, but the news had smacked her in the face with a solid reminder that she needed to keep her distance.

Pixie would never be hers.

Her phone buzzed, and she was grateful for the distraction until she caught the name on the screen.

Sienna.

With barely enough time to brace herself, she clicked on the text.

I miss you.

Eva bit so hard on her lower lip she could taste copper. Fuck her. Sienna had chosen Jack. She’d ripped out Eva’s heart, stomped on it, and she had no right to be hitting her up now. Guaranteed, some tic of Jack’s was annoying Sienna, and instead of having a discussion with him, she was hitting Eva up. Fucking mature.

She took another sip of her tea, letting the burn of the steaming liquid scorch her soul. As if she could rid herself of the churn in her stomach. Between the news Pixie might be leaving and Sienna bothering her, all the cozy warmth from her wake-up in Pixie’s bed this morning swirled down the drain.

Eva didn’t bother responding to the message and sank back into the couch as if it could swallow her whole.

Forget hookups, forget dating. She needed to take herself off the market completely.

Chapter Twenty

Today had been torture.

Normally after being demo for a rope class, Pixie would be at ease. Parker was so talented, with the calmest demeanor known to mankind. However, ever since Micah had dropped the bomb that she entertained a potential move, Eva had iced over. Sure, they hadn’t made any promises, but Pixie was well aware they both cashed currency with each other they didn’t offer anywhere else.

“You okay, Pix?” Parker crouched in front of her and helped rub circulation back into her arms and legs in smooth, strong strokes. The rest of the class had cleared out, so Parker was doing his due diligence, since he’d been showing a few more advanced ties. She was an old hat at being a rope bunny, and while she enjoyed the sensations, it didn’tvault her straight into subspace like other kinks. Honestly, that helped when she had to assist in classes.

“You did great today,” she said, hoping for reassurance, even though her mind raced a million miles away.

Parker narrowed his gaze. “Don’t think I missed the deflection. Is it personal life stuff, or was something off during the class demo?”

She shot him a strained smile. “Just personal.” Not like she could talk with her best friend’s boyfriend about how she was head over heels for Micah’s sister and had royally fucked it all up. When she’d decided to schedule the interview, she hadn’t even been sure if Eva would return to the area. The idea of her living here though? It terrified Pixie how much she wanted that. The way Eva made her feel, the focus of the woman, how she’d understood her when no one else quite did. Pixie wasn’t sure she could walk away from that.

Except that was what Eva thought she planned on doing.

Parker still gave her concerned puppy dog eyes, which meant the others at Whipped would be checking in on her. She chewed her lower lip. Guilt coated her over her recent state of mind, how isolated from everyone she’d felt. There was no logic to it though, truth be told. When you were broken from a young age, sometimes you lost the ability to pretend to be normal. Every once in a while, the mask would slip, and she would vault back to the kid she was years ago, taking care of an unstable adult and left to her own devices.

“Look, I promise I’ll share soon, okay?” she said, even though she’d have to pull a thread from her shaky tapestry on what she could tell them. Eva fell into the forbidden fruit category, and a discussion about her mom was off-limits.

“You know I’ll hold you to that,” Parker said, his voice soft. “Micah’s not the only one who’s been worried about you. We’ve all noticed you distancing yourself.”

So much for being invisible with this crew. She swallowed hard and stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the pressure building in her eyes. “Deal.” She didn’t want to dig any deeper. If she did, she would break, and she’d already sobbed in front of Eva the other night.

And the world hadn’t stopped moving.

That night had been a revelation in more ways than one.

Not only had it clarified how perfect Eva was for her, but it had also caused a deeper crack in the tiniest chink in her armor. The idea that sharing her secrets with the others at Whipped wouldn’t be the end of the world was new. In the past, she would’ve shied away. What was the point in tearing yourself open when no one would help? When everyone walked the other way?

Yet Eva hadn’t.

Fuck, Pixie needed to talk to her so badly.

She rose on wobbly legs. With only a sports bra and shorts on, she couldn’t hide the rope marks on her arms and legs.

“Here.” Parker handed over her hoodie and sweats. “I’ve got a needy boyfriend to go visit.”

---