Page 22 of Extraction Play

Eva had held her on the couch for hours, stroking her hair, drawing lazy circles on her skin. With her group of friends, she wasn’t short on cuddle time, but somehow, having it in her own space with no defined end in sight had felt more intimate than normal.

“I’m glad,” Eva said, her voice husky. Pixie’s core throbbed.

The shower shut off, and Eva dropped her hand from Pixie’s face.

Disappointment thudded through her, but that was pure foolishness. Eva was Micah’s sister.

“I better go get ready.” Pixie took a step back—from the heat, from the tense air between them, from the alluring scent of the woman, like peaches.

She turned around and headed for her bedroom, Eva’s stare pressing into her like fingertips on her skin.

Eva was off-limits, and she needed to remember that.

Chapter Nine

They’d finally reached the Conservatory of Flowers, ages after Eva wanted to arrive.

She should’ve known though, since they had Micah in tow, and he took forever to get ready to go anywhere. She’d been prepared to leave a half hour before Pixie and Micah, but they’d only made it out the door after the pair of stragglers finished collecting themselves.

The Conservatory was stunning, everything she’d hoped for and more. The interior could be subpar, and she’d be happy with the view from the outside alone. The massive white building was framed by beautiful patterned gardens, the colored flowers alternating to form different shapes. As they strolled down the path leading to the entrance, the subtle scents of various flowers drifted her way, mingled with the effervescentgreenthat existed around plant life.

“Why haven’t we been here before?” Micah asked. “This is gorgeous.”

“Because sightseeing spots weren’t cool when we were in college,” Pixie said. The ease she had around Micah reminded Eva that they’d known each other for years and had a deep relationship she shouldn’t be getting between just because she couldn’t push the woman out of her head.

It also reminded her that her phone had remained silent this week. None of her friends had checked in on her, not even to talk. And in a few days, she’d be returning to that life, to Reno. Even though she wanted the house, since she’d spent years making her mark there, without Jack and Sienna, the place would be lonely.

Being around Micah and Pixie had been a breath of fresh air, the connection she hadn’t realized she’d needed.

Pixie led the way up the stairs, and Eva couldn’t help the trajectory of her gaze. Her gauzy green tunic barely reached midthigh, exposing plenty of her creamy skin. Even after seeing Pixie naked and filled in every goddamn hole, these glimpses still got her pulse rising. Yesterday was supposed to be scratching an itch, but instead, she’d fed an addiction. And she shouldn’t be sneaking glances while walking alongside her brother. He was one of the most astute people she’d ever met, and he’d pick up the vibes in a heartbeat.

“Hey, Micah,” a sweet voice said.

A gorgeous-as-fuck couple appeared: one a femme chick in a swing dress with curves for days and the other a butch girl with short dark hair.

Micah’s eyes lit up. “What are you two doing here?”

The butch girl slipped her arm around her partner’s shoulders. “Random date outing. What about you?”

“Here with my sister and bestie,” Micah said, gesturing to them.

“Tabby.” The butch girl offered Eva a hand. She shook, the grip firm and the woman’s dark gaze warm.

“I’m Kelly,” the other woman introduced herself, giving a softer handshake and a subtler smile. “We met Micah at Whipped. They serve some of my favorite teas in the area.”

“Still haven’t convinced them to come for the other aspect,” Micah said with a pert grin.

Pixie smiled. “I’m guessing whips and chains don’t excite you?” However, when she glanced at Micah, her gaze grew troubled, like some storm clouds passed through. Eva had always been a collector of details, and given her recent obsession with this woman, she filed away everything she could.

“Mmm, maybe a little,” Kelly said with an affectionate look at Tabby, who squeezed around her shoulders tighter. The sight of the raw love in their gazes stabbed right through Eva’s chest. She’d had that once upon a time. Or at least, she’d believed she had. First with Jack, then with Sienna. Part of her, a stubborn, foolish, impractical part, longed for that. For someone to choose her first, to pick her as a safe place.

Except she’d never felt further from that.

“If you come to the beginner’s kink class, you can meet my boyfriend,” Micah said, a happiness in his tone that hadn’t been there when Eva had first arrived. “He’ll be teaching the next one.”

Thank god Micah would be in safe hands when she left. After returning home from college, he’d retreated into himself more and more, and she hadn’t been there. She’d escaped to Reno, clutching onto her own life raft.

“Fine, sold,” Tabby said. “Not that I needed much convincing. Jas raves about the classes there all the time, and he won’t stop oversharing about him and Matt.”

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