Page 25 of Extraction Play

The Conservatory of Flowers visit hadn’t lasted long. Eva had shut down since she’d gotten that phone call, and she wasn’t sharing with her or Micah. And when they’d returned to the condo, Eva had muttered an excuse about running an errand and bolted.

“Do you think she’ll be back for dinner?” Micah asked, stirring at the pot of pasta he cooked, along with some sort of simmering sauce.

“I’m here for dinner,” Pixie said, her stomach rumbling. The moment they’d gotten home, she’d locked herself in her studio. The memory of Eva’s dark eyes lighting up in the conservatory, how she’d been delighted by the plants, had fueled her inspiration, and her fingers itched to paint. Fuck, in the mere weeks since the woman startedstaying with them, Pixie had produced more paintings than she had in the past six months.

Micah furrowed his brow. “She isn’t responding to my texts. I don’t know who could’ve called to freak her out like that. Our folks?”

“Maybe her exes.” Pixie grabbed plates and silverware out of the cupboard.

“What exes?” Micah asked, his voice sharp.

Oops. Pixie wrinkled her nose. She hadn’t realized Eva had only shared that information with her, not her brother. Maybe Eva was just as bad as she was at letting people in.

Yet she’d told Pixie.

“Uh, she mentioned some ex-boyfriend back in Reno.” Pixie set the plates on the small kitchen table with a clink, and she returned for silverware and glasses, avoiding Micah’s gaze. One look and he’d suss her out. That was how the card tower crumbled.

“I’ve been so involved in my own shit since she got here. I should’ve checked in more.”

“None of that.” With a sigh, Pixie plopped down on one of the wooden chairs. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been standing at her easel until now that her aching legs were protesting. This was why she needed a Dom. She could barely take care of herself. “The timing might’ve sucked, but neither of you could help the big changes going on in your lives. Your parents’ homophobic bullshit was huge, but so was the situation with you and Parker.”

Odd to think that at the beginning of Eva’s visit, Micah had walked away from Parker because he needed commitment and the man claimed he’d never be able to form attachments. Micah had broken him of that faulty belief—to everyone’s relief.

If only her own issues could be resolved so neatly.

“Foodready yet?” she asked.

“The more you ask, the longer it’ll take.”

“Okay, brat,” she said, pushing up to go pour them some water.

The door creaked open, and she froze.

Eva entered, strands slipped from her usually pin-perfect bun, her blouse rumpled. Her face was devoid of emotion as if it had all been sapped from her earlier. A delicateness surrounded her, like one small blow would make her shatter. Her heart squeezed tight at seeing Eva wrecked like this. Something had seriously gone wrong.

“Want dinner?” Micah asked.

“Sorry I just left,” Eva said. “What can I help with?”

“Taking a seat.” Pixie pointed to the table set for three. She carried the glasses over, plunked onto a chair, and pushed another out with her foot.

Micah slid the chicken breasts from the cutting board into a skillet, the sizzling filling the kitchen, along with the savory scents of garlic and butter. “Food’s almost done.” He grabbed the strainer for the pasta next.

Eva took a step forward, then stopped as if she didn’t know what to do. Pixie gestured at the open seat beside her.

Thankfully, Eva took her up on the offer.

The woman spilled into the seat like her limbs were jelly. “Fuck.”

Pixie licked her lips. She wanted to ask, but she also didn’t want to push.

“He’s selling the house,” Eva said, her voice cracking. Micah tensed but didn’t say anything. Pixie remained quiet as well. What was Eva referring to?

Eva let out a heavy, resigned breath. “After Jack and Sienna left me, Jack was still going to sell me the house. Except now he’s keeping it, which means when I return home, I’ve got to start from scratch.”

Oh no.

Pixie’s heart hurt. Not only had Eva gone through that upheaval at home, but now her plans, her future, were in jeopardy.

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