Page 10 of Extraction Play

“I’d recommend the Red Haze, then,” Eva said, pointing to the chalkboard with the beers on tap listed. “I’ll grab it.”

Eva strode over to the bar, which gave Pixie a second to calm her heart. The fact that Eva had reached out to her in the first place had her mind spinning out fantasies, but the truth was, Micah worked at Whipped today, and she was the only other person Eva knew in the city. So it made sense. However, the ease Eva took command with her, how she swept in to take care of her—even doing something simple as getting her beer—drew her deeper in.

By the time Eva came back with a beer in each hand, Pixie’s racing mind had stilled somewhat. This place with the lush red curtains and varying types of wooden chairs and barstools exuded a back alley bar in Europe sort of vibe. Even the glasses weren’t all the same, mismatched in shape and size. Pixie lived for the offbeat, which made this spot seem like an odd choice for Eva, who showcased uniformity in everything from her clothing to the way she prepared her eggs.

“So, just an intense craving for beer?” Pixie asked. The light amber liquid looked delicious, and she was up for the distraction after the visit with her mother.

A heavy breath passed Eva’s lips. “I made the mistake of opening my socials.” She glanced at her beer and wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry. You didn’t come over here for me to dump on you.”

Pixie leaned over, bracing her arms on the table. She was so voracious for details on this woman, so her offering the slightest hint felt like a win. “It’s only dumping if the other person isn’t receptive.” She took a sip of her beer. “And I’m well-versed with the mistake of opening socials,so please continue.”

Eva worried her lower lip, then drank a few large gulps, her throat bobbing. “Fuck. I don’t understand how things got so complicated, honestly. One moment, I was happily in love with Jack. And then we opened up our relationship to a third, Sienna, and she amplified those feelings a thousandfold. Until she chose Jack, and they dumped me.”

Well, shit. Pixie’s heart lurched at the hesitance in those stunning eyes, at how Eva’s shoulders bowed.

“And they posted pics at our restaurant, with my old friend group, and…yeah.” Eva stared at the table as if she might laser the varnish off with her gaze alone.

A shiver rolled through Pixie. She could understand the feeling far too easily, of being replaceable, of getting cast aside. She’d been struggling with it her entire life.

Words wouldn’t soothe Eva, not with the hurt of a gaping wound emanating from her. She reached across the table and rested her hand over Eva’s. When Eva didn’t make a move to shake it off, she tightened her grip.

“That’s terrible.” No condolences or platitudes leaped to her tongue because she didn’t have them.

“I’m just complaining.” Eva glanced up, then ducked her head. “There are a lot worse things that could happen.”

Pixie ran her thumb across the soft skin of Eva’s hand. “You’re allowed to hurt.”

Eva’s throat bobbed with a hard swallow.

“I’d feel like shit in that situation.” Something tugged at Pixie, maybe the darkening in Eva’s eyes when she’d talked about Sienna or the way she’d lowered her head. “Was she the first woman you were with?”

Eva nodded. “I’d convinced myself I was straight before her, though it had just been years of burying my attraction to women. Mom andDad sure as hell wouldn’t approve, and Mom already had a laundry list of my defects. I didn’t need to add another one.”

Pixie’s heart hurt. How in the hell did someone this beautiful and kind get torn down like that? “Well, fuck her because you’re perfect.”

Eva flipped their hands so hers was doing the holding, and when she gave Pixie’s hand a firm squeeze, a torrent of butterflies released inside her. “You’re one to talk, gorgeous.”

Eva hadn’t accepted the compliment, but the wordgorgeoushad Pixie floating even higher. She took another sip of her beer, the hoppy, spicy flavors dancing across her tongue. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she squirmed in her seat, all too aware of their hands pressing together.

“God, that blush,” Eva said, her voice low and throaty. The liquid heat simmering in Eva’s dark eyes, the firm grip of her hand, all of it sent Pixie reeling. Just being around Eva brought Pixie to a submissive state, and while she did lean that way, the ease surprised her.

The cool liquid of her drink did nothing to tamp down the inferno surging hotter inside her every second Eva’s hand held hers. “Thanks for the escape, by the way,” Pixie said to distract herself from the intense draw toward this woman. The last thing she needed to do was lean across the table and kiss her.

Eva lifted a brow. “Escape from…?”

A light sweat broke out on Pixie’s skin. Shit. “The crushing threat of boredom. I’m stuck on my current art piece, and it’s not like my phone is blowing up.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Even though Eva dropped the subject, a curious scrutiny lingered in her gaze as if she knew the exact game Pixie played. Probably because Eva seemed to do it herself. “You’ve got a veritable horde of admirers, guaranteed.”

“Admirers aren’t the same as friends.” Pixie scratched her nape, a bit of sheepishness crawling through her. “Not that I don’t have friends—”

“Having friends doesn’t protect you from feeling lonely.” Eva lifted her beer in salute. “Ask me how I know.”

Pixie’s chest squeezed tight. The understanding in Eva’s gaze and her words coursed through her with a hot chocolate warmth. Anytime the isolation swept over her, she wrestled with the guilt. On some note, she accepted she had a ton of friends she could call or rely on if anything were to happen. Truth be told, Meg, Fin, Micah, any of them would listen to her if she needed to talk. But getting those words out?

Impossible, most days.

Yet they’d bubbled to the surface with Eva.

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