Page 62 of After the Vows

“I’m not giving you details.”

“Please,” Maya begs. “The book I’m reading is a clean romance. I didn’t realize there was no sex in it at all. But now I’m halfway through and I have to finish it. I feel as if I’ve gone celibate.”

“You should watch porn,” Paisley suggests.

I screech to a halt. “What did you say?”

“She should watch porn.” Paisley glances around at our group of friends, all of whom have their mouths hanging open. “Why is everyone surprised? Women can watch porn.”

I groan. “Someone stop her before she goes on a feminist rant.”

Nova grasps Paisley’s hand. “We realize women can watch porn, sweetie. The thing we’re confused about is you watching porn.”

Paisley wrenches her hand away. “Being a nerd does not mean I don’t have sexual needs and desires. In fact, sexual satisfaction—“

“Nope.” I slap a hand over her mouth. “I’m not listening to a scientific lecture about sex. It’ll ruin my post sex high.”

My post sex high evaporated the second I realized I was falling for Lucas, but I am never ever admitting my feelings to my friends. Maya would have a honeymoon booked before I had the chance to explain Lucas doesn’t want what I want out of our ‘marriage’.

“I love this!” Maya shouts. Several people in the parking lot look over and her face darkens until her cheeks are red. “Sorry,” she whispers.

“I knew we’d be the fastest through the escape room,” Sophia says when we enterRumrunnerlater.

The Bootlegger’s Escape Room was a combination of figuring out bootlegger trivia and drinking shots of moonshine. Between Paisley’s knowledge of all things and us growing up on moonshine, we were unbeatable.

We find a table and collapse in it. We might have been raised on moonshine, but those five shots are hitting us hard.

“Shots for the winners.” The owner of the bar, Harper, slams a tray down on the table. “You know the escape room festival was intended for tourists.”

Sophia leans to the side as she attempts to shrug. “They didn’t make a rule saying we couldn’t.”

“I reviewed the rules in detail,” Paisley announces.

Nova tries to slap her shoulder and ends up hitting her boob. “Oops. Sorry. What cup size are you hiding under those oversized shirts?” Nova lifts up Paisley’s shirt but Paisley shoves her out of the booth.

“I’m okay!” Nova yells from the floor where she’s now sprawled. “Nothing hurt.”

“Harrumph.” Maya snort-snores from the corner of the booth where she’s slumped over asleep.

“Maybe you don’t need any more shots.” Harper draws the tray away, but I stop her.

“Nova and Maya drank extra shots so Paisley could keep her mind clear,” I explain.

“It wasn’t against the rules,” Paisley volunteers when Harper glares at her.

Harper sighs. “Smuggler’s Hideaway should know better than to have any loopholes in the rules of a festival with the five of you around.”

I throw my hands in the air. “Because we are the champions.”

Harper shakes her head. “Your poor husbands.”

“I’m not married,” Sophia shouts after her.

“As good as,” Harper yells back.

Sophia grins. “It’s true. I’m as good as married to Flynn. He’s stuck with me for life.”

Lucky her. I am married but my husband wants nothing to do with me. Except have sex and pretend nothing’s changed between the two of us. How can nothing be changed after what we experienced together? Or is he used to having awesome sex?

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