Page 52 of Extraction Play
Pixie snorted. “You love how needy he is.”
“Hell yes, I do.” Parker beamed. It came as a relief how much Parker had transformed in letting Micah in. He’d always been kind, the sort who took care of everyone, but after his mother passed away, grief had threatened to swallow him whole.
Seeing him find his person had given her a bit of poisonous hope that someday someone would accept her broken pieces too. That she wasn’t too damaged to love.
“I might hang around a bit,” Pixie said. “Fin’s working, and I want an excuse not to go home and churn out paintings.” She’d produced more in the past month than she had in a year, but right now, the ideaof being in her studio made her feel a little claustrophobic. Not when she brimmed with the need to talk to Eva in private.
Parker ruffled her hair. “See you soon, Pix.” He rose and headed for the side table, where his duffel bag awaited him.
She pulled on her sweats and tugged her hoodie over, covering all the rope marks. The creak of Parker’s tread up the steps signaled he was on his way out. If he went to her condo to see Micah, that meant another too-crowded scenario. She raked her fingers through her hair and grabbed her phone to check her texts. The email notification about the upcoming interview glared back at her.
Her stomach churned. Everything she’d shared with Eva had meant something serious to her. She slipped her phone into her pocket and snagged her messenger bag from the table. By the time she made her way to the top of the steps, her mind hadn’t stopped whirring, but then her gaze landed on the opposite end of the café.
The lighting was dimmer in the early evening hour, given the lack of the sun streaming through the wide windows, but those shadows suited Eva. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her full lips were pursed as she stared at her laptop, clearly in work mode. The serious expression had Domme vibes, though, and a zing rushed through Pixie.
“Pixie girl, how was rope class?” Fin sang, their voice echoing through the empty café. This was a small hush before the nighttime rush, and then the café closed, even though the dungeon stayed open later some days of the week.
Eva jerked her head up.
“Hey,” Pixie said and walked to the coffee counter. Eva nodded, her expression softening. That was hope enough for her.
“Parker strung me up and set the rope on fire. Blood, screaming, ritual sacrifice. So you know, a normal Monday night,” Pixie said toFin, who leaned against the register like they owned it. Hopefully, they hadn’t noticed her longing looks in Eva’s direction.
“Why does everyone always leave me out of the ritual sacrifice?” Fin said, but their eyes twinkled.
“You’re too thirsty for it.”
“Speaking of thirsty…” Fin grabbed a plastic cup, tossed some ice in, and pulled out the lavender blue pea iced tea from the fridge. A moment later, they passed a drink in Pixie’s direction. “Drink up because I know you’ll forget to take care of yourself.”
Her heart twisted in knots as she accepted the pretty blue beverage. Fin was another one who would be hurt if they found out about the interview. “Thanks, babe.” She took a sip. The drink was floral and sweet, just the way she liked it. The motion of Eva closing her laptop snagged her attention, and a burst of adrenaline rushed through her. “I’m going to see what my temporary roomie is doing. I’ll be right back.”
Pixie hurried across the café, needing to intercept Eva before she left. This was the first chance she’d gotten to talk to Eva without Micah hovering. She plunked into the seat across from Eva. “Hey.”
Eva looked up at her, and her shoulders snapped into place. “Finished up class?”
“Finished up work?”
“Micah told me Parker was coming over, and I needed space to concentrate instead of listening to my brother and his boyfriend fuck.” Eva opened her mouth as if she might say more but shut it again.
God, Pixie hated this. The easy flow of conversation between them had vanished, and she was well aware of why. Because the threads between them were spider’s silk and easy to snap, even as they built a more and more complicated web.
“Portland isn’t my dream,” she blurted out.
“Excuse me?”
“The interview for the position in Portland,” she continued, sweat pricking on her palms. “My dealer threw a unique opportunity my way, and I tossed my hat in the silo. Look, I’ve just been feeling lost for a while now…”
Eva’s shoulders relaxed, and Pixie could breathe again. “And this was an escape.” Her stare bored into Pixie like she wanted to strip her down on the spot. “Do you still need to escape?”
“Depends.”
“On what?” Eva asked.
Eva wasn’t supposed to be more than a fling.
Pixie definitely wasn’t supposed to fall for her.
Yet she had anyway.