Page 63 of Extraction Play
“What does that mean for us then?” she asked, her heart thumping out of control.
Eva pulled their interlinked hands up to her face and pressed her lips to the back of Pixie’s hand. “Well, if I’m moving to the area and you’re staying here…I wouldn’t mind giving us a go. Seeing where all this could take us.”
Pixie’s chest flooded with warmth at those shaky steps forward. “I want that.” A grin twitched at her mouth, even though she fought it, as if the tentative happiness might get tugged out from under her at any moment.
“What about the outside world, though? This could cause some complications.”
Micah.
Pixie knew that was who Eva meant. The bubble of warmth burst, cold infiltrating through, and she sighed. Ever since he’d found out about her interview, their relationship had been strained, and she was terrified this would break those bonds between them. Micah was herlongest connection, her oldest friend, and she should’ve shared more with him. Should’ve told him what was going on in her world long before this.
“I can’t lose him.” Eva chewed on her lower lip. “I already let him down when we were kids. He had to shoulder the burden of being queer all by himself when I should’ve been there helping him.”
“You were a kid,” Pixie reminded her gently, even though the distress in Eva’s gaze made her heart hurt.
“So was he.” Eva untangled their hands and pushed to a seated position, the seriousness in her eyes striking Pixie silent. She’d clutched this precious gift in her hands, and already, she could see it getting snatched away from her.
“What if it doesn’t cause complications?” Pixie asked, needing to throw it out in the universe. The cynical side of her guaranteed there would be trouble, but this was Micah. Even though she hadn’t opened up as much as she should have, he’d been there for her a lot over the years. During college, he’d been the one to bring croissants and coffee so they could just sit there and munch when she was in a funk. He’d proved his loyalty to her time and time again, and to be honest, going behind his back with this had formed a layer of guilt that clung to her.
“How could it not?” Eva said.
“Yet he found his happiness.” Pixie’s heart thumped hard. This relationship with Eva was close enough to grasp, but it all could crumble. “You’re allowed to find yours too.” She sucked a deep breath in. “Even if it’s not with me.”
Eva shook her head and reached between them to cup her hand on the side of Pixie’s face. “I got dumped by my boyfriend and girlfriend a little over a month ago, and I’m homeless, floating, and not even sure where to land. So you can imagine my surprise that this gorgeous,creative, awe-inspiring woman not only captured my attention but also completely ensnared my heart.”
Pixie swallowed hard. Eva’s words burrowed deep in a place she wanted to keep soft and secret.
“So if you’re asking me where I’d find my happiness?” She brushed her thumb across Pixie’s lower lip, the touch sending a shiver through her. “It’s with you, dove.”
Pixie couldn’t help herself. She lunged forward, all but climbing onto Eva’s lap as she kissed her.
As their lips touched, an incendiary spark flared through her entire body from the force of their connection. Eva’s scent, all peaches and sin, surrounded her, soothing her worries and fears. She lost herself in the sweetness of their kiss. Such a simple act but with such a powerful, potent effect on her. Maybe because she’d never spent much time kissing—too romantic. She’d avoided entanglements, but with Eva, she wanted everything.
Eva threaded her fingers through her strands as she deepened the kiss, and Pixie melted into it. She loved the way Eva took command with her, how it came instinctively. Her lashes fluttered, and her tongue tangled with Eva’s while pleasure slowly trickled through her. The surrender she experienced in this woman’s arms, the safety, was brand new, but she didn’t want to give it up.
After a lifetime of instability, she had finally found someone she wanted to risk her heart for. To claim.
“Pixie, have you seen my sister?” Micah called—far too close.
Before they could pull apart, the door to Pixie’s room flew open.
Micah stood in the doorway.
And given Pixie was sitting on Eva’s lap naked, wrapped up in the sheets with her, they couldn’t pivot out of this.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Micah froze, his question ringing through the quiet.
Eva couldn’t pull away or pretend she and Pixie hadn’t happened, not with the way he found them. Her mind whirled like a roulette as panic reigned. Micah’s brows drew together, and the flash of his eyes wasn’t any sort of joy.
Eva yanked the sheet up to cover her chest as Pixie slipped off her lap to do the same. This conversation was always going to be awkward, but it was a thousand times worse like this.
“We’re together,” Pixie stated calmly. “I know weshould’ve told you—”
“What you shouldn’t have done is slept with my sister behind my back,” Micah snapped. “You’ve made it clear lately how little you value our friendship, but this? Fuck.”