Page 39 of Delicate Storm

“I don’t know. I’m not that guy. I—”Fuck. She doesn’t need to know I was cheated on and that I’d never put someone else through that kind of pain and humiliation. I’m a dick. I should have left it alone. “Ignore me. My life is a complicated mess at the moment. I didn’t want you to think I’d dragged you into it.”

I turn to leave, but Paige stops me, gently wrapping her hand around my wrist, her hold quite the contrast to the way she squeezed me last time we were here. “My life isn’t messy as such, but it is complicated and…complicated is enough of an explanation.” She shakes her head and it’s obvious she’s holding back, but I guess, so am I. “We were both in need of some tension relief and I sure as hell got it.”

“You weren’t the only one.” I smile.

“So… I’m thinking… Should we continue to use each other?”

“What?” My jaw drops. I was expecting her to tell me she doesn’t do “messy” and walk away. But this is…interesting. “How would that work exactly?” I raise an eyebrow as my thoughts run wild.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, something tells me I shouldn’t be entertaining this idea, but that something can get fucked.

Paige perks up, perhaps expecting me to run at the suggestion, and she’d generally be right. But things are different when it comes to her. “We’d have to keep it simple,” she begins. “No strings. No commitment. No feelings. Just sex. A release. We don’t need to get to know each other. Don’t need to engage in regular conversation. We can look at it as though we’re getting a high from pleasure rather than breaking shit.” She winks and I release a sarcastic laugh.Touché. “I think you need it. I know I need it. It’s a win-win.”

“That easy, huh?”

“Yep.” She smiles confidently. “It’s that easy. Do you think because I’m a girl, I can’t do casual sex?”

“Not at all.” That thought hadn’t occurred to me… “I meant the ‘no conversation’ part. You’ve failed on that during every one of our interactions.”

Paige bursts out laughing, grabbing my arm as she buckles over. “You’re not grumpy all the time, are you? It’s a front.”

I’m not sure that I’d call myself grumpy just because I’m not bubbly and forthright. “I’m just me, Paige.” I shrug. I don’t really know what else to say.

Paige smiles, but it’s not her usual grin. This one holds a little intrigue. “You know, I’m starting to see that. But who knew you were so funny? It makes you that little bit hotter.”

“Thanks.”I think.My voice lifts in question and I wait to see if she’ll bite. And of course she does.

“You seem confused. Or are you fishing for more compliments? You’re hot and you know it. Actually, you’re a dangerous level of hot because there’s also a mysterious air about you that sucks people in and…” She trails off when I smile.

“What?”

“I knew you couldn’t do it.”

“Do what?”

“Go without conversation.”

“But you—”

“All I did was say thanks.”

“Dammit. Okay, let's take that one out of the rules. It wasn’t all that important anyway.”

I consider that for a moment. We’ve made it this far with conversation and it’s mostly surface level anyway. Plus, it might be nice to have another adult to talk to that isn’t my Mom, sister, or one of the guys on the team.

“Fine, but when my cock is buried deep inside you, the only words I want coming out of your pretty little mouth are the ones telling me how good I’m making you feel. Deal?”

Paige falls silent and I laugh.

“You’ve gone quiet? You don’t have to do that yet; my cock’s currently secured in my pants. You’re safe. What happened?”

“Deal. And we need to change that. Stat.”

“Stat?”

“Please.” She drops to her knees and curls her fingers into the waistband of my shorts, ready to suck me right there in the entryway of the gym.

She likes it when I tell her what to do. And what a coincidence, so do I.

---