Page 11 of Resurfaced Passion

A couple of them had stood out as decent guys who could hold a conversation, so she’d made dates with both of them for the coming week. She was already regretting it.

“Carry your own condoms. Don’t assume they have them.” Winter advised sipping on her mocha latte.

Paige chuckled. “I’m not having sex on the first date.”

“You don’t know that. You might take one look at what’s behind horny door #1 and attach your lady bits to his face. Be prepared with condoms.” Then added, with her grin all saucy in that way Winter got when she was about to TMI Paige some sex stories about her husband. “You know how it was for me and Beau. We were only talking for minutes before I was leaving in a cab with him.”

“Because you, dirty girl, were looking to get laid. I’m not. God, do you even know how long it’s been since I’ve had sex? Because I don’t. But I know I won’t be first date banging.”

“Are you girl-scaped down there?”

“Oh-my-god, Winter!” Paige half-laughed then half-panicked that old Harry at the other end of the counter had heard, but he was busy spooning all day pancakes into his mouth. The sweet old man had strawberry jam in his beard, so she took a fistful of napkins down his way and returned to her friend. “Ever since you got pregnant and started having sex five times a day, you’ve turned into an oversharing harlot.”

“I know,” Sighed Winter with a dreamy smile on her face. “Beau is…”

Through all their nightly texting, Paige knew exactly what Beau was because Winter shared in great detail. Seriously, pregnancy had rendered her friend filter-less.

She only felt a tiny envious cinch in her chest but was still 100% happy for her bestie finding the most epic love. To see them together it was just magical, that man of Winter’s was what romance books were written about. As dreamy as she knew Snake to be, it was only one man who caused Paige’s underwear to combust.

“Are you sure about this, Paige?”

The dating app. They’d had this conversation already. She chewed her lip while she refilled the saltshakers.

“How long have I known Reaper now? Years! And he hasn’t so much as held my hand let alone put that hand down my pants, Winnie. We spend Christmas together and I think he likes me; he brings me all the things I love eating and he’s so… I don’t know … kind. He leaves me charms for my bracelet in places around my apartment where he knows I’ll find them after he’s gone. But nothing happens. I’m his buddy, that’s it. I have to accept it. I’m friend-zoned so bad I can see the friendship bracelets he’s going to make for me.”

“Are we absolutely sure he’s not gay?”

Paige’s heart stuttered.

“If he is, then he hasn’t drooled over a Hemsworth brother in front of me.”

“That’s because Captain America is hotter.”

Winter reached across the counter and covered her hand.Sympathy. Which only made Paige extra pathetic.

Being in heavy lust-sortof-love was so catastrophic when it wasn’t reciprocated.

She completely cherished being Reaper’s friend and if that’s all it ever would be she’d be perfectly happy.She would.

“I’m fine, let’s not get our tiny violins out just yet. I have two dates this week and it’s more than I’ve had all year.”

“Yay. Do you want help deciding what to wear?”

Winter boasted a gorgeous custom-built-closet of outfits. Paige? Not so much. She owned a few choice dresses and heels and she liked watching YouTube tutorials of sixteen-year-old boys teaching her how to perfect contouring, but she was hopeless with fashion and always went for comfort. Her style was eclectic, erring on the side of street clown. She loved colors and wearing lots of colors at the same time.

“Only if you’re sure you can climb off your hubby long enough to help me.”

Winter blushed. That meant Paige was on her own.

To be fair, if she herself had a gorgeous husband offering his hard body day and night for her use, she too would become a flake of a friend.

Orgasms before besties. Wasn’t that the saying?

“A word, Paige … if you’ve finished chatting.” She heard calling out from the back in a booming voice.

She cringed. Ugh, her boss sounded about as happy as a bull going to market. He only came in once a week to look over the books and he was always in a bad mood lately. She clashed eyes with Winter who’d heard all her work woes about the boss who happened to share a name with Winter’s husband. Unfortunately that’s where the similarities ended. He wasn’t always a cantankerous man. Not when he hired her on the spot anyway. But in this last year he’d been yelling at everything and everyone.

She told Winter she’d see her later and moved through the swinging doors to the kitchen. It looked like hurricane boss had already swept through the kitchen and given the cook a dressing down because he was furiously chopping vegetables.

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