Page 92 of Seven Year Itch
“Really?” Kate looks shocked. “How great?”
I’m just as amazed by my response as she is. “Like super great.”
“Great!” she peals happily. “Is there a new man in your life that’s contributing to some of this greatness?”
“Um...” I frown as I try to figure out how best to answer this. “Not really? I mean... kind of. It’s complicated.”
Her brows lift. “Girl, I’m a best seller ofcomplicated. What book trope are we talking about here? Friends to lovers? Second-chance romance? Workplace relationship? Tell me you’re hooking up withone of these young college kids you always have running around here. I would die for a juicy reverse–age gap sapphic romance right now!”
“God no.” Before knowing Kate, I had no idea that there were different tropes or themes out there in romance. She’s opened my mind up to a whole new world since I met her. I think for a moment and then chuckle. “Ummm... I guess you could call it enemies to lovers.”
“My freaking favorite!” She rubs her hands together, and her eyes narrow as her writer brain kicks into overdrive. “The tension in those books is so much fun. And I love how the two characters constantly fuck with each other and you never know what’s coming next. There’s such brutal honesty in hate-to-love stories.”
“There’s no love happening, I assure you.”
She rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. It’s fun because the hate makes it unexpected. And the ribbing and poking and the arguing makes the moment they say fuck it and bang that much more intense. Who’s the lucky guy we love to hate?”
My mind races with her very astute reflection on what’s happening in my life without even knowing exactly what’s happening in my life. It’s freaky how much romance novels can mirror real life.
“I can’t tell you who it is. It’s casual, so we’re keeping it on the down-low. Sorry.”
She purses her lips together. “Smart, smart. A secret affair is super hot too. Little taste of the forbidden. Rarr.”
I wish it was more secret. Every time I have had to drive up the mountain, I pass Wyatt and Trista’s house and it feels so weird. Like they know I’m just coming over to bang.
Calder is right: I need to get over my hang-up about him coming back to my house, but I just don’t love the vibe there anymore. It feels tainted somehow... both by Randal and by the major blowout I had with Calder there seven years ago. I don’t want our past to ruin our present.
Plus, I love the mountain. It feels like such an escape every timeI go up there, and Calder’s cabin is the perfect love shack for us to explore each other’s bodies. Like how I did last night with that whip.
My cheeks heat as images of Calder’s perfect ass streaked with red lines flood my mind. That cat-’o-nine-tails was meant to be a joke, but Calder shocked me when he suggested I try it out on him. I don’t think Randal’s toxic masculinity would ever have allowed him to give up control like that, but Calder seemed more than happy to let me explore this kink.
There is something so insanely sexy about a bearded, tattooed, super alpha male giving in to his lady. And I think Calder knows what he’s doing, because it made the sex we had afterward completely mind-blowing.
“Hey, congrats on the Best of Boulder, by the way!” Kate says, whacking my arm playfully. “I can’t believe you haven’t won that before.”
“Oh, thanks.” My cheeks flush with her praise.
“Miles and I are going to the banquet too as a part of the Boulder Business Bureau, and I can’t wait to see you up there accepting your award in a couple weeks.”
“Gosh, I need to look for something to wear to it.” I run my hands through my hair, anxiety prickling in my belly. “Time has just flown by the past few weeks.”
“Well, good sex does sort of mess up the space-and-time continuum.” Kate laughs knowingly. “Will you bring your secret fling with you as a plus-one?”
“No way,” I exclaim, shuddering at the thought. Calder would probably laugh in my face. “We are casual, so I will be flying solo.”
“Mmm-kay.” Kate eyes me skeptically. “Well, we’ll be there with bells on and can’t wait.” She leans in to give me a tight squeeze. “I’m just happy to see you glowing, girl. Randal tried to suck all the joy out of you, but I can tell that you are in a really good space. Even if this enemy stays an enemy, at least he’s helping you get your sex sparkle back.”
I chuckle. That’s one way to put it. But she is right. I feel satiated, not just sexually but emotionally.
I feel alive.
As she walks away, I think some more about what she said earlier about the enemies-to-lovers stuff. Calder and I have surprisingly been getting along lately, and I weirdly miss the teasing spark we used to have.
I never thought I’d yearn for the day he called me a Karen.
Is he just being nice to me because he knows all the dirty details about Randal? I don’t want to be treated with kid gloves like I’m some kind of victim. That’s not what this sexual awakening is about. Maybe it’s time I poked the bear again.
Chapter 29
