Page 74 of All This Time

“It’s okay… But can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“How does it feel to be God’s favorite?”

She laughs. “Really fucking good. But enough about me, how’s everything going? It’s been a week since we spoke last and I figured I would have heard from you by now, especially if you needed bail money for the attempted murder of Fletcher Adams.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “No bail money necessary, thankfully.”

“So he’s not driving you insane?”

“Oh, he is, but not in the way you’d think.”

“And what way is that?”

I take a deep breath before admitting the truth. “Well…he sort of made me come Friday night. At a bar.”

There’s a loud clatter on her end, followed by Hazel’s voice in full panic. “Oh my God! Sorry, I dropped the phone from shock. What? He made you come? How? Mouth or fingers? Dick?”

Closing my eyes, I visualize that moment again. “Fingers, but that’s not the point.”

“Let me guess…you’re freaking out?”

“Uh, naturally. I mean, the last thing I expected during all this wedding chaos was Fletcher and I crossing that line. I was more worried about not accidentally-on-purpose shoving him into oncoming traffic.”

“Well, how was it?”

I pause for dramatic effect. “I’ve never come that hard in my life,” I admit on a whisper.

Thinking back on how his touch made me feel makes my entire body shiver.

Hazel chuckles. “Nice. But back up. How did we get to the orgasm that rocked your world?” I spend the next several minutes catching Hazel up on everything that has transpired since Fletcher arrived—his appointments at the salon, him hacking into my glucose monitoringapp, his feelings about Spencer, and the flirting that kept building until eventually we snapped at the bar.

Hazel lets out a long whistle. “Well, girl. I’d say you have a problem on your hands, but honestly? I don’t think this is a bad thing.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not. Clearly there’s still something between you two and after sampling his talents, I say you enjoy them while he’s there.”

I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “It feels messy, Hazel, like I’m just going to end up hurt again.”

“Not if you both go into the arrangement knowing that it’s temporary. I mean, you deserve to have some mind-blowing orgasms for a few weeks, Laney. It doesn’t mean you have to marry the guy.”

“Says the woman who married a man first and then got her orgasms.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is, when you and Gage agreed to get married, you were both on the same page about no feelings too, and then look what happened.” Sighing, I fiddle with the hem of my shirt. “The thing with Spencer was humiliating, and I don’t think I could handle if things blow up with Fletcher too. If you hadn’t realized, I sort of have some trust issues now.”

Hazel hums. “All right. I understand where you’re coming from, but let me ask you this… Do you want him to touch you again?”

I haven’t thought about anything else since I walked away from him that night, eager to find my friends so they wouldn’t start asking questions. Yvonne did, of course, because she was on the dance floor with Fletcher and me, but I told her I went to the bathroom, and she didn’t press me further.

And the texts Fletcher has been sending me aren’t helping me push it from my mind either. I haven’t even responded because I don’t know what to say.

“Well…”

“The fact that you’re hesitating tells me all I need to know. You want more, so why aren’t you taking advantage of the opportunity?” Before I can think of how to respond, she speaks again. “When’s the last time you did something for you, Laney? When’s the last time you put your needs before anyone else’s? And when’s the last time you were with a man who could actually make you come?”