Page 31

Paige

I hadn’t meant to call Easton while he was at an away game. I got his phone number so I could tease him when I was in his apartment, but after my shitty day, I realized he was the only person I wanted to talk to. Whether I told him about my day or not, I knew he’d make it better, simply by hearing his voice. Only this was way better.

“How do you do that?” I ask as my breathing slows, an incredulous smile on my face. “How do you make me feel everything from a million miles away?”

“I don’t think I’m that far.” He shrugs and I laugh.

“Thousands, whatever. The point is that you’re not here, and yet, I have never felt so close to a person.” My cheeks heat and I glance away. I’ve never been one to get embarrassed like that. But while I’m not directly saying I have feelings for Easton, I’m not exactly being subtle. And that’s crazy. Because I’ve never felt like this before. Never wanted to call a guy when I was down, never hoped that the sound of his voice could improve my day. I’m a strong, independent woman. I can look after myself. But God, it’s nice to think about having someone to share that with.

After hearing that Austin still hadn’t found any information on the Mikkleson family, I’d hung up to find a text from Christian, reminding me that he’d be in town soon, offering me another chance to go out with him and his fiancée. But like every other time he’s asked, I told him to fuck off—in nicer terms—and he once again got angry.

I should just tell him what’s going on, but while I may not be any closer to finding evidence, I’m not giving up. I had planned to keep quiet to protect him—so he wouldn’t know anything if he was questioned, but the more he pushes for this stupid meeting, the more I change my mind. And now I have another worry taking over—what if I tell Christian what I know and he freaks out. I can’t have him ruining it for me by running to his dad. And I have no doubt that he would. He’d tell them what I know. Whether because he was angry that they were keeping things from him or he already knew himself, there is no way he’d keep that quiet.

Easton runs a hand down his face and I bite my tongue. God, what am I doing speaking so openly? This is a casual fling. We both know that. We made it clear from the start.

“I know that’s not part of the deal, but I’m saying it because—"

“You’re one in a million, Paige,” Easton cuts into my admission. “And since you are thousands of miles away, I’m going to use this screen as a shield and admit…” He trails off and my heart stops while I wait for his confession. “You’re getting under my skin too. I think about you all the time, but I don’t know what to do with that information.” His voice drops to barely above a whisper as he takes the phone off video. My heart slams against my rib cage and I have to fight not to say anything, in case he has more to add. And he does. “You’re a fucking goddess, D’Angelo. I wish I’d met you in another time. But I didn’t. What if this is all I can give you?” His voice breaks and I shiver.

“Then I’d say, you and I are alike. I can’t give you any more than you can,” I whisper the unfortunate truth, staring at the phone even though his face is no longer staring back at me. “But is it okay if I tell you I want to?”

If it was another time, I think I’d be all-in and that’s goddamn terrifying.

“Yeah.” Easton’s quick with his response. “You can tell me anything.”

Butterflies flood my chest and I smile through my words. “Thank you. I better let you go. It’s getting late there, right?”

“It’s not too late, but I do have to be on an early flight.”

“Talk tomorrow, maybe?”

“Sounds good. And maybe I’ll see you Wednesday? You know, if you ever decide to use my gift.”

“Your gift?” I laugh and my chest warms. Even after the heavy conversation, he still wants to see me. “I would have thought that me being naked in your apartment when you got home would be a gift to you .”

Easton chuckles. “Has anyone ever called you a brat?”

“All the time.”

“Well, Brat, I want you there. Wednesday. No excuses.”

“Or what? Would you have to punish me?”

Easton groans and I laugh. “Goddammit, Paige, now I’m hard again.”

“Well, if you turn the video back on, I’m still practically naked.”

“Even if you weren’t, I could easily picture it. But the next time you’re screaming my name, I’m going to be inside you. That’s a promise. And it better be Wednesday.”

“Do you mean this one or will any Wednesday do?”

“Paige,” he warns.

“Okay, I’m hanging up. I’ll see you Wednesday.” I can’t help but giggle as a feeling of contentment takes over. I wanted him to make me feel better and mission accomplished.

“Bye, Paige. Sleep well.”

He hangs up but I don’t move. I just stare into the ether. “Sleep well.” It was a throwaway line, but do you think my heart took it that way? No, the little romantic fucker just skipped a beat because his tone was softer than usual. It doesn’t mean anything, but the feelings I should not be feeling keep getting stronger. It’s not just about sex anymore. And like him, I don’t know what to do with that.

I ’m busy Monday and Tuesday, meeting with the youth foundation to run through the charity event. We’ve got two weeks to go, meaning we’ve had almost double the time I had to organize the Storm event, and yet, we’re still behind on things. The women running the charity are lovely, and I’m also working with a San Francisco news presenter who volunteers her time with youth services around the state. But while we all get along well, I wonder if it’s a case of too many hands in the pies. I think that’s the saying. All I know is that whatever we’re doing, it’s not working and it’s driving me crazy.

On Wednesday, I wake in a good mood and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m giddy at the prospect of waiting for Easton in his bed. Only, I still have to get through the day and it’s currently out to mess with me.

I’ve just hung up from talking to my agent, when one of my so-called friends calls me from New York.

“Hi Janie,” I answer nicely. “It’s been a while.”

“Too long. But honestly, we all thought you’d be back by now. It’s been months.”

“Well, I thought you didn’t want to be friends anymore since you ghosted me after I left. I’ve called a few times and—”

“No. My God. I’d never. Life has been crazy. I had to take over running the Youth Voices annual event and I stepped up to help your mom with a few of her events too. You left quite a few people in the lurch.”

Bullshit . If she stepped in or up to help out with anything I had previously worked on then she did that all on her own. I made sure my positions were covered. I’d never leave them with no one. Especially my mom.

“Why are you calling, Janie?”

“I’m calling for two reasons. One, because a little birdy told me you were running the Youth Voices event in San Francisco, and I wanted to attend so I could see you. Do you think you could put me on the list?”

“You can come any time. You don’t need to use the event as an excuse.”

“I know, but this is a two birds, one stone situation. I get to see you and mingle with the who’s who of California.”

Ugh, she doesn’t want to see me at all.

“I’m so sorry,” I say with a sadness in my tone. “I think we’ve sold all our tickets.” I’m lying. The event space is huge; we’d gladly accept more guests.

“I’m sure you can get me in. We’ve done it for each other in the past.”

“That was the past. This is now. I don’t see how it’s possible.”

“Ugh, fine. Can you at least tell me where it is? I know the date because Evelyn’s going.”

Evelyn’s the director of the overarching charity. She works out of the New York office but oversees all the US branches. If she didn’t give Janie any details, it’s because she didn’t want her there.

“It’s at the Belford Studios,” I offer reluctantly because it wouldn’t take much for her to find out online.

“Thank you. You’re definitely going to be there, right?”

“I am.”

“Good. That will be fun for you.”

“What was the second thing?”

“Huh?”

“You called for two things?”

“Oh, yes.” Janie’s voice bounces with excitement and I internally groan. “I can’t believe you never told me about your games with Christian. It’s all everyone’s been talking about over here. What a thrill it must have been. Shame the media found out.”

I roll my eyes despite her not being able to see me and plaster a smile on my face. “That was another life, Janie. It is what it is.”

“You’re not annoyed that people know?”

She’s fishing for gossip, but it won’t matter what I say—she’ll still spin it however she pleases. “Nope. I’ve moved on. It’s time everyone else did the same.”

Janie moves on to tell me about the guy she’s been seeing, and by the time she hangs up, I feel a little brain dead. Is that what I used to be like? I didn’t think I’d changed that much, but I no longer have any interest in what she has to say. In fact, I couldn’t think of anything worse.

Since I don’t have much going on in the early evening, I don’t have anything to distract me from our conversation, and by the time I’m due to go to Easton’s, I’m pissed off. How dare she call me after all this time. As though nothing has changed. What is wrong with people?

I’m still worked up when I arrive at Easton’s door, but when I step inside, a wave of calm flows through me.

It’s strange being in his space for the first time without him. But there’s also something exciting about it. Still, I’m not ready to pry into his private life, so I go in search of his bedroom, finding it easily with the layout similar to my own.

With Easton mentioning he’d be home by nine, I arrived at eight thirty, giving myself enough time to get naked, but not enough time to actually get too comfortable. Because I wasn’t kidding about my early bedtime. It's a new development. I used to be able to stay up all night, but I’ve been keeping so busy that I’m usually exhausted by this time.

While I wait, I find myself doomscrolling through my social media accounts and instantly regret it. This used to be my life. Social media was my world. If I missed a few hours, I thought my life was falling apart. And now it’s been days. Mostly because I haven’t had the time, but also because I was afraid of what I’d find.

What if I see something about me? More people spreading rumors. Or worse, what if I see picture after picture of the life I had and I miss it? I like the woman I’ve become, but I was a different person not too long ago and that life was somewhat simpler.

A mental picture of Easton comes to mind, and I shake off my thoughts. I don’t think I could leave right now, even if I wanted to. I’m invested. And while I have no idea where this is going, or even if it can go anywhere, I’m not too worried about finding out. What we have is working, and I’m not ready to give it up.

At 9:05, the distinct sound of a key in a lock alerts me to Easton’s arrival, and I throw my phone onto the other side of the bed before lying down, pretending to be asleep. My lips twitch as he walks through the apartment, but when his footsteps get louder, I school my features. I can’t remember a time I’ve been this excited.

My chest flutters as I lie in wait, and when the door opens, I fight not to open my eyes.

“Fuuuck.” A feral groan releases from the back of Easton’s throat as he enters the room, dropping something to the floor. “God, you look good in my bed, Paige.”

I want to respond, but I also want him to wake me with his tongue like he said he would so I hold strong, keeping my eyes closed, thankful that I was clever enough to face away from the door.

“I know you’re awake, Paige,” he continues, his voice gravelly, turning me on. “But a promise is a promise.”

He rummages around in his bedroom for a bit, teasing me until I hear what I assume is his clothes dropping to the bed. A drawer opens and closes and then the bed dips behind me as my pulse spikes and need pools at my center.

My heart races in anticipation, but instead of using his tongue, like I expected, I startle when he brushes a finger across my cheek before gently gliding the tip along my skin, both of us pretending I’m asleep. When he gets to my shoulder, he rolls me onto my back, then continues his path, circling one nipple and then the other, adding a second finger as he moves with gentle strokes toward my center, spreading my legs when he’s close.

“I’m not sure what I like best,” he rasps, his voice making my body heat. “I can’t choose between fiery Paige, the version of you that gives as much as you get, or this version—open, trusting, at my mercy.”

My breath hitches and I’m sure he will have seen it in my chest even if he didn’t hear it, but he doesn’t draw attention to it.

“Are you ready for me, Paige?” he asks as his fingers brush back and forth across my inner thigh. So close, but not close enough. “It’s about time you woke up.” Easton doesn’t wait for me to answer before he spreads my lips and licks a path through my center, circling my clit before biting down on the bud. I cry out as my body bucks off the bed, the tension wound so tight that it instantly snaps.

I perch on my elbows and stare down at him nestled between my legs, watching with rapt attention until he pauses, smiling up at me.

“D’Angelo.” He nods. “Nice of you to join the party.”

Jesus. Who is this man? He’s a walking contradiction. That’s for sure.

“I could get used to being woken like that.”

“Good. Because I have never wanted anyone more than I want you right now. Roll over and hold on to the headboard. I’m going to make you come while you ride my face, and then I’m going to flip you onto your back and fuck you until you’re screaming my name.”

Oh God.

“Does that work for you?”

“God, yes.” I moan, unable to hide my desperation. “Please. I need you to start now.”