Wilder leans closer to Liv. “Careful, Cupcake. I might just have to remind you what happens when you antagonize thishot cowboy.”
For a moment, it’s like they’ve forgotten where they are. She gives him a sultry look. “Promises, promises.”
I cough to clear my throat, suddenly feeling like an interloper. They startle apart, and Wilder shifts in his chair. I know the look of a man trying to hide an inconvenient boner when I see one.
Olivia: one. Wilder: zero.
I stifle a smile behind my napkin. “So. Next Tuesday?”
“I don’t see why not,” Liv says. “I’m sure the girls would love it.”
The rest of the dinner is unremarkable, and I excuse myself from the evening by saying I have some paperwork to finish. Anticipation thrums in my veins all the way back to the house, but when I step inside the dark entry and deposit my keys on the table, a familiar hollow ache settles in my chest.
There’s no one here to greet me—not much to show for my life at all. My body moves on autopilot through the main living space and up to my office, where I sink behind my desk and stare at the gold frame tucked away on my shelf. It’s hard to look at the photograph and not remember those two kids with big plans for the future, oblivious to the fact that one of them would be gone a week later, and the other would lose himself in the aftermath.
Chapter 4
Pleasure Peak
? Deep - Kelsea Ballerini
18 months ago
Jaxon
Alley_Kat has requested a private chat.
My heart jolts. Even after all this time, she still affects me. I’ve imagined so many scenarios about who she could be, and what she might look like. I’ll sometimes catch myself scanning the crowd, wondering if she’s somewhere close by, but the odds of that happening must be astronomical.
We’ve been doing this back and forth for a year, and I still don’t know her real name; I still haven’t heard her voice. I’m painfully aware this could turn out to be some random dude living in his mom’s basement, but our interactions have always felt genuine.
I reposition my camera and make sure my bandanais secure before I start the feed. It’s been weeks since our last conversation. Despite the doubts nagging at the back of my mind, I missed her. I told myself if she ever came back, I’d try to push the boundaries of whatever this thing is between us.This might be my only chance, and I’m not going to let it slip through my fingers.
“Hey, Alley Kat. It’s been a while.”
Alley_Kat: Hey. Didn’t mean to ghost you. I got my dream job.
Alley_Kat: I had to find a new apartment and get moved in. It’s been a whirlwind.
I’m grateful for the mask so she can’t see my smile. I’m not too proud to admit that a small part of me, the jealous part, was worried she ghosted me because she’d found someone and no longer needed me to fulfill her desires.
“Congrats! Are we celebrating tonight?”
Alley_Kat: Abso-fucking-lutely
“Tell me what you want. Any special requests?”
Alley_Kat: You know what I like. Talk to me, Cowboy.
I slide farther down the sofa and slowly unbutton my jeans. Even thinking about her makes me hard. Maybe it’s the thrill of the unknown, but none of my other Passion Peak subscribers have ever made me feel this reckless.
I’m ready to throw caution to the wind and reveal who I am, consequences be damned. I’d do anything for a glimpse of her, but there’s a small part of me that worries she won’t be the woman I’ve been imagining in my mind.
I slip my hand under my waistband and pull out my stiffshaft, giving it a few rough tugs. The piercings slide along my palm, creating a delicious friction.
“I’m hard just thinking about you,” I murmur. “Are you wet for me, baby?”
Alley_Kat: Yes.
