Page 30 of Truth and Temptation
My head slowly lowers back to his shoulder, a different kind of satisfaction creeping through me. Idly, I let my fingers trace the outline of the wings on the feminine body that runs down the middle of Wyatt’s strong chest. “Will you tell me about this? Having now experienced my first tattoo, I cannot imagine the fortitude it would take to sit through a session long enough to complete such a work of art.”
Wyatt shifts on the bed, moving me slightly. “It’s a Valkyrie. The legend is they were maidens chosen by the god Odin to go into battle and choose from the dead who would be worthy of a place in Valhalla. My twin, Ryder, was always obsessed with Norse mythology. I used to tease him relentlessly about the video games he would play all the time when we were teenagers. Now I wish I had just played them with him when he would ask.”
“You have a twin?” I interrupt, my mind racing with this revelation.
“I…had a twin. He died twelve years ago. Cancer.”
“Wyatt. I’m so very sorry.” I bring one hand up to cup his face, wishing I could wash away the pain I see etched there. “You don’t have to talk about it if it’s too painful.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s good to talk about him. Anyway, after he died, there was no question in my mind that he went straight to heaven, whatever that may look like. And I like to think he had a fiercely beautiful woman escorting him there. And since I can’t let him have all the glory, I decided to hold that belief close to my heart.”
The emotion with which he speaks of his brother fills me with longing. I cannot begin to imagine the depth of connection he must have felt with his twin. To have that connection severed is a great tragedy. Nonetheless, a small part of me is envious that he got to experience that type of relationship at all.
But it becomes apparent that Wyatt does not want to dwell on this subject as he rolls me over until I am straddling his waist.
“Wanna see how good it feels like to come like this?”
The day after our return from Vancouver is the monthly book club meeting. Thankfully, the woman Mila invited to talk about…well, who knows what, had to postpone. Normally, I use the days leading up to the event to prepare a list of discussion questions, but this time I was understandably distracted by both my nerves leading up to the trip with Wyatt, and naturally, by what occurred that night.
I admit to being mildly disappointed that Wyatt did not initiate further sexual relations when we woke up the next morning. However, upon self-reflection, I had to acknowledge my body required some time to recover. The flight home was far less stressful for me, likely due to Wyatt’s hand stroking my inner thigh and his lips kissing my shoulder and neck the entire time, thoroughly distracting me from the breathtaking view.
We arrived back in Dogwood Cove twenty-four hours ago. I have not seen Wyatt since he dropped me off at home with a spine-tingling kiss. A kiss I am still thinking about as I move around my house, preparing for my friends to arrive, as it is my turn to host. I have debated in my mind whether or not to tell my friends about my sexual enlightening, and have not yet arrived at a decision. Part of me wants to tell them how I finally understand their reactions, the other part of me wants to keep what transpired between Wyatt and I a secret.
But that choice is taken away from me as soon as Serena walks into my house. She’s the last to arrive, and as soon as she sees me, she drops her coat on the back of my couch and lets out a whoop.
“Halle-freakin-lujah, our girl got some!”
“Some what?” Abby asks, walking in from my kitchen with a glass of wine. I start to answer, trying to deflect from Serena, but as she is prone to do, my dear friend barrels on ahead.
“Orgasms! Look at her, she’s glowing. You have to tell us everything, Paige!”
I frown slightly at Serena’s exuberance, even as I fight my own inner cheer. “It’s impossible for me to glow, Serena. I don’t know what you’re seeing.”
We’ve made it to my small living room where the rest of our group awaits. They are all looking at me with expressions that range from curiosity to excitement.
“Is she right, Paige?” Mila asks eagerly, and I give in to the inevitable.
Sinking down on the couch beside her, I pick up my glass of wine and compose myself. But I am unable to entirely hide my smug smile as I reply, “If Serena is indicating I have now experienced the spectacular ecstasy that accompanies a true orgasm, then the answer is most assuredly yes.”
Chapter thirteen
Wyatt
“Strathcona is the oldest provincial park in BC.”
This isn’t the first random factoid Paige has sprung on me since we started our walk an hour ago. Like I did with the other pieces of information she shared, I smile. She’s nervous, and I don’t blame her. The last time I saw her was when I dropped her off at home after our fucking phenomenal weekend in Vancouver. We never did talk about the orgasm situation; hell, I don’t even know if she realizes I knew she’d never had one before. I sensed that she needed a little space, so I stayed away yesterday, only sending her a couple of texts so she didn’t think I was ghosting her. But this morning, I wanted to see her, so I sent a message asking if she wanted to go for a drive to the park. Her reply came back quickly, and here we are.
“Is that right? We’re walking through history, that’s cool,” I reply, taking care to keep my tone relaxed. The trail grows a lot steeper ahead, but it also widens enough that I can move up beside her, and I take her hand. It feels natural to be with her like this, which if I’m being honest, makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I don’t remember the last time I felt this close to a woman, or even the last time I spent this much time with the same woman, outside of a bedroom. But with Paige, I want more. She’s slowly filling in the holes in my soul that I honestly thought would ever fill. With Ryder’s diagnosis, and the increased risk to my own health, I wrote off the idea of ever having a partner in life. But Paige is somehow making me question that. Which is a little terrifying.
Suddenly, Paige pulls me to a stop, snapping me out of my spinning thoughts. When I look at her, my heart plummets. She’s pale and breathing oddly, with pursed lips.
“Shit, Paige. What’s wrong?”
“Inhaler. Front pocket.” She gasps out the words as I guide her to a rock to sit down. I fumble slightly but find the blue device I assume she’s talking about. She grabs it from my hands, shakes it, and puts it to her mouth as I drop to my knees in front of her and dig around in my pack for some water. My mind is racing; I can feel panic creeping over me like a darkness. I push it away, willing with everything I have for Paige to be alright.
“Thank you.”
My eyes fly up to meet hers, and thank fuck, her breathing appears to be slowing down.
