The Sound of Consequence (Puget Sound ~ Alive With Love Book 1) by Susan Ann Wall Page B

Eyes closed, Stacie breathed in the brisk sea air on a deep inhale. Was she really capable of having a purely sexual relationship? That was her plan, despite the fact that it was more than the anticipation of sex that had her wishing the ferry sailed faster.
    Recalling the way Owen looked at her made Stacie’s heart race. Yes, it was obvious he wanted sex too, but his gaze held some other emotion that didn’t fit into Stacie’s plan. A part of her wanted to be wrong because she was focused on sex and sex alone, not a serious relationship, and she was afraid that if he was more emotionally attached than she was, she’d hurt him. That was something she didn’t want to do.
    But, hey, he was a guy. Weren’t guys into sex without strings? Maybe she was stereotyping or overanalyzing. Stacie didn’t have enough experience to really know what she was getting into so she tried to rationalize the second thoughts. This was just a fling, something completely out of character, to mark the start of her new life. She could just enjoy herself for a little while. She was capable of that. And Aphrodite would agree that Stacie deserved a few more orgasms.
    Until her night with Owen, she’d never experienced an actual orgasm. She’d never felt the toe-curling, muscle-tightening pleasure that Jenny, Audrey, and other friends had raved about. For years, Stacie had thought she’d experienced one, but as her closest friends had pointed out, if she wasn’t sure, then she hadn’t actually had one.
    They were right.
    When she’d had that first one with Owen, she knew. There was no doubt what was happening and there was no doubt that she’d never before experienced such pleasure. All her time with Greg had been so routine, practically clinical. All she could remember was reviewing lesson plans in her head while he worked himself out on her. At some point, she’d even stopped pretending that it was good for her. Greg didn’t seem to care. He got what he needed and according to him, it was her fault she was so frigid. Some women were just made that way and they’d have to live with that.
    Well, Greg, you were wrong. I’m not frigid at all.
    So yeah, she most certainly did deserve a fling. The problem was all the churning she felt deep inside her heart. She could hardly fathom the way this stranger made her feel. She didn’t even know him, for crying out loud. At least she knew his name now, but that was just logistics. She didn’t know who he was as a person. Of course, having a sexy fling didn’t require that kind of knowledge. The problem was, deep down, she wanted to know him. That could complicate things.
    Or maybe not. It was likely they would spend a significant amount of time together with their clothes on. Riding the ferry, walking to his condo, while they recovered from amazing, intense orgasms. Stacie could feel less like she was having sex with a stranger and more like he was a friend with benefits. Yeah, lots of mature adults had friends with benefits, right? It was pretty normal nowadays. So yeah, sexy fling with a friend, them both reaping the benefits. No strings attached. It was perfect. And when she finally got him out of her system, they’d just be neighbors.
    The captain made his standard announcement and she turned her attention to the quickly approaching ferry terminal. In less than ten minutes, she’d be in Owen’s arms again. A rush of heat swept through her body and her toes curled while every muscle tightened in anticipation.
    ~~~
    “Shit,” Owen muttered, looking at his watch. Then he glanced at the three men struggling to change the commuter van’s flat tire. “Are we going to have this done in time to catch the ferry?”
    “No guarantees, bro,” the scrawny driver said as he loosened a lug nut.
    “Relax,” Bryan said, putting a hand on Owen’s shoulder. “There are other ferries.”
    “It’s not about there being other ferries, man. It’s about being on THIS ferry. Do you think if I run I can