“We cuddled and talked a little last night.”
“And that’s not weird for you?” Emilia asked, taking a seat on the couch and placing the plate on the wooden coffee table. “To be honest, I can’t really picture you being so okay with something so detached. You’re always so open and honest.”
Joss dropped down next to her friend, placing the glasses down next to the plate while she pondered. Last night, Maddox had questioned her reasons for sleeping with him. Now Emilia did, too? Why couldn’t everyone get on board with the idea? “We’re not detached necessarily,” she explained. “It’s simply different than what I had with Nick. Sure, it’s a little out of the ordinary in terms of us not calling ourselves a couple or doing normal ‘couple stuff,’ but it’s a partnership nonetheless. He gets something from me, and I get something from him.”
Emilia’s eyes tightened with concern. “You sure that’s enough for you?”
“For now, it’s enough for me.” Joss settled against the couch and tucked her legs up underneath her. “Yes, I could go do the whole online dating thing and maybe meet someone. Hell, maybe I’d find my forever guy. But honestly, I don’t even have the energy to go on dates. You know how it is. Most of the dates would end with you calling to save me so I could bolt.”
Emilia smirked, tucking one leg underneath her. “Okay, but seriously, how much fun would that be? I’d come up with some of the best excuses to get you out of a bad date.”
“I’m sure they’d be hilarious,” Joss agreed. “But if I’ve learned anything from the break-up with Nick, it’s that I need to think more about myself than anyone else. So, sure, Maddox and I are unconventional, but it’s fun and exciting, and I’m okay with things being casual.”
“But what if they get serious?”
“They won’t.”
“How do you know that?”
Joss laughed. “Because, Emilia, he doesn’t date. End of story.”
“All right, fine. I’m going to accept what you’re telling me as truth.” Emilia picked up her cupcake and licked some icing off the top before asking, “I guess the one question is: Does Maddox make you happy?”
“Maddox gives me orgasms, and that makes me happy.” Joss hesitated, rethinking. “Honestly, he’s actually kinda sweet and thoughtful in a way that isn’t thrown in your face. He keeps asking me if I’m okay with our arrangement, like somehow he thinks he’s corrupting me.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Emilia smiled, taking a bite of her cupcake.
“Yes, but I’m aware of it,” Joss countered, trying to get Emilia on the same page. “Everything is out in the open and so clear that there can’t be any misunderstandings.”
“Well, there is that,” Emilia said, wiping the crumbs off her mouth.
Joss looked down at her cupcake with chocolate sprinkles on the plate but wasn’t ready to eat it yet. “I know this isn’t like me, Emilia, and maybe it’s all crazy, but he’s exactly what I need right now. There’s something about him that’s so carefree and wild. He doesn’t live by normal rules. There’re no expectations there. I don’t have to worry about things getting confusing and messy because I know he can’t give me a relationship.”
Emilia placed her cupcake down and frowned. “Good point, but I think that’s what usually scares off women.”
“I’m sure it is, but I’m not that girl.”
Something crossed Emilia’s face that Joss couldn’t quite place. Concern, maybe? “Aren’t you worried that you’ll start liking him?” she asked gently, licking some icing off her finger. “I know he’s being all upfront and honest, and while that makes him a decent guy, what if you fall in love with him?” She gave a knowing look. “I mean, from what you say about him, I imagine it would be pretty easy to do.”
“Maybe, if things were different. But they aren’t, and emotionally, he’s completely unavailable. He keeps telling me over and over again that he doesn’t date, and that sex is all he can give me. How do you fall for a guy who won’t let you in at all?”
“And he doesn’t let you in?”
“He’s cautious about what he says. Careful, for sure. The second I get too deep, he brings on Alpha Maddox – Sex God to stop the conversation.”
Emilia chuckled, taking another bite of her cupcake.
“I know you’re worried about me, and I love you for it,” Joss said with a smile, squeezing Emilia’s forearm. “But he’s not a guy you fall in love with. Lust, oh yeah, I’m all over it. But I’ve already loved someone who didn’t love me back. Why would I willingly go into that again?”