Free Irrevocably Mine (Imagine Ink Book 3) by Verlene Landon

try. It may even help Stacy find the answers she needed. “Sure, why not. So, we did the old in and out and well, it was a hell of a lot more than in and out, if you know what I mean.” Stacy was nervous as hell, as evidenced by her need to humorize it. But shit, if she was going to go all estrogen bonded, she might as well be serious. “I mean, besides the obvious I meant by that poor attempt at humor, I felt…stuff.”
    “That’s a good thing, don’t you think? I mean, average sex is just that, average and nothing to write home about. No one wants a relationship where the sex is just eh.”
    “No, you don’t understand.” A long silence followed that statement. Gus was content to let Stacy work it out in her head. Stacy turned toward Gus, wanting to get a read on her. “First thing’s first. If I give in to this ovarian-required slumber-party-type conversation, will you reciprocate where John and his potential place in your life is concerned?”
    One nod, and a wealth of information was Stacy’s. A fucking storm kicked up in Augusta’s eyes and the ultimate answer Stacy needed was there. Gus’ feelings for John were deep, indeed, and if her open face could be believed, she would move Heaven and Earth to have him in her life.
    “When I say I felt something, I don’t mean just happy-fun-time with my lady bits, I mean here.” Stacy placed her hand against her left breast. “I mean, shit Pixie, I don’t know what I mean.” Another chug emptied her amber bottle and she went for a replacement.
    Gus’ voice followed her to the fridge. “Did you just call me Pixie?”
    “Sorry about that,” Stacy mumbled around the mouth of the bottle of her dark, brewed courage. “I’ve always called you that in my head, and well, when I’m freaking out inside, I guess my filter doesn’t work so great.” She drank down the bottle in her right hand before ever making it out of the kitchen. Grabbing another, she tossed the cap on the counter and returned to her place on the couch. Pizza forgotten, she continued, “No offense, but you look like a pixie and well…why are you laughing?”
    Gus continued yucking it up and wiping tears from her eyes in an effort to contain her amusement.
    “Seriously, lady, you’re going to launch that kid across the room already if you don’t dial it back a notch. What’s so fucking hilarious, anyway?” By now, Stacy was laughing too, but she didn’t have an inkling why.
    “Oh, my God,” Gus panted out between fits of laughter. She was practically doubled over. “You…filter…bwahahaha. Filter doesn’t…” Gus finally made eye contact and she must have seen something on Stacy’s face that sobered her instantly. “Wait, you weren’t joking?” Her laughter returned with a vengeance and now Stacy was really clueless, and Gus was practically hyperventilating from her amusement.
    “Joking about what?” Even without a clue why, Stacy was laughing pretty hard now, too. Maybe it was because Gus surrendered herself to her amusement—just surrendered herself to the moment, loving life—or maybe because Stacy needed this. Either way, she was in it now, might as well go for broke. The laughter was already lightening her emotional burden. Why not unload it all? Would she even recognize the feeling of being out from under the crushing weight of controlled emotions when it happened?
    “Oh, my God, that’s rich. That makes it one hundred times more hilarious.”
    “What?”
    “You actually think you have a filter at all.” With that, Gus regressed to her previous state of oxygen-deprivation level laughter, and Stacy did, too. Because for the most part, Gus was correct. Stacy didn’t have a filter, flustered or otherwise, she just lacked one completely.
    Once the laughter had receded to a light chuckle and the tears of amusement were drying, Stacy put her hand on Gus’ thigh. “Talk to me about John.” Stacy wanted, almost needed, to talk about Dax, but this…stuff, was