“What if justice is not done?”
“Then I usually throw the book across the room.”
“Interesting,” Adley said, and it was her turn to laugh.
Sabrina squinted across the park toward the dogs. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s the same friend who was at the bar with you the night we met.”
Adley nodded. “It is. Scottie. She’s my BFF. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”
“And the other woman who walked in that night and kissed her?”
“Marisa. Her girlfriend. Between you and me? I think Scottie’s gonna propose soon.”
“Really? That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, she’s hinted here and there about how Marisa is The One, with a capital T and a capital O. So I’m just waiting.” She gave a sigh that came out a little dreamy. “I’m so happy for her. She deserves to have somebody like that.” She could feel Sabrina’s eyes on her and worried she might’ve taken things over the line of casual right into the forest of serious. But what the hell? She was here—she might as well own it. She turned to Sabrina, who was still gazing off into the distance. “Do you ever think about that?”
“About what?” Those blue eyes turned to her, glanced up a bit as if looking at her hat, then back down to meet her gaze.
“Settling down. Being in one place with one person.”
A half shrug. “Sure. Sometimes. I do get tired of traveling all the time.”
Not exactly what she meant, but Adley didn’t push. She just nodded, and then they sat in silence for a moment before Sabrina spoke again.
“Hey, do you have dinner plans?”
Adley made a show of thinking hard, tipping her head from one side to the other, tapping her lips with a fingertip, until Sabrina laughed softly. “I, in fact, do not have dinner plans.”
“Wanna come to my place?” Her gaze held Adley’s. Solid. Clear. Adley knew exactly what would happen if she said yes. Exactly.
So she didn’t say it.
She nodded.
* * *
Sabrina zipped around her house, cleaning like she was a human Roomba. It wasn’t terribly messy, but she had crap lying around all over the place—papers, books, her laptop, a jacket here, a pair of socks there, three pairs of shoes in various rooms. She wasn’t used to having company when she traveled for work, and Adley was going to be here in less than an hour.
Adley. What the hell was it about her?
She’d racked her brain since leaving the dog park, trying to figure out what it was about this woman that drew her so strongly. It was physical, yes. Definitely. Without a doubt. But it was more than that, and that was the scary part. Whenever she saw Adley, whatever setting or situation they were in, she just wanted more. More time. More conversation. She wanted to know more. She wanted to feel more. Like, literally feel. She wanted her hands on Adley, and she knew it, and she owned it, and she was no longer afraid of it. It just was.
Did Adley feel the same?
She was pretty sure she did. There was always something in her eyes. Those deep, dark eyes that were shockingly expressive. Sabrina was reasonably sure she could read Adley’s mood in just about any case. Today, they said how happy Adley was to see her. And when Sabrina had invited her over for dinner, Adley’s eyes said she knew exactly what Sabrina was suggesting, and she was in.
She’d never really had that. Well, maybe with Teagan. But they’d both known pretty early on that they were destined to be friends and not partners. But since then? No. She’d never felt so connected to another woman. Not like this. Not like Adley.
And yet, they’d mutually limited things to the physical. Because clearly they each had reasons to do so.
Maybe it was time to rethink that. To actually get to know each other on other levels. On every level. Maybe…
The doorbell rang, startling her enough to make her flinch, then chuckle at herself. She was nervous, she realized. A glance down to check her jeans, her royal-blue shirt that buttoned down the front. As she headed toward the door, she checked her hair in the mirror. Soft, wavy, down around her shoulders. She closed her hands into fists, then relaxed them, annoyed at herself for being so nervous, but also laughing about it.
“I am officially ridiculous,” she whispered aloud before reaching for the doorknob and pulling the door open. The sight that greeted her stole her breath, just reached right into her lungs and took all the air. Adley wore dark jeans that could not possibly have fit her tall frame any more perfectly. Her short-sleeve top was a deep emerald green, which only served to accentuate the rich tan of her skin and the shiny waves of her dark hair, which was down completely for the first time since Sabrina had met her. Waves and waves of midnight that she wanted to dive into and swim through. She smelled like sugar and vanilla, and Sabrina inhaled quietly through her nose, taking it in.
“Hi,” Adley said, then held out a bottle of wine to her. She leaned forward and kissed Sabrina softly on the lips before pulling back, saying softly, “You look gorgeous,” and sidling past her and into the house. Sabrina stood there, bottle of wine in hand, and just watched her move.
“This is so cute,” Adley said, standing in the middle of the living room and turning in a slow circle. “It’s an Airbnb, you said?”
Sabrina shut the door and nodded. “Yeah. When I’m going to be in a city for a stretch of weeks, I usually get one instead of staying in a hotel. Feels a little more like a home, you know?”
“Totally.” Adley wandered some more, peering in this room and that. The place wasn’t that big, but she strolled along, and it wasn’t until this had gone on for several moments that Sabrina realized maybe Adley was nervous, too. Sabrina let her wander, waited patiently.
“I think I’ll open this,” she said, holding up the bottle.
“Perfect.” Adley followed her. “Are you cooking?” she asked as they entered the kitchen.
Sabrina snort-laughed, then waved an arm out to encompass the area that was clearly not being used to make a meal. “I thought we’d order in.” And then she suddenly grew serious because what if Adley had expected her to cook? “Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay,” Adley said, crossing to her and wrapping her arms around her. “I’m a big fan of ordering in, too.”
“Perfect,” Sabrina said, using Adley’s earlier word as she toyed with the hem of Adley’s shirt. It was snug, hugged her torso softly, subtly putting her breasts on display. “I like this,” she said, her voice husky.
“Yeah?” Adley pressed herself closer. “I like yours, too. Buttons. Buttons are sexy.” Her fingers began toying with them.