Page 26 of Hearts Clash

Scarlett looked at her for a moment. Her piercing gaze seemed to be searching for something, roaming all over Gianna’s face and taking her in. It was disarming but oddly pleasant. There was an intensity in those hazel eyes that sucked all the oxygen out of the air and left the atmosphere crackling. “It doesn’t feel like much of a win when my competition quit,” Scarlett remarked.

Gianna shrugged casually, trying to still her racing heart as she looked at the other woman’s face. Every single time they ended up in the same room, she felt herself reduced to this frazzled mess of nerves and heat. Scarlett drove her insane. Crazy in love, crazy in lust, and just plain crazy in general.

“I was never going to get it anyway,” she answered calmly. “This is your kingdom, Doctor Miller. You’ve made it perfectly clear that I’m not welcome here, so I’m getting out of your way. That’s all.”

Scarlett flinched visibly at that, averting her gaze to stare down at the floor instead. She remained silent for a long while. They stood there awkwardly in the hallway, surrounded by cardboard boxes and piles of stuff, and neither knew exactly how to break that silence.

“Yeah, about that,” Scarlett finally spoke, her tone sheepish and ashamed. “I owe you an apology. I’ve treated you terribly. Especially the other day, in the locker room. When I realized that you were the person I’d been talking to and opening up to and sharing all those feelings and secrets with, it terrified me. I’ve never felt so close and connected with anyone before in my life, and I’ve been scared all my life of really facing that part of myself. I panicked, and I lashed out. I’m sorry.”

Once again, Gianna stood in stunned silence, unable to form a coherent sentence. Her heart skipped a beat at Scarlett’s admission, doing cartwheels and somersaults all over her chest. To hear that she wasn’t the only one who had been overwhelmed by their connection—that Scarlett had felt it, too—it filled her with a warm and giddy sense of hope and happiness. Finally, she gathered herself enough to nod.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “that means the world to me. Uh, this place is a bit of a mess right now, but would you like to come in anyway? I have wine.”

Scarlett lit up like the sunrise. It was a rare, genuine, unguarded smile, so radiant that Gianna felt a sudden warmth blossom in her chest and spread all the way through her fingers. Oh god. This woman was stunningly, unfathomably beautiful.

“I’d like that very much,” Scarlett said softly.

They migrated to the large, white, L-shaped sofa that dominated the living room, surrounded by cardboard boxes. Gianna fetched them each another glass of wine and sat down beside the redhead, nervously trying to think of something to say. Cocoa sauntered out from wherever he’d been hiding, meowing indignantly, and hopped up onto the couch to settle in Scarlett’s lap without hesitation.

“Oh, hi there,” the redhead laughed affectionately, petting the orange tabby enthusiastically as he pushed his head into her hand. “I’ve heard about you. Aren’t you a sweet boy?”

Cocoa purred loudly, rolling around in her lap to show her the optimal places to scratch and rub, demanding to be adored. Gianna smiled brightly at the sight, feeling some of the tension dissipating from the space between them.

“I can’t believe I’m jealous of a cat right now,” Gianna joked, reaching over to run her fingers through her tomcat’s soft fur.

Scarlett blushed furiously at that, biting her bottom lip to fight the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“Are you really?” she asked.

Their eyes locked instantly, and Gianna nearly choked on her breath at the warmth and vulnerability in that gorgeous hazel gaze. Gone were the walls and pretense, and in its place was a beautiful, fascinating woman who Gianna couldn’t help but feel drawn toward. She inched closer subconsciously.

“I was so disappointed when you said no to meeting up,” she admitted softly. “I mean, I understand it, and I’d never want anyone to feel pressured into something they’re not ready for, but I wanted to so badly. I kept imagining what it would be like, to meet you and have all the secrecy and distance be gone, to just be with you, whoever you were.”

“Me too,” Scarlett confessed breathlessly, her hand slipping slowly out from under the cat to rest on Gianna’s knee. “This is all so new and frightening to me. I’ve spent thirty-seven years denying this part of myself, ignoring it and pushing it away, and I just wasn’t ready yet, but I never stopped thinking about it. I think, on some level, I hoped that it was you. You’re the most intriguing person I’ve ever met. And the most attractive, that’s for sure.”

Gianna couldn’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl who just found out that her crush liked her back. Ugh, how embarrassing. Scarlett seemed to find it endearing, though, and she started laughing, too.

“I can’t believe we’ve been chatting this whole time and didn’t know it was each other,” Scarlett chuckled lightly.

“Right? I feel so stupid,” Gianna agreed with a playful chuckle. “And relieved, honestly. The things we talked about, the connection we had, it meant the world to me. I’ve been going crazy without DrHeart to talk to. And send dirty messages to, too.”

A delicious smirk appeared on Scarlett’s face as she scooted in even closer. Her porcelain cheeks were bright red now, her pupils dilated. Despite her embarrassment, though, she held Gianna’s gaze, seemingly determined not to chicken out this time. She took Gianna’s hand, their skin brushing together softly and sending shivers racing down the brunette’s spine.

“Uhm, this is all new to me,” the redhead stammered, “but I’m willing to try if you are.”

Gianna’s grin grew devilish. She nonchalantly pushed Cocoa down onto the floor. He glanced at the women irritably before disappearing off around the corner to rest on the heated tiles in the bathroom. They watched him leave, and Gianna burst out into amused laughter once more before turning back to Scarlett.

“Well, I happen to be an excellent teacher,” the brunette drawled suggestively.

She leaned closer and cupped Scarlett’s cheek gently, tenderly stroking her thumb along Scarlett’s jawline. The redhead shuddered in response, letting out a little shaky breath. Their noses touched for a second, then their foreheads. Scarlett let her eyes flutter shut, and Gianna tilted her head slightly, moving in to bridge that final gap between them.

It felt like a thousand fireworks exploded in the air at once when their lips finally brushed together. Gently at first, slowly, like they had all the time in the world for this, just exploring and tasting. Then, with more need and urgency. Soft moans escaped both of them as they melted against each other, hands wandering and pulling each other closer. For what might have been forever, they just let themselves sink into that passionate, magical kiss, tongues dancing and swirling around each other, breaths mingling, bodies pressed as close as physically possible.

Finally, reluctantly, they parted.

Scarlett stared up at her with a dazed, enchanted expression, her gaze full of wonder and desire. Gianna had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life. She ran a trembling finger across Scarlett’s reddened lower lip, feeling the way the soft, delicate skin trembled with each of Scarlett’s ragged, excited breaths.

“So excuse me if this is too forward, but would you like to sleep over tonight?” Gianna asked eagerly, running her fingers along Scarlett’s neck and shoulder. “I haven’t packed up the bedroom yet, so it’s a lot cozier than it is here. If that’s okay.”

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