Page 88 of Crashing into Love

“Relax. You can hardly see anything. Your skin is a ridiculously perfect caramel shade. Only I will know it’s there because I put it there. Besides, you’ll be in winter clothes, and your shirt will cover it, too. Have I mentioned that you should just always be in a sports bra around the house?” She pulled Selma back against herself. “You look good in only a sports bra.”

“I haven’t put my shirt on yet, but you were supposed to be packing out there.”

“I saw you through the mirror out there and had to come in. Sorry, but I couldn’t resist.” She kissed Selma’s shoulder again. “I didn’t leave much of a mark anyway. It’ll be gone by tomorrow. And I’m a little sad that I won’t be there to make a new one.”

“That’s what you’re sad about?”

“No, I’m sad that we’re flying to different places today, and we only got the chance to have one date this week.”

“One official date, maybe. But I think we could consider the other nights, I don’t know, warm-up dates.”

“Warm-up dates?” Drew asked as she ran a hand over Selma’s bare stomach.

“I liked you. You liked me. We were testing the waters a little.”

“I didn’t know you liked me.”

“Oh, come on,” Selma said. “You had to know. I’ve been all over you. And it’s not like I’ve pushed you away when you were all over me.”

“Do you know how many straight women have touched me how you’ve been touching me?”

Selma lifted an accusatory eyebrow at her in the mirror and said, “No. Do I want to know?”

“It’s not a hundred or anything. I just meant that I’m gay. Some women know that, and sometimes, they either like the attention from a gay woman, are confused, thinking they might want to do something with a woman when they actually don’t, or, something else entirely, and it turns out they’re not really interested. I’ve crashed and burned a few times because of that. I was not about to crash and burn with you, Selma.” She kissed Selma softly on the neck. “If you would’ve told me no yesterday – that you’re straight, or, even, that you’re not, but you’re just not into me like that – I still would’ve wanted to be your friend. It would’ve been hard for a while because I really, really like you and love what we did last night, and I want more of that as soon as possible, but I don’t want to lose you from my life. So, I didn’t want to take any big chances. Then, in that moment, after my race, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, though. I guess I just had to know.”

“Drew?”

“Yeah, babe?” She skated her lips over Selma’s neck.

“I don’t want to date anyone else.”

“Okay. Good.”

“I mean that I don’t want either of us to date anyone else.”

“Okay. Good,” Drew repeated.

“I want to be with you exclusively.”

“Do I need to say, ‘Good,’ again?” Drew looked into Selma’s eyes in the mirror. “I want that, too, Selma.”

“You’re sure?”

“Do you not think I am? I’ve made it pretty clear how I feel about you. I rushed back from the mountain yesterday. I skipped the podium to get back to this hotel as quickly as possible so we could talk.”

“Yet, you still stopped by your room to shower and change,” Selma teased.

“I was sweaty and gross. I’d raced that day. Besides, I wasn’t going to come here to talk to you in my Team USA stuff. Can you turn around now? I want to kiss you for, like, an hour.”

“We have to go, Drew,” she said with a little laugh. “And I think if we did that after doing that for most of the night, my lips might just fall off.”

She did turn around in Drew’s arms, though.

“Well, that’s not a risk I’m willing to take. But can I have the next five minutes, at least? Think the lips can handle that?”

“How are you this cute?” Selma wrapped her arms around Drew’s neck. “I never would’ve thought you’d be like this. You come off as such a hard-ass.”

“I’m only like this with you,” Drew confessed.

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