Page 112 of The Snowball Effect

It made no sense for her to feel totally fucking shocked, Emma knew, because Regan had literally just kissed her. But shewas. Surprise rushed through her, and she shook her head. “Wait – what? Youwhat?”

Regan nodded, with no hesitation this time. “I’m attracted to you.”

Emma’s cheeks flashed with heat as her heart started to thrum in her chest. “Since when? How do you know? I thought you were – you aren’t into women?”

She meant to assert that as a fact, a statement, but it came out far more uncertain. Understandably, in her opinion.

While Emma felt struck, frozen, and rooted in place at this revelation, saying the words seemed to bring Regan back to life.

She nodded quickly, snapping her fingers in Emma’s direction. “See, that’s what I thought, too! But it turns out I kind of am?” She slowly arched her eyebrows, a self-deprecating smile working over her face. “I realized it a few weeks ago after dinner with Kimberly. You know, when I fell off the chair?”

Emma nodded, but it felt surreal. Everything felt surreal.

“It’s because I realized I was checking you out. Likereallychecking you out,” Regan’s tone dipped into an octave Emma had never heard from her. Something edging on raspy, and it made her shiver.

Between the tone and how Regan looked at her, Emma’s stomach clenched in wanting an answer.

No.

“I think I’ve probably been attracted to you longer than I realized,” Regan continued, entirely unashamed. As she spoke,she pushed herself up from the couch, seeming filled with too much energy to stay seated anymore.

Emma subconsciously took a step backward.

“I just –god, you have amazing breasts. I remember thinking that the first time we met. So, maybe that was a moment, but I didn’t realize it. I don’t know.” Regan shrugged, looking at Emma, so full of wonder. “All Idoknow is that ever since I realized I can’t stop thinking about it. About you. Like that.”

“Is that all?” She asked faintly. But she thought that was justified when Regan was standing in front of her, talking about how much she loved Emma’s breasts!

Regan just stood there across the room, seeming totally normal. Sure, her cheeks were flushed, and her gaze was a little too intently focused on Emma, but she didn’t seem like her reality was about to crack wide open and spill out at the edges.

“I think about your breasts and your thighs and your lips all of the time.”

Emma’s mouth fell open with a sharp inhale. She didn’t even realize she was sliding her hands, one to rest over her stomach to quell the strange butterflies there, the other moving up to card through her hair and press down against her skull, as if she could physically stop her thoughts from racing.

What was Regandoingto her?

“Which isn’t abnormal for me lately. But then, just a little while ago,” Regan gestured behind her toward the couch. As if Emma could misunderstand what she was referencing. “You were just – you were so sweet to me. And I… I felt good telling you everything about my family. And you looked at me like you really got it. Gotme.”

Regan blew out a deep sigh, turning her gaze back on Emma’s, as she expectantly said, “So – that’s why.”

Emma could only blink back in confusion. Why… what?

“Why I kissed you,” Regan elaborated, taking a tentative step closer to Emma.

Had she spoken aloud, or was Regan really able to read her that well by now?

For some reason,thatthought snapped Emma out of this surreal haze and sharply back into reality.

“Emma?” Regan softly voiced her name, taking another step forward when Emma didn’t respond.

“Stop,” she cautioned, holding her hand up between them. The last thing she needed was to feel engulfed by Regan’s scent right now. “Just – hold on.”

Regan froze where she stood.

The hand Emma still had clasped to her head slowly moved until she was rubbing at her forehead. Trying to organize her thoughts, sort out everything whirling inside her.

The only thing she knew for sure was, “Regan, wecan’tdo that again.”

Regan’s eyebrows knit together, her lips pursing in a cute little pout.

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