Page 42 of So Not My Type

Ella rolled her eyes. “I’m not nearly as obtuse as you think I am. Of course, I know this isn’t typical.” She flicked at a bubble, and a grin tugged at her lips. “But I mean, if you’re too scared to try it, you can just say so.”

“I don’t do scared.” Sophie smirked and spread her toes under the water, letting the water slip through them. “What is it you want?” She turned warm, thinking of the caption from the singles ad last month.

Ella’s legs floated to the surface, and she treaded at the water. Several moments passed before she stopped kicking at the suds and shifted a little closer. “So many things. I want to see the world without shackles. Go to a nightclub. Drive a car. Dance at a country bar. Go home with someone from the country bar.” She glanced shyly at Sophie as if to see if the words landed.

They landed.

“Sorry, is that too far?” Ella asked.

Yes.But not because it was too personal. More because being half-naked in the tub with Ella’s glistening shoulders and glimpses of her chest through the bubbles gave Sophie some seriously unholy thoughts. And now Ella brought up sex and all Sophie wanted to do was close her eyes and have a little alone time with her right hand to neutralize her heat waves.

Sophie wanted to inch closer, to look closer at Ella’s lips. Every day Ella wore a dark ruby red, but with the snacks and now the hot tub, her soft, natural pink lips shone. Sophie wanted to swipe her thumb across the outline. The nerves settled in her throat, and she cleared them away. “No. Not too far. I haven’tdated much for the last, you know, five, six years.” She pushed out a deflecting smile. “You?” She tried to keep her voice light, but it was anything but as she shamelessly dug for intel.

Ella’s fingertips skipped the top of the water. “I haven’t dated a lot, either. But I was with my ex, Jasmine, for a year.” She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. “Breaking up was the right choice, but it still hurt so much, you know? She cheated, and it kind of destroyed me.”

Sophie’s belly sunk. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine how hard that must’ve been.”

“Like, how do you go from saying you love me in one breath, then fucking some random woman next?”

Ella’s breath sputtered and Sophie paused, waiting to see if she’d continue.

“She told me it meant nothing. Said it was a heated, one-night thing. Like that was somehow so much better.” Her eyes focused on her fingers. “It took me forever toget over it. But the memory of how it gutted me… I don’t know if that will ever disappear.”

Screw the distance. Sophie moved closer until she was right next to Ella. This wasn’t a sexual advance, just an intrinsic need for Ella to know she was amazing. “I’m so sorry she made you feel anything less than the freaking rock star you are.” Sophie tapped her thigh against Ella’s underwater in a playful nudge.

At least, the intention was playful. But the moment she did it, Ella’s eyes locked with hers, her sprinkling of freckles above her nose prominent and fierce against the rosy cheeks. The jets clicked off and the bubbles evaporated, slowly exposing everything under the water.

Ella dipped her head, her dark hair framing her face. She tucked a lock behind her ear and glanced at Sophie. “You think I’m a rock star?”

“Absolutely.”

Ella’s lips curved. Several moments passed as the water turned tranquil. The mist danced on the rooftop, the sound mixed with the heated water making Sophie’s world buzzed and hazy.

What was happening here? Did Ella feel the same electricity? Her body was so warm in the hot tub, verging on overheating, but she didn’t want to leave. She was liquifying in the best way possible.

Ella draped her arm against the lip of the tub and rested her head against her bicep. “What else have you never done?”

Something filled Sophie’s chest. A truth serum, and sense of safety, of wanting to open up to someone besides Maya. Was that someone Ella? Everything felt inexplicably natural. “I’ve never been in love.” She swirled her arms in the water. “What was it like for you?”

All lightness in the air vanished, sucked in like a crater, filling the entire space with an electric heat.

“Like your heart is going to be ripped out at any minute, but the adrenaline rush makes you not worry about the inevitable pain,” Ella said. “It’s warm and gooey and amazing.”

Ella’s leg touched Sophie’s so softly it could have been a mistake. She drew it away and Sophie instantly wanted it back. The pink deepened in Ella’s cheeks, a glow highlighted by the steam, and Sophie’s insides sparked. Everything about her reaction triggered something deep and Sophie felt her leg floating higher, drawn towards Ella.

Yes, she’d been thinking of Ella more than she should. From the moment Ella stormed into her life like a Gucci-laden tornado, all hips and lips and sass, Sophie couldn’t get her out of her mind. Those devastating eyes, that full mouth, death-gripped Sophie and refused to let go.

Ugh, she shouldn’t do it. It was a bad idea, but just one touch was all she wanted, that would fulfill her. She let her pinkie fall,a whisper of a touch, and grazed the soft flesh of Ella’s lower leg. Ella pushed into the touch.

Sophie dropped her eyes to Ella’s full mouth. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest, exacerbated by the heat of the water and the glazed look in Ella’s eyes. Sophie’s gaze fell, skimmed the top of Ella’s chest, and she licked her lower lip. This shouldn’t be happening. Right? Maybe? It wasn’t technically against the rules, but it was wrong. Or was it? The thoughts clamored, a tug of war between practical and animalistic. And then Ella dusted the back of her hand across Sophie’s leg, and the tingles flew to her scalp.

Dammit.She wanted to taste Ella’s mouth, to feel the dip between her collarbone, the roundness of her hips, the satin skin. But she shouldn’t. She couldn’t. Tomorrow, they needed to return to work and normality, which would be impossible if they did what Sophie wanted to do.

But maybe, this was just a little innocent flirtation. Maybe Ella was not having these same thoughts, and later Sophie could dismiss this moment as a blip in the office matrix, intoxicated with chlorine and a scary car crash.

A grin crept over Ella, and her lashes fluttered to her cheekbone. “I think you’re beautiful.” The voice was barely above a whisper, but it hit Sophie like Ella screamed it across the yard.

Oof.“Thank you.”Thank you? That was it?Sophie felt the same about Ella, but the words would fall flat. Ella was so much more than her sultry eyes and a full mouth. She was a damn warrior, wicked smart, and carried this devilish, delicious sense of humor.

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