Page 43 of Ready to Score

In a tight pair of cargo pants that cinched at her waist and ankles, open-toed pumps, and a bralette. Her skin was sparkling, and her mouth looked dark and luscious. She was also completely sober from what Franny could tell.

Jade eyed the scene in front of her, her eyes widening as she took in the closeness of the two women.

Franny cleared her throat and straightened up from her position against the sink. Forcing the woman who had been leaning against her to stand upright as well.

“Sorry to interrupt…” Jade didn’t sound sorry at all.

“You didn’t,” Franny insisted. “We were just… There was a spill and…”

“Right,” Jade said. She rolled her eyes and sauntered past them into a stall.

“I think I’m okay now,” Franny told the other woman quietly. “Thank you for helping me.”

The woman nodded. “You want to go back out there and dance some more? We were having a fun time before.”

A thump, then a curse sounded from the stall Jade had entered.

“Thank you, but… I think I’m going to head home. I’m all sticky now.”

The woman nodded, pondering for a second before she shrugged, blew Franny a kiss, and pushed out the door and back into the crowd.

Without thinking, Franny immediately turned the lock on the door behind her. If she had Jade in the same space as she was in, Franny wasn’t letting her go without… something.

She turned to the sink to wash her hands, biding her time. When Jade exited the stall, Franny was leaning against the sink again with her arms crossed over her chest. Jade was silent as she washed her hands.

“Were you sitting here waiting for me?” Jade finally asked. “Like some kind of fucking stalker?”

“Yes,” Franny said simply. “Because you owe me an explanation.”

Jade pulled the paper towels out of the dispenser hard. “I don’t owe you shit, Lim.”

“You come to my house and tuck me in, you clean up, you cook for me, you drive me fucking crazy with your kisses, and then you sit across from me like I don’t mean shit to you.”

“That’s because you don’t—”

Franny was up on her in an instant. “Don’t fucking lie, Dunn. You’re incredibly bad at it. You think I can’t tell when a woman wants me? Especially when I want her back?”

Jade’s eyes were a lighter brown around the edges of her irises. More caramel than chocolate. But in this moment, they were darker. When Franny’s gaze caught on them, she had to fight not to get lostinside. Jade narrowed her eyes and pushed closer until their faces were inches apart.

“I’m going to tell you this one time, Lim, one goddamn time. You don’t know me. I don’t know what’s convinced you that you do, but you don’t. So whatever youthinkit is I feel for you, you’d better go back to the drawing board and reassess. Because the only thing on my mind whenever I see you is something between contempt and boredom.”

Franny had to push away the hurt that began to well up in her chest at the words. They were hard to hear, but she could see clearly that they weren’t true. Jade was panicking at her own feelings—even if that feeling was only lust—and freaking out. Those dark eyes looked wild, almost frenzied. Franny realized that she wasn’t going to get to the bottom of this by going toe-to-toe in an argument with the other woman. She was going to have to try a different approach.

So she shrugged. “Maybe that’s what’s happening in your mind, but your body tells a different story.”

Jade started to shake her head, but Franny wasn’t letting her get a word in.

“You’re breathing all hard, like you just ran five miles.” Franny didn’t touch Jade, but she hovered her palm a few inches above her bare chest. “I can practically feel your lungs contracting from here. Why is that?”

Jade’s lip curled up. “I get passionate when I’m angry.”

“Boredom is the opposite of passion,” Franny said, smirking. “No one who makes you bored should make your heart beat like this. They probably shouldn’t make your nipples so hard either.”

“You’re fucking infuriating,” Jade grunted.

“Fury also isn’t a characteristic of boredom.” Franny bumped their noses together, expecting Jade to jump back. She didn’t. In fact, her eyes almost crossed. “It seems to me that what you really feel when you look at me is… want.”

Franny reached out and put her hands on opposite sides of the sink behind Jade. “You want me, Jade Dunn. You want me bad.”

---