Page 76 of Hotshot

Sloane closed the gap between them and hugged her tight. She kissed the side of her head, ran her fingers up the back of her neck, trailed them into her hairline and massaged her scalp. Ella let her for a few seconds, then stepped back.

“I’m fine.” She wiped her eyes and exhaled. “I just don’t want this broken. I know it’s only a thing, but it might break me.” At that moment, she looked about eight.

Sloane nodded, kissed her lips, and let Ella focus on wrapping the mug. “My mum bought me a mug once. It had a football on it. The only time she bought me something I actually wanted.”

Ella swung her head around, her eyes shiny. She grabbed a piece of kitchen roll and blew her nose. “Do you still have it?”

Sloane shook her head. “Our dog, Coco, jumped up on the kitchen counter and smashed it.” She’d like to say she’d been devastated, but she hadn’t been. She was used to broken in her life. She pointed at Ella’s mug. “So please double-wrap that.”

“On it.” Ella finished, held it up, and they high-fived. Then she paused. Stared into Sloane’s eyes. Was Ella’s honeyed gaze a little fractured?

“For the record, I’m going to miss living below you, too.”

“Yeah?” One word. Big meaning.

A nod. “Yeah.” Ella ran her tongue over her top lip. It kept Sloane transfixed. Her eyes were still shiny. Was it just about the mug, or was it something more?

Ella took a deep breath. “I was also thinking.” She paused. “Will we be able to hold hands in public soon?”

Sloane rocked on her feet and blinked, hard. They still hadn’t talked. It wasn’t just her mind it was playing on. “Soon. I just want to get my comeback cemented first. Then there’s the April international. I want to get my season back on track and I don’t want anything or anyone getting in the way of that. I’m 28. This is likely my last World Cup. I want to be there, playing. My career has to come first. Which means I want to be in control of when we tell people. Not the other way around. Will you trust me on this?”

Ella bit her top lip. “Okay.”

Sloane held her gaze and gulped. She could still see Jess’s last message on her phone. The one that said she wanted to have a proper catch-up when she was over in April. The other reason Sloane didn’t want this out in public was Jess. Sloane wanted to deal with her once and for all, wipe the slate clean. Then she’d go public with Ella. It was just over two months away.

“In the meantime,” Sloane said, reaching for the next glass. “This cupboard isn’t going to pack itself.” She whipped up as much positive energy as she could muster. She didn’t want to burden Ella with the Jess stuff. The rest of it was completely true, though. Once she’d taken care of Jess and her season, they could get on with their lives together. “By the way, I can help you move tomorrow after training.”

Ella put a hand on her hip and smiled.

The energy changed. Sloane breathed a sigh of relief.

“Actually, I might need your Jeep. I haven’t got loads of boxes, but more than I thought.” She looked at the pile stacked by the door. “Are you happy to drive?”

“Of course. Anything for you.”

Ella turned up her smile. “Thank you.” She raised a single eyebrow. “But you might want to tone down the makeup. You look like you’re about to go onRuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“I kinda like it.” Sloane touched her cheek. “Brings out my feminine side. It’s there, just often hidden.”

“I know.” Ella leaned in and kissed her lips.

The reconnection was exactly what Sloane needed. “Everything’s going to work out, you know. I have faith.”

“You sound convincing.”

“I’ve lived a million lives.”

Ella gave a reluctant sigh, then brought Sloane’s right hand to her lips and kissed her knuckle. She stopped at Sloane’s silver ring.

Shit.

“Did you get a new ring? I like it. Silver and black. Very butch.” Ella grinned. “Goes with your makeup.”

A rictus grin worked its way onto Sloane’s face. Guilt prickled her skin. But she hadn’t done anything wrong. Just reclaimed her property. “It’s an old one I found again recently.” Found it in the mail when Jess had, after all, returned it.

“It’s very you,” Ella replied. “But enough chat. Like you said, this packing won’t do itself, will it?”

CHAPTER28

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