Page 38 of Home for the Holidays

“Um…” Iris paused as she tried to come up with an answer. “So…” She opened her mouth to continue and came up empty handed. “I honestly have no idea why. I think because I’m super busy and ridiculously untrusting and a complete emotional basketcase.”

“That’s pretty specific.”

“I’ve had a couple long term girlfriends. But ultimately, something happens that always pushes me to end the relationship. Nine times out of ten? It’s something to do with me. Not them.”

“What’s the something that makes you do it?” Heidi’s question was so soft as she moved her hair over her shoulder, causing her scent to waft into Iris’s space.

“They weren’t who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

“Heidi,” Sandy said, interrupting everything as she whisked over and bounced a couple times on the balls of her feet. “Babe, do you want me to keep your tab open? I’m going to head out soon if you’re still, y’know, wanting to talk.” She ran her hand over her buzzed hair. She was so not who Iris pictured Heidi with, but she’d been burned before by imagining types.

“Give me one second, Iris,” Heidi said softly as she stood and walked toward the end of the bar. Sandy followed her. They exchanged a few words before Sandy’s eyes landed on her. Iris gave her a small smile and nod, hoping she wasn’t going to have to defend her honor or something. Small towns, y’know? Who knew what would happen? The disappointment on Sandy’s face was very telling, but she smiled, and all Iris could hear was that she completely understood. Heidi leaned in and kissed Sandy on the cheek before coming back and sitting again on the barstool next to Iris. “She’s done for the night.”

“Listen, you can go with her if you need to,” Iris said. “No worries. I will finish my drink and head back to the house.”

Heidi’s smile could have stopped traffic. “Is it okay with you if I stay? I’m enjoying this.”

“Oh?” Iris’s heartbeat picked up its pace. “I mean, if you want to skip sex with Sandy so you can talk to me, I guess that’s okay.”

“You think I was going to have sex with her?”

“Weren’t you?”

Heidi didn’t respond. She sipped from her drink, then looked over at Iris. “Ask me some questions now, please.”

“Questions that aren’t about you having sex with Sandy?”

“Yes, please,” Heidi said with a laugh. “Because honestly, yes, I used to have sex with Sandy. But tonight was me telling her that part of our friendship is over.”

“Friendship, hmm? Damn, how do I sign up to have afriendshipwith you?”

Heidi’s left eyebrow quirked upward. “Imagine how amazing a full-blown relationship with me would be.”

“I’ll have to pick myself up from the floor if I did that.”

She moved her hair over her shoulder, a soft laugh accompanying her movements. “You’re smooth.”

“Imagine how smooth I am in a full-blown relationship.” Iris wanted to pat herself on the back for that one.

“I have imagined it,” Heidi admitted quietly. “Among other things.”

“Oh?” Iris presented the floor to Heidi. “By all means, enlighten me.”

“You want me to tell you how I’ve imagined undressing you?” She tilted her head as she looked at Iris. “Or how I’ve imagined lying next to you, naked? Or how I’ve imagined how you taste?”

“Sweet Jesus on a bike.”

Heidi raised her glass. “You’re not the only smooth one, my dear.”

Iris leaned in close to Heidi. She could smell her perfume, lemons and verbena. “I want to fuck you so badly right now.” She watched as Heidi swallowed, then turned her head to face Iris.

“Considering I’ve been thinking about you nonstop since I met you, I also want you to fuck me.Sobadly.” She breathed deeply. “We are so fucked, aren’t we?”

“We could be,” Iris said with a wink. “I’ll change the subject.” She tore her gaze from Heidi’s dark eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “Okay, I got it. A real clam jammer. Tell me about Zac as a kid.”

Heidi’s laugh was gorgeous. “A clam jammer? Wow. You weren’t kidding, were you?” She ran her hands through her hair and Iris felt every nerve in her body tingle. Why was something so simple such a turn on? “Well, where do I start?” She asked. “He was such a great boy. A handful, but also the sweetest of the three.”

Being this close to her, but not able to rip her clothes off was a real test of Iris’s strength. Their legs brushing together every so often, was divine, but now she couldn’t stop thinking about wanting more and more. It’d been so long since Iris had had to hold herself back from taking a leap. She was used to charging full steam ahead, and nine times out of ten, she’d get the girl. She wasn’t being cocky; it was simply the truth. With Heidi, though, getting the girl was basically forbidden. Sleeping with her best friend and roommate’s mom was not going to go over well. At least, she didn’t think it would. Why would Zac be okay with it?

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