After the scorching make-out session under the sunshine at the park earlier, Sky’s core thrummed. Every time she glanced over to Mia, she needed to pinch herself in disbelief that this might be happening. As much as her libido wanted to push things further, she couldn’t bring herself to take the lead.
Not like Mia needed any help in that department, though. The woman was as direct and bold as she’d always been, nothing like the way Sky cowered behind the ever-expanding wall of her fears.
Sky leaned against the couch, her legs sprawled out. Mia was taking a shower, which had her mind wandering for the thousandth time to what the hot as hell woman would look like naked. The sound of the streaming water shut off, and Sky bit her lower lip, trying to exorcise the images running rampant through her mind.
No matter how much her heart wanted to take a leap, she could feel Mia restraining herself, not offering every last thought that bubbled up in her mind the way she always used to. Sky didn’t know what to make of the change, whether something had happened in their time apart, or if Mia was holding back because she just wanted a fling.
Sky was too damn scared to ask.
She could barely believe they’d kissed. She’d spent her entire high school career indulging in fantasies of Mia looking at her with the same silken threads of longing she’d found herself spiderwebbed in. Outside her windows, the sun had begun to set, lowering past the horizon line. Sky rolled onto her feet and paused at the window as she passed, her fingertips resting on the surface of the glass. The gold, amber, and crimson streaks caused her throat to catch.
She should love sunsets—the colors were blindingly beautiful, and the soft gravity in the air at this time of evening held her in thrall. However, all the sunset did was remind her of endings.
And she’d faced too many to want the reminder.
Sky wandered to the opposite side of her living room where she kept her bar cabinet. She cracked the doors open. While she and Mia tipped back the occasional glass of wine or bottle of beer, they hadn’t gotten into the hard liquor. However, she hadn’t forgotten Mia’s request early on to dive into the deep stuff of what happened in their time apart.
She pulled out the Jack Daniels.
Sky’s door creaked open, and Mia stepped out. Her attached bathroom had a bath and shower combo, yet her mind plummeted to filthy thoughts at the idea of Mia in her bedroom. Her friend’s hair hung in wet waves down to her shoulders, and she wore a thin tank top that may as well have exposed her tits as well as a loose pair of yoga pants. Knowing what a fucking tease this woman had become, she guaranteed Mia dressed that way on purpose.
Sky took a seat on one side of the futon and patted the space in front of her. “I know you wanted the catch-up talk, so here’s the Jack, babe.” She nudged the bottle on the floor beside her.
Mia’s grin widened, her blue eyes glittering like the sun over the waves. “Skylar Jenkins volunteering emotional talks? It’s my lucky day.”
“The alcohol’s involved for a reason,” Sky responded, her tone teasing even though she hadn’t been kidding. Every time she talked about the past, especially about her junior year, her skin felt like she’d poured bleach over a sunburn. Her lack of opening up had been one of the main stumbling blocks with every girlfriend of hers. Yet asking Mia to pour her heart out with no return wasn’t fair. She knew that.
And she wanted to know what happened between Mia and Derek, how things had ended, how their time apart had changed her. She needed to know if this was a rebound fling or if they stood the chance at something real.
Although, if she were honest, she’d become such a pro at self-sabotage, she’d ruin things anyway. Every new relationship, every attachment reminded her of how fast they could get snatched away from her.
And so, she’d distanced before they could leave her.
Ace move on her part.
Mia sat beside her, moving close enough for their thighs to touch. If that wasn’t distracting, she didn’t know what was. Sky unscrewed the bottle of Jack and took a swig. The sharp, rich taste of the whiskey coursed down her throat, warming her from the inside out. Mia smelled like peaches, post-shower making the scent even stronger. Sky wanted to taste her so badly. She squeezed her thighs together instead, trying to ignore her pulsing need.
“So, I guess this is the exes talk, right?” Mia asked, casting a glance her way. “Feels like we got this a bit backward. Isn’t the dating history nonsense brought up on the first date?”
“Well, we never had that sort of thing,” Sky murmured, not sure what to say.
“Though I guess we’d have to be dating to follow the rules,” Mia said, tipping her head to the side. Sky’s heart squeezed tight. This was where she should jump in and make some claim, especially with the curious, searching look in Mia’s eyes. When Sky failed to respond, Mia sucked in a sharp breath. “No pressure. I don’t know where you are, but I’ve got a lot to sort through with starting my life all over again. Probably not the time to enter a serious relationship.”
Even though Sky pretty much pushed Mia into the response, she couldn’t help the sharp sting in her heart when Mia said the words aloud. Still, she couldn’t deny what she wanted right now. “I’m the last person who’s going to put pressure on you,” Sky said. “We’re stuck in the same house for the next two weeks, potentially the next month, so let’s agree to toss complications by the wayside—no promises right now.”
Even as she said the words, they felt wooden on her tongue. Mia tensed for a moment but let out a hiss of breath.
“No promises, no pressure—is that our motto now?” Mia said, her voice soft in an attempt to tease. Sky wished she could read the woman’s thoughts to try and gauge how she felt. Sky never questioned Mia cared, but if she fell for her best friend only for everything to disintegrate, they might as well pronounce her dead on the spot, because her heart wouldn’t survive.
Sky took another swig of Jack before passing the bottle over to Mia. “If we’re going to survive this quarantine, probably.” The whiskey had begun to warm her cheeks enough that she could talk about other things. If she continued down this trail, she’d end up confessing her undying love for Mia Brownstone and send the woman running. “So, what did you want to know, Mia B? I’m an open book.”
Mia snorted. “We both know that’s not true. You’ll talk after much pushing and coercion. But let’s dive into exes. When did your last relationship end?” Mia shifted in her seat to lean back, laying her head on Sky’s thighs. She wished she’d worn more than running shorts and a loose tee, because the skin-to-skin contact short-circuited her brain.
Sky chewed on her lip as she contemplated Mia’s question. “Last girlfriend was Ally Sedonis. We met at the bar. Aubs introduced us because she wanted to chat up Ally’s best friend. We ended up sitting back and watching Aubs flirt her way into Ally’s friend’s pants and cracked jokes. At the end of the night, we swapped numbers, and things went from there.”
“Sounds like the perfect meet-cute,” Mia commented, stretching her arms overhead. The motion placed her breasts front and center, which became harder and harder to ignore. Mia’s voice had taken a slight edge to it, and again, Sky questioned if a hint of jealousy rang in her tone.
Sky shrugged. “Lasted for close to a year, and then six months ago, Ally decided I wasn’t adventurous enough for her. Not like I could blame her. I work a lot and my hours aren’t anyone’s preference.”
“That’s some bullshit,” Mia responded, glancing at her. “You’re plenty adventurous.”
“Not for a chick who wanted to go out with friends all the time or hit the clubs,” Sky said. “Besides, the second the relationship required more effort, I started throwing myself into work more. Aubs says I self-sabotage like a champion.”
“Why?” Mia’s gaze burned into her.
Sky swallowed hard and stared at the ceiling. She’d promised Mia this conversation, even though she knew they’d be taking the mandoline and paring past the surface tonight. Sky reached down and took another swig from the whiskey to focus on a different sort of burn than the one behind her eyes. “I know the drill by now. Everyone leaves.”
Mia’s eyes widened, and she reached up, her fingertips brushing along the side of Sky’s chin. “I’m sorry, beautiful.”
Sky shrugged, trying to ignore the sting of the tears. Mia had been her best friend on this planet, and when she’d ditched for college, the absence had nearly broken her. But Jamie—that was the permanent one. That was the one that destroyed her first. “Not just you, babe. I picked up some shitty curse along the way.”
“If you’re cursed, I’ll eat my shirt,” Mia responded.
Sky snorted. “I’m not sure you want to do that—though I’m not going to lie, I appreciate the view.”
Mia’s fingers rested along Sky’s chin, and she brushed a thumb along her lip. Christ, if this woman didn’t stop with the sweet affection, she’d be bawling in seconds. Sky broke away to snag the liquor and tipped back another swig of Jack.
“Your turn. What was the deal with you and Derek?” Sky asked, doing her best to hold back the way her eyes watered. Mia had always been a safe place, which was the sole reason she’d agreed to do this opening up thing in the first place. Sky wrapped her hand around Mia’s slender waist, her arm resting over the woman’s stomach.
Mia rolled her eyes. “We ended up in the same group of friends and clicked. And things were brilliant at first. I know it sounds stupid, but I’ve been wanting to settle down since high school. Probably just to spite my mom, if I’m being honest. And with Derek? He seemed like the whole package—funny, talented, and serious about the relationship.”
“What happened?” Sky asked, squeezing Mia’s side.
Mia’s gaze darkened. “Apparently I’m too needy. He started pulling away after we graduated and moved in together, and then one day, bam—break up. There was no pre-empt, but from what I’ve heard in our friend group, he’d gotten cold feet about committing so early on.” She met Sky’s eyes. “Who knows? Maybe I’m the fool, and Mom’s right.”
Sky shook her head. “Fuck no. Your mother is never right, Mia B.”
Mia let out a short, acerbic laugh.
The idea of that sort of commitment with Mia, of this turning into something serious terrified her. She wanted the real deal with Mia, more than she’d wanted anything in her life. But losing someone who’d ingrained on her so deeply? Jamie’s death ruined her, and she still hadn’t stitched all of her ragged scraps together again.
If she let this connection between her and Mia flare into the relationship she wanted? Fuck, she couldn’t imagine the wreckage of twisted metal and shards if their roller coaster flew off the tracks.
“Don’t let your mom get in your head,” Sky said, her voice softening. “Derek was fucking crazy to give you up, but I can’t say I’m not a little happy about it. If the two of you hadn’t broken up, you would’ve never come back here. And if I can pull one beautiful thing out of all the chaos our world’s in, it’s you.”
Mia’s cheeks pinked. Her gaze deepened with a desire that coursed through Sky. The headiness felt better than the whiskey she’d tipped back.
Mia pushed up from lying on her lap to turn and face her. “You’re not drunk, are you?” she asked, her gaze seeking as she tried to assess Sky’s sobriety.
“Just a little warm, but I’m clear-headed,” Sky responded, unable to look away from Mia’s gaze.
Mia slipped her hand beneath Sky’s shirt, her palm resting on her bare skin. Sky sucked in a sharp breath. The look in Mia’s eyes turned predatory, a focus there that pinned her in place.
A look like that and Sky would offer everything she had to give.
“Good,” Mia purred. “Because I want to taste you tonight.”