“Hey,” Alex said softly, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Hi,” Emily whispered. “Will you stay tonight?”
Alex smiled as she leaned in, brushing her lips over Emily’s. “Yes.”
10
Alex woke up to a weight on her stomach, and it took her a second for her brain to catch up, to remember that she was in Emily’s bed, and that was Emily’s arm thrown across her.
Alex stayed still for a few moments, her mind replaying everything that had happened last night. And she had no idea what this was for Emily.
She’d said that she wasn’t looking for anything serious, which right now, was actually perfect for Alex. She could use a break for any kind of drama.
But if this wasn’t anything serious, maybe Alex should have left by now. She glanced at her watch. It was almost nine o’clock. She could still try and slip out from underneath Emily’s arm.
Alex moved slowly, trying not to wake Emily, although once her bare feet hit the ground, she couldn’t go through with it. Emily wasn’t some random woman she’d picked up.
Everything about yesterday evening and then the night they’d spent together meant that Alex wasn’t going to be an asshole and sneak off.
She put on her clothes from yesterday and padded into the bathroom to freshen up, splashing some water on her face and doing her best to tame her hair, making herself look presentable.
When she came back into the bedroom, Emily was stretching her hands above her head, her dark hair mussed, and Alex couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the way she’d gripped Emily’s hair last night when she’d gone down on her.
“Morning,” Alex said as Emily pushed herself up, leaning against the headboard. “Is it okay if I go out and get us some coffees and breakfast? Or I can go?” Alex added when Emily didn’t say anything.
“Sorry.” Emily shook her head. “Still waking up. The first one. Please. But don’t feel like you have to. Although the coffee machine that came with the apartment is only average.”
“I know a place around the corner. I’ll be back in twenty minutes. Stay there if you want,” Alex said, pausing as she found her shoes, because she almost went over to Emily’s side of the bed to kiss her, but that was way to… Girlfriend like. Which was not what was happening here.
“See you in a few,” Alex said over her shoulder as she left, hoping she wasn’t blushing.
Alex tried to put her feelings aside. She’d had enough experience now at this stage to know that her luck with women really wasn’t great. Emily was such an amazing woman, and maybe they would be good together, but if she was leaving, which it sounded like she was, then Alex needed to get a grip and keep this casual.
11
Emily slid her shades on, not quite believing that it was four o’clock already. They’d just left one of Alex’s favorite restaurants. Emily never would have spotted it. There was nothing enticing about the outside, but as soon as they went in, the aromas of garlic and tomatoes.
“What’s good?” Emily had asked, because she loved Italian food, and she didn’t want to just get a pizza.
“Everything.” Alex had grinned at her over her menu. “Seriously. I’ve had just about every single thing on this menu, and it’s been the best raviolis I’ve ever had, the best shrimp linguine. Anything is going to be absolutely divine here.”
And Emily believed her. She’d gone with one of the specials, lobster ravioli, and it truly was one of the nicest things she’d ever had.
Now they were wandering the streets, moving through the Art Deco Historic District near South Beach. Alex acted as a tour guide, giving her some more information about some of the colorful buildings as they walked.
It had been a wonderful day after one of the best nights of her life. She probably should have been a little bit concerned about how good all of this felt. Maybe it was because it wasn’t something that could ever turn into anything real.
So far, their age difference hadn’t mattered. Emily would have said that fourteen years was a lot, but with Alex, she didn’t feel it.
But it was more about the temporary nature of Emily’s time in Miami. She knew she was here for a year, and as much as she was enjoying herself, she hadn’t even started her new job yet. This was basically a vacation.
And as crazy as life was in Seattle the last few months, it was still home. Emily had no intention of leaving it long term.
She shook away those thoughts as Alex slid her phone out of her pocket. “I gotta go,” she said with a sigh. “I need a shower before work at six.”
They’d practically spent the last twenty-four hours together, but Emily wasn’t the slightest bit ready to say goodbye. She happily would have done something with Alex tonight, and of course, her mind drifted back to last night and how good they’d been in bed together.
Yeah, she wouldn’t say no to more of that.
