13. Deena

Deena

I tore my gaze away from Paula's body as soon as she caught me staring at her like some kind of a creeper. God I was so lame. Why was I so lame? I take one look at her ridged abs and those cute little tits of hers and I'm hypnotized.

She probably only thought of me as a friend, despite that almost-kiss on the boat. Neither of us mentioned it, and the rest of the day passed without any other near misses. A fun boat ride, a delicious French lunch, reading, relaxing, it was a perfect day.

The three of us finished our run, then headed into the physio area for some light massage. By the time we were done, we were all starving. Kara, Paula, and I grabbed some food and joined a table of other track and field athletes who'd gotten there ahead of us.

After lunch, Paula and I headed back to our room. With the race the day after tomorrow, we both really needed to rest our legs. I figured we'd do some reading, but after we got back Paula surprised me by suggesting we watch something on her laptop.

"What TV shows do you like?" she asked me.

"I don't watch TV."

"No, really." She put her hands on her hips and sent me a teasing look. "I know you must watch something."

"Honestly, I don't even have a TV at my place. I think the last time I watched TV was last Christmas. When I went home my family was watching some kind of cookie baking show with a bunch of British people."

"Wait, you haven't seen Bridgerton ?" she asked.

"No, but I think I saw something about it on Instagram."

"Oh my God, we have to watch Bridgerton right now!" Paula dug out her laptop and plugged it into the wall. "It's a regency romance."

"Um. I don't think I'll like that," I said cautiously.

"Oh, you'll like this, believe me, it's super hot." She patted the bed next to her. "Now get on up here and check out the sexy aristocracy."

Two hours later I was completely obsessed with all the characters on the show, especially Daphne. I'd always been attracted to slim girlie girls, and she certainly fit the bill.

"Should we watch a third episode?" Paula asked as the credits rolled on the second one.

"Yes!" I scooted sideways to face her. "I can't believe how good this is, and I don't like this kind of thing normally."

"There is no ‘this kind of thing', this show is unique and groundbreaking," she said.

While we watched the show she'd let her hair down and combed out the knots, leaving behind a giant head of half curly, half frizzy hair. It was ridiculously cute.

"What? Are you staring at my crazy clown hair?" Paula asked suspiciously.

"Oh no," I lied, rolling my lips in to keep from laughing. "I wouldn't dream of it."

I was super close to my best friend from college, Joan, but we'd never had this kind of lighthearted fun. Maybe because we were both physicists, our recreational pursuits tended to be things like dissecting Star Trek episodes or debating scientific theories.

Paula was seeing a side of me I usually reserved for my family, and even they thought I was too serious.

"Liar," Paula laughed, smacking my arm playfully.

I leaned back, and she leaned forward, coming for me, her hands going for my hair, mussing it with her fingers. Unfortunately for her it didn't do much, since my hair was fine and straight and just went back into place. I grabbed her wrists, pulling them down to my lap, and we both stilled.

In an instant our mood went from playful to something else. Paula's eyes flew to mine, the pupils seeming to grow as she stared at me. The room, which had already felt hot, suddenly felt like someone had turned on the furnace. As I held onto her wrists I could feel a little current traveling from her skin to mine.

I licked my lips, my throat suddenly feeling dry, and Paula leaned forward and to my shock, pressed her lips against mine. We both stilled for a long moment, then she pulled one hand away so she could grab my shoulder and deepen the kiss.

When Paula nipped at my lower lip, my brain re-engaged and I pulled back, breathing heavily as if I'd just run a sprint.

"I'm sorry," Paula said softly, clearly misinterpreting my movement as my not wanting to continue what she started.

When she started to pull her other hand away, I gave her a little tug instead, pulling her closer.

"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining this," I whispered.

"Imagining what?" she asked.

"That the woman who I've had a crush on for two years was kissing me."

Paula's jaw dropped in surprise, then she flew forward, grabbing the back of my head and pressing her mouth against mine again. This time she didn't need to demand entrance. I willingly opened my mouth, allowing her tongue to swoop in and slide against mine. I tilted my head, giving her better access, and ran my hands up her sides and around her back. She was lean but muscled, and when I stroked her back, I could feel her muscles flex against my hands.

When Paula finally pulled back we were both breathing heavily. Then she said the words that I knew would change my life forever.

"You wanna fool around?"