Page 46 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
“I’m glad. Drink another glass of water. You’ll thank me for it in the morning.”
Mia took it and sipped. Then she leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. She was quiet for long enough that Lauren wondered if she’d passed out, but then her eyes opened sluggishly. “Not spinning anymore, which means…I’m going to bed.”
Lauren nodded. “Take that water with you.”
Mia stood, picking up the glass. “Good night, Lauren.”
“Night.”
As she reached the doorway to her bedroom, Mia glanced at Lauren over her shoulder, and if she didn’t know better, she’d swear the look on her face was regret.
13
Mia swatted at the alarm on her phone with a groan. Her head throbbed, and her stomach ached. Actually, everything hurt. For the first time in who knew how long, she was hungover, andoh, it sucked. She managed to silence her alarm and then sat up in bed, relieved that at least she didn’t feel like she was going to be sick again.
A vague memory of hunching over the toilet surfaced, and she grimaced. She remembered being at Dragonfly, flirting with Kat at the bar and then Lauren bringing her home. She vividly remembered staring at Lauren’s lips and how badly she’d wanted to kiss them.
Oh God. She hadn’t…had she?
She remembered Lauren’s arm around her, holding her upright, Lauren’s breasts pressed against hers in the doorway to her building, Lauren cooking her French toast. Mia’s gaze darted to the door, which stood slightly open for Lola’s benefit. Lauren was asleep on the other side of that door, and Mia hoped with every fiber of her being that she hadn’t done anything inappropriate or overstepped any bounds with her last night.
Lauren had taken such good care of her while she was drunk. Vaguely, she remembered telling her so, and that memory, unlike the others, brought a smile to her lips.
Mia slid out of bed and went into the bathroom for a shower. She felt marginally better as she headed toward the kitchen thirty minutes later, dressed for work. Lauren was still asleep, brown hair spread across the pillow behind her. Lola was curled up in the bend of her knees. She hardly ever slept with Mia anymore. Traitor.
In the kitchen, Mia started the coffeepot and fixed herself some toast, which seemed like the best option for her stomach. No more shots for her, although the memory of Kat was a pleasant one. Despite her hangover, Mia felt slightly more optimistic about the prospect of dating than she had yesterday.
“Morning,” Lauren mumbled from the living room.
Mia’s pulse jumped, and the tingle in her belly had nothing to do with her ulcer or a hangover.Oh. “Morning.”
Lauren sat up, swiping hair out of her face. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungover,” Mia answered, hands fidgeting against the kitchen counter. “And embarrassed. I’m sorry for being such a mess last night.” And for whatever led to those confusing moments still spinning through Mia’s brain, Lauren’s lips so tantalizingly close…
Lauren gave her a lazy smile. “Even the flawless Mia Solano deserves to be a sloppy drunk from time to time. No worries.”
“Ugh.” Mia rubbed her pounding head, hating that she’d been a sloppy drunk even once. That was so unlike her. And why couldn’t she stop thinking about Lauren’s lips?
Lauren went into the bathroom, and Mia poured herself a cup of coffee, which she brought to the table with her toast. She sipped, wishing she could bypass her queasy stomach and inject the caffeine directly into her veins. Today was going to be a struggle.
As she ate her toast, Lauren came out of the bathroom dressed for her job at the market and started folding up the couch. She seemed her usual self this morning, but Mia couldn’t even look at her without remembering how badly she’d wanted to kiss her last night, how Lauren’s body felt pressed against hers. And…she couldn’t shake the feeling she needed to apologize for the way she’d acted, even if she couldn’t quite remember what had happened.
She finished her coffee and toast, relieved to feel more alert now. “Hey, Lauren?”
“Yeah?” She straightened, pillow in hand.
“I’m sorry for my behavior last night.”
Lauren smiled, making a dismissive gesture with her hand. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I do if I made you feel uncomfortable.”
“Well, you didn’t.” Lauren touched her shoulder as she walked past Mia to pour herself some coffee.
“Are you sure? Because my memory is a bit murky, so I really need you to tell me.”
“I’m sure,” Lauren said as she filled her coffee mug.
