Page 76 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
“You didn’t overstep.” Mia had been defensive earlier, almost angry, but she didn’t seem that way now. “You forced me to face an uncomfortable truth.”
“I did?”
Mia nodded. She exhaled, her features a mixture of frustration and something that looked an awful lot like vulnerability. “You’ve been brutally honest with me since we met, and now it’s my turn.”
“Okay.” Lauren stepped closer, and that tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach said she wasn’t sure whether this truth was going to be good or bad.
“Remember after Kristin’s visit, you were upset because you thought I had looked at her like I missed her?” Mia’s brown eyes met Lauren’s, and her stomach dipped, because oh yeah, she remembered that, and she still felt a little bit insecure about it.
Lauren nodded, waiting for Mia to say what she needed to say.
“The truth is, I wasn’t missing Kristin that day. I was missing my old career, and I wasn’t ready to admit it, not even to myself.” Mia stood with her hands clasped in front of herself, head bowed as if she were making a confession.
Lauren closed the gap between them, resting her hands on Mia’s waist. “And this morning in court?”
“Like you said, I felt more like myself this morning than I have all year.” Mia sighed. “And I don’t know what to do about it…if anything.”
“I really think that if you look around, you could find something to fulfill that part of yourself, Mia, even if it’s just some volunteer work when you have the time.”
“I don’t entirely trust myself to do that.” Mia settled closer in Lauren’s arms. “I didn’t balance work and life well before when I was a lawyer. My ulcer is still healing. What if I fall back into old habits?”
Lauren’s heart melted at her honesty. “I don’t think you necessarily would. It seems like you and Kristin brought out that unhealthy side of each other, and maybe toward the end, you were burying yourself in work because your marriage was falling apart. You’re in a happy, stable place now. You have me and Lola and the café. It might be an entirely different experience if you gave it another try.”
Mia’s lips curved in a smile. “It sounds so possible when you put it like that, but I don’t know. I need to give it some thought, and I don’t even know what I’d do if I did go back. I can’t just give up the café.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Lauren said. “I’m sure of it.”
“I hate being indecisive,” Mia said with a huff of annoyance. “I’m committed to the café.”
“I know.”
She wrapped her arms around Mia and held her tight. If it was possible, Lauren felt even lighter than she had after she left the courthouse that morning. This conversation had alleviated her insecurities about their relationship, and she had every confidence that Mia would sort herself out professionally. In the meantime, Lauren would be here for her every step of the way.
When they parted, they were both smiling.
Mia held on to one of Lauren’s hands. “Stay here tonight?”
Lauren inhaled sharply. “Are you sure?”
Mia nodded, and there was no mistaking the heat—or the affection—gleaming in her eyes. “And to be clear, I want you in my bed, not on the couch.”
Lauren let out a laugh that sounded more like a giggle. “Well, I was certainly hoping.”
Then she was back in Mia’s arms, and there was nothing tender about this kiss. It was ravenous, fueled by weeks—months—of pent-up sexual tension. Mia’s lips met hers with bruising force, awakening something inside Lauren that she hadn’t felt in a long time, an urgent kind of arousal that made her feel like she might come out of her own skin if she didn’t satisfy it.
She groaned, gripping Mia’s ass through her pants as she hauled her closer, loving the way Mia’s breath hitched and her eyes fluttered shut as her hips pressed against Lauren’s. She was a few inches taller than Mia, but when Mia wore heels, everything lined up perfectly.
Mia’s hand slid beneath Lauren’s shirt, skimming up her back to release the clasp of her bra. Those rich brown eyes glinted into Lauren’s as she took Lauren’s breasts in her hands. Her fingers were soft and warm, and Lauren could hardly breathe because it feltso good. The next thing she knew, Mia had wedged a thigh between her own, and they were moving together, and damn, Mia was a force to be reckoned with when she made her mind up about something.
Right now, Lauren’s thoughts were a hazy mixture ofyesandpleaseandmore…
“Hey, Lauren?” Mia asked as she slowly dragged one of her hands down Lauren’s stomach to the waistband of her jeans.
“Yeah?” she managed through ragged breaths as her core clenched in anticipation of Mia’s touch.
“How do you feel about postponing dinner?” She tilted her head in the direction of the takeout bag on the table.
Lauren had forgotten it even existed. “I’m totally in favor of it,” she gasped.
