Page 10 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
Mia couldn’t argue with that. She didn’t have a crush on Piper Sheridan the way some of the others did, maybe because she didn’t generally go for younger women, but she couldn’t deny that Piper was beautiful. Sam Whitaker was undeniably sexy in her power suits…especially when she was worked up about something.
Later in the episode, Claire went to Sam’s apartment, and Sam apologized for snapping at her earlier in the day. The next thing Mia knew, Sam and Claire were leaning toward each other over the kitchen island like they were about to kiss. Everyone cheered, even Mia, who was so lost in the moment she forgot that screaming at the television wasn’t something she did.
At the last moment, Claire pulled back and went home, sending a groan around the room.
“Calling it now. This season’s going to be nothing but a tease.” Ash got up in a huff to refill her drink.
Lauren reached for her glass. “At least Sam looks super-hot while she’s teasing us.”
“Yes, she does,” Sarah agreed.
“All right, ladies. Let’s do this.” Quinn loaded episode ten—the last episode—and they settled in to see how the season would end.
They watched Sam win an important case and then go out for drinks with the other lawyers in the firm to celebrate. Sam got a bit too drunk, and then she had a flashback of being shot, which led to her having a panic attack in the alley behind the bar.
Lauren reached over and squeezed Mia’s hand, her expression intense enough to make Mia wonder if she had a history of panic attacks. Her fingers trembled, and Mia stroked her thumb back and forth over Lauren’s palm in a gesture of support. As she sat there, watching Sam hyperventilate on the TV with Lauren’s shaking fingers clutched in hers, Mia’s decision crystalized in her mind. She would help Lauren in any way she could.
On the TV, Claire left the bar, looking for Sam. “There you are,” Claire said as she approached Sam in the alley. “What are you doing out here?”
Sam stared at her for a moment, breathless and slightly disheveled from her panic attack. The look she gave Claire was positivelyferal. Mia sucked in a breath. And then Sam stepped forward, pinning Claire against the brick wall, and crushed their lips together.
The room exploded with screams, and the couch bounced beneath Mia as Fatima leaped up to fist-pump the air. Mia found herself whooping along with the rest of them as Sam kissed the shit out of Claire onscreen.
Through all the noise, Mia heard an awestruck “wow,” and as she turned her head, she saw Lauren sitting there with her mouth hanging open, her free hand pressed against her chest and tears shimmering in her eyes.
It was one of the most pure, unguarded, beautiful things Mia had ever seen.
* * *
Lauren was crying.Honest-to-God tears wet her cheeks as the credits began to roll on the screen before her. Sam and Claire had kissed, and it hadn’t been a hesitant peck on the lips. Sam had gone for it with everything she had. It was hot, and emotional, and just…everything Lauren had wanted.
“That was perfect,” she whispered. “It was so perfect.”
Mia squeezed her hand. “I can’t believe they really kissed.”
When Lauren glanced at her, Mia was watching her with that laser-sharp intensity, and for a moment, she wondered what it would feel like if Mia kissed her the way Sam had just kissed Claire. Lauren’s heart was racing, her skin flushed, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the Clairantha kiss or Mia’s proximity. Maybe a combination of both.
Everyone was talking at once, sharing their thoughts on the kiss. Sarah was already backing up the episode so they could watch it again. This time, Lauren squealed when Sam’s lips crashed into Claire’s. She noticed the way Sam’s hand landed possessively on Claire’s waist and how Claire’s eyes widened in surprise before sliding shut as she surrendered to the kiss.
“Hot,” Sarah said.
“So hot,” Quinn agreed, grinning at her girlfriend.
They watched the kiss on repeat until Lauren had lost count, swept up in the euphoric energy of the room and blissfully aware that Mia’s hand was still in hers. Eventually, Ash poured shots, and they toasted the kiss with whiskey. Fatima, who didn’t drink, toasted with juice.
Then Quinn opened her laptop, working her magic to turn the kiss into a gif for social media. Sam and Claire’s kiss was about to take the internet by storm, if it hadn’t already. They’d all agreed to stay off social media today to avoid spoilers.
“I’m really glad I got to watch this season with you all this weekend,” Mia said, sounding thoughtful. “It was a lot of fun.”
“Imagine if I’d been home alone when I saw that kiss?” Fatima said, eyes wide. “It was a hundred times better watching it with you ladies.”
“We’ll have to do this again for season six,” Sarah agreed.
Lauren nodded, trying not to wonder where she’d be in a year when the next season dropped. She desperately hoped she’d be right here in Brooklyn, with a new job and a new apartment, but the reality was, she might be in jail.
“So,” Mia said, turning to face her. “You’re still planning to stay in Brooklyn this week?”
Lauren heard her unasked question, and her stomach clenched. “Yes. My plans haven’t changed.”
