Sparks Like Ours

by Melissa Brayden

  “Yeah, but you’re creeping around my room. Shady.”

  But apparently Elle could play the game, too. “You know what? Maybe I should just go, then. I’ll let you spend the evening on your own.”

  Gia paused, liking the pout way too much. Elle was cute tonight. “You don’t like to be teased. At all.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Gia laughed. “You get a tiny bit defensive. Look at your outraged lower lip.” They stared at each other, and Gia found herself more attracted to Elle in this moment than ever before. Her body hummed just being near her. “Are you coming in?” She prayed the answer was yes. Even if it was only for a few minutes. She could think of a lot of ways to spend a few well-planned minutes.

  “Should I? I was just going to say hi. I don’t want to disrupt any evening plans you may have.”

  “Stop being Elle and come inside.”

  She broke into the kind of radiant smile Elle alone could manage. “Only because you insist.” She strolled into the room and gave it a thorough browse.

  “Let me guess? You scored a better room?” Gia asked.

  Elle turned. “I’m not that competitive.”

  Gia held up her hands. “Just checking.” She sat cross-legged on the bed. “You gave ’em a good run today. You had me nervous on that first wave. The exit was a close call, you have to admit.”

  “Yeah. I got a little tenacious. Probably should have dropped out of the barrel sooner. Wouldn’t have scored as high, though. What about you? Schooling Heather Macaulay. You looked good out there.”

  Gia took a moment, surprised. “You saw?” She imagined Elle would have been prepping for her own heat, keeping her head in the game.

  “Well, I wasn’t going to miss your first round,” Elle said quietly. Sincerely, even. Gia pulled in a steadying breath. She wasn’t the only one who was beginning to care, and that knowledge humbled her. How had they gotten here? Who were they? She was starting to understand that this was the tip of a much larger iceberg. Something important was taking place in her life. Fate had flipped everything she thought she knew on its head, and she damn well better find a way to keep up. She wanted to.

  Elle came to stand in front of where Gia sat on the bed, and laced her arms loosely around Gia’s shoulders. She could smell Elle’s tangerine shampoo, and it took her places much sexier than they were just moments before. “It’s weird. You and me being here at the same time, around everyone we know, and acting like life is status quo when I’m secretly making out with you back home. Dreaming about it the rest of the day.”

  Gia nodded. “Not sure I have the rules figured out. Not sure I care.”

  “It feels…salacious, in a way.”

  “Big word.”

  “How about scandalous?” Elle asked with an appeasing smile.

  Gia inclined her head, side to side. “That one sounds about right. Maybe I’m your scandal.”

  “Pshh, you’re way more than that.”

  “Really? And you don’t think I’m becoming pathetic?” Gia asked.

  Elle looked skyward. “I’ve never once thought of you that way. Why do you think so?”

  “Because when I ran into you earlier, I noticed that I lit up like some goofy puppy. I don’t do that. I’m solid.”

  “So solid,” Elle said seriously. “Never one to feel anything at all. Dead inside.”

  Gia stared at her. “I think you’re trying to make a point.”

  “I am.” Elle smiled. “You’re human, you know. I like that you’re happy when you see me. If you weren’t, what’s the point?”

  “Are we dating?” Gia flat out asked. Had to. “Or just fooling around?”

  Elle pursed her lips. “I think I’d go with dating.”

  “Except we’ve never been on a date.”

  “This is kind of a date. A private one.”

  And that was about all she could take. Gia pulled Elle’s face down and kissed her languidly, losing herself in the warmth of Elle’s mouth. She kissed as well as she surfed. Before she knew it, they were lying on the bed making out. She pushed her tongue into Elle’s mouth and pulled a moan. Hands were now in the mix. Hers. In Elle’s hair. At the hem of Elle’s sweatshirt, the back of her thighs. God, she loved her body.

  Elle came up breathless, her blue eyes dark. “It could get more private, you know,” she said quietly. At her own words, her cheeks colored and she glanced away, seeming embarrassed. That was a new one.

  “What’s all that about? Come back,” Gia said gently.

  “I’ve never been that into sex,” Elle said.

  Gia raised an eyebrow.

  “But I think about it a lot now. Too much.”

  “Is there a too much?” Gia asked, trying to keep the mood light for Elle’s benefit.

  “I’m beginning to wonder.” She looked down at Gia. “This is all new for me.”

  “I know.” A pause. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”

  “You and me, together. In bed. What that would be like. How much I want to find out.”

  The words alone had Gia affected all over and acutely aware of Elle’s body pressed to hers. She shifted uncomfortably. She longed to touch Elle, to be touched. The need, ignited by their kissing and accelerated with Elle’s declaration, was near-painful throbbing. “I don’t want to rush you. Like you said, this is new. Maybe we take our time. Go slow.” Gia hated herself for saying those words. Her body had been betrayed by the damn high ground.

  Elle sighed. “I knew you were going to say that.” A kiss.

  “Am I wrong?”

  “No.” Another kiss. “I hate that you’re right, but you probably are. But we can still fool around.”

  Gia smiled against Elle’s lips and pulled her hips in closer. One of Elle’s thighs pushed between Gia’s legs, leaving her moaning at the pressure and tiny hits of gratification that came with it. They were like a couple of teenagers, groping and making out on that bed. Five minutes of kissing later and Elle pushed up Gia’s T-shirt, taking them firmly to second base.

  “Don’t chastise me,” Elle said breathlessly, staring down at Gia’s black bra in rapture. Her fingers traced the tops of Gia’s breasts and followed the line of cleavage that dipped into her bra. “Just for a minute.”

  Gia didn’t argue. In fact, she couldn’t speak. Elle lightly ran her fingers across the front of Gia’s bra, moving lightly over the portion of fabric that covered her nipples. Gia’s eyes fluttered closed and her hips rolled. She swallowed, and a sharp surge of arousal slammed hot and hard right between her legs. The throbbing was out of control. “I can’t take any more of that,” she said, pushing herself into a sitting position and taking Elle right along with her. Her T-shirt fell back into place, and their new arrangement had Elle straddling her lap with a proud look on her face.

  “You have amazing breasts,” Elle told her. “I know that without even seeing them fully. I can’t wait until I do.”

  Gia laughed ruefully, her arms wrapped fully around Elle’s waist. “You’re gonna kill me, you know that?”

  “Not before I get to enjoy you.” Elle tucked a strand of hair behind Gia’s ear. “But you have my word. No more of that…for tonight.” She climbed off Gia’s lap and lay back on the bed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. We could just relax.”

  Gia sighed, not entirely trusting that invitation but feeling the weight of the day herself. She joined Elle and laid her head down on the pillow as her adrenaline slowly subsided and her heart rate returned to normal.

  “Have you been with a lot of women?” Elle asked, staring at the ceiling. “You don’t have to answer that question if you’d rather not.”

  Gia opened her mouth and closed it again. “I don’t know. I haven’t exactly kept a list.”

  “So, a lot?” She glanced over at Gia. “Definitely no judgment.”

  Gia turned to face Elle, her cheek on the pillow. “Not as many as you think. Trust me. An occasional tour hook-up. And that’s only once in a great
while.”

  “That’s fair. And girlfriends?”

  Gia laughed. “Even worse. There have been exactly two. One broke my heart when I was twenty-three, but it was for the best. She was a surf instructor and older than me. I guess you could say that we were at different places in life. The other was a blip. Since then I’ve concentrated on my job.”

  Elle nodded and snuggled into the crook of Gia’s arm, fitting there perfectly, like the spot was made for her. Gia felt herself let go and sink into the mattress, releasing the stress of the day. How could the same person who had excited her so thoroughly in one moment help her relax in the next? It was the last thing she remembered before opening her eyes the next morning and staring at the most beautiful girl in the world, still curled into her side and radiating warmth. Elle’s fist was tucked under her chin, and her blond hair pooled at her shoulders. She looked like an angel when she slept.

  That serenity was shattered when she caught sight of the clock. She sat up, still gathering her wits but knowing this was bad. Really bad.

  “Elle! Wake up. We overslept.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Time seemed to move at warp speed as Elle raced from Gia’s room in a blind fury. She made a mental list of all she had to accomplish in the next thirty minutes, noting it would be nearly impossible to prep for her heat the way she normally would. Somehow, she had to calm the hell down and regain control, her focus. Wasn’t working.

  How had this happened? She was never late, and she certainly didn’t oversleep.

  It was close to nine a.m. when the first heat of round two was scheduled to start. While she wasn’t scheduled to compete, Gia was. She’d be in worse shape than Elle in terms of time, lucky to even make it there before disqualification. But she couldn’t focus on Gia right now. She had her own problems.

  “Everything okay, Elle?” one of the other surfers asked as she barreled to the elevator.

  “Yep,” she said, hitting the button four times and opting for the stairs when the car didn’t immediately arrive.

  “Gia okay?” the woman called. “That’s her room, right?”

  “She’s fine,” Elle answered over her shoulder. Last Elle saw of her, she was climbing all over the room, looking for her suit and jersey. She distantly hoped Gia would get something quick to eat before the opening heat, knowing it was a luxury at this point and unlikely.

  She checked in for the heat and scurried over to Bruce, who stared at her like she’d lost her damn mind, which, apparently, she had. He had her board waiting and waxed, which she owed him for, big-time. This was honestly all her fault. She let herself get lost in the new and exciting world of Gia and forgot the rest entirely. She couldn’t let that happen again.

  “I’m sorry,” she told him. “I don’t know how this happened.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Bruce said, hitting her with a hard stare. “Think about what’s ahead of you. Get your mind on the heat. Nothing else.”

  Elle nodded and worked on doing just that. Her eyes caught the tournament standings on display near check-in. Her heart leapt into her throat.

  “That’s right,” Bruce said, following her stare. “You lucked out. Malone went down in the first heat. She’s out.”

  Elle didn’t know what to say. She stammered and changed the direction of her sentence, finally settling on, “Did she surf?”

  He looked at her strangely. “’Course she surfed. Turned in two sorry scores, and now she’s out of your way. Celebrate later, though, you’re up.”

  Elle nodded, scanning the beach for any sign of Gia, all the while battling her warring emotions. Her top competitor, the one with the power to take what was hers, was out of the tournament and now had zero chance of taking home the points needed to close the gap between them on the tour’s leaderboard…at least for now.

  On the other hand, Gia was out. Gia. She hurt for her, and wanted to have a moment to say she was sorry. Without that opportunity, she carried her board to the shoreline for her own heat, in which she’d have to take down the number four surfer, Alia Foz, to advance in the tournament.

  The morning conditions were ideal and there seemed to be some killer pipe out there. Now all she had to do was make it hers.

  She set to paddling.

  Heat two was just her and Foz, head-to-head. The best two waves would take it. One would move forward, one would not. Foz drew first priority and headed out to catch the first wave, but it fizzled before she could capitalize on anything worthwhile. Elle waited, watching, not in any hurry. She licked her lips, tasting the salt that reminded her of where she was and what she was here to do.

  There it was, a big sucker, rising like a beast.

  She set out for it, paddling like a maniac, monitoring the way the wave shifted as she rose to her feet, catching the ride, taking the first curve with acute agility. She drew to the bottom of the wave, which slowed her speed and took a two phase turn just to get the board moving again. Damn it. She bit her bottom lip and rode loose, trying to take back her power. But every wave had a different personality and broke in different directions for reasons Elle would never fully understand. This wave had a mind of its own and shifted on her, the force of the surge knocking her breathless and off the board. Total wipeout. She caught a mouthful of water and struggled her way to the surface against the forceful current. No go.

  Foz turned in a clean ride that would yield her a conservative 5.7. Elle knew she could top it and refused to let her first effort mess with her head. Not today. She set out again, on her feet early, taking a big whip off the top of the wave, power hook off the open face sending a ton of spray. This was it. This was what she needed. She slithered her way to the inside wall, closed it out off the top for a finishing move, and rode her way out.

  That’s how you did it. She was scored at 7.8.

  Foz offered her a nod and the game was on.

  They went back and forth, trading waves. With each outing, Elle bettered her score, taking the heat easily in the end with a combined score of 16.9. The crowd, as always, was supportive, and she waved to them in gratitude. She consulted with Bruce, who agreed with her more aggressive approach as the heat progressed, snagged information about her next round, and headed back to the Reebok-sponsored locker room for recovery. A sauna didn’t sound so bad about now. She threw a glance to the competitors’ box and paused right there in her tracks. Gia smiled back at her. The smile was conservative, yes, but that wasn’t the point. Gia had stayed behind and watched her heat, despite what must have been an unexpected and devastating defeat in only round two of the tournament. Elle shook her head slightly and felt the smile grow on her face. Gia was there for her. She’d shoved aside her own disappointment and had showed up.

  Elle crossed the small expanse of beach between them, leaned across the rope to Gia, took her face in her hands, and kissed her square on the lips. Gia didn’t balk or so much as pull away as long-lensed cameras turned from the water to the competitors’ box in a clicking flurry. “It sucks. I’m sorry,” Elle whispered to Gia, who nodded in response. “Find me later?”

  “I will,” Gia said, and gave her hand a squeeze.

  Jordan Tuscana, with a camera of her own a few feet away, turned to Gia. “You have so much explaining to do.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You’ve been sensationalized!” Hadley proclaimed, from her spot at Breakfast Club. She stared in awe at the laptop showcasing the photo of Elle kissing Gia at Swatch Pro. “You’re a real life love scandal sitting in the Cat’s Pajamas. And I know you! I’m famous by default.”

  Gia sipped her coffee. “It’s definitely getting a lot of play. The photo’s on every blog, website, and sports news outlet there is. My phone won’t stop blowing up. People want to know everything.”

  “Well, let’s think about it,” Isabel said, tapping the table. “Two really attractive women, who’ve been pitted against each other for years, are making out on a beach in front of thousands. Oh! And one of them is wearing a swimsuit at
the time.” She shook her head as if stumped. “Nope. Can’t imagine why anyone would be interested in that.”

  Her friends laughed.

  “I was shocked she did it.” Gia shook her head, but a smile crept onto her face. “She’s apologized several times for the impulsive decision, but since when have I cared what the press has to say? Elle’s the one with fallout. Until now, she was the All-American girl who would likely fall in love with the All-American boy and have babies photographed by People Magazine.”

  Autumn winced. “She did out herself to, well, the world in one giant gesture. That’s gotta be a lot to wrap her mind around.”

  “And do we know how she’s doing with that? Does she need support?” Hadley asked. “We can go to her place and be her friends. Maybe she needs friends about now, you know? I could make brownies.” She studied the faces of her own friends for feedback.

  Gia placed a hand on Hadley’s shoulder. “You’re a nice person, Hadley. But she won’t be home from San Clemente until tonight, so you’ll have to put your friendship on pause until then. She said she had a productive chat with her parents, who were surprised but supportive.”

  Hadley nodded. “Cool, cool. I can wait. But let her know we’re here if she wants to talk or have coffee or eat food. It can be terrifying, coming out. And she did it on such a huge stage.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” Autumn said. “I told one person at a time over the course of nearly two years, building my courage.”

  Gia smiled proudly as she thought on Elle’s big gesture. “She’s pretty tough. I think she’ll be okay.”

  “And you?” Isabel asked. “I know you’re bummed about your finish.”

  Gia nodded, still not over how poorly she’d performed at the Swatch Pro. She didn’t understand quite what went wrong. She’d overslept, yeah, and had to race to her heat like a bat out of hell. She hoped that’s all it was. Yet something pulled at her, made her wonder why she hadn’t been able to engage the way she normally did. She had been distracted and not feeling like herself. “Just a fluke, I’m betting. Luckily, number three on the leaderboard went down early as well. Not as early as me, but still helpful.”