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Elle hesitated. “No, not exactly. I was just…”

“Just…?”

She sighed, changing trajectory. “Stopping by to say hi to you.That’s the truth of it.”

Another long stare.

“How did you know my room number?” Gia asked.

“I have my ways.” She shrugged it off. “People tend to bend rulesfor me when I’m really nice to them.”

“I don’t know,” Gia said, taking Elle’s hand and dragging her downthe hallway toward her room. “Sounds shady.”

Elle held up a finger. “I am most certainly not shady. In fact,the opposite.” The insinuation had ruffled Elle enough for her to rush tocorrect the misconception, which just encouraged Gia’s playful side further.

“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 outragedlower lip.” They stared at each other, and Gia found herself more attracted toElle in this moment than ever before. Her body hummed just being near her. “Areyou coming in?” She prayed the answer was yes. Even if it was only for a fewminutes. 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 anyevening 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 thoroughbrowse.

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

Elle turned. “I’m notthatcompetitive.”

Gia held up her hands. “Just checking.” She sat cross-legged onthe 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 outof 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 wouldhave been prepping for her own heat, keeping her head in the game.

“Well, I wasn’t going to miss your first round,” Elle saidquietly. Sincerely, even. Gia pulled in a steadying breath. She wasn’t the onlyone who was beginning to care, and that knowledge humbled her. How had theygotten here? Who were they? She was starting to understand that this was thetip 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 wellbetter find a way to keep up. She wanted to.

Elle came to stand in front of where Gia sat on the bed, and lacedher arms loosely around Gia’s shoulders. She could smell Elle’s tangerineshampoo, 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 backhome. Dreaming about it the rest of the day.”

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

“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.