Page 61 of Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

But she still didn’t look away.

Neither did Jordan and oh, holy shit, this was happening. She was going to kiss Jordan Everwood, and what’s more, she wanted to. She needed to. She had to know if this was real, if she actually felt all of these...feelingsthat had been swirling in her gut since last night.

No. Before that. If Astrid was being honest, since the day she watched Jordan swing that sledgehammer. Or... Astrid remembered the way she’d studied Jordan during the demolition work, the way she’d let her eyes trace her exposed midriff, her toned arms.

Jordan had taken her breath away from that first coffee-filled moment. Astrid could see it now—she could admit it.

She leaned a little closer, eyes never leaving Jordan’s. Jordan placed a hand on Astrid’s knee—more for bracing herself as she leaned in too, but Astrid felt the press of her fingers like an electrical storm, heat pooling between her legs.

Oh my god, was all Astrid could think.Oh my fucking god.

They were inches away when the bedroom door slammed shut.

Both women jolted backward. Astrid’s heart catapulted into her throat as her shoulder blades hit the window, a little yelp falling from her mouth. The iPad slid off Jordan’s lap and landed with a crack on the floor as she shot to her feet, palms up and presented to the door like she was trying to block some unseen evil. They stayed like thatfor a good ten seconds, nothing but the sound of heavy breathing filling the room, before Jordan finally lowered her arms.

“Holy shit,” she said.

“Yeah,” Astrid said, unfurling from the ball her body had instinctively curled into and setting her feet on the floor. She stared at the closed bedroom door. “What was that?”

Jordan shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t leave any doors open downstairs to cause a draft.”

“Maybe someone left a window open today,” Astrid said.

Jordan nodded, but all Astrid could think wasghost,which was ridiculous.

Or was it? They were in the Lapis Room, after all.

“I think we’d better call it a night,” Jordan said, bending to pick up the iPad. She handed it to Astrid without meeting her eyes.

Astrid felt her heart sink into her stomach. She didn’t want to call it a night. She wanted to find out what was about to happen between them just now before Alice Everwood so rudely interrupted them.

Jordan walked to the middle of the room and picked up her hammer, then she started for the door. Panic rose up in Astrid’s chest, and for once she was going to do what she wanted.

She was going toactinstead of all this constant, exhaustingthinking.

“Jordan, wait,” she said.

Jordan froze but didn’t turn around. Astrid set her iPad on the window seat—she might need both hands for this—and walked over to Jordan so they were facing each other. Jordan lifted her eyes to Astrid’s, but those green-rimmed irises weren’t filled with lust and wonder anymore.

They were filled with fear.

Astrid frowned. She wanted to reach out and take Jordan’s hand, but she didn’t dare.

“Hey,” she said softly, the way she’d speak to a spooked animal. “Maybe we could—”

“Have you ever kissed a woman, Astrid? Or anyone who wasn’t a cishet man?”

Jordan’s question settled between them. Astrid’s mouth fell open.Astrid. She’d called her Astrid. In the short time they’d known each other, Jordan had only ever called her Parker.

“What?” Astrid asked after her throat started working again.

Jordan closed her eyes briefly, raked a hand through her hair. “You heard me.”

Astrid felt her face move through a million emotions—eyebrows dipping then lifting, mouth opening and closing. “I... no, but—”

“Okay,” Jordan said, releasing a resigned breath. “Then I don’t think tonight is the night to start.”

Astrid shook her head. “I don’t understand.”