Page 23 of Her Desire (Pulse Medical #3)

HOLLY

T he ferry’s engine rumbled beneath their feet as it sliced through the glittering bay.

Holly leaned against the railing, the salty breeze whipping her hair into a tangled mess, which was probably something she would’ve cared about if she didn’t feel like her heart had just been stomped on and shoved into a blender.

And by her own mother no less.

“She hates me,” Holly mumbled, bending over to stretch out a spasm in her back.

This whole thing with her mother walking away after confessing her true self hurt way more than she anticipated, not just emotionally, but physically too.

Her shoulders and back were locked up tight.

She’d always thought that the love a parent was supposed to have for their child could transcend anything.

That no matter what, love will always be there.

But apparently it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t enough. Not for Magda.

A deep breath shuddered through Holly, and she straightened up at the same time Gianna stepped in beside her. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s your mother. She’ll always love you. She’s probably just processing things.”

“Right,” Holly muttered through gritted teeth.

They were crossing the bay, moving past yachts bobbing lazily, toward the downtown skyline. It was late afternoon, and that soft golden glow touched everything. Not that Holly could find much comfort in the beauty of it.

“She’s never going to accept me,” she said bitterly. “Which means my dad won't either. She’s got him wrapped around her pinky. If Magda says jump then Roger jumps. It just feels so… hard.”

“You don’t know that,” Gianna said, her voice calm, trying to soothe. But there was no soothing. There was no healing balm that could fix this.

“I do,” Holly said, snapping her head in Gianna’s direction.

“I do know that because I know my parents. I’ve spent my whole life trying to meet their expectations, trying to be what they want me to be.

They don’t even approve of my career. You heard my mom.

She thinks I could do better.” Holly scoffed.

“What parent thinks their doctor daughter can do better?”

Holly flicked her gaze away, unable to hold eye contact for too long. Gianna had seen her exhausted and emotional after long, devastating surgeries. She’d seen her naked. She’d seen her moan as an orgasm rippled through her.

But somehow allowing Gianna to see this part of her—this raw, scraped-open version of herself—was more terrifying than all of it combined.

One second, Holly was staring out at the water, and the next, she felt Gianna’s hands on her hips.

She turned Holly toward her and pulled her closer, close enough that there was barely anything more than a breath between them.

Close enough that Holly could almost see her reflection in the honey-brown irises of Gianna’s eyes.

“Look at me,” Gianna’s voice was low and soothing. “I’m here for you, you know that right? Even if it seems like you’re alone in all of this, you aren’t. You never will be because I will always be here. We go through life and realize that some people aren’t what we thought they were.”

Holly’s heart beat a little too fast. She didn’t know how to respond to that, but she didn’t need to.

Because in that moment, Gianna leaned in and brushed her lips against Holly’s in the most perfect, gentle way.

It was like she was waiting for Holly to stop holding back.

And Holly did. Because, fuck, this felt so right, so real.

This kiss. The way Gianna’s tongue slipped into her mouth and tangled with hers.

The way Gianna’s palms slid up her back.

And the way Holly leaned into all of it, not just her body, but her heart too.

She allowed the world to narrow to just this moment—this heat, this connection, this kiss.

The rest of it, her mom’s reaction, her rejection, the fear about what came next, all of that faded into the background.

So too did the rest of the people on the ferry, which given the tourists capturing photos and the occasional boat horn blaring, was a small miracle.

When they finally pulled away, the city’s skyline had grown closer. But Holly barely noticed. She was still floating, still lost in the lingering taste of Gianna’s tongue in her mouth.

“What do you want to do next?” Gianna asked, still holding onto Holly’s hips but with a gap between them now. “I realized now we hadn’t actually planned anything.”

“Um…” Holly pulled herself back into the moment.

“I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.

” The answer was an automatic response, but the truth was, she didn’t care.

Not after that kiss. In fact, she wouldn’t mind heading back to her bed, or to the closest bed she could find.

It didn’t even have to be a bed. Just somewhere private where she could feel Gianna’s wetness beneath her fingers.

Where she could hitch up her top, unclip her bra, and swallow her nipple.

Where she could make Gianna moan until the walls shook.

Holly’s clit throbbed at the thought.

She considered suggesting they head back but then Gianna brushed her fingers lightly along the fabric of Holly’s shirt and grinned and just like that, Holly forgot her own plan.

“Well then, how about our first official date? I’m thinking we could check out The Bellavista Bistro.

A little Italian place I’ve heard has the best Carbonara around and a great wine list.” She tightened her grip on Holly’s hips and frankly, Holly had no idea how she could get through dinner without tearing Gianna’s clothes off her body.

“And a bonus—it’s tucked away enough to be romantic.

Small space. Candlelit. And tiramisu to share for dessert. ”

“Sounds perfect,” Holly said, nearly forgetting all about earlier when she’d come out to her mother and got that cold, unspoken rejection. Nearly . Though she had a feeling that later, when they were back home, hopefully naked and tangled up in Gianna, she would barely even remember her name.

“Come on,” Gianna said, taking her hand as the ferry docked. “Let me wine and dine you properly.”

The Bellavista Bistro was exactly as promised. Small, cozy, tucked away into a corner downtown. A spot decorated with string lights overhead and white tablecloths and a single flickering candle sitting between Holly and Gianna.

Gianna looked unfairly gorgeous. The tiny gold flame danced in her dark eyes and her lips were curled around a glass of red wine that Holly couldn’t stop imagining on her own skin.

Dinner first. Sex later. Hopefully.

The waiter had just walked away with their order; Gianna had gone with the carbonara and Holly with the mushroom risotto she’d barely registered choosing.

She was too focused on the warm buzz in her chest, the residual heat of Gianna’s hands on her hips, her back, and the way Gianna kept looking at her like she was the only thing in the room worth seeing.

Even with Holly’s slightly embarrassing confession, her emotional outburst earlier, and the fact that she’d nearly broken into tears on a public ferry, Gianna still looked at her like she was wanted. Like none of it scared her off. Like she was exactly where she wanted to be.

And that felt like everything

“You’re staring,” Gianna teased, swirling her wine. “Do I have something on my face?”

Holly’s eyes widened. She was caught, though she wasn’t remotely sorry. “Sorry,” she said, only because it seemed like the conventional thing to say and diverted her gaze to the placemat in front of her.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Gianna said. “I don’t mind.” She brought her glass to her lips once more but didn’t take a sip. “I actually kind of like it,” she said over the rim.

Holly laughed. “Well, then good. Because I don’t think I can stop myself from staring at you and I know that sounds corny as hell?—”

“I like corny as hell,” Gianna interrupted, smiling. She placed her glass down and without hesitating, reached across the table, her fingers finding Holly’s hand. “And I like you. A lot. More than I’d like to admit if I’m being honest.”

“Why?” Holly asked. “Why don’t you want to admit it? Come on, admit it! Be real with me, I can take anything after today.”

Gianna took a second to reply and when she did, her gaze wasn’t on Holly but rather on their hands, on Gianna’s thumb gently tracing along the inside of Holly’s wrist. “I don’t know,” she said with a half-shrug.

“I guess it’s easier to keep things light and pretend I’m not falling for you.

Or that I haven’t been kind of besotted with you ever since we met. ”

“You have?”

Now that was a surprise. A huge, overwhelming, and unexpected revelation that made Holly’s chest feel like it was on fire, her heart racing against her ribs like she might combust at any second.

Holly couldn’t believe her day had gone from terrible to wonderful in a matter of hours.

Or maybe she could, because with Gianna… it made sense.

“Is that weird? Is that too much? It is the truth though,” Gianna said, flicking her gaze up to meet Holly’s. She bit at her lip as if she wanted to take back the words. “I won’t be offended if you said it was. I completely get it.”

“No,” Holly decided and meant it. “It isn’t. Just the opposite.”

If Holly had to be honest with herself—really honest—she might admit that a part of her had fallen for Gianna way before she even knew that she was gay.

But she’d been too wrapped up in her own straight-laced expectations to even notice.

Maybe that was why, whenever they had spent time together, Holly had felt lighter than air, as bright as the sun.

It was like she’d been drawn to Gianna the way opposite magnets were destined to meet.

Holly was just about to say this to Gianna when the waiter arrived with their orders.