Page 24 of Her Desire (Pulse Medical #3)

“One carbonara for you,” he said, placing the plate in front of Gianna, who untangled her fingers from Holly’s to make space on the table.

“And risotto for you. Hope you ladies enjoy your meal.” He flashed a polite smile and stepped back.

Holly thanked him and was ready to dive back into their conversation.

But Gianna was already off in a different direction.

“So, what would you do if we magically got two whole weeks off work?” Gianna asked, twirling the pasta around her fork. “No calls. No texts. No emergencies.”

“That sounds like a fantasy!” Holly laughed, not minding the topic change. To dream about a vacation made her feel almost giddy. “I can’t even remember the last time I took a proper vacation, at least not without having my phone on me in case the hospital called.”

“Just humor me.”

“Fine.” Holly grinned and dropped her fork softly to the edge of her plate.

The risotto was delicious, but their conversation deserved her full attention.

“I think I’d go somewhere quiet. Warm. Maybe even tropical with turquoise water and hammocks.

Somewhere with not a single clock in sight.

I want to sleep in and eat breakfast in bed.

I don’t want to think. Or plan. Or be useful. ”

Gianna nodded in approval. “Low stimulation. High rest. It sounds perfect.”

“What about you?” Holly asked, picking up her fork again. She shoveled a forkful of risotto into her mouth and waited for Gianna to reply.

“Honestly?” Gianna said. “I want the exact same thing. Quiet mornings. Slow afternoons. I just want to wake up next to someone and not have to rush anywhere.”

Holly felt a flutter in her chest at that. A huge flutter coming from huge wings.

“I hope you’re talking about me?” she asked, feeling a sudden heat in her cheeks she didn’t expect at all. “Unless you’re seeing someone else as well?” She knew with every bone in her body that it wasn’t the case, but even so, Holly couldn’t help holding her breath.

Gianna chuckled and shook her head. “You’re the only person I want to wake up next to.”

That did something to Holly, made her stomach somersault in the best, most dangerous way. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had said something that clear and certain to her. No games. No guessing. Just truth.

Relieved, Holly said, “I would love to take a vacation somewhere with you. I know it sounds intense, but we’ve known each other as friends so I feel like we’re skipping through stuff here. I don’t feel awkward at all.”

“I agree. Well, it’s done then,” Gianna said, grinning. “On Monday we’re putting in leave and booking a flight somewhere warm and tropical.”

Holly laughed. It sounded way too good to be true.

But all of a sudden, she was imagining waking up beside Gianna in a bungalow, a thin, sheer curtain surrounding them while the sound of the ocean played like white noise in the background.

They were naked, of course. And they’d probably end up spending the remainder of the day naked.

“Deal.”

When they finished eating with plates scraped clean, wine glasses empty, and the conversation still easy and flowing, Gianna leaned back in her chair and asked, “Should we head back to my place?”

Holly nodded at the same time a yawn slipped from her lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“I can’t believe I fell asleep,” Holly muttered, reaching for the glass of water Gianna had left last night on the coffee table—or so Holly assumed she did, it wasn’t like she’d been awake for it, or the part where Gianna had covered her with an extremely soft blanket.

One minute, they stumbled through the front door, lips locked, her fingers tangled in Gianna’s hair, only for Gianna to pull away and head toward the kitchen, offering to open a bottle of wine.

And the next… Well, it was a complete blackout for Holly.

She’d crashed out like a light on Gianna’s couch.

No wine. No more kissing and most certainly no sex. Just sleep. Sweet, peaceful sleep.

“Why are you apologizing?” Gianna asked, setting a cup of coffee down in front of her. “You were tired. Tired people need to sleep. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Holly pulled a face and picked up the coffee cup. The smell wafting off it was so delicious she nearly groaned. “Why does it feel like I’ve been out for hours?”

“Because you were,” Gianna said, smiling. “It’s almost eight am.”

“What?” Holly’s eyes snapped completely open, forcing the sleep out of her body.

She hadn’t expected it to be so late. Just like she hadn’t expected to fall asleep, especially while her clit had throbbed for Gianna all the way back.

All she had wanted to do was fuck Gianna, feel herself drift off in that sex-induced haze of heat and safety. But things hadn’t worked that way.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Holly moaned, rubbing her eyes.

“I couldn’t,” Gianna said, tugging a strand of hair behind Holly’s ear. “You looked so cute, so at peace. It would’ve been a crime to wake you up. You’ve had a lot of emotional processing going on, I wanted to let you rest.”

As lovely and sweet as that was, Holly could’ve done with a wake-up call an hour ago. She had work this morning. Just some paperwork she hadn’t gotten around to finishing on Friday morning when she’d been too anxious about meeting up with her mother for lunch.

“I should get going,” Holly said, standing up and stretching. “I have to head to the hospital this morning.”

She stopped mid-stretch and flicked her gaze around the open-plan living room in search of her handbag and keys.

Both of which were lying on Gianna’s kitchen counter.

She’d driven her car to Gianna’s house before they had hopped onto the ferry, and she was glad for the decision.

That way, at least, she didn’t have to figure out how to get home.

“Do you want to meet up later?” Holly asked when she reached the counter and slipped her bag over her shoulder. “We can have lunch. Or coffee. Or if you’re busy…” she trailed off, not sure if she was being too forward by wanting to spend more time with her.

If Holly could, she’d never say goodbye.

But Gianna didn’t waste a second. She stood up and crossed the gap between them so quickly that Holly barely had time to register what was happening before Gianna’s lips were on hers.

“I’d love to,” Gianna murmured, her breath warm against Holly’s mouth. “We can spend the afternoon together if you feel like it, maybe pick up where we left off, you know before you fell asleep on the couch.”

Holly’s cheeks warmed up at the thought, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was Gianna’s hands on her hips. “I’d love that.”

Gianna let her go and Holly felt naked and cold without her. She didn’t want to leave. But she had to. “I’ll call you.”

It wasn’t much later when Holly flicked the indicator and turned her car onto her street, still in a bit of a daze.

Her window was cracked open just enough to let in the scent of blooming citrus and the salt of the bay.

Usually, she appreciated the smells, but today her brain was too preoccupied with Gianna’s perfect ability to kiss her senseless?—

Her stomach dropped.

She slammed on the brake a little too fast as her heart shot straight up into her throat. Because there, standing on her tiny, sun-bleached porch was her mother.

Magda had her arms crossed and her expression was unreadable. She flicked her gaze up to Holly’s car, watching intently as Holly pulled into the driveway.

Once the car was parked, Holly took a second to gather herself—not that she could do so for long as her mother was already stepping down onto the pathway—and climbed out.

Magda’s gaze was cool and clinical as it swept down Holly’s frame. “You’re still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. I guess you’ve been busy.”

Holly had no idea how to respond to that. She couldn’t exactly say, yes, I stayed the night at Gianna’s place, fell asleep on her couch even though all I really wanted to do last was fuck her, so she went with the safest option possible and pretended like her mother hadn’t said anything at all.

“I have to get to work,” she mumbled, brushing past her mom and heading toward the front door. Her keys were clutched so tightly in her hand that they surely left little indents in her palms. “Just need to grab a few things and head out.”

But before she could make it to the door, Magda spoke again. Softer this time.

“Holly, wait.”

Holly, who already had her keys out to unlock the front door, stopped moving and against her better judgment, turned around.

Her mother looked like she’d aged overnight. For the first time since she spotted her, Holly noticed that Magda wasn’t wearing any makeup. Her blonde hair was pulled back hastily, and her wrists and neck were devoid of any jewelry. Which wasn’t like her at all.

“I shouldn’t have walked away,” Magda said before Holly could ask her what she wanted. “Yesterday. I didn’t handle it right. I’m sorry.”

Holly dropped her arm to her side. She hadn’t expected an apology. She’d run over this at least ten times since yesterday and not one of those scenarios had included her mother owning up to anything. This was completely unexpected.

“I was just surprised,” Magda went on. “I still don’t.

..” she exhaled and shifted uncomfortably, “fully understand all of it. And to be honest, it’s not how I pictured your life turning out…

You know I was raised differently. We didn’t talk about this kind of thing.

We didn’t have people like that in our lives. Not openly anyway.”

Holly wasn’t sure what to say, but she didn’t have to say anything, not yet.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Magda added. “I’ve been up thinking and somewhere in the early hours of this morning it hit me. What matters more than anything is that you’re my daughter. And I love you, even if the way you choose to live your life is…different.”

“It’s not that different,” Holly started.

But Magda raised a hand silencing her. She then sighed.

“I’m not saying I’m going to get everything right with you and Gianna, or whoever you choose to love.

I can’t promise I’ll say the right things or be perfect.

But I want to try. If you’ll let me. I want to be a part of this new life of yours. You’re still my baby, you understand?”

Holly’s brain needed a second to catch up. Magda hadn’t just apologized, she’d shifted, even if it was only slightly, from the narrow, judgmental views she held about people like Holly, like Gianna. And that was more than Molly had ever dared to hope for.

“You really mean that?” Holly asked, her voice small and a little shaky.

Magda gave a faint nod. “I do.”

Holly didn’t move right away. She didn’t throw herself into her mother’s arms or break down crying. She just stood there, letting the words settle, letting the weight shift off her shoulders a little. Or at least enough to make space for something new. Something not perfect, but better than before.