Page 99 of Iris Kelly Doesn't Date

STEVIE WATCHED IRISleave, a sinking in her stomach she couldn’t explain.

“Hey, you okay?” Jenna asked, one of her fingers tapping Stevie’s arm.

Stevie looked back at her. She really was pretty. And sweet. So sweet. When they’d danced, she’d held Stevie tenderly, asked her questions about acting. It wasn’t the wild first encounter she’d had with Iris, but that was probably a good thing, as that hadn’t exactly turned out well.

No, Jenna was calm. She was slow and safe, and Stevie knew she was the perfect person to be with right now. Maybe even date. Stevie could see it—going to dinner with Jenna, holding hands in an ice cream shop, watching rom-coms on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Jenna made sense.

“Yeah,” Stevie said.

“Do you want to dance again?” Jenna asked as another slow song came on.

“Absolutely,” Stevie said.

They stood and ambled out to the dance floor hand in hand. Stevie took a deep breath and pulled Jenna close. She led the dance, trailing her fingers up Jenna’s back and down to her waist before settling on her lovely wide hips. Jenna rested her head against Stevie’s, her fingers in her hair, pulling gently.

God, it felt good.

Stevie closed her eyes, her breath picking up, but not in a panicked way. She turned her head just a little, so Jenna’s mouth grazed her cheek, then kept turning when she heard Jenna’s own breath speed up.

“Okay?” she asked when their mouths were close, and Jenna nodded. Then Stevie kissed her. It was delicate and soft and perfect, and Stevie was absolutely not thinking about anyone else in this moment.

Not a wild redhead.

Not a loud and tender Beatrice.

Not a fake girlfriend with a single blue freckle.

“Do you want to go back to my place?” Jenna asked when they’d parted.

Stevie blinked, her stomach fluttering. But yes. Yes, of course she wanted to go back to Jenna’s place. That’s what all of this was for, and goddammit, she didn’t want to face Iris at rehearsal tomorrow and tell her she’d chickened out. So she nodded and Jenna smiled and before Stevie knew it, the two were walking down a cobbled Bright Falls street holding hands, reaching Jenna’s apartment in a couple of blocks.

“This is me,” Jenna said, unlocking a unit on the third floor. The building was cute, only three stories tall, and was on the other side of Main from Iris’s place.

“Great,” Stevie said, stepping into the small space. It was clean and modern, all gray walls and furniture, bright splashes of coral and aqua pillows and artwork here and there. A calico cat rubbed against Stevie’s legs.

“Oh, that’s Nyla. You’re not allergic, are you?” Jenna asked.

“No,” Stevie said, leaning down to scratch the cat’s head.

“Let me just feed her and then I’m all yours,” Jenna said as she disappeared into the kitchen. “Want something to drink?”

“Water is fine,” Stevie said, inching into the living room. Her palms were a little sweaty and she wiped them on the back of her shorts, then took off her hat and set it on the couch.

“Here you go,” Jenna said, handing her a glass of water.

“Thanks.” She took a single sip, eyes locked on Jenna, and then set the drink on an end table before reaching out and circling an arm around her.

“Oh,” Jenna said, laughing, her hands going to Stevie’s arms. “Down to business, then?”

“Yeah,” Stevie said, her voice only a little shaky. “If that’s okay.”

“More than okay,” Jenna said, then leaned forward and kissed Stevie.

Stevie gripped her hips and kissed her back. She tasted delicious, like wine and sun, and she definitely knew how to use her tongue. It was a perfect kiss, a kiss that promised other things. Stevie’s stomach gave a tiny, barely-there lurch, so she focused.

She visualized what she wanted to do with Jenna, painted the picture in her mind, the slow peeling off of clothing, laying Jenna down on her bed and pushing her legs apart, pressing her mouth to the warmth between her thighs.