Megan Harris had hopes of
seeing the world, but at twenty-five, she’s never even left Florida. Now a
wedding invitation lures her to Quebec…in February. When her ex-friend Scarlett
offers to be her plus-one (yeah, that’s a whole story) and suggests they turn
the journey into an epic road trip, Megan reluctantly agrees to the biggest
adventure of her life.
A week together in a car is a
surefire way to kill a crush, and Scarlett Andrews has had a big one on Megan
for years. The important thing is fixing their friendship.
As the miles roll away, what
starts as harmless road-trip games and rest-stop dares escalate into something
like intimacy. And when a surprise snowstorm forces Megan and Scarlett to
hunker down without the open road as a distraction, they’ve got a bigger
challenge than making it to the church on time: facing the true nature of their
feelings for each other.
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Megan hadn’t brought a lot of clothing on this trip, anticipating
getting to do laundry at some hotel along the way, but she had a couple of nice
outfits in addition to the dress she planned to wear for the wedding. She
selected an emerald green sweater dress from her suitcase. She was normally
more of a jeans kind of girl, but this dress made her feel cute, and it felt
very Nashville when she paired it with some knee-high boots. She gathered up
her clothes and undergarments and headed for the bathroom.
When she left the bathroom, Scarlett was pinning up her
curls into two buns up near the top of her head. It was one of the cutest
hairstyles she wore, and one that always made Megan wish for something other
than her own super-straight brown hair. Scarlett looked away from her hair when
Megan entered the room, her gaze skimming down Megan’s body in a way that made
Megan burn up inside.
Before Scarlett could say something, whether it was going
to be a compliment or not, Megan blurted out, “I don’t know what to do with my
hair.”
Scarlett tapped her lips, studying her like she was an interesting
painting. “You want me to curl it?” Scarlett asked.
“My hair doesn’t curl.” Megan had never had any luck with
that. “It’s too fine.”
Scarlett tucked the final bobby pin into her own style
and walked over to Megan, running her hand through Megan’s hair. The contact
sent a chill all down Megan’s spine. Oh, she wanted Scarlett to keep touching
her like that.
“It’s pretty fine.” Scarlett gathered up a bunch of
Megan’s hair in her hands. Megan shivered. Hopefully Scarlett wouldn’t notice
the shiver. “It would curl if you didn’t wash it so much. You need it to get
dirty.”
Megan laughed, and it sounded breathless coming out. “I
don’t really do dirty.”
Scarlett still had the hold on her hair, and she tipped
Megan’s head back to look at her. “You sure about that?”
The unspoken after last night hung in the air
between them. Megan sucked in a breath, her lips parting, and their gazes
locked. Then it was like Scarlett had suddenly realized what she said, and she
slid her hands out of Megan’s hair and backed away. “Your hair is cute just
like it is. You don’t need to do anything to it.” She turned toward the mirror
again and fumbled with her makeup bag. Was it Megan’s imagination, or were
Scarlett’s hands shaking? “You, uh, ever think about cutting it?” Scarlett
asked.
Megan was still rattled and warm all over. It took her a
moment to process Scarlett’s words. “Oh. Yeah, actually. Sometimes I think
about a pixie cut. Cutting all of it off. But I get nervous.”
“It’s a big step. But you’ve got the perfect heart-shaped
face for it.” Scarlett glanced over, then back at the mirror. “If you ever want
to do it, there’s probably a million great salons along our road trip. Could be
a fun change. And it grows back.”
She was talking fast. Megan was having a hard time
thinking. “Yeah. Maybe. I’ll…do my makeup.”
She had the new makeup from Sephora to try, and while it
wasn’t her area of expertise, she put together what she hoped was a good
look—not super fancy, but she didn’t end up looking like a clown, either. When
she returned from the bathroom, Scarlett was done.
“What about lipstick?” Scarlett asked.
“I’m wearing some.” Megan resisted the urge to touch her
lips in reflex.
Scarlett frowned. “Nude?”
“It’s light pink.”
“You need a bold lip. Something really red. It would
bring the whole look together.”
“I don’t have anything really red.” Megan stuck with all
light pinks whenever she got makeup, which wasn’t very often. Red was showy and
ostentatious, and she wasn’t the type of person to try to get noticed.
Scarlett rummaged in her bag and pulled out a lipstick.
“Here. Let me.” She touched Megan’s chin, gently tilting her head back, and
then began to apply the lipstick with focused precision. Megan tried not to
shiver as Scarlett held her face perfectly still, her attention locked onto
Megan’s lips. When she finished, they held that pose, and desire flared up in
Megan like a flashover. She wanted to lean forward and ruin that perfect
lipstick against Scarlett’s berry-red mouth.
Copyright © 2020 by Elia Winters
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Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories featuring beloved
romance tropes, where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.
Author Bio
RITA™ Award-winning author
Elia Winters is a fat, tattooed, polyamorous bisexual who loves petting cats
and fighting the patriarchy. She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature
and teaches at a small rural high school, where she also runs the drama club.
In her spare time, she is equally likely to be found playing tabletop games,
kneading bread, cross-stitching, or binge-watching Marie Kondo. A sex educator
and kink-positive feminist, Elia reviews sex toys, speaks at kink conventions,
and writes geeky, kinky, cozy erotic romance. She currently lives in western
Massachusetts with her loving husband and their weird pets.
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