Alt PoV - Gianna, post accidental makeout... (Patreon)

There is truly something so fun about writing Gianna's point of view from scenes in OtSP. When I was conceptualizing the novel, I really did

There is truly something so fun about writing Gianna's point of view from scenes in OtSP. When I was conceptualizing the novel, I really did debate if her pov should be included in the "current" scenes, but even though I really WANTED to write it, it just didn't make sense for the structure of the novel.

Isn't it incredibly fortunate that we have patreon to get all of these scenes out!

Setting the scene:

Gianna and Riley have made out, three days ago. She's... figuring it out.

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Gianna shot a text off to Joel to let him know she would see him imminently, as she signed in at the front desk of BostonNow, flashing the security guard a smile and a wave.

She’d stopped by here a handful of times since Riley had started, and she was always appreciative of this station. Because they believed in Riley. They treated her well. And they understood what kind of passion and talent she was bringing to the table.

That was well-deserving of Gianna’s respect.

Though she was technically here to see Joel, that wasn’t what made her heart flutter just as she stepped off of the elevator to walk onto the main floor.

No, her stomach was fluttering with the anticipatory rush of seeing Riley.

Which wasn’t unusual. Even though she’d long accepted being in love with Riley, even though she was so used to it, she didn’t even know how she’d function without feeling this all-encompassing adoration for her, it never quite got old.

And, as she laid eyes on Riley for the first time since this past weekend, her footsteps paused of their own accord, her breath catching in her throat.

Riley was heads-down, focused on her laptop and the notes surrounding her, her eyebrows furrowed. Her hair was tossed up into a ponytail, with some honey-blonde tendrils falling to beautifully frame her face. She wore a simple sweater and gray, fitted slacks, and…

Gianna felt the automatic response she always felt when she saw Riley.

A heated attraction that she’d long accepted, and the rush of warmth that she embraced as if it were an old friend.

Only today… today it was more.

So, there was this super weird thing that Gianna had gotten used to long ago.

A thing about being in love with someone for over a decade and not actually having ever been with them, physically.

And that weird thing was – even though she knew with every fiber of her being that she was in love with Riley Beckett, she actually had no clue what being with Riley would feel like.

She had… guesses. Theories. Hypotheses. Beyond the fantasy, that was. Of course, she had fantasies, too. Many, many fantasies.

She could kill books with those fantasies.

But the point was – she had hypotheses based on real-world evidence. Look, she’d been tutored in science by Ellie Beckett; she wasn’t a complete idiot when it came to the facts.

And the facts were these:

She’d felt the brush of Riley’s lips on her face – her cheeks, her forehead, maybe catching at the corners of her lips – so many times over the years. Plus, the sheer number of times she’d touched Riley’s full lips with her fingertip. She knew those lips were so, so soft. Full. She knew, from those touches, that those lips would feel so… plush on her own.

… and fine, yes, she had also observed a handful of kisses between Riley and various suitors over the years. And had the knowledge that Riley was very competent in just about everything she did.

Therefore, she’d theorized that Riley’s kiss would be heavenly.

Objectively.

Subjectively, she was sure that Riley could, like, accidentally lick her chin or something and Gianna might love it, anyway.

Regardless.

Then, there was everything else –

She knew all of the intricacies of Riley’s body, visually. All of her curves, every freckle, every scar. She knew where Riley’s body would fill out when her weight fluctuated. She knew from their years of cuddling and casual – platonic – intimacy how Riley’s body felt pressed against her.

Gianna had thought about all of this a lot.

But all of this knowledge simply didn’t replace the fact that she didn’t know what Riley’s kiss would really feel like. She didn’t know how Riley’s body would feel, pressed against hers, in an actually sexually intimate moment.

In such a funny turn of events – Gianna could connect, sexually, with many people. And with Riley, she was so emotionally connected, that even the lack of a sexual component had never mattered.

Only now? Now, Gianna knew Riley’s kiss. She knew what her body felt like.

And even though she’d spent Sunday night reeling with that knowledge, she’d come to terms with the reality of the situation:

That it had all been a misunderstanding. That once Riley had realized Gianna hadn’t actually been coming on to her, it wasn’t as though Riley had been like, “Oh, well, whatever, I’d been having a great time making out with you, let’s keep going!”

Gianna, frankly, didn’t even know what she’d have done if that had been Riley’s reaction.

It was all so… discombobulating. So unexpected. Gianna didn’t typically find herself in situations that she didn’t quite know how to react or respond to. Even if it was unprecedented, it took a lot to throw her off.

Riley kissing her like that? While she’d been naked underneath her?

That had thrown her the fuck off.

In the best way possible, but still.

All she’d been able to do in the last few days was work on re-calibrating back to normal. Scaling back from RILEY KISSED ME-I KISSED RILEY-WE MADE OUT WHILE SHE WAS BASICALLY NAKED IN MY BED hadn’t necessarily been simple, but she’d been working on it.

Fine, now she knew Riley’s kiss. Her wonderful, sensuous, perfect kiss.

But it changed nothing. Riley was still her best friend. They were still them. Which was the most important thing of all.

With that, Gianna nodded to herself and started walking over to Riley, teasing, “Hard at work, as always.”

There was something about surprised-Riley that she always found unendingly endearing, and she reveled in seeing it right now, as Riley jerked back from her desk, those hazel eyes wide as they landed on her.

For a moment – just a moment – she wasn’t sure what she was going to see on Riley’s face.

Sure, Gianna was reeling from their kiss the other day, but she’d had a lot of time to get used to her body’s responses to Riley.

More than anything, she knew in this moment, she wanted Riley to be the same. She wanted confirmation before she went to L.A. for the holidays that they truly were still… forever. That the kiss, that her explicitly telling Riley she found her so attractive wouldn’t alter them.

Riley’s expression shifted into a warm, welcoming smile, her eyes lighting up with it, and everything inside of Gianna melted into relief, as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

Thank fucking god.

She winged an eyebrow up at Riley as she approached her desk, shaking her head in disapproval at the mountain of work she was buried in. “For someone who loves to give her sister shit about working too much, you have been at work for over ten hours today.”

With that, she nudged the work to the side, and made place for herself on Riley’s desk.

She’d always found that very amusing – and lovable – about Riley. That she would concern herself and let worry eat away at her about Ellie’s focus and single-minded dedication to work, but she failed to see that same intensity in herself.

All right, maybe not the same; Gianna wasn’t sure anyone on earth had the same dedication and focus that Ellie had.

But similar enough that Riley would frequently – during busy days – stay at work all hours, forgetting to eat dinner until far too late.

Which was fine, really, because Gianna had cracked the code long ago: Riley could worry about Ellie, and Gianna would worry about Riley.

“It’s that time of the year,” Riley reminded her, tapping on the notes next to her. “The holidays truly bring out the best in people, and the news never sleeps.”

Gianna scoffed out a quiet laugh. Admittedly, she’d always loved Riley’s examples of how progressively wilder the stories she landed were during the holiday season.

And, true to Riley’s word, the news never slept.

Gianna had never been one to concern herself with the news, honestly. Not before Riley.

No, her world had been very insular, very inwardly-focused. If it wasn’t going to directly impact her, then… who cared?

And the reality for her was that she was gorgeous, she had more money than she’d ever need, and so… what, exactly, was going to affect her so deeply?

But it was Riley’s little news stories that she’d report on in their dorm room all of those years ago, and how much she cared that had shifted her interest. When Riley couldn’t sleep, she’d have on the news. Baffling to Gianna, because why would watching stories about wars or something make it easier to sleep?

“When my dad died, and Ellie wasn’t home anymore, and I couldn’t sleep… I’d put on the news. It was always there, and there was something always happening. And, yeah, it was usually something bad,” Riley had told her one night so long ago in their shared room, with a sad smile. “But there’s something really comforting about that, you know? Even when your world might feel like it’s falling apart, there’s something going on that is so much bigger than you, somewhere in the world. And sometimes… sometimes, it’s nice to feel like your problems are small.”

Gianna might not have felt the same passion for the news that Riley did, but she understood a little bit more. And she respected the hell out of it.

“Be that as it may,” she countered, firmly, as she reached into her large purse – deliberately chosen with the knowledge that she’d be toting a lot around in it – to pull out the dinner she knew Riley hadn’t yet had. “You still need to eat.”

Riley’s eyebrows furrowed adorably as she flicked her gaze to the clock. Gianna smirked slightly; she’d been dead-on.

“It’s after six,” she smartly informed her. “I’d be willing to bet that you worked through lunch, so you haven’t eaten since…”

Mindlessly, she unpacked the containers from the leak-proof bag she’d put them in to transport, running over Riley’s typical schedule in her mind.

On a busy day like today, it was a given that Riley had worked through lunch. Especially since the launch of her platform was only a few months away.

However, she knew Riley always ate something for breakfast, as it had been drilled into her from a very young age from her scientist parents that breakfast was a meal never to be skipped.

And it was a weekday, which meant Riley likely hadn’t grabbed anything out of the house.

So, “You ate… cereal this morning?”

Damn, she hadn’t seen what kind of cereal Riley had purchased last, or she could have made an even more accurate guess.

Riley lifted the fork Gianna had placed down for her, waving it at her with joking haughtiness. “A breakfast burrito from the café downstairs.” A slightly sheepish look quickly replaced the haughtiness. “I ran out of Cheerios two days ago, and haven’t had time to refill.”

“Luckily, you have me to bring you dinner.” With that, she handed Riley the soup dumplings that Riley always went crazy for, feeling a visceral satisfaction at how excited Riley seemed to be at the sight of them.

Taking care of Riley like this always made her feel that way.

The number of times Riley had come swooping in to take care of her? To pick up the pieces when she fell apart over her parents, to come over and cook her dinner to make sure Gianna had home-made food – typically her favorites – for a handful of days throughout the week, to come over when she was sick and stroke her hair back, and make sure she had everything she needed.

Yeah, she loved moments like this when she got to surprise Riley at work, unprompted, and return that.

As Riley hummed softly, adorably happy about the dumplings, Gianna simply… stared at her.

And her stomach flip-flopped when she realized what Riley had inadvertently just said – she hadn’t had time to refill her groceries.

Because she always did her grocery shopping on Sundays.

And this past Sunday…

Heat flared through her, that kiss replaying immediately in her mind. Which made sense, because for the last seventy-two hours, the kiss was never far from her thoughts.

Absolutely fucking crazy – Riley hadn’t grocery shopped on Sunday because she’d been at Gianna’s. In her bed.

All because of that accidentally swapped note, on a giftbox full of sex toys.

And, yeah, that part was still funny as hell.

“Well, I take half of the responsibility that you didn’t get your Sunday shopping done,” she murmured, watching far too intently as Riley’s full lips closed around the dumpling.

Riley coughed, immediately pushing at Gianna’s leg in silent reproach for her comment. Which, she got, but she hadn’t intended it as a joke. She’d been very serious, actually.

Riley quickly chewed the bite she’d taken, then arched a look up at her. “Right, so you came all the way here to bring me dinner and make jokes about my grocery shopping habit?”

Make jokes?

Gianna stared right back, searching Riley’s gaze with her own, finding that Riley seemed to be joking. Again – a good thing. Because it meant they could really just be normal.

“Maybe I did.”

And maybe she should, she thought.

She really hadn’t known how they were going to go forward in terms of referencing that night. Would they leave it as something locked in a box and completely move on? It seemed to make the most sense, honestly. Which was why she hadn’t made any reference to it over the last few days.

But also, they didn’t do that. She and Riley didn’t lock things away and not talk about them together. It was the opposite of their relationship.

So, perhaps that was the way. They’d laughed after it had happened, once they’d cleared up the misunderstanding.

It made sense to treat it in that same vein, going forward. To normalize it. It had happened, and they were okay.

She smiled down at Riley. “Okay, not just for that, detective,” she teased. “My first priority was to bring you dinner – that’s true. Second priority was to bring out little tech nerd that camera I’ve been having problems with, so he can fix it while I’m away,” she informed Riley, gesturing slightly at her bag, where said camera still was nestled away.

Riley stared up at her, obviously confused, before the understanding slid over her face. “You’re going to L.A.”

And that was how Gianna knew Riley had been far too buried in her work. So buried, she clearly hadn’t even remembered what day it was, much like she hadn’t had any clue how late it was.

She also knew that had to be the case because Riley hadn’t reached out to her today to drill her about her travel plans, which Riley always did whenever Gianna had a flight to go somewhere.

What airline, what was the flight number, how many bags was she bringing, was she already checked in, etc, etc.

Truthfully, Gianna had always reveled in Riley’s questions. Because… Riley cared. She just cared about Gianna, and she wanted to know and make sure that everything was all set and taken care of. That she was taken care of.

So, the fact that Riley hadn’t done so today when she knew Gianna would be flying out in less than forty-eight hours? Yeah, she’d known Riley had needed a forced dinner break.

She smiled softly. “You nailed it. Rubbing elbows with the big-wigs over the holidays.”

“Mhmm, being such a big shot,” Riley teased back, nudging Gianna gently.

Gianna managed a grimacing smile, even as she took her own bite of dinner, chewing thoughtfully before sighing out, “Cora is just dying for me to strengthen my West Coast connections, despite knowing how resolute I am to being an East Coast woman.”

She rolled her eyes, thinking about the many, many times her manager loved to bring up how many opportunities Gianna could have if she relocated to California.

And Gianna wasn’t a fucking idiot; she’d built everything in her career up, herself; she had a business degree. She understood that, as an influencer of her size and with her sponsorships, there were so many opportunities in L.A. She knew that if she moved, she could grow even bigger.

But she also knew that she couldn’t go. She didn’t even entertain the idea, not seriously.

Because… Riley wasn’t in L.A.

She would never tell Riley how much she factored into Gianna’s decision, because she knew Riley would fight her about it. Back when the topic had first come up a few years ago, Riley had clearly been a little upset, a little nervous, at the idea that Gianna might leave. She couldn’t hide that on her face, and she hadn’t tried.

But she’d also managed to give Gianna a truly genuine, encouraging smile, as she’d held Gianna’s hand and told her that if she wanted to go, to see what she could do and how big she could grow, then… she should.

The thought of leaving here, though, made Gianna feel sick.

And it wasn’t just about Riley.

It was about Riley and Ellie and Joel and now Mia. It was about the fact that Gianna had never had such a – a family. So many people that loved her and supported her. It was about the fact that she’d bounced around from being with her nanny and her parents, to being with her Mummo, and then being sent to Elliston here in Boston – and then she’d spent all of her teenage and adult years, here.

She hadn’t been given a stable, constant home when she’d been little. But she’d made one for herself. And she wasn’t leaving it. Even if Cora wanted her to, even if it meant she could become a mega-influencer.

She didn’t blame Cora; she’d hired her because she was good at what she did. Negotiating deals, marketing to even wider audiences, getting her into rooms she hadn’t had access to on her own. That was her job, and she was a shark at it.

But Gianna didn’t need to grow. She had more money than she knew what to do with. Her financial advisor had told her with confidence by twenty-eight that she could retire, then, extremely comfortably.

She knew better than anyone else in the world knew that no amount of extra money or fucking social media growth could replace this home she’d build and the family she’d found, here.

And so, she’d compromised with Cora, agreeing to hob-nob at several glamorous holiday parties for the next ten days. But now that she was facing down the barrel of reality, she wasn’t quite looking forward to it.

She’d spend holidays with her Becketts for so long, she wasn’t thrilled to be giving them up this year.

Riley gently nudged her again, getting her attention. “You said you were excited for some of those holiday parties, though.”

She recognized that tone. The tone that informed her that Riley very much understood that Gianna wasn’t thrilled about going away, and that she was giving Gianna a bright spot to focus on.

And yes, Gianna loved a good party. Plus, Riley had informed her that she and Ellie were going to be driving out to have Christmas dinner with their mother this year, so… they were all destined to be having very cheerful Christmases, weren’t they?

Riley cleared her throat softly. “Do you want my… gifts back?” Her voice was quiet, imploring, and a little stilted.

Completely thrown by the question and how drastically different Riley’s train of thought had apparently been compared to her own, she could only stare for a few beats. “Huh?”

Riley’s cheeks tinged with pink, as she steadily held Gianna’s gaze with her own. “My gifts,” she murmured. “Do you want them back? To give Athena? Given that we… I,” her eyes widened, uncharacteristic nerves clear in them. “Didn’t, uh… use them.”

Understanding washed over her, those clear flashes of the other night coming with them. “Ohhh,” she breathed out, tapping her chopsticks against her bottom lip, using the sensation to keep herself grounded as best as possible.

Grounded in the here and now, at Riley’s work, rather than thinking back to the other night. To the thoughts she’d let herself get lost in far too frequently.

God, the great news was: Riley’s kiss was everything she’d ever built it up to be in her mind. Everything she’d ever wondered about. In fact, it was more. It was even better.

The terrible news for Gianna’s libido was: Riley’s kiss was everything she’d ever built it up to be in her mind. Everything she’d ever wondered about. In fact, it was more. It was even better.

Even after Riley had left, her body hadn’t stopped thrumming. Nothing had cooled down inside of her, actually, not even the slightest bit.

“It was a mishap. An accident,” she’d muttered to herself, her hands folded over her stomach as she stared up at her ceiling, laying in her bed.

Logically, she knew that was the truth.

But since when had logic played into her feelings for Riley? Logically, she’d spent ten years knowing Riley didn’t want her the way she wanted Riley. Logically, she knew she’d been in love with a straight woman.

Gianna hadn’t ever really chastised herself for getting off to thoughts of Riley. Sure, she knew it might be “wrong” or whatever, because they were best friends.

But she couldn’t control her fantasies.

Still, she’d mostly curbed those thoughts over the years. It just… seemed like the right – and smart – thing to do.

Oh, but there was no chance of that tonight.

Not when she could still feel the imprint of Riley’s mouth on hers. She could still feel Riley’s body under her own, in ways she’d never felt before. Naked. Surging against her.

Yeah, Gianna couldn’t stop herself, even if she wanted to.

And she didn’t want to.

She wanted to be able to at least enjoy this, while she was alone.

She slid her hand down into her shorts, sighing and fluttering her eyes closed as the pleasure coursed through her at the first brush of her fingers.

She’d been soaking wet since she’d given Riley her massage. Seeing all of that smooth, bare skin. And Riley had been so responsive…

“God,” she’d sighed, breath already starting to labor, as she lightly circled her clit.

Of course Riley had been reacting so strongly to her. Because Riley had thought that massage was going to be a pre-cursor to sex. She’d been trying to get herself into the right mood, the right headspace.

Again, that logic didn’t matter.

What mattered was that she could feel Riley’s skin under her palms, still.

And, “Fuck, yes,” she hissed, arching her head back firmly into her pillow.

Her clit was so hard, pulsing against the slow movements of her fingers. Deliberately slowly, because she didn’t want to come so fast. She wanted to be able to think it all over, to remember everything as she touched herself. To let herself revel in it, if only like this.

Riley had rolled her hips up against Gianna. She’d pushed her ass up against her, deliberately pressing herself against Gianna’s pussy. Yes, she’d been wearing leggings, but that didn’t fucking matter.

Not when she’d been so wet already, and Riley had rolled her ass up into her like that.

And the kiss.

God the kiss.

How teasing Riley’s lips had been on hers. The gentle exploration at first. How she’d started it all, taking over the moment as she’d been on her back underneath Gianna.

… yeah, she’d orgasmed far faster than she’d wanted to.

Great news: it hadn’t stopped her from doing it again. And again.

She’d touched herself while thinking about Sunday night far too frequently in the last few days. Sometimes with the assistance of the exact models of the toys she’d given Riley.

She squeezed her thighs together, forcing herself back to the moment, as she blinked down at Riley.

“No.” Was her voice as breathy as she thought it was? Could Riley tell how much Gianna’s blood was thrumming at the reminder of that night? “You keep them. Those are universal gifts.”

She couldn’t help the slow, sensual smile that curled at her lips, then, at that. Thinking about how just this very morning, she’d fucked herself with one of the same kind of vibrators she’d given Riley in that gift box.

Universal, indeed.

Riley stared down at her food, tapping her fork on the side of the container. “Right,” she muttered, before she shook her head.

… huh. Was Riley a little embarrassed?

It was absurdly adorable, Gianna decided, because – quite honestly – she and Riley knew all about one another’s sex lives. She knew what vibrator Riley preferred, she knew how Riley liked to be fucked. And Riley was never shy in their sex talk.

Which meant this really, ridiculously cute moment was attributed to their interaction on Sunday.

The one they were going to normalize, for the good of their friendship.

Truth be told, she didn’t want their make-out on Sunday to be the only sexual encounter that Riley was a little embarrassed about. No, she actively didn’t want that, actually.

With that, she nodded, “Yeah, I mean – you can enjoy what I gave you…”

All right, she’d made a mission critical error by going down this road, perhaps? Because as soon as those words left her mouth, she had vivid flashes of Riley using most of what had been in that box.

Riley with the vibrator.

Riley with the ties – using them on her?

Stopping herself from going too far down that road, she cleared her throat. “Most of it, anyway. If I know you as well as I believe I do.”

And she did know her.

Riley wouldn’t want to be blindfolded. And she wouldn’t want to use the nipple clamps on herself – Gianna knew this.

Fuck, and what a time to be thinking about it all.

“There are things in there that you’d probably prefer, if I know you as well as I believe I do,” Riley shot back, arching an eyebrow up at her.

And oh, the fucking fire that burned through her veins at that look on Riley’s face… it stole her breath away.

They’d always flirted; Gianna loved to flirt. She flirted with everyone, and flirting with Riley was the best of all. And Riley always allowed it, and often made her own cute, flirty comments back.

So this wasn’t – it wasn’t an indicator of anything beyond that. Gianna knew that.

But what she hadn’t considered before this very moment, was how their little flirty moments had the potential to be so very different now. How much heavier they were. How much more… charged.

It pulsed through her, making her clit throb and her breathing deepen, and Gianna couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t stop herself.

She slowly, deliberately uncrossed her legs and stood from where she’d been perched, the way she’d do with someone she was flirting with. Even Riley, before.

But… before, it was always more playful. There had always been an edge to it that was teasing and light.

And right now, as she found herself leaning down so her lips were only centimeters from Riley’s ear, and her hair fell around them, curtaining them from Riley’s coworkers, there wasn’t anything light about this.

“The thing is, babe,” she breathed, feeling how throaty her voice was, as she slowly licked her lips. “You do know me that well.”

Riley knew very well that Gianna would use anything in that box, depending on who she was doing it with. And the fact that Riley knew that, and that she’d made that comment to Gianna about it…

It did something to her.

Even as she tried to rein it in, she shifted just enough to press her legs to Riley’s cheek.

Feeling the soft skin, the heat of Riley’s blush, against her. Relishing in it.

Yes, she kissed Riley’s cheek all of the time. Hellos and goodbyes and for comfort and just because. This didn’t feel quite the same, but – she supposed it made sense.

It would, eventually, feel normal again. She was sure of it. Because they were them.

She sighed, softly, pulling back.

“I should find Joel, given that I’m technically here for him and all,” she murmured, shooting Riley a smile.

With that, she straightened up, and reached up to gather all of her hair over her shoulder, taking in a long, deep, calming breath.

Riley was so… cute, sitting there and staring up at her, and Gianna had to hold herself back from swooping down and pressing another kiss to her cheek.

“Enjoy your dinner; don’t make me fly back here to take care of business. Because I will drag you home if I have to, and you know I can.” With that, she lifted her arm and flexed.

Despite her jacket in the way, she had her personal trainer to thank for the lithely defined muscle there. And she knew that Riley could picture it, too.

“Yes, I’m aware of the personal trainer,” Riley shot back, shaking her head.

And there it was – same page kind of thoughts. Exactly what Gianna liked to hear.

It made her relax a bit back into normalcy, smiling brightly down at her favorite person. “If work gets too stressful while I’m away, you always have some new items at home to help work it all out,” she teased, feeling the butterflies that fluttered low in her stomach at the insinuation.

But, really, how were they any different than the tingling rush she got whenever Riley talked about sex with her?

They weren’t. And that was how Gianna really knew that Sunday really hadn’t changed anything for her.

Oh, what, she now just had more masturbatory material to add to her Riley fantasies? Big deal.

Besides, it had been ten years; some fresh material to work with could only be a good thing.

… and, maybe a trip across the country for ten days was the perfect reset.

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