“Casey?” I start, and she cups my face in her hands.
“I love you too, Dakota,” she says.
“You do?” And I kind of hate how fragile my voice sounds, but I have to be sure.
Casey nods. “I do.”
I smile and sink into her embrace. She holds me tight for a long time until slowly we start to pull back. She rests her forehead against mine, and her thumbs stroke the sides of my face.
“I’m taking you on a date tonight,” Casey says.
I chuckle. “You are?”
“Yep.” She flashes me a wry grin. “I’ve had to sit back all summer and watch woman after woman take you out, now it’s my turn. That okay with you?”
“More than okay.”
And I pull her face to mine and kiss her hard.
Casey has to work today despite getting campaign approval from her client. So I head home to get some rest. All-nighters weren’t a big deal when I was in college, but I feel like a zombie on my feet at twenty-seven.
After a five-hour nap, I prance around my apartment as giddy as can be because I have a date. And not just any date—but a date with my favorite person.
She won’t tell me anything. I’m impressed since Casey can’t keep a secret if her life depends on it. She gives me presents the second she has them wrapped—never able to hold out till Christmas Day or my birthday. Yet she remains tight-lipped over the details for this evening. Not even when I get all flirty with her over text. All I know is she’s picking me up at seven and to dress cute but comfortable.
So when her Jeep Rubicon pulls up to my apartment building at five till seven, I’m beyond ready to go. There’s a bite to the air, so I went with a white v-neck, jean jacket, and black jeans. I dressed the look up with my favorite pair of boots, and Casey whistles when she sees me.
“You look gorgeous.” She hops out to open the passenger door for me. She kisses me softly. I grin as I pull away and turn toward the open door.
“How chivalrous,” I tease then look her up and down. She looks great in her own pair of black jeans and a black turtleneck. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”
Casey smiles and shuts the door behind me. After she climbs into the driver’s side, I ask, “So can you tell me where we’re going now?”
“Nope.”
I pout.
“Put that lip away before I bite it,” Casey says.
“Comeon,” I groan. “You know you want to tell me.”
Casey smirks while pulling out of the parking lot. “I do, but I think this is far more fun.”
I try to guess, but Casey continuously tells me I’m wrong with growing amusement. She begins taking random left turn after right turn after left turn, and I’ve officially given up guessing. I have no idea where we’re going. As Casey pulls up to a red light, she reaches into the center console.
“Put this on,” she says while holding up a black silk blindfold.
I stare at it. “Excuse me?”
There’s a glint in her eye as she glances at me. The light has turned green, and she eases forward, still holding up the blindfold. She shakes it a little, prompting me to take it. “Come on, Dakota, be a good girl and put it on for me.”
The words said in her sultry tone light a fire between my thighs. And, fuck it, I do as I’m told. The blindfold is soft and feels nice on my skin as I secure the knot. My mouth is dry, and my skin is tingly. Casey rests her hand on my knee, and I startle.
Casey giggles. “So jumpy.” She interlaces our fingers, and I squeeze her arm with my free hand. The warmth from her body mixed with the blindfold sends a tingle straight to my core.
“This is …” I lick my lips. “This is nice.”
“Is it?”
