“You think I’m handsome,” Taryn said in a sing-song voice. Then she brought a huge novelty glass into view and sucked a bright red drink through a curly straw.
Cassie had to stop herself from asking if Taryn wanted some late-night company. She might’ve been the one to suggest dinner, but now Cassie was the one wanting to skip straight to dessert. “That’s a very… interesting drink you’ve got there.”
Taryn wrinkled her nose. “I hope you’re not someone who likes to label and box people. An innocent and naïve fancy cocktail doesn’t care whether I’m butch, femme, aromantic, gender-fluid, or a giraffe, you know?”
Cassie took Taryn’s playful grin and dancing eyebrows to indicate that she wasn’t being serious. “Not at all. I’m fond of my box, but I don’t seek to do that to anyone else.”
“What’s in your box?”
“I’ve got stilettos, and lipstick, and fluffy pillows, and there’s always a cute and handsome pretty boi opening all my doors. I’m quite comfortable here, thank you.”
Taryn shook her head slowly, and her eyes half-lidded. “You’re funny. Beautiful, and very funny. It’s a winning combo.”
Cassie’s body responded to the huskiness of Taryn’s voice and her unmistakable expression of desire. She adjusted her position on the couch, but that didn’t stop the insistent throbbing between her legs. “Speaking of winning, do you need to get back to your strangely named friends at the poker table?”
Taryn pouted. “Are you bored already?”
“Only a little, but I’m happy to keep on talking just so that I can look at youralmostperfect face.” Cassie winked and assumed Taryn was happy to continue their conversation. “How did you do it?”
“Mostly genes—”
“The scar, smartass. How did you get your scar?”
“High school volleyball. It was a championship game—”
“Who did you play for?” Cassie didn’t follow high school volleyball, of course, but she had the urge to do a little light stalking and quite liked the idea of seeing what eighteen-year-old Taryn looked like.
“Western Christian. But don’t hold that against me; it was a lifetime ago, and I had no choice.” Taryn waved her hand at the screen and took another long suck on her cocktail. “Anyway, this giant girl on the Gulliver Prep team—I swear she was in her twenties—goes up to spike what would’ve been the winning point, but I jumped up and got my face in the way instead of my hands. Incidentally, I was close to making the Olympic team that year.”
“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” Cassie said even though she was dutifully impressed. She had never been athletic, but she admired those who were. And while sports had never been her thing, teasing Taryn was better than any sport she’d ever tried.
“Ouch. First, you call me ugly and now you’re calling me a failure. Is your treat ’em mean and keep ’em keen approach just for me or are you this cool with all your friends?”
“Friend… Is that what you want to be?”
“I thought I’d already cleared that hurdle,Cassie.”
She tilted her head and nodded. “Was your sacrifice worth it? Did you win?”
Taryn looked smug and raised her chin as if she were about to greet the president. “I lifted the cup that year, yes.”
“Then you’re not a failure.” Cassie smiled, and they were both silent for a moment, looking intently into each other’s eyes.
“Aren’t you going to eat your food before it gets cold? Or is it sushi?”
Cassie looked down at the half-eaten carton of delicious noodles. Taryn had been so entertaining that she’d completely forgotten it. She raised her chopsticks and motioned to the screen. “Maybe you should get something to eat too, and then we can say we’re having dinner.”
“No way. I promised you Taco Bell, and I always deliver on my promises.” Taryn wagged her finger at Cassie. “Also, you’re not getting out of our dinner date that easily. If I don’t eat anything, then you can’t count this as our dinner date and be done with it.”
Cassie frowned. “I’m beginning to think that you have some serious self-esteem issues despite your blatant confidence. Why would you assume I might want to be done with you?”
Taryn shook her head and closed her eyes briefly. “I said ‘be done with it,’ not with me. You misunderstand me; I can tell you’re quite the predator, Miss Cassandra, and I won’t be taken advantage of. I have to buy you dinner before you do anything untoward.”
Cassie hadn’t laughed this much with anyone for a long time, if ever. Not even with Rachel. “Fine. I’ll wait to take advantage of you, if you insist.” She really didn’t want to wait. She glanced at her watch and reminded herself that she had to be back at the hospital in less than seven hours. “As utterly stunning as you are and as uniquely stimulating as this conversation has been, I’m afraid I have to retire to bed.”
Taryn rolled her eyes. “Damn it, woman, will you ease up? I told you, I’m not letting you take me to bed until we’ve been on a real date.”
Cassie leaned closer to the phone and arched her eyebrow. “Youweren’t invited,” she said and ended the call, thoroughly enjoying Taryn’s expression of mock shock. She got up and put her uneaten noodles in the fridge. She saw herself smiling like an idiot in the black gloss door as she closed it. Taryn was a lot of fun, and Cassie was already looking forward to their dinner date almost as much as she was looking forward to getting her into bed… Almost.
