“No!” Taryn cleared her throat. “I mean, no. Not unless you want to. I was going to order room service unless you have to rush off.” She jumped off the bed and glanced at the clock hanging over it. As if she needed a reminder of how transient time was right now. Or ever. She should’ve taken it down.
Cassie didn’t smile, but her expression made it clear she was amused. “I don’t have to be at work unless they page me in an emergency.”
“Did we travel back in time to the 80s? Hospitals still use pagers?”
Cassie stretched back to the table at her side of the bed, and her back arched, forcing her breasts into the air, proud and tempting. Her hips pushed toward the ceiling, and her glistening sex screamed for attention. She didn’t take quite as long as Taryn would’ve liked to retrieve the old-fashioned pager unit she then held aloft.
“Lots of hospitals still use them. The signals get through easier than a cellphone, or something like that.” She arched back and replaced it.
Taryn put her hand under her chin and physically pushed her jaw closed, cartoon-like. “You’re incredibly flexible.”
“BodyBalance.”
Taryn swallowed and tried to moisten her sudden case of dry mouth. “What’s that?”
“Weren’t you ordering coffee and breakfast?”
Taryn smacked her forehead. “It’s hard to concentrate when you’re pretzeling yourself all over my bed.” She picked up the hotel tablet, opened the hotel’s restaurant app, and handed it to Cassie. “Order whatever you want. Would you get me a coffee, fresh OJ, and a sesame bagel with cream cheese and salmon? I’m going to freshen up.”
“Of course.” Cassie took the tablet and propped herself up on the giant, fluffy pillows.
Taryn padded to the bathroom. She closed the door and rested her head against it. Was she in trouble? She went to the sink and splashed ice-cold water on her face and chest, but it did nothing to dampen the fire Cassie had ignited. God, she hadn’t had sex like that since she was in her twenties, and while that had been equally as energetic, it had nothing on the intensity of last night’s intimacy. Was that where the distinction lay? There was an undeniable tenderness borne from the instant connection they shared. Taryn wasn’t about to go all fate and destiny on Cassie, but she hadn’t gelled with anyone like this since Andi, and that had never been sexual.
A soft rap on the bathroom door refocused her attention on the here and now.
“Breakfast will be half an hour,” Cassie said. “How about I freshen up with you?”
Taryn yanked open the door. “I think that’s a great idea,” she said and pulled Cassie into her arms, trying not to focus on how good she felt there and instead concentrating on how many times she could make Cassie come in the shower before breakfast.
Chapter Ten
Fischer’s complete look of surprise reminded Cassie of the goldfish she’d briefly had as a kid. The same opening and closing of its mouth and nothing coming out of it other than bubbles.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
His frown deepened the lines on his forehead, making him look older than his thirty-six years, though she supposed his three kids might be mostly responsible for that effect.
“I’m sure,” Cassie said and smiled brightly.
“You have plans.” His repetition was robot-like. “You never have plans.”
She widened her smile, feeling rather pleased with herself that she did indeed have plans. “I know. Isn’t it wonderful?” She tapped on the screen and ended the call before Fischer tried guilt-tripping her about how important it was for him to spend time with his family. Cassie was pretty certain he wouldn’t have been able to say anything that might change her mind. After spending eighteen solid hours in Taryn’s company and, as Rachel had rightly predicted, havingthemost mind-blowing and stamina-sapping sex she’d ever had, she couldn’t wait to see Taryn again and repeat the whole experience.
She was about to pop her phone into her bag when Rachel’s face appeared on the screen. Cassie checked the time; she had ten minutes before Taryn was due to pick her up, so she accepted the call on speaker.
“Fischer is going bananas because you wouldn’t take his shift,” Rachel said.
Cassie shrugged. “Let him. This is the first time I’ve ever said no. I really don’t know how he manages to keep his position. Maybe he should consider a different career that doesn’t keep him away from his family.”
“Ooh, I like this new Cassie. Is Taryn’s influence to blame? If it is, I want to shake her hand personally—if you ever let her out of bed. I assume that’s what your plans include?”
Cassie felt her cheeks flush, and she was glad she wasn’t on a video call. “Why ever would you think that?”
Rachel’s dirty laugh echoed around Cassie’s kitchen/dining area. “You’re blushing right now, aren’t you? I can hear it. When do I get to see her again?”
Cassie tucked a wisp of hair behind her ears and applied her lipstick, a new berry color she’d picked up on the way home from the hospital last night. She’d chosen it specifically with Taryn in mind but didn’t overthink it. She wanted to keep Taryn interested so she could get a solid supply of salacious sex while Taryn was around. She wasn’t going to be here forever, so Cassie didn’t want to waste any opportunity to jump back into bed with her. This kind of casual sex didn’t come along too often, and she’d have to go back to stolen nights of passion in between hundreds of hours at work. Work she loved, she reminded herself. Work she was driven to do to make up for the death of her brother.
“Cassie? Are you still there?”
