Chapter 55
Fifty-Five
Delilah watched Cassie study the dessert menu.
They’d been tossing glances and little sparks back and forth all evening, but maybe she’d been playing it too safe.
Did Cassie even realise how much Delilah wanted her?
That all she wanted was to drag her out of here, press her up against the nearest wall, and end this guessing game.
Cassie seemed calm as you like, while Delilah was hanging by a thread.
Maybe it was too much. She needed to slow down. It wasn’t a race. She’d waited this long. No point in blowing it by lunging too fast.
Delilah forced a slow breath, fingers tightening around the stem of her glass. She told herself to match Cassie’s calm, to let things unfold at their own pace.
What happened next would be telling. If Cassie wanted dessert, she was in no rush. If she wanted to skip it, Delilah knew it was on.
‘You want to split…’ Cassie began.
Delilah stopped breathing.
‘…a sticky toffee pudding?’ Cassie finished.
Delilah nodded, trying not to read Cassie’s sweet tooth as a sign that Cassie had realised, as the evening progressed, that she didn’t really fancy Delilah. ‘Sure.’
They ordered the pud, and when it arrived, it was a mess of golden syrup and steam. Cassie took the first bite and let out a quiet, involuntary sound of appreciation that made Delilah wonder if it was a preview.
Jesus, she was horny. Or was it just Cassie doing this to her? Maybe she was just starved, maybe it was nothing more than months of frustration catching up to her… but no. It was Cassie. It had to be Cassie.
Tough on the outside, quick with her dry comebacks, yet underneath it all so disarmingly kind.
That long black braid trailing down her back, that lean, honed body shaped by years of discipline.
Delilah wanted her because she was strong and soft at once.
It was easy to see that now she was maybe allowed to.
‘You’re going to ruin me,’ Delilah muttered, reaching for a spoon.
Cassie grinned. ‘I doubt that.’
‘Other than the occasional Jelly Baby, I’ve been sticking to the lodge menu. I think it’s helped with my fitness.’
‘You’re in excellent shape. You can afford a pudding.’
Delilah gave her a sidelong glance. ‘That a professional opinion?’
Cassie hesitated, suddenly flustered. ‘You look great. Not that I was… looking. Well. Obviously, I was looking. But not in a weird way.’
She trailed off, and Delilah, stunned, watched a blush rise to her cheeks.
God, Delilah thought. She’s nervous. All is not lost.
Delilah dipped her spoon into the pudding and took a bite, letting the syrup coat her tongue. She looked at Cassie, deliberately, and said, ‘So you’ve been looking.’
Cassie opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Delilah smiled, slow and deliberate. ‘I don’t mind.’
Cassie didn’t speak, but her smile said everything.
Delilah went in for another bite and nudged the bowl a little closer to Cassie, her voice low as she said, ‘But if I’m slow on the court tomorrow, I’m blaming you.’
Cassie’s eyes were still on her. ‘That seems fair.’
And maybe it was the sugar, or the pub’s low golden lighting, or the faint brush of Cassie’s knee under the table. But Delilah found herself hoping the night wasn’t over yet.