Page 52 of Courting Trouble
‘I need a Jelly Baby,’ Delilah said nervously. She went to her bag. ‘Oh god.’
Cassie looked at her questioningly.
‘I’m out!’
Cassie laughed. ‘I’ve got two bananas in my bag, ready to go.’
Delilah groaned, then laughed too, the sound spilling out of her before she could stop it. She was buzzing, her whole body light, every nerve alive from the point and from Cassie’s perfect smile.
And before she even realised she was moving, she leaned in.
She kissed her. Just a small kiss. A joyful, instinctive press of her lips to Cassie’s.
And then it hit her what she’d done.
‘Oh myGod!’ Delilah stepped back like she’d touched a live wire. Her hand flew to her mouth. ‘I’msosorry. That wasn’t—I didn’t mean—I just—’
Cassie stood frozen. Her eyes went wide, mouth fell slightly open, like the programming in her brain had just short-circuited. For one terrible second, Delilah thought she was about to get yelled at.
But then Cassie blushed.
It started high on her cheeks and bloomed across her face, almost comical in how un-Cassie it was. She looked down, then quickly away.
And just like that, Delilah knew. She knew it went both ways.
‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ Delilah whispered.
Cassie looked at her. ‘It’s fine.’
‘Is it?’
Cassie hesitated. ‘I don’t know. Is it?’
Delilah paused, scared. What was Cassie asking?
Delilah’s heart beat painfully hard in her chest. The embarrassment was still there, but underneath it was excitement.
Just at that moment—that moment that could have gone a thousand ways—out of the corner of her eye, she saw her.
Bloody Petra. Standing just beyond the fence, arms folded. Watching.
Cassie didn’t see her. She was still looking at Delilah, still stunned into silence.
But Delilah saw. And from the shape of Petra’s mouth, the slight lift of her eyebrow, it was obvious she’d seeneverything. Suddenly, Delilah felt cold all over. Like someone had reached out and grabbed her heart with an ice-cold hand.
Cassie followed her gaze and froze when she saw her. Petra slowly turned and walked away.
That pretty much killed the moment.
They packed up for the day and left the court, not really looking at each other.
Fifty-Two
Cassie lay on her back on her bed, staring at the ceiling she was coming to know so well. Delilah was off somewhere, talking to her agent. Cassie hadn’t changed out of her training clothes. She hadn’t showered. Her entire body was still pulsing with adrenaline.
Delilah had kissed her.
Not a mistake, not a dream. An actual kiss. Delilah had leaned in andkissed her.
