She turned to Laura, suddenly feeling nervous. They’d spent the entire day together, yet they’d only had a few moments alone. They’d chatted like friends, they’d teased and played…and they’d flirted. And now here they were—alone—and she felt a little out of her element. She was used to being in control. With Laura, she never felt in control.

“I like them,” Laura said, breaking the silence. “Tanya is very nice.”

“She is.”

“She said you introduced her to Derrick.”

Cassidy nodded. “Derrick and I were buddies in college.” She walked over toward the pool, feeling Laura following her. The shadows were heavier here, the pool lights softer now as she’d switched from dark blue to red and yellow, giving the water a mild orange tint. It was…romantic. She turned to Laura, searching her eyes in the muted light. Yes, Laura was nervous too. What was she thinking? Was she thinking—like Cassidy was—that this was a dangerous situation they found themselves in? Was she wishing she’d gone home when Cassidy had asked her to stay? Or was she ready to explore this attraction that had sprung up between them? No. She’d already told Cassidy—in so many words—that she wasn’t interested. Yet…sometimes, Cassidy didn’t get that feeling at all. Sometimes, when Laura looked at her, Cassidy got a completely different feeling.

Like now.

She took a step closer. They were surrounded by the night and she could almost feel it touching her, touching them. She imagined she could hear Laura’s heartbeat, see her heart beat. The air around them seemed to sizzle as she took another step closer.

“Don’t…don’t do it,” Laura whispered.

Cassidy held her gaze steady. “Do what?”

“Don’t you dare kiss me.”

“No? I’ve thought of little else all day.” All week, really, if she was being honest with herself. “You have too.”

Laura shook her head. “No.”

Cassidy smiled. “Liar,” she whispered, seeing Laura’s answering smile.

Both of their smiles faded, however, as their eyes held. Again, Laura tried to protest.

“We can’t do this. We both know we…we shouldn’t do this.”

“We both know we’re going to do this,” she murmured as her gaze lowered to Laura’s mouth.

She didn’t know who moved first. She assumed it was her, but then Laura’s mouth was meeting hers with a gentle urgency, a gentle desperation. Twin moans broke the silence around them, and Cassidy felt her knees tremble. She felt weak. She felt light-headed. God…she felt faint. She deepened the kiss, moving closer to Laura. Her head began to spin and she was afraid she’d fall.

But Laura stepped away from her, her eyes wide. She backed up slowly, her own legs appearing a bit wobbly as she took several steps away before turning and hurrying past the shrubs and around the house.