price of your drink every time you buy one,’ Crystal said dryly while attempting to take the cocktail glass from her. ‘I think that’s enough alcohol for you, young lady. You never could hold your liquor.’
When Miranda moved the glass out of her reach some of the liquid splashed over her hand. ‘If you weren’t trying to take it off me, I wouldn’t be spilling it.’ She scowled. To solve the problem she downed the colourful contents. ‘I love this song. Let’s dance. I want to dance.’
‘We should probably get you home—or to my place for coffee. Coffee would be good.’
‘I don’t want coffee and I’m not going home. I want to have fun.’ When the screen of her cell phone flashed on the bar beside the empty glass she picked it up and squinted at the caller ID. ‘Ugh, he just can’t take a hint, can he?’
‘He won’t be happy when he finds you like this.’
Miranda rejected the call with a flourish and set her phone down. ‘I don’t care.’
‘Yes, you do. That’s half the problem.’
‘He doesn’t care. He’s only spending time with me because it’s his job.’
‘And there’s the other half...’
She blinked. ‘Is there something wrong with me?’
‘Of course there’s not,’ Crystal said with conviction. ‘You’re a beautiful, sexy woman. Any guy would want you. Have a glass of water.’
‘I thought he wanted me as much as I want him. I mean, when he kisses me—wow—and when he touches me—boom! Fireworks, y’know what I mean? He makes me. So. Hot. But does he follow through, even when he has permission to...’ she made speech marks in the air with her fingers ‘...do whatever he needs to do to keep me out of trouble?’ She rocked back and announced, ‘He’s a tease. I didn’t think guys did that.’
‘Who knew?’ Her best friend nudged the glass a little closer. ‘Take a sip, it’s very refreshing.’
‘It should not be this hard to get laid. Do you know I don’t even know what an orgasm feels like with company?’
The comment earned a somewhat blurry-around-the-edges expression of interest. ‘I did not know that. And it’s a conversation we’ll be having when you’re sober. One little sip for Auntie Crystal, there’s a good girl...’
‘I bet when he gives a girl an orgasm it knocks her socks off. Not that I’m likely to find out any time soon. No toe-curling bliss on the horizon for me. Being the mayor’s daughter is like wearing a giant chastity belt.’
‘Would you prefer fizzy water?’
‘And what the hell was he thinking taking me home to meet his family?’ She swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘They’re wonderful. Did I tell you how wonderful they are?’
‘About a half-dozen times...’
‘Can I get you ladies another drink?’ a voice said beside them.
Crystal smiled sweetly. ‘I’ll give you twenty bucks to shake your cute little cocktail shaker elsewhere.’
‘They’re exactly the kind of family I’d like to have some day,’ Miranda continued. ‘I love the whole meeting-up-for-Sunday-lunch thing.’ She sat a little straighter. ‘But we’re not a couple. I don’t want to fall in love with him.’
‘Are you?’
‘Am I what?’
‘Falling in love with him...?’
‘No!’ she replied vehemently before taking a beat. ‘Maybe... I don’t know... I don’t want to be.’
‘How come?’
The tears she’d been battling since she left the ferry terminal threatened to break free, forcing her to take several deep breaths before she replied. ‘Because then I’d belong to him and I’d really like him to belong to me for a little while.’ She flicked her hair over her shoulder. ‘I don’t want to talk about this any more. It’s depressing. If you love me, you’ll dance with me.’
‘I do and I would.’ Crystal glanced over her shoulder. ‘But I have a sneaking suspicion you’re about to be carried out of here...’
Miranda twisted around, lifted her gaze and frowned. ‘Go away, Tyler. I don’t like you.’
His gaze shifted. ‘How much has she had?’
‘Too much,’ Crystal replied. ‘Not that it takes much to begin with—she’s always been a cheap date that way. I’ve been trying to get her to go home for the last half hour.’
‘I’ll take it from here.’
‘Go easy on her. She’s hurting for a reason.’
‘I know.’
Miranda shook her head in disbelief and regretted it the second the room began to spin. ‘That’s it—go right ahead and talk about me like I’m not here. Start making decisions for me and you’ll both be like everyone else in my life who doesn’t give a crap about how I feel.’ She raised her arm