Dancing Tides (97 page)

“
C
a
ssie
a
nd
I
t
a
l
k
e
d
a
bo
u
t h
a
ving
th
r
e
e
.”

“
I
’
m so
r
r
y
, Co
r
d.
B
ut
y
o
u
rea
l
l
y
should g
e
t p
a
st the
g
uilt.
T
he
sh
r
ink sou
n
ds like
it mi
g
ht be
y
o
u
r
b
e
st b
e
t.”

“Te
lling
m
y
w
o
e
s to a
st
r
an
g
er
—”

“
Mi
g
ht possib
l
y
p
re
v
e
nt
y
o
u
f
r
om t
a
king
a
noth
e
r
dive
o
f
f
a
sho
r
t pi
e
r
.”

“T
he
ju
d
g
e
s
a
y
s
I
g
o,
I
go.
O
th
erw
is
e
, she
m
i
g
ht lo
c
k me
up.”

“Y
ou don
’
t
wa
nt th
a
t to
h
a
pp
e
n.”

“Twe
lve
ho
u
r
s in a
ce
ll
wa
s
en
o
u
g
h
f
o
r
m
e
.
Ha
v
e
y
ou
e
v
e
r
g
o
ne
to
on
e
,
b
ee
n
e
v
a
lu
a
t
e
d
?
”

“
I
took a
p
s
y
c
h
c
ou
r
se
in
c
oll
e
g
e
.
D
o
e
s th
a
t
c
ount?
L
ook,
g
o in th
e
r
e
w
ith the
a
ttitude
y
ou just
wa
nt to t
a
lk.
E
v
e
r
told a
sto
r
y
to
a
b
ar
t
e
n
d
er
?
T
hink of
it like
th
a
t.”

“Ac
tu
a
l
l
y
th
a
t isn
’
t a
b
a
d
st
ra
t
e
g
y
.”
H
e
tu
c
k
e
d
a
c
ouple
of
st
ra
nds of
h
a
ir
b
e
hind h
e
r
e
a
r
a
nd h
ear
d
h
e
r
int
a
k
e
of
b
rea
th in
a
nti
c
ip
a
tion.

“N
ow
th
a
t
y
ou know
mo
r
e
a
bout me
I
’
ll und
e
r
st
a
n
d if
y
ou
w
a
nt to
re
m
a
in
j
ust
fr
i
e
nds.
B
ut
I
h
a
v
e
to s
a
y
—
I
don
’
t mind moving
slow
b
ec
a
use
I
wa
nt som
e
thi
n
g
—
mo
re
.
I
know
I
’
m m
e
ss
e
d up—”

“Y
ou
’
r
e
hu
r
ti
n
g
, Co
r
d.
Y
ou
’r
e
a
lso not ov
e
r
C
a
ssi
e
.”

H
e
ra
n his
f
i
n
g
e
r
do
w
n
t
he
side
of
h
e
r
j
aw
.
“
I
kn
o
w
.
T
h
e
n
I
g
u
e
ss it
’
s time
I
h
ea
d insid
e
.”

She
tou
c
h
e
d his h
a
nd.
“
T
a
king
it slow
isn
’
t n
e
c
e
ss
ar
i
l
y
a
b
a
d thi
n
g
.”

A
nd
w
ith th
ose words
, he
took h
e
r
mouth
a
g
a
in.

I
t
w
a
s
a
lmost th
ree-
thi
r
t
y
w
h
e
n
K
ee
g
a
n d
r
o
v
e
Co
r
d
’
s t
r
u
c
k th
r
o
u
g
h the
g
a
t
e
s of
the
c
ompound.
T
h
e
y
’
d n
e
c
k
e
d in the
t
r
u
c
k like
a
c
oup
l
e
of
ho
r
mon
e
-
r
a
g
i
n
g
t
e
e
n
a
g
er
s.
H
e
r
lips
we
r
e still pu
f
f
y
fr
om his kiss
e
s
.

She
fe
lt
a
lmost
e
upho
r
i
c
.

She
n
ee
d
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
a
d
e
x
a
mi
ne
d.

B
e
c
a
use
e
v
e
n tho
u
g
h Co
r
d
B
e
n
n
e
tt
wa
s a
s
e
x
y
,
good
-
looking
hunk, his list of
p
r
obl
e
ms
wa
s
a
s lo
n
g
a
s h
e
r
l
e
g
.

B
ut
w
o
w
, did the
m
a
n
e
v
e
r
know
how
to
w
o
r
k t
h
a
t mouth.