Page 78 of Playing Dirty
"Sabrina," I groan, leaning against the hallway arch as I watch the two of them by the door.
"What? His taste in everything, apart from you of course, was dreadful." She beams back up at Cillian. "So I'm hopeful you'll raise the standard around here."
He laughs and crosses the entryway to me, leaning in to press a quick kiss against my cheek while I smile up at him.
"Hey, Ace." Then he turns back to Sabrina. "Though if it's just the two of you living here and casting votes, how do you usually break the ties for movie night?"
"Don't even start—" I begin, attempting to stifle a laugh as Sabrina cuts me off.
"She just pulls the 'I'm the oldest and it's my house' card, so technically Margot always wins," Sabrina says. "You'll need to be prepared for that level of tyranny if you're planning on hanging around."
He laughs and looks at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Is that so?"
"Yes, and it's an excellent system," I say. "How were the roads?"
"They were completely fine, just a bit of rain, though every driver on the highway was acting like it was the apocalypse." He shakes his head, a few damp strands of dark hair falling over his brow. "One person spun clean out in front of me and nearly took me with him. Barely a misting of rain and they’ve all lost their minds, unbelievable."
"Yeah, well, California drivers and a sprinkle of rain are a dangerous combination," I laugh, then my gaze drops to the label in his hand. "Wait, is that a bottle of the St. Lucia’s reserve? I've beendyingto get my hands on a bottle of that!"
He grins, looking pleased with himself. "Well, you mentioned it would be the perfect pairing for a tomato-based pasta, so I figured I’d make good on the suggestion."
"I'm so excited!" I exclaim, unable to mask my enthusiasm. "I’ve heard the complexity of their blends is amazing. That vineyard is known for doing some really experimental things with their grapes. And it’ssoexpensive."
I smile up at him, my heart doing a stupid little dance, and I glance back to see Sabrina nodding approvingly. She mouths'rich'with a wink that I ignore.
"Okay, that's a solid move, hockey boy. I'll award you a single brownie point," Sabrina says. "But for future reference, Idoexpect a sister tax to really impress me, so..."
He smiles and lifts his hand from my back, reaching into his rain-damp jacket to produce several bags of candy.
"Margot mentioned you're a sour candy fiend and that you two love the shop in town," he says, "so I picked up three kinds of sour candies from that boutique on Main, plus some dark chocolates for Margot. I'dneverrisk showing up without the sister tax."
Sabrina eyes me suspiciously. "Did you coach him?"
"No," I insist, shaking my head with a laugh. "I promise, I only mentioned the candy thing once, and it was entirely in passing."
Cillian looks appropriately smug as he offers the candy, which Sabrina accepts with a slow, impressed nod of her head.
"Verygood, hockey boy. Very well played," Sabrina admits. "You clearly spent your childhood surrounded by sisters."
"Four," he says with a chuckle. "And every one of them is just as wonderfully opinionated as you are. I learned the social hierarchy very early on."
"Alright,” Sabrina says. “You win. I'm officially impressed. And I expect to be included on the next Ireland trip to meet the family." She laughs and starts toward the living room, then turnsback. "I'll get the movie queued. And by the way, I'm glad you didn't get in a car accident on the way over."
Cillian's smile falters, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. "Uh, was that a likely outcome?"
I snort, shaking my head. "She's convinced this weird weather is some kind of bad omen. You not crashing just means you've escaped your share of the bad luck."
He nods as though that's perfectly reasonable. "Ohhh. That makes sense."
Sabrina nods back, gravely, and I roll my eyes.
"I already got hit," Sabrina says. "My red suede sandals were destroyed leaving campus today. They died doing what they loved. Being adorable." She looks at me with a pained little grimace. "Poor Margot hasn't been hit yet, though. So.Something'sincoming."
"You're insane," I say, and Cillian laughs.
"I'm looking out for you," she says primly. "I'll start the movie. But don't say I didn't warn you."
She turns for the living room, already ripping open a bag of candy with her teeth, calling back something about fate favoring the prepared.
