Tara staggers painfully into the kitchen, blinking groggily in the morning light. "Morning."
I look up from my coffee, "How're you doing?"
"Badly." She swallows dryly, "Did I fight Maddie?"
I pull a face, "'Fight' is a strong word for it," I sip my coffee again, "you annoyed her & she pinned you down."
"Oh."
"Do you remember stripping naked?"
"Vaguely." She winces, "I hate you all."
"That's fair, but Jesus you were drunk." I shrug, "You remember sleeping with Skye?"
She nods slowly, "I woke up next to her."
"Good night?" I smile, "You look sore."
She nods, "My back is killing me & I'm covered in bites though."
"You can blame Maddie for teaching her that." I press a coffee into her hands, "It's all about the pain for her."
She looks over the top of her mug, "What would you have taught her?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"You'll have to show me some time." She winks meekly, hiding her sudden blush behind her coffee.
I smile, "You're an odd duck Tara, last night you got naked because someone challenged your honour, this morning you blush at a little flirting." I blow her a kiss.
Tara shuffles, "Alcohol is lethal."
"It let's out the real you?" I tease, "Not the, ahem, 'prude'."
She pulls a face, her freckles shifting to form new constellations. "Feck off." She flips me off.
"Come on now, you know you love this." I sigh dramatically, "You still chose to live with us, what else were you expecting?"
Tara shuffles her hands, searching for clouds in her coffee. "I, ah, I don't know really."
"Were you hoping one of us would pin you down & ravish you?" I'm only half teasing now, the thrill of a chase, even one so minor, rising.
Tara tries to hide her blush again, "When you say it like that it sounds stupid."
I take her hand, "It's kind of cute to be honest, though I might just be flattered."
"Now you're just teasing me."
"Not yet," I run my fingers delicately over her wrist until she twitches involuntarily, "the *teasing* can come later, if you want it."
"Why later?" She bites her lip, "Though you might have to be gentle."
I pull a face, "Not sure I can do gentle, but how does breakfast sound?"