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“…And secondly, you’re in love with Kahn.” Tallulah Jayne continued, like Randa hadn’t even spoken.
Randa blinked.
“It’s kind of pathetic how you moon over Kahn actually, but in a cute way. You’re always looking up at him and smiling and…” Tallulah Jayne trailed off, taking in Randa’s expression. “What? You didn’t think I noticed? I notice everything about people. I just usually don’t care. We’re family now, though! I pay attention to who you want to fuck, so we can girl talk.” She made a little squee sound of excitement. “Yay, girl talk!”
“I just…” Randa tried to marshal her racing thoughts. “Kahn and I are…”
“You do know you’re in love with him, right?”
Randa gave a jerky nod, because she did know that. Deep down, she’d known it for nearly as long as she’d known him. It was just shocking to admit it. To hear someone say the words out loud.
“And he loves you. I can tell by the way he watches you like you’re a goddess.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “He wants to kneel down and pray at your altar.”
Kahn might look at her like that, but he’d barely kissed her since her kidnapping. He’d genuinely panicked when she suggested taking his pants off again. She’d been practicing by touching herself and by initiating hot-and-heavy make-out sessions with him. (At least as hot-and-heavy as he’d allow.) She was in a great place with intimacy, ready to move on to Phazing. Meanwhile, her Match was back to thinking she was breakable.
“Is he good in bed?” Tallulah Jayne continued. (This must be her version of “girl talk,” Gaia help them all.) “Rye is great in bed. Like, capital-T The best I’ve ever had. And I slept with the entire cast of that one Spider-Man movie, including the stunt guys. They’re super flexible, so I’ve got a high bar.”
Once again, Randa was flummoxed for a proper response. Heart Stone Academy Finishing School simply didn’t teach conversational skills at Tallulah Jayne’s advanced level.
Even though she must’ve had some Elemental DNA to be Rye’s Match, it still wasn’t clear which House Tallulah Jayne was descended from. Randa privately suspected the Fire Phases, though. They had similar amounts of modesty. For the good of the world, she just hoped Tallulah Jayne never manifested any powers.
“Kahn is an excellent kisser.” Randa offered up, not sure what else to say. “Capital-E excellent.”
Tallulah Jayne’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Have you two not had sex?”
Dr. Ashley was two thousand miles away. The urge to talk to somebody outweighed the fact that the only “somebody” present was Tallulah Jayne Atkins. A vapid mean girl in a wedding dress was better than no one.
“I want to sleep with Kahn, but he’s hesitant. I had,” Randa paused and then went with the truth, because she had nothing to be ashamed of, “an assault in the past. It’s made it hard for me to be with men.”
“Well, that sucks.”
Tallulah Jayne’s words weirdly made Randa feel better. They were commiseration about the situation, not pity for Randa. “It did suck. And the Yuan thing spooked Kahn, I think. Like he thinks maybe it triggered me. But it didn’t! Yuan was nothing. I’ve told Kahn I want to Phaze. Except he’s so concerned about scaring me that he said we should wait.”
It was Tallulah Jayne’s turn to blink. “Wait for what?”
Randa shrugged. “Until he’s sure that I’m sure, I guess.”
“But you are sure. You just said so. And he’s your Match.”
“Yes.”
“So, then he’s yours. He has to do what you say.”
“Well, I can’t just order him into bed.”
“Why not? Lord, don’t let him set the pace. You’ll never get anywhere.” Tallulah Jayne made a face. (The photographer was smart enough not to snap a picture of it.) “Guys never know what to do, unless we tell them. Oh!” She brightened in sudden revelation. “Why not seduce him, right now? Catch him off guard.”
In that second, Randa couldn’t think of a single reason why that was a bad idea. “Right now? You think so?”
“For sure! This place is full of romance. The gift shop has pink rose petals and a dozen flavors of lube.”
“I’m supposed to be your maid of honor, though. The ceremony starts in fifteen minutes.”
“Honey, look at me.” Tallulah Jayne gestured to her over-the-top wedding ensemble with a confident roll of her eyes. “Literally no one is going to notice if you’re not there. Now, I command you to go screw your Match, immediately.”
“Yes but…”
Tallulah Jayne cut her off. “Nope! Away you go.” She made a shooing motion with her hand, which was weighed down by a watermelon-sized diamond. “There are a bunch of guest suites upstairs, all themed to fun, sexy-times. Pick one with a vibrating bed and Phaze him into submission. It’s my certified wedding decree.”
