Burn (Virtues & Lies 1)

I have enough regrets as it is.

“Cat got your tongue?” Teasing me, she makes a fuss of Toby.

When he’s satisfied with the attention he’s received and is sprawled across the back seats, she leans over the centre console, her hands find my left thigh and squeeze as she ghosts her lips over mine.

“Hey,” she murmurs as I circle her waist with my left arm and press my lips to hers.

Humming, a long, drawn out moan, her nails start to dig into my jean clad flesh. When I pull away she pouts and falls back into her seat in a mock sulk. “Where are you taking me?”

Following Wayne’s Range out of the drive, I tell her, “Trevellas.”

“You’re taking me to Heaver’s Hall?” Disappointment tinges her voice, and I smile because yes, I’m taking her to the Sinclair country home, but we’re going to make a couple of stop-offs along the way, that I hope she’ll love.

“We’ll stop off at McDonalds and BK along the way…” I say as I turn up the radio.

The sun is shining so bright for a mid-April morning. There isn’t a single cloud in the entire sky and it’s warm. It’s so warm that I have to take my hoodie off before we make it down her road.

I grin as she sighs when we go past the London Zoo that is practically on her doorstep. I didn’t think she was going to enjoy that date as much as she did. Cassie’s not an outdoorsy person, as such. She loves horses and the sea, but for the most part she enjoys gallery hopping and museum mooching. She’s a cultural geek, and I love that about her.

She knows the most random facts and stories. Once in a while she’ll come out with something and I’ll have to rewind and p

layback before carrying on.

“You know, for someone that likes to work out so much, you sure love to eat a lot of crap. You’re a gym rat with a couch potato appetite.” With her looking at me with that soft smile, I contemplate coming to a hard stop to kiss every inch of it.

Her fingers comb the lose tendrils back into her bun and then sweep over her cheeks, and although she’s wearing make-up it’s very minimal. The tiny beauty spots at the corner of her lips are still visible to me and now that the weather is gracing us with a lot more sunshine, the tiniest freckles are dusted on the apples of her cheeks and scatter to her cheekbones.

They’re so small and faint, you miss them if you don’t really look at her beautiful face.

“I like to keep a balance.”

Turning up the volume on her current favourite chart hit, she dances and sings along to Last Hurrah as we make it onto the motorway. When that song finishes she skips all the following songs until another Bebe Rexha song comes on and then she’s off again.

I can’t help but feel like this is the best day I’ve ever had with her next to me, and I wonder if every day would feel like this with her beside me.

* * *

I expected Cassie to fall asleep on the long drive down, but she’s so perky that my super late night doesn’t hit me for the first couple of hours.

“I could’ve driven us down.” Her hand squeezes my thigh, her nails digging in like she’s trying to pinch me out of my lull.

“I’m the man. I drive.”

Bursting into a fit of laughter she snorts, “Okay, bossy pants. I thought your music taste was a little old, but this…hello caveman!”

The silence following her laugh is stark. I’m finding it hard not to miss it.

“Wait, services!” she shouts out of nowhere, half scaring the shit out of me. “Let’s go get you caffeinated and sugared up since you insist on being a stubborn ass.”

“You’re not driving this car.” I let her drive it once, never again. Put her behind the wheel and she thinks she’s Fernando Alonso.

I pull into the services and as I meet her by her door she stretches onto her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my jaw.

“I have my own car.” She shrugs as I take her hand and we wait for Wayne to come mind Toby.

“It’s not a car. They’ve basterdised a decent motor into a Barbie mobile.”

“You and Freddie can fuck right off. I love my baby!”