Blaze (Virtues & Lies 3)

“I love it.” I smile, trying to disguise the waver of my reply.

The heat of his gaze is palpable as he assesses me, and before this becomes another awkward situation, I go back to the stove, swallowing down the brine of my tears in my throat.

“Fleur…” Casper twirls a loose strand at my nape around his finger. It’s getting longer every day, allowing for a short ponytail. “Look at me.”

He spins me before I can say or do anything other than what he asked. Stare boring into mine, he frowns just like he did at the bunny.

“It’s beautiful, Casper. Really.”

I look away from his intense gaze and pause, coming closer and closer until he’s pulling back. Rolling onto my tiptoes, I press myself up with my hands on his shoulders.

“Did you hurt yourself?”

“Huh?” Leaning back, he peers down at me, his hand going to the spot on his neck I’m ogling.

I manage to stop him, yanking down on his wrist. “There’s blood on your neck.”

He stiffens and my chest tightens in a way that I have to roll my shoulders to try and dislodge the pain it causes.

With a shrug, Casper steps away. “I probably nipped it when I shaved this morning,” he lies.

“But you didn’t shave. You showered and brushed your teeth…that was it.”

I had to pee and couldn’t wait, so I went whilst he was showering. He waited for me to be finished before I handed him a towel. It’s getting harder to get in and out of the deep bath without losing my balance. Casper likes to help me in and out, so I showered while he brushed his teeth.

Why is he lying?

The ache in my chest starts to swell until it feels like it’s blocking my throat. There’s only one reason he would lie to me about something like this. Something is seriously wrong, and he wants to protect me from it. Just like he wanted to save me from the truth of my father’s dealings.

“I must have scratched it or something…” With a long breath, he turns towards the table. “I probably need to clip my nails.”

He cut them two days ago, and I know for a fact they’re not long enough to draw blood because while he was quietly snoring last night, I was raking my thumb over his fingertips. They’re rough as though he does manual labour, but it’s actually from all the outdoorsy shit he loves to do.

“When I was in the baby shop, I picked up something else.” He pats the bag on the table before taking out a creased piece of paper. “And they had this leaflet.” He holds it out to me. “It’s for a 3D scan. I figured it’s private and it’s not for medical reasons, so they don’t need all your information and it won’t go onto a system anyone will be looking into.”

Casper is all serious and broody, his turtleneck emphasizing the long column of his throat and the sharp lines of his stubbled jaw.

“I’m trying,” he says.

Yeah, I know. He’s trying to cover up his lie by offering me something he knows I desperately want.

Cunning, arrogant man—silly, silly boy.

“If you don’t want it…”

“I didn’t say that.”

There’s nothing I want more than to get out of this house, and I want to see my baby.

Meeting him by the table, I take the leaflet from him, deciding to give him what he wants by dropping the subject. Even if it leaves a sour taste in my mouth and a knot in my gut.

“It’s not cheap.”

“I have it covered.” He nods. “If you don’t like the bunny, I can take it back.”

“I do. I love it.” I pause, taking a deep breath before I tell him, “It’s just that I…I…”

God, I’m so embarrassed about my reaction now.