Wherever the waves would take her

Single malt

Goddess he was a good kisser. She felt herself melting against Cas like before, his kiss sending shivers down to her toes and a pool of desire in her stomach. It was electrifying, and it felt so right when he lifted Evie into his lap so that she was straddling him.

His hands moved through her hair to grip her bare ass from under her hospital gown as they continued to deepen the kiss.

Her tongue slipping into his mouth, they took the time to taste each other as Cas moved to grip her thighs, flipping her so that he was lying down and she was on top of him. Evie couldn't get enough of Cas and she thought that he felt the same too. Beneath her closed eyelids she felt the energy within her stir up again, but it was only served to caress her skin like a gentle breeze on a summer's day. The gentle hum of a current against her skin that didn't seem to faze Cas at all.

Cas slowed it down further to a frustratingly degree to trail slow kisses down Evie's jaw and neck, eliciting a moan from her. Each point of contact creating a little jolts that ran down her body. He pressed a kiss near her earlobe before sucking on it, making Evie suck in a breath.

"Tell me that this doesn't make you feel anything." Cas whispered huskily, his lips lightly brushing against hers.

Evie was still in his lap straddling him as she leaned back on her heels, pulling him to a seated position again. She could feel his excitement straining against his pants and cursed herself for not having any underwear on.

The both of them seemed to be in a mental fog after that little activity, breathing hard as Evie reluctantly climbed off Cas to sit on the sofa next to her bed.

"Cas. No." She needed a moment to collect herself and she was thankful that the sofa helped with providing some distance. "We were supposed to be talking about this."

Cas leaned closer as he pulled Evie closer to him and nuzzled her neck again. "I'd be happy to cut the conversation short if you'd like."

"No, not like this." Evie was thankful that despite the obvious emotions that was in his gaze at her, he moved slightly away to give her physical space.

She was already missing the warmth and sparks that she felt during their contact but she couldn't afford to give in just yet.

"We can't be together. You don't get into relationships. And I should know that of all people. Organising trinket after trinket for each girl that exits your bedroom over the years does that to you." Evie wasn't sure where this bitterness was coming from, but as old memories of hurt swelled within her she didn't find herself in the mood to stop her thoughts from spilling past her lips.

Realisation hit her that she had never shared this with anyone, not even with Cas.

And certainly not with the men that she thought that she had shared something with in the past.

"I can love, but I want to be loved in return." Evie folded her hands back into her lap and tucked her legs in behind her on the sofa. Ensuring that she had enough space from Cas, she pushed on. "I think I have been in love with you, Cas. And maybe you've had feelings for me too. But I don't think it's enough for me to believe that it would be enough for us to establish a relationship. These markings." She indicated to her arms and neck now partially covered with the hospital gown. "Have singled me out as a Guardian, long even before I even knew what they were to everyone around me."

Cas with a pained grimace said, "I don't care about your markings, Ev. I was there before and I intend to still be here."

"I know." Evie acknowledged it quietly. She picked up the previously discarded flask and turned it over in her hands before setting it on the bedside table next to her. "Things have changed since then..I've got things to take care of. I've got questions that need answers to and I can't do them from behind the palace walls."

Her gaze settled on her now quiet phone.

"I can wait." Cas moved closer to her to push a lock of hair away from her face.

"This is more than just about us, Cas. It's about our people and their future. There's still so much I do not know about my powers and I know I won't find the answers here." Evie bit her lip. "I can't do that to you."

Maybe it was for the best. She didn't want to find out if Cas - despite being her best friend - would be the same. She didn't want to believe that anything that he felt was similar to what she held for him. Evie couldn't risk one little mistake that would blow her defences up into smithereens.

"I'll find somebody. Someday." Evie couldn't tear her gaze away from Cas' beautiful jade eyes as her voice dropped to a whisper at her last word with a sad smile. "But not now."

"You don't need to do this alone, Ev."

"You've got your role to play in this Cas." Evie smiled gently, her heart breaking just a little more when Cas made no reply. "I've got mine."

Cas didn't protest, simply looking at Evie and calmly chose his next words even when the muscle in his jaw twitched yet again.

"You don't have a favorite colour, it depends on what you are feeling at the moment because you don't think it's fair to have a favorite. If you have tea which is usually at night, you take it strong. No sugar or milk and you judge anyone who does that. You're my first thought when I go to sleep and when I wake up. I still don't know what you do as Viceroy but it's not a glorified babysitting position you seem so insistent on as your cover story. That thing that you do with food might turn some people off and if it was with anyone else, I would agree. But on you it's the sexiest thing I've seen."

It was Evie's turn to be speechless.

"I can't say that I'm surprised. You've got your own battles to fight, who am I to stop you?" Cas stood up from the bed and dusted his pants, nodding in resignation. "I'll get us a bottle then?"

"A drink..would be nice." Evie was thankful for a distraction before pausing in thought. A million comebacks or responses raced through her mind but she ultimately settled for answering his question. "I think there should be one on the boat."

"What vintage? You might need to swim, boat's on the island."

"At least as old as Rowena. Scottish. Single malt." Evie rifled through her bag to pull out a change of clothes to slip into under her hospital gown. "I'm pretty sure you can order an Uber here in Venice in the form of a boat. No time for floaties."

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And we are finally done with Book 1! I'll be uploading a snippet of Book 2 tomorrow before wrapping this one up. Stay tuned!

Update: 17 Jan 2022

Currently rewriting Book 1 and 2 and I am almost done with Book 1! It's been a long while coming, thinking about new characters, exploring their dynamics and trying to understand their potentials. All new stuff that I'm so keen to sink my teeth into and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!