Inferna Nuntius

Chapter 19

19

 

As she pulled the SUV into the parking spot, Cassidy’s gaze was everywhere except on Derrick. Since climbing into the SUV with her this morning his hand hadn’t left hers, his fingers firmly intertwined with hers. The only moment in their hands occurred when Derrick brought her hand to his lips, covering it with small, delicate kisses. Unlike any other man she had ever met, their intense lovemaking the previous night made Derrick especially attentive to her this morning. From the time they awoke Derrick made sure that he was constantly touching her in some way. She wasn’t sure how he was planning on continuing this once they were inside.

            He brought her hand to his lips one last time, letting his lips linger. “You coming?” He nodded for her to follow him as he began to exit the SUV, but she remained firmly in her seat.

            “I’m not going.” She declared, withdrawing her hand from his.

            “What? Why?”

            “I just need some time away.”

            “Do you want me to come with you?” He started to buckle himself back in, but she stopped him.

            “No, I need to be alone today. Sorry.” She saw the hurt that crossed his face and reached out to him, cupping her hand across his cheek. “I just need a little time to deal with yesterday.”

            “Cass-” He began to protest, but her lips on his quietly silenced him. He chuckled softly when she pulled away.

            “You’re making this really hard,” he whispered.

            “Correction. I’m making you really hard.” She replied. “Let me have this and we can have another go around with the jacket and boots tonight.”   

            “Bring those out too often and they’ll lose their effectiveness.”

            “Never.” She stated and kissed him one last time. “Just tell Bellinson that I don’t feel well if he asks.”    

            “I doubt he’s going to ask.” He kissed her back and winked at her, quickly exiting the vehicle. She waited until he was inside the building before she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the highway. With her phone resting firmly on her knee, she maneuvered the SUV north, heading into Arlington.

            As she steered off the 395, Cassidy glanced down at her phone, confused by the directions. She scrolled to the bottom and realized that she had typed in the correct address. The SUV hummed along Washington Boulevard and before long she found herself at the corner of 10th Street. She cursed herself for not paying attention and made a quick right, pulling into the gas station. She parked in a far spot and unbuckled, swiveling around in her seat so that she could get a better look at the place. Quickly she realized that there was no good place for her to park the SUV for longer than half an hour without going unnoticed. Situated on the corner of the busy intersection, Cassidy gave up hope of sitting in the parking lot. She threw the SUV into reverse and carefully maneuvered out of the lot, making a right onto 10th Street. At the first cross street she made a left and found herself in a residential area. She pulled the five point turn and got back on to 10th. As she came upon the intersection again, she spotted an empty parking lot to her left, but nowhere else that came close to being a good spot to view the gas station from. She crossed the intersection and made a left after she passed by the parking lot, cursing out loud when she saw that it was closed off by a fence. She pulled another five point turn and once again headed back to the main road. As she came up to the light, she drummed her thumbs on the steering wheel and quickly made a left. She pulled a u-turn at the first cross street and pulled all the way to the right, easily parking the SUV in the front parking spot. Street parking was something she was a pro at. She leaned forward and concentrated on the gas station. It was a little far away, but she could still who was coming and going. She slid over to the passenger side and grabbed  a handful of quarters, depositing them into the meter. Once back inside the SUV, Cassidy leaned her seat back and propped her feet on the dash, finding a comfortable position easily. She rest her hands on her belly and kept her eyes on the station.