Page 31 of Lessons in Sin

He shakes his head. ‘I told her you were my girlfriend but nothing else.’

A slither of guilt shatters the green in his eyes. Guilt for who I wonder? Guilt at lying to his mother of guilt at having to lie about me?

‘What should I tell her if she asks how we met?’

‘I think the truth is possibly the best course of action. Then there’s no messy lies to keep track of, we just have to leave out the professor part.’

I nod along to the beat. Tristan’s features are now overcast, frustration rolling from him like thunder.

Lightening the mood, I grin, perking up in my seat. ‘Wanna play a game?’ I jiggle my brows at him until he folds, all his negativity disappearing in the breeze of my words.

‘Should I be worried?’

‘About a game? Not at all.’ I say chewing on another strawberry lace. ‘Now how about … oh I know! Two truths and a lie. It’s the perfect car game.’

He gives me a sidelong glance, looking doubtful. ‘So how does the game work exactly? What do we do with these two truths and a lie?’

Swinging my feet off the dash, I fold them under me. ‘Okay, so. I give you a topic and you have to say three sentences, two will be true and one will be a lie. To win the game you have to figure out which is the lie.’

‘Sounds simple enough.’

’Very simple.’ I nod and then grin sweetly up at him, eyelashes fluttering. ‘You want to raise the odds?’

He narrows his eyes, clearly sceptical. ‘In what way?’

I tug my shirt up, ‘For every answer you get right, I’ll take off an item of your choice.’ His eyes turn molten. ‘And anytime I win, I get to touch—‘ I gesture towards him. ‘Wherever I want.’

He licks his lips. ‘I’m liking the sound of this more and more.’

‘Confident aren’t we?’

He grins but says simply. ‘Ladies first then. First dates.’

’You want to know my dirtiest dating secrets?’

He nods. ‘Even the ones which end in murder and kidnapping.’

‘Well let’s get to it then, we have a lot to get through.’

He smiles and the sight sends me falling, my stomach plummeting to new depths as his dimples pop out. God this man.

I think for a second, my tongue in my cheek. Aha, I know exactly how to catch him off guard. ‘Okay so, on my first date with Jeremy Taylor I accidentally threw his grandma’s ashes in the sea, there was also this other time where I stole some jewellery, again accidentally, which ended up belonging to my date’s mother and lastly, I was asked out on a date by my cousin because, and I quote, ‘You look bangable’.’

Tristan is looking at me as if I have two heads, so I add. ‘I’m really good at this game.’

He shakes his head. ‘Jesus where do I even start?’

I relax into my seat, waiting for his answer.

‘Okay, I think I’ve got it.’ I sit silent, waiting. ’The jewellery one. That’s the lie.’

I look at him, open mouthed, shocked. ’How?’

A slow smile spreads across my face. ‘The other two were too specific, you didn’t specify a name or even what type of jewellery it was. It made me have a hunch.’

‘Dammit.’

‘Shorts off.’

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