Page 33 of Ghost Note

“Luck? That has nothing to do with it.” Danny was standing at the end of my parents’ driveway twirling a set of car keys around his finger, while he held his test certificate up in his other hand. “You’ve either got it or you haven’t, Zee.”

I folded my arms over my chest and raised a brow at him, but my smirk betrayed me. “Is that a dig?”

I’d failed my test twice already. Danny and I had been in some kind of race to prove who could get their license first. Whoever won got to choose a night of debauchery the other couldn’t say no to. No night would be too sweet—no sex would be too rough.

Secretly, I was happy he’d got there first.His imagination in the bedroom happened to be so much more creative than my own. Those fingers of his created poetry out of my cries of ecstasy, and he loved every second of his craft.

“No dig but I am excited. You know what this means, right?” He wiggled his brows. “Now, come and lay some sugar on my lips and let me take you for a spin.”

Unable to help myself, I skipped down the driveway in my flat, white pumps, and I came to a stop in front of him, wearing my super tight denim shorts I knew he loved, and a black, off-the-shoulder gypsy top. My hair was in a high ponytail, and Danny gave it a tug after he ran his fingers over the sides, pulling me towards him. The keys in his hand dug into my skin, but I wasn’t complaining. I’d suffer any pain to have him hold me.

“I’m so proud of you.”

“I live to make my girl happy. Think of all the adventures we can go on together.”

“Maybe not too far. You know what my parents are like. We’re only seventeen.”

“For a few more months. Then we’ll be eighteen. After that, nineteen. Soon, we’ll be twenty.”

“I’m so glad my boyfriend can count.”

“Your boyfriend is going to be able to do a lot of things soon. Drive, earn good money, save for a better guitar… join a band… whisk you away to a better life.”

“Hey, I love my life.”

“Nothing wrong with trying to make something good great, though, right?”

“Whatever keeps my hero happy.”

He flashed his teeth, his grin pure and genuine, and that sparkle in Danny’s eyes when he got excited would always be my most favourite thing about him. Well, after… you know… the incredible sex.

Danny grabbed my hand and guided me around to the passenger door of his dad’s convertible Mazda MX-5. The sun shone off the bright red paintwork, and while I strapped myself in and watched Danny jog around to the driver’s side, I found it hard to believe that Timothy Silver had allowed his son to take this car for a spin not long after passing his test. It was his pride and joy, after all.

Danny slid behind the wheel, his face alight with excitement.After he’d turned the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life, he turned to me with both eyebrows raised and a goofy smile that could make my heart melt in a second.

“How fucking amazing is this?” he cried. “The sun is shining. Summer is officially here. We’ve got nowhere to be and nothing to rush back for. Do you know what makes it even better, Zee?” He leaned over the gearstick and reached for my chin between his finger and thumb. “Having you here to share it all with.”

We kissed, and it was one of those kisses that made me burn for more. But Danny was desperate to show me his skills, and so we got going—cautiously, at first—before we hit the more open roads towards Plymouth. I should have felt more nervous, considering he was a new driver with a slightly reckless edge hidden behind his good-boy persona, but around Danny, I always felt safe.

The wind made my ponytail fly, and Danny’s overgrown hair was wild when he ramped up the speed.

“Careful,” I warned him with a serious side-eye.

He leaned back into the supple leather of his chair, one hand on the gearstick while his other rested at the top of the steering wheel. He already looked comfortable there—so natural. I envied his ability to adapt to any situation he was put in. There wasn’t anything Danny couldn’t do.

Give him a skateboard, and he’d learn how to flip it in a day.

Give him a surfboard, and he’d be riding those waves in no time.

Give him a brand-new guitar, and he’d master it like a pro within a year.

He was doing it again now… being too good at everything without even trying.

I must have been staring because he did a double take when he turned to me, and even though his smile was bright, a small scowl creased his brows.

“You okay, baby?” he asked, making my skin tingle.

“Perfect.”

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