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I draw a sharp breath at the certainty in his words, my heart starting to thunder. Could that be true? Am I just a fling? I thought…

Scotch shakes his head. “This is it for me. She’s mine. Now get out, we’re not done here.”

Not done? I’m here trying to cover my nakedness while our parents stand there staring. “Wait, I think—”

Scotch turns his head and his eyebrows cinch together. “I said we’re not done. They’re leaving. And later, we’re going to tell your dad too. Make this all official. Okay?”

I nod, dazed. What can I say except, “Okay.”

“Good.” He turns back to Larry and Mom. “I thought I told you two to leave.”

Nine

Scotch

“Idon’t think I’ll get invited back too soon. My mother will never speak to me again.”

“Baby, your mother will be fine. Everything will be fine because I’m going to make it fine.”

I’ve got her on speaker while she’s following me in her POS Buick to my main garage where I work on mostly high-end classic cars and keep my own collection. I told her I wanted to show her my place which is a huge open space above the storage space at the garage but I have other motives.

“Everything is just so crazy since the other night. It’s like life I’m in a fun house only some of it isn’t so fun.”

“Baby. I said, leave your worries with me. You tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen if I can. Your mother? She’ll get over it. We’re together. That’s that. She’ll come around. I can be charming if I want to and a woman like your mother? Baby, she’s addicted to charm.”

I distract her and ask her questions for the rest of the drive. I want to know everything from when she has her period, to when she feels the happiest, what cereal she likes…everything.

She wants to be a singer. Fuck, yeah, she’s got a voice that would take her to the top for sure. Her dad is sick, but she won’t give me much intel on that for now. I ask about her favorite color, food, whatever I can get out of her until we start coming up on the driveway to the garage.

That fucking blow job she gave wrecked me. I was gone for her before, but now? There’s no path back and I hope like hell I can be the man she wants me to be.

We pull into the parking lot and I lead her through the back, four of my guys are in the bays working and they give me the side eye but I just nod back. I don’t even want them looking at her. She’s got that dreamy, flushed look still from being oxygen deprived which I plugged her throat with my dick and my scent is on her so everyone in here better know to back the fuck off.

There’s a gut punch of jealousy that darkens me for a moment because I realize, I’ll be on guard like this for the rest of my life. Not because I think she’s going to step out, but just because I know what I have. She’s high fucking value and I know, there will be other’s sniffing around from now until the end of time trying to get a piece of the perfection that she is.

Good fucking luck. I’ll leave a trail of bodies behind if necessary.

My bone deep need to claim her is unrelenting. She doesn’t know the hold she has over me but in time, she will and god love her, I’m sure she’ll use it to get everything she wants out of me and I’ll be happy to give it.

“This way.” I guide her with my arm over her shoulders through the open garage bays, pointing out this and that as we go until I get to the other end of the shop where there’s a fire door with a keypad.

I punch in the code and reach inside, flipping on the light then step inside with her next to me.

“Wow!” Her blue eyes light up as she takes in the huge space filled with classic cars I’ve restored over the years. “They are beautiful!”

“Which one is your favorite?” I ask, watching her glide forward, her feet in those little white ballerina type shoes, her fingernails each painted a different sparkling pastel color as she touches the chrome and moves from one car to the next.

She hugs her center, looking at the ten choices and I already know which one is going to be hers.

“That one.” She smiles and giggles and I’m so fucking done. That sound of her happiness is my new muse. The anger that used to feed me is swallow up by her lightness and I have a new and laser focused purpose in my life.

To make her happy and hear her laugh.

“Sit inside.” I walk next to her, sliding my hand down her ass with a squeeze as she chips and I open the door to the 1958 Cadillac 62 Hardtop in robin’s egg blue to match her eyes.

She slips behind the wheel on the white leather with her blue dress and she was born for this fucking car.

“It’s so fun! I feel like I’m in a time machine.”