It felt like a win-win.

“Give me ten minutes.”

Kye’s mouth dropped open with a smile, but he nodded. 

“I won’t interfere, but if you’re more than twenty, I’m coming back to find you.”

“Okay. Give me ten. I have to find him first.”

He kissed my cheek.

“Don’t give in to your people pleasing ways when he tries to beg you to stay. Because any man would beg you to stay. Do what you want, Daisy. Text me if coming with me ends up not being what you want.”

Ten minutes later, I ran over to Kye’s car, pulling open the driver’s side door and crawling over top of him. My mouth found his immediately. If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me and slammed my body against his harder.

This was everything I had been wanting, and everything that I knew I technically shouldn’t be doing.

But it didn’t matter. Tonight, I was doing exactly what I wanted to do, not what someone else told me to do.

TWENTY-SIXDAISY

I hopped up on the car next to the one Kye was working on and leaned back on the hood. It had been one week since the night at the haunted house, and one week of me wondering what was going on between us but being too scared to ask. 

We’d spend some part of every day together doing all the things we had come to normally do. The diner, a late night drive, watching movies at his place, and even spending Thursday at the races before hanging out with the crew all night.

Every night together, half the days, and I still was choosing to work on some of my classwork here at the garage instead of anywhere else.

My head rolled to the side to watch as he grabbed a different wrench and got back to work. Each push of the wrench made his arm flex. A sheen of sweat coating him, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I didn’t know how he managed to focus on anything else, because I was entirely wrapped up in him, and there was no chance of me actually taking in what I was reading.

“Are you almost done?”

He smirked, but kept working. “Have somewhere to be?”

“I do, in fact. I need to be in your bed,” I said.

He grabbed a rag and set the wrench down, smiling as he headed over to me. “We could probably get a head start on things before we make it to bed.”

“Considering half of your friends are in the office right behind us, I think we will be making it to the bed before anything gets started.”

He made an annoyed groan, but he turned back to the car, throwing tools and parts into a pile on his toolbox before reaching out to help me down.

“Don’t you need to finish that?”

“No. I have more important things to work on. Come on, hurry up,” he said with a grin as I packed up my bag. “You said I had to get you all the way to my bed before anything happens. Don’t slow down now.”

“Geez, two minutes ago you were focused on the car. Now you are rushing me out the door.”

“Two minutes ago, I thought you were being a good girl and doing your work. I didn’t realize you were over here with all your dirty thoughts.”

“Hey! I never said anything dirty.”

“No, but I know all about those filthy things in your head, and I know you’re thinking them now.”

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t deny it. Instead, I followed him out to his car, where he was already waiting with my door open. 

“Have somewhere to be?” I asked, mimicking his earlier words.

“Yeah, my bed,” he said with a smile. “And I’m about to get there faster than you ever thought possible, so I would get that harness on.”

I listened, clicking it into place as he got in, shooting us out of the parking lot and down the road before I could blink.

Before we made it fully into the apartment, Kye was grabbing me. His lips found mine in the dark as he lifted me up and headed to the bed.

“Okay, prom queen, we’re all alone and in bed. Can I finally get you naked?”

“Hmmm, no. Actually, can we go back to the garage? I think I changed my mind.”

His chest rumbled, and he threw me back onto the bed before coming down over me.

I wrapped my hand around his neck, letting the tips of my nails dig into his skin. He leaned into it, pushing harder against my hand and making my nails dig in even more.

“I have never wanted to die at someone’s touch, but that’s exactly what you make me feel.”

“That sounds a little messed up.”

He looked me over, eyebrows high. “I hate affection, don’t like being touched, don’t like sex normally, and love when you’re rough with me. At what point was it not obvious that I’m more than a little messed up? I said it before and I will say it a thousand more times. I wave the reg flag and you’re immediately wet.”

“That is not true.”

He crawled over me, and I knew right away I was screwed. Whatever he was up to, it was going to prove me wrong.

“Nails down my back.”

“What?”

“Run those murder nails down my back,” he repeated, the commanding whisper making a shiver run through me.

“I’ll hurt you.”

“That’s partially the point. Do it.”

I did, starting near his shoulders, my nails digging in as I dragged them down. His back arched, and he groaned. His eyes closed and head fell to the side.

“Fuck,” he said. “Now my neck. Dig them in and bite me.”

I listened again, forcing his neck to the side and biting down.