Goddess, let that not be an empty promise.
“One day I hope you look at me the way you look at that bike.” Finley’s deep rumble washed over my back, and I spun to find him propped against a pillar.
He wore his overalls, and had a few grease stains dirtying up his gorgeous face. His hat was on backwards to hold his hair in place, a style which should be classified as a weapon against females everywhere. “It’s a look of love,” he finished.
Sweet fucking mercy. My voice turned playful even as my legs went weak. “Letting me help you fix up your car is a great way to build a look of love, don’t you think?”
I’d offered once before, and it hadn’t gone over so well. This time though, when Finley’s gaze lingered on my bare legs, tracing up to the hem of the shirt that fell to mid-thigh, his expression was heavy with desire. “I thought you’d never ask, darlin’. Come on. Let’s bring this old girl back to life.”
This was the third time he’d called medarlin’, and in that low drawl of his rumbly bear it was as powerful as his backwards cap. Basically, I was screwed when it came to resisting Finley Thornton.
He held out a hand, and I barely hesitated before sliding my palm against his. When he tightened his grip, my body tightened with it. As positive as I was that standing here,almostnaked and emotionally vulnerable was a bad idea, it was too late to turn back now.
Finley led me to the section of garage he used to rebuild his cars. His Ford still occupied the first bay, but in the second sat the car he’d gifted me for my birthday.
A broad smile ripped across my face. “She’s here,” I said. “And while I love her just as she is, with a few repairs she’ll be spectacular.”
“I haven’t touched her,” Finley assured me. “I’ve been waiting for you. Want to take a closer look?”
“Do dragons fly and cause mass hysteria?” I huffed, pressing my hand to my chest.
He rumbled out a laugh and led me around his Ford. He never let go of my hand, not even as he detailed the issues we faced with the Bronco, and what he had in mind to return her to her former glory.
“So, what do you think? Ready to get started on bringing her back to life?”
He stared at me, and I nodded. “Listening to you talk about cars reminds me of the few happy memories in my past.” I wanted to share this piece of myself after he’d shared so much in therapy. “And I’m so fucking excited to do this with you. Where should we start? Tell me what you need me to do?”
I knew about cars, but I’d never been hands-on in repairing them.
Finley tugged me closer, and his unbridled enthusiasm caught on as I bounced briefly on my bare feet. When he noticed my lack of foot coverings, Finley detoured to a bag hanging on a peg on the wall, releasing me long enough to rifle through the contents. He emerged victorious with a pair of thick black socks.
“They’re clean,” he assured me, those dimples assaulting my senses as he knelt at my feet. “Now lift. I don’t want you getting cold.”
Even with climate control, the garage floors were cool, not that it was enough to bother me. Still, I didn’t argue as he lifted my right foot, and then my left, dragging the thick socks almost to my knees. It was only as he adjusted the elastic on one thathe seemed to notice his proximity to my vagina, barely hidden under Hunter’s shirt.
Finley’s hands tightened on my thighs as his gaze darkened and he breathed deeply. “Fuck,” he groaned, closing his eyes as if that would help. “You’re a temptation I would follow into hell and beyond.”
I completely forgot the plan to move slowly as I was hit with an urge to thrust my hips until his mouth landed right on the ache in my core. All I could think about was the scrape of his beard on my thighs, and the flick of his tongue across my clit, as he buried his face between my?—
With a startled growl, Finley launched to his feet. “Whatever you’re imagining, darlin’,” he winced, “please stop. Your scent is…” A choked desperate sound spilled from his lips and I shuffled back a few steps to create space.
I’d put the restrictions in place by telling him to earn my trust and repair the chasm between us, and yet here I was, flashing my needy vagina in his face like a selfish asshole.
“I’m sorry,” I said, shame coating my cheeks in heat. “I’m not making this easy on you—I should go and put a few more clothes on.”
As I turned, Finley lurched forward and caught my hand, twirling me back into him. “No. I don’t want it to be easy.” He pulled me closer. “I don’t deserve easy, and more than that, I know that all of this buildup is only going to make it that much sweeter when I finally win you back. Keep making it hard, Em. Please.”
I would challenge any damn shifter in the world to be able to say no to Finley when he was like this. “Okay, I can do that,” I told him.
He kissed my cheek, and then moved to press another to the corner of my lips, before he released me and steered us back to the cars.
For the next two hours we worked in comfortable companionship, our conversations casual as we discussed our favorite vehicles and dream cars. “I’ve always been into the bigger trucks and off-roaders,” Finley told me, leaning into the open hood. “While the track gave me a newfound appreciation for speed and competition, I’m the one you want with you if you’re heading off the beaten track and need to push your car’s suspension to its limits.”
“I’ve always been into bikes,” I said, handing over the tool he needed before he even asked. “Which had a lot to do with availability, speed, and price. The way I feel when I’m surrounded by these super and hyper cars indicates that maybe I just love anything with an engine that goes fast.”
Finley tilted his head to the side to meet my gaze, and in the dim lighting his expression was wreathed in amusement. “We need to race again,” he said. “This time just you and me.”
The very thought had a jolt of excitement in my gut. “You want to get your ass kicked again?”
