“Right? Yeah, we all thought so too.” I smiled at the car with its unique white paint and dark blue racing stripes. I didn’t know the names of the colors, but no other car seemed to have the same shades. “A car like this was in Granny Pearl’s barn, covered in dust and dirt and probably horse shit, who knew.”
Luke stopped and cocked his head to the side. “This— I mean, a car like this?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Did you know these were under five grand in 1965, and one in this condition is probably over four hundred grand now?”
“I did,” he drawled. “How didyouknow that?”
“Told you I knew this car.”
“What happened to the one your cousin found?”
“Stole, you mean. Well, he boasted about it enough he finally had to hide the damn thing. He never got a chance to fix her up as he’d wanted and eventually had to sell it to pay off an ex-wife or some shit.”
“What did he sell it for? I want to say I hope he got what it was worth, but I’m not sure I like this cousin.”
I chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, he’s not a favorite of mine. I think he sold it for twenty, maybe.”
Luke swallowed. “You, you really know this car?”
“My whole family knows this car. It was quite the scandal.” I traced over the hood with my fingertips a hairsbreadth away from the cool metal. “1965 Shelby GT350. Modified Windsor V-8 putting out 306 horsepower, 329 pounds per foot of torque at 4,200 RPMs. Less than 600 were made that year, and only a handful of the race car version. Zero to sixty in seven seconds and a quarter mile in fifteen.” I turned to face Luke. “Who needed the race version with an engine like that?”
“Only wealthy collectors.”
“Like you.”
Luke’s face froze for a second. “Me? You think I own this car?”
“For the two years my cousin had his hands on it, no one was allowed to ride in it. He was greedy like that.” I shrugged. “Thief. It tracked. Anyway, to this day, Red talks about this car. He’s got kids he knows less about, and not a single one of his wives he talks about in a fonder way. I was pretty sure he slept in this car while he had it and probably mourns the loss of it like a close friend.”
Luke licked his lips. “Yeah, she’s got enough personality. I could see someone caring for the car in that way.”
“Like you do.”
He rocked back on his heels and grinned. “Fine. You’re right. This one’s mine. God, you’re insufferable when you think you know something.”
I hopped and hooted. “I knew it! I saw you light up when we got to it. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to sway your opinion. I was planning on asking you what your favorite car was when we got to the end, and I didn’t want you to choose this one just because I owned it.”
I snorted. “You should know me better than that.” I bumped his shoulder and stood back with him so we could admire the car shoulder to shoulder. “I’d have picked this one anyway. She’s gorgeous.”
“Maybe you can get in good with the owner, and he’ll take you for a ride like you never got with your cousin’s.”
“Think so?” I glanced around us. People were far too close, so I lowered my voice. “Maybe even fuck on the back seat like a proper teenager?”
Luke flushed and raised his brows high above his sunglasses.
“Like that?”
He swallowed so hard his throat clicked.
No one was around us, so I kept going. He backed up as I stalked closer until he bumped into the rear quarter panel. I didn’t touch him. I wasn’t the asshole to push his physical boundaries in public, but no one was near enough tohear.
“Tease you just right ’til you’re beggin’ to be released. Get you primed and lubed so I slip right in. Hands braced on the roof, feet on the mats, and goin’ full throttle as you ride my dick likeit’sthe wild-ass mustang.”
“The fuck, Asher,” he hissed and twisted left and right.
“No one heard me,” I laughed.
