Chapter Nineteen
Al
The guilt evaporated as Lai handed over a stack of cash too thick to hold in one hand. He’d come prepared to spend an absolute fortune, crying poverty just to mess with me.
Half an hour later, we received copies of the paperwork and the keys. The Challenger needed a ride to his new home, not safe to drive on temporary tires, so the company in charge of the auction held Lai back to organize it.
I couldn’t wait for him any longer, and Lai could suffer through the forms he couldn’t easily read on his own. Leaving him to sign off on the details was my way of getting back at him for flexing his cash.
The plastic fox keychain dangled from my fingers as I made my way toward the lot, my grip tightening around the keys.
Cars were being moved in every direction, engines starting, doors slamming, new owners climbing in with excited or calculating expressions.
Some cars left proudly, others reluctantly, dragged toward uncertain futures on the backs of pick-up trucks.
Fox sat slightly apart from the hustle and bustle, low over his wheels, quiet now that the auction was over and he waited to learn his fate. He looked like the last kid waiting at the daycare, watching the others leave one by one, desperately waiting for his parent to come and get him.
“Guess what?” I held up the new ownership documents with a grin.
It was kind of funny how familiar the gesture felt, but it hadn’t been that long since I’d bought him for the first time, waving that contract from the dealer’s office door.
But back then, it had been impulsive, reckless, a shotgun wedding between a man and a car he barely understood.
This time, showing him the paperwork felt deliberate.
Intentional. Like renewing our vows after realizing exactly what we meant to each other.
“Al!” Fox pulled me inside the moment I opened the door, the belt snapping across my chest as the shadow wrapped around me, pinning me gently but possessively against the seat. I laughed, relaxing as the familiar scent of leather and warm metal surrounded me.
God, it felt good to be inside him again.
“So, how about that drive I promised you?” I murmured, settling deeper into the seat. “Then we head back, and I’ll give you a full detail.”
The shadow grinned, chrome fangs catching the light. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I had plans. The drive was only the beginning, a warm-up, a release after Fox’s confinement and waiting. Fox had to be going out of his mind with boredom; I knew I was. I slid the key into the ignition, not gently this time but with firm intention, pushing it home.
Fox bit his lip, the entire car shuddering beneath me.
I started to turn the key, but a shadowed hand covered mine, stopping the motion.
“Did Lai…?” Fox glanced toward the white Challenger parked nearby.
“He did, yeah.” I smiled. “He’s going to get him delivered to the manor, fix him up there. He was a little apprehensive about the price, but you know what? Lai knows what it’s like to be high-maintenance, and he isn’t going to pinch pennies when it comes to that car.”
“His name is Ghost,” Fox told me.
I blinked. “Ghost,” I repeated. “That’s a good name.” I leaned over, pressing a soft kiss against Fox’s cheek. “Don’t worry about him. He’s coming home, too.”
Fox vanished briefly, no doubt passing along the reassurance, then reappeared beside me.
“Now drive,” he ordered, the engine purring to life as I turned the key.
Chills rolled down my back as I revved the engine. I craved that sound, the living vibration that sank deep into my body. Fox melted into the driver’s seat beneath me, his hands holding me where the belt sat across my chest. I sank into his embrace and released the handbrake.
No matter how much I wanted to push Fox to his limit, I took it slow. Today was ours, and I wasn’t going to do anything stupid to sabotage it.
Fox kissed my neck as we rolled out of the lot, his excitement barely contained, the seat beneath me so warm it felt like he had a heater built into it. He surged forward, eager to leave everything behind, but I guided him gently, keeping things controlled. He yielded, trusting me.
“Good boy,” I murmured, steering us through city streets.
Traffic forced restraint, but I could feel his tension building beneath me, heat building, excitement rising.
My own patience was wearing thin as well; I was just as desperate, my pants too tight, uncomfortable.
Both had to behave just a little longer, but Fox made it difficult.
I felt his fangs nipping at my collarbone, his shadow wrapping around me, his engine snarling as it threatened to break loose.
He was testing me, and I wanted to see how long he could keep it up before one of us gave in. If we didn’t make it onto the open road soon, we’d be pulling into the first empty side street or parking lot we could find.
Fox felt it too. The exhaust popped each time I eased off the accelerator, his impatience bleeding through every mechanical response.
Finally, the road opened ahead, and I let the speed climb.
Suddenly, Fox’s shadow appeared sitting on the hood; his arms were spread wide as the wind tore through him, and he threw his head back with a giddy howl.
I rolled the window down, holding my hand out into the rushing air.
The wind washed over me, stripping away tension, doubt, everything that weighed me down.
There was just me, Fox, and the open road.
In that moment, we were truly free.
***
I didn’t know how long that feeling lasted. Fifty miles. Maybe a hundred. But eventually, the novelty softened, and the quiet settled in again. Freedom was intoxicating at first, but eventually, it left space behind–space that needed to be filled.
Fox’s tank was nearly empty, and so was my patience with having him as just a car. I wanted more.
“I needed that.” Fox grinned as we finally pulled onto the secluded forest path that led back to the manor, settling back beside me in the passenger seat.
“Me too.” I smiled back at him. “But I’m not done.”
Fox looked intrigued as we pulled behind the manor instead of heading down into the garage.
It was already dark as we parked in a secluded spot in the garden, surrounded by old marble statues and strings of solar-powered fairy lights.
It was just bright enough to see by, but still dark and intimate, a popular spot for horny teenage students who didn’t realize the teachers used it sometimes, too.
“Romantic.” Fox chuckled, watching me as I climbed out of the driver’s seat.
“Well, I did promise you a full service,” I smiled back.
I’d had a surprise set up for a few days at that point, ever since I got an email notifying me of the auction.
I knew I’d be bringing Fox home soon; to welcome him, I’d set up a table with everything a car could possibly want for a thorough detail, with row after row of washes, polishes, and after care.
I presented the first bottle to Fox as if it were fine wine. His smile widened.
“Pre-rinse?” He gasped, playing along. “I am spoiled.”
I uncapped it, letting him sniff the pink liquid. He nodded in approval and watched, amused, as I attached the bottle to the garden hose. I set the spray to a wide, gentle arch and turned on the water.
“Oh, gods.” Fox lay back across the windshield, enjoying the sensation of the rinse misting down onto his paint.
I watched him, and he watched me back, his glowing eyes narrowed in bliss.
I teased him with the thin blade of water, letting it roll over his wheels, and he arched his back, one hand sliding down his stomach and vanishing between his thighs.
He knew exactly what he was doing—especially that little moan.
My finger weakened on the trigger just for a second, letting the pressure drop.
Fox knew he had me. He was about to test my limits, his purring engine an invitation I couldn’t refuse.
“Hey, I’m not done yet,” I breathed.
“What? I’m not doing anything.” Fox’s wicked grin widened as he toyed with himself, making sure I was watching.
His shadow let just enough light through for me to see every detail of his sleek, narrow body, the shadow’s curves and angles matching the lines of the Fox Body Mustang, and I admired him openly, hungrily.
“If you keep this up, we aren’t going to make it to the foam cannon,” I warned him, knowing we weren’t even going to finish the pre-rinse.
“Save it,” Fox said, sitting up. “Wash me after we make a mess.” He pointed to a red bottle of oil waiting on the table. “Is that for me too?”
I turned off the water and handed him the bottle of synthetic 5W-30. I had been planning to change his oil tonight, but it seemed like Fox had other ideas. I watched curiously as he popped the cap and licked the rim of the bottle.
“You spoil me,” he purred, pouring the thick, golden oil into his palm. It melted into the shadow, a glossy sheen spreading out over him, leaving a coating of oil beneath him on the hood.
I watched, breath catching as Fox slipped down the hood and turned to press his chest to the metal, his oil-slicked hand between his thighs, legs spread for me to watch as he eased one shadowy finger into himself, then another.
My brain turned to static, a sensation I knew all too well. The blood was rushing away from the organ that could talk me out of my debauchery and straight down to the one that was ready to explore any and all new horizons.
Fox drew his fingers back, licking away the last of the oil with his long tongue. His legs were still spread for me.
I’ve used plenty of questionable things as lube before, and engine oil was definitely questionable. But there was something about the thick oil over glossy black paint that was utterly irresistible.