Chapter 55 Finley #2
“No, you’re not racing around Los Angeles in a fucking Puma, Fin,” Jayden says with a no-arguments tone that has me glaring at him in the rearview mirror. “Don’t give me that look, I’ll spank it off your face if you bring up that death trap again.”
I glance at Eli to find him trying to contain his laughter—pouty lips rolled together, eyes glittering with mirth.
I know what the surprise is in a blink.
“I’m not taking your car,” is all I say in my best stern, I-mean-business voice. “I don’t need something this big or burly.”
“Big and burly?” He snorts. “Are those your favorite words at the moment?”
Ugh. “It’s that stupid show and all the conversations Christina and I have about it. She’s obsessed with the main guy. Personally, I don’t see it, but hey… what do I know, I’m into the two of you pests.”
Oh, God, the nerves are back, and my mouth is open like the gates of Rambletown.
“I’m not giving you my car.” Eli’s guffaw is punctuated by the there-there pat of his hand on my thigh.
Oh. “Good. Because I spoke to Summer about it, and with the wages she’s paying me, I can afford to take out a small loan for a practical run-around like a Puma or even a Spark…”
I’m edging my way through the tailgate, the bigger gates behind closing, when I catch sight of the big purple bow and balloons behind Jayden’s car at the far end of the garage.
Don’t freak out.
“Babe…” Jayden starts with a cautious zing to his voice.
“Yeah, I know. I know.” Eli sounds all cool and in control, but his hand is gripping my thigh like he’s going to freak out if I freak out.
“What have you done?” is all I can muster as I park in his reserved spot…
Right next to the fancy-looking, white-gray SUV wearing the huge-ass lilac bow. The lilac balloons around it spell out congratulations, and Eli is so damn lucky that I haven’t crashed his car into the wall with how unfocused I am right now.
“You need a car, Fin,” he says when I sit in silence trying to figure out how I’m feeling, because ‘overwhelmed’ doesn’t cut it.
“Something reliable and safe that we won’t be worried about every time you drive it.
You’ve seen how the press can get. The other day, they were chasing after us on a moped. It’s dangerous and—”
“Too much. This is too much. I haven’t earned it. I…” I keep staring at the wall in front of me like it might somehow absorb all this jittery energy roiling through me.
“Earned it?” Jayden asks, a chuff of amusement edging his words. “You don’t have to earn gifts, and the car is a gift from us to you.”
“An early birthday gift,” Eli adds.
“And Valentines,” JJ hums, his fingertips tracing along the back of my neck when he leans forward between mine and Eli’s seats. “They’re only a few days away.”
With a playful nip to my exposed shoulder, he tips his face to level me with big puppy-dog eyes. Clearly, he’s learning from Blanca.
“And we need to make up for not being here for it,” Jayden says, matter-of-fact.
“We need you to be safe, Fin. To know that you’re safe all the time.” Eli opens his door and gets out, huffing at the balloons that get in his way.
I don’t have to wonder whose idea they were because it’s got Jayden written all over it.
“The trunk is impressive for all the runs you’ll be doing for work,” JJ states with a gentle caress to my arm. “It’s also electric, so you never have to stop for gas. You plug her in when you get home, and she’ll be ready to go when you leave for work.”
“She looks expensive.” I turn in my seat to find him grinning at me.
“She’s a great car.” With a shrug, he boops my nose—it’s becoming a habit of his.
“Yeah, I can see that.” Which backs up my comment—their gift is extravagant and pricey.
“These German cars are built like war tanks, and the EQE interior is sexy as hell.” He’s barely finished when Eli opens my door and ushers me out of his car.
“Here’s the deal. Sit in it. Get a feel for it. If you don’t like it, we’ll change it.” He puts a small silver fob in my hand, and when I look at it, my heart swells in my chest at the keychain that’s attached to it—a lilac, crystal-encrusted four-leaf clover charm with an AirTag attached to it.
“Okay,” I tell him, knowing full well that I’m going to love the car they’ve picked for no other reason than that they picked it for me and that they’ll never be happy with whatever small run-around I can afford.
He’s about to say something else when his phone rings, and when he traipses away to answer it, I focus on the Mercedes in front of me. It’s beautiful and sleek. The big bow and the balloons make the whole scene comical as I wrestle past the balloons to the driver’s door.
The warm scent of citrus and sandalwood greets me when I open it to the light-gray leather interior. It almost matches the color of the chassis, and when I sit in the driver’s seat, the trim glows a light blue with the console coming to life.
The radio comes on mid-song.
“Your phone is already connected to it,” Jayden says, getting in the passenger seat. “The tech is fucking sick…”
He spends a while talking me through all the bells and whistles. Heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, special sound system…
I’m more engrossed in listening to him tell me all about the car than anything else. I love seeing JJ get this excited, and it dawns on me that I can’t part with the car now that it’s become a memory. The scent of their combined colognes, all the tender touches he punctuates his words with.
“So, what do you think?” he asks me.
It’s over the top, but… “She’s perfect.”
“Aaaaand?”
“And I love it.”
“Good, because I saved the best feature for last.” Slowly, he reclines his seat until he’s completely laid back. “Just think of all the ways we’re going to christen this baby.”
“Oh my God! I can’t with you!” When I slap his thigh, he grips my hand and drags me across the center console until I’m awkwardly strewn across his body—my back to his front. “You’re a total dork.” My chuckle is cut short when his errant hand dips into the waistband of my jeans.
“We’re totally going to pop your dogging cherry in this beauty,” he rumbles, hand inching lower to cup my pussy.
My toes curl instantly. Just the feel of his hot hand on me has goosebumps breaking out all over my skin.
I clear my throat and croak, “Dogging?”
“Sex. In a car. In a public place.” There’s a low gravel to his remark that has my heart pounding in anticipation. When I throw my head back to find his stare, he smirks, “That got your attention, Baby?”
I lick my lips while he palms the apex of my thighs.
My breaths are all coming thick and fast. As his other hand trails up my sternum, above the light knit of my sweater, I can’t hold in the moan that pushes up my throat when he rocks up into me—the pronounced bulge of his groin rutting into my ass.
JJ’s thumb rakes up the side of my neck, turning my whole body to jelly with that one light caress.
Oh my good Lord.
“So… the car…” he purrs, bringing the hand at my pussy up to the flat of my belly. “Is it staying?”
“This last feature really clinched it. I guess she’s a keeper,” I say, just as the driver’s door opens and Eli pokes his head inside.
The furrow of his brows hits all wrong. He looks disturbed and confused all in one, like he’s just been given a sick conundrum to work out.
“Lex called. We need to talk,” is all he says before JJ and I are scampering out of the car after him.
Here I was thinking we were having a great day, and now… it looks like it’s about to change.