5. Danny
5
DANNY
T his is either the absolute best idea I’ve ever had or the absolute worst, I’m just not sure which. The day she texted me to tell me she quit her job, I was fucking elated. A part of me hoped she’d done it to open up the possibility of moving to Montana to be with me, but for the last ten weeks, every time I’ve suggested she come visit me, she’s shot me down.
When I told Penn and Bay that Parker was looking for a job, they were super excited at the prospect of her moving here and working for them at the garage. When the Barnetts started finding wives like normal people find quarters on the sidewalk, the entire female population of Rockhead Point all suddenly started having car troubles around the same time. Bay and Penn took on two new guys to help manage the workload, but they quit once the Barnett mania died down, and all seven brothers were wifed up and popping out babies. Since then, they’ve struggled to find anyone qualified and reliable who wasn’t just hoping to use the place to find hookups.
The first time I told Parker there was a job for her here in Rockhead Point, I expected her to be over the moon. In my head, I envisioned gratitude in the form of blow jobs, or maybe even celebratory anal. Instead, she shot down the idea like I’d suggested she open an OnlyFans account, dedicated to her tit fucking phallic-shaped objects.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve reminded her that there’s a job, and me waiting for her in Rockhead Point. But no matter how often I suggest it, apparently I’m not enough of an enticement to bring her here, even if I arrange her dream job as a sweetener on top.
Each rejection has been a hit to my pride, but even if she’ll only ever be my friend, I still want her to be happy, and I know that taking any job that isn’t working on or with cars would make her miserable.
Two days ago, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and I messaged her sister, who gave me her mom’s number. I told them both about the job available for Parker and the amazing town I live in and then I booked her a flight. She might be pissed at me now, but once she gets here and meets the Barnetts, I know she’ll change her mind.
My hands are shaking slightly as I wipe them self-consciously down the front of my jeans. There’s something about waiting at an airport that always makes me antsy. A part of me had almost expected her to refuse to come, but her plane landed twenty minutes ago, and unless she had a very last-minute change of mind, she’s on it.
Parker, my Parker is in Montana. She’s here. She’s fucking here, and I don’t know if I should be excited, scared, horny or a combination of all three.
Keeping my gaze fixed on the arrivals doorway, I scan the sea of people, searching their faces as I try to spot her halo of untamed curls among the crowd. I know she may have her hair tied back, but in every one of my fantasies, her hair is loose and wild, and I hope to God that’s how she looks today. Honestly, there’s a chance I may come in my damn pants like a fucking preteen the moment I see her, but I don’t care because she’s here, and in just a few minutes I’ll be looking at her in real life, and I can’t fucking wait.
I feel her presence before I see her. My dick twitches to life moments before I spot her walking slowly through the doors, being herded by the flow of people all trying to escape the airport. Before I can think better of it, I start walking toward her, keeping my eyes trained on her as I push my way roughly through the crowd. “Parker,” I call, loud enough that heads spin in my direction.
When she turns at the sound of my voice, my feet stop moving, and I freeze to the spot as my dick threatens to explode just from the way it feels to have her eyes on me. The moment she sees me, a soft smile splits the corners of her lips, and a light blush starts to tint her cheeks.
Jesus, I thought she was perfect in pictures, but photos are a pale imitation of how fucking spectacular she is in real life.
I’ve never had a type before, but I do now. It’s her, she’s my type. Parker Cox is the epitome of everything I will ever want and need. She’s smaller than she looks in her pictures, fucking tiny in comparison to me. She’s wearing jeans that hug her thick thighs, and I’m glad I can only see her front because I have a feeling she’s going to have the kind of ass that will bring me to my knees.
Her waist is small, and her tits are big and full and fucking delicious. She’s gorgeous, with blow-job lips and sexy eyes, and that hair…that fucking hair.
My dick jerks and I have to suck in a sharp breath and force myself to calm the hell down, just so I can stop myself from coming in my pants right here and now. Suddenly aware that I’m just staring at the woman I’m going to make mine, I push my way through the crowd, bend down, and scoop her off the floor and into my arms, wrapping her in a hug that changes my entire universe.
“You’re here,” I breathe into her neck, palming her nape and holding her to me.
“Hi, Danny,” she says on a shaky giggle. “Can you put me down?”
“Nope,” I tell her, blindly reaching down and taking her bag from her hand before I carry her out of the crush of people, not lowering her to her feet until we’re against the far wall and as alone as we possibly can be in an airport arrivals lounge.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here,” I say, smiling widely, as I pull her in for another hug, dragging her to me and plastering her face into my chest. She’s so tiny, the top of her head barely meets my pecs, but I fucking love how small she is in comparison to me. I can’t wait until I can pick her up and throw her around, watching her sexy curves bounce while I fuck her.
“Well, you kind of forced me into it,” she says dryly, pushing her hand against my stomach and taking a step back.
“I didn’t force you, I just potently encouraged,” I say with a smirk.
“Yeah, right,” she says, her tone dry, but the soft smile on her lips belies her fake annoyance.
“Come on. My car’s out in the lot. Penn and Bay are expecting you. Once you’re done meeting them, I thought we could have dinner and a few drinks.”
“What time is the auto shop open till?”
“They normally shut at six p.m., but they’re staying late because they figured you’d want to see the shop setup they have. But we can go to their place instead if you prefer,” I offer.
“No, the shop is fine,” she says. “I need to check into a hotel, there isn’t a flight back to Vermont till the morning.”
“Why would you need a hotel? You’re staying with me,” I snap, a little more aggressively than I intended. I don’t want her at a hotel. I want her naked in my bed, or if that’s not possible, then naked in one of the beds in my house. There’s no way I’m letting her stay in a fucking hotel.
“Oh, no—” she starts.
“Did you book something already?” I hiss.
“Well, no…but?—”
“Then it’s settled, you’ll stay with me,” I tell her, in my best no-arguments tone.
“But—”
Hooking my finger under her chin, I force her head up. “Parker, you’re staying with me.”
Her expression looks…pained. After a second, she sucks in a breath and nods. “Okay, thanks.”
Flashing her a wide, bright smile, I drop my arm over her shoulder and start to guide her toward the exit. “I’m so fucking glad you’re here.”
“You drive an…Escalade,” she says with a grimace, staring at my car in the lot. “How did I not know this?”
“Hey, don’t diss my ride. I’m a big dude, I want to be comfortable, not have to fold myself in half to get into the driver’s seat,” I protest on a laugh.
“But an Escalade? It’s just kind of cliché.”
Her expression is so fucking adorably horrified.
“It’s big and comfortable, plus it’s cool.”
“It’s not cool,” she says quickly. “There is nothing cool about an Escalade. My car is cool, this is…” She trails off like she can’t quite decide what insult to use.
“Okay, enough hating on my ride. Get in,” I say, opening the passenger door and motioning for her to climb in.
It takes everything I have not to pick her up and put her in my car. I want my hands on her. I want to know how it feels to curl my fingers around her waist and put her where I want her, but I manage to resist, instead enjoying the way her pants hug her ass as she climbs into the seat.
She tries to hide it, but I see and hear the tiny sigh she utters once she’s being hugged by the soft leather seats. Smirking, I close her door, put her bag in the trunk, then circle around to the driver’s side and climb in behind the wheel.
Pressing the start button, I check my mirrors, then pull out of the lot and onto the street.
“So, is there anything I need to know about the Barnetts?”
“They’re both married. Penn has five kids with another two on the way. Bay has two kids, and although I don’t know for sure, I wouldn’t be surprised if his wife Missy was already pregnant again. They’re kind of obsessed with knocking their wives up.”
“Wow, so I guess it makes sense that they need to hire some help,” she says.
“I told you about the whole Barnett family legacy craziness, didn’t I?” I ask.
“Err, craziness? Nope, you never mentioned that, but I feel like you should have, considering I’m interviewing for a job with them,” she says, a hint of panic lacing her tone.
“ They’re not crazy.” I laugh. “But they have this whole family thing where the guys believe that they fall in love at first sight.”
“Wow,” she says, her eyes going wide. “Okay, so that’s kind of crazy.”
“It sounds nuts, I know. But they honestly believe that’s how they all met their wives. They saw them and just knew, and they’re the happiest people I’ve ever met.”
“That’s…that’s kind of sweet, I guess,” she concedes, her voice softening.
“But after the first couple of brothers found their wives, the whole town sort of lost their minds thinking that the remaining guys were going to see someone on the street and instantly fall in love with them. According to Penn and Bay, the shop got crazy busy with women all hoping to be the next Mrs. Barnett. Once all seven brothers got married, the guys they employed stopped being able to use the auto shop like a speed dating app and quit.”
“Holy shit, that’s fucking crazy.” She laughs, her eyes comically wide.
“When I told them about you, they were so fucking excited. They’ve been asking me weekly when you were going to come out to meet them.”
“They know I’m a girl, right?” she asks, her expression dubious.
“Of course they know you’re a girl. They don’t give a fuck. I told them how fantastic a mechanic you are. They don’t care that you’ve got a pussy.”
We fall into a strained silence that confuses me. Is she pissed? I don’t get her anger or why she’s not more excited than she is. This is what she wants. An auto shop and employers that are only interested in her ability to fix cars, not her gender. She should be happy, right?
“Why are you pissed?” I ask after five miles of tension-filled nothingness.
“I’m not pissed,” she says, clearly pissed.
“Parks, it’s pretty obvious that you’re angry with me, I just don’t know why.”
“I’m not pissed,” she snaps.
Checking my mirrors, I pull to the side of the road, then turn to face her. “Parker,” I say, fighting to keep the growl out of my voice.
“I’m fine, let’s just go,” she says, her tone terse and annoyed.
“We’re not fucking moving until you explain why the fuck you’re so angry with me.”
“Fine. You want to know why I’m angry?”
“Yes.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, her tits push up so fucking high that if she were topless, I’d bet she could fucking lick her own nipples. The action distracts me completely, and I miss the majority of what she says.
“What then, huh?”
“What?” I say, blinking to force myself to snap back to the moment.
“You have no idea how good of a mechanic I am, Danny. For them to not care that I’m a girl means you must have told them I’m a damn sight more qualified than I actually am. I’m going to look like an idiot.”
“You think I fed them a load of bullshit so they’d hire you?” I question slowly.
“You must have.”
“You think I’d set you up to fail?” I ask, incapable of hiding the hurt from my tone.
“Not intentionally,” she says on a pained sigh. “You’re a good friend, Danny, and a great hypeman, but what happens when I can’t live up to their expectations?”
I try not to flinch when she calls me her friend. I don’t want to be her fucking friend. I’m going to be her man, and soon she’ll learn that I’d never do anything to hurt or embarrass her. A part of me hoped she already knew that, but apparently not.
Nodding sadly, I turn around to face the steering wheel again. “All I told them was that you were a mechanic, that your dad owned a shop, and you grew up working with him,” I tell her as I pull back onto the street.
The mood hasn’t lifted by the time we pass the sign welcoming us to Rockhead Point. I’m hurt, she’s hurt, and neither of us knows what to say to set things right. Pulling my car to a stop outside the auto shop, I exhale wearily, turn off the engine, and silently slip out of the door.
Parker has her own door open and is already climbing out of the car before I have a chance to open it for her, and my mood darkens even further. Biting my tongue, I close her door behind her, then lead the way into the shop.
“Their office is back here,” I say, marching toward the doors against the back wall.
“Danny,” Penn calls from behind us, striding toward us as he wipes his hands on a rag.
“Hey Penn, this is Parker,” I say, gesturing to the infuriating woman at my side.
“Hey Parker, I’m Penn Barnett. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Penn says, holding out his hand for her to take. Despite him trying to clean the grease and dirt from his skin, his hand is still filthy when he reaches out to Parker. I don’t know if it’s a test to see if she’ll balk at getting dirty, but my girl doesn’t even flinch, taking Penn’s hand and squeezing tightly. When she lets go, her hand is grimy and dirty, but without thought, she rubs her palm against the side of her jeans, leaving a dirty streak on the denim that, for some reason, makes me smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Penn. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me,” Parks says, sounding confident and sexily self-assured.
“My brother Bay is just sorting paperwork. I’ll go fetch him,” Penn says, smiling as he strides toward the office door, yelling, “Bay, Danny and Parker are here.”
Bay appears in the doorway a moment later. “Hey,” he says, smiling widely. Closing the distance between us, he pushes his hand out to Parker. “Bay Barnett, thanks for making the trip out to meet with us. Did you have a chance to have a look around the shop yet?”
“Parker Cox, nice to meet you,” she says, shaking Bay’s hand confidently. “No, we literally just got here, why don’t you show me around?” she suggests.
As the guys start talking about their business, I take a step back, moving out of the way, not wanting Parks to feel like I’m involving myself in her interview. Not that she needs my help. Despite what she said in the car, I haven’t hyped her up, if anything, I’ve downplayed her abilities, knowing that once the Barnetts met her and realize what she has to offer, they’ll do whatever they can to convince her to come and work for them.
An hour later, my stomach growls with hunger as I watch Parker talking animatedly with Penn. She’s been bent over the engine of a car for the last ten minutes, and the sound of her laughter has crackled across the shop more than once as she does something under the hood while Penn and Bay stand back, clearly impressed.
“Try that,” she says, pushing herself upright to her diminutive height while she scoops her hair out of her face with a grease-streaked finger.
Penn slips into the driver’s seat of the car, and moments later the sound of a purring engine fills the air.
“Give us a number,” Bay says.
“What?” Parker asks, her brows furrowing.
“What’s it going to take to get you to work for us?”
“You want to hire me?” She sounds so fucking hopeful, my heart actually aches with the need to assure that they’d be idiots not to want to hire her.
“Danny said you were good, but he never said you were this good. You’re clearly a great mechanic, but the fact that you have experience working on classic cars and restorations is the cherry on top of a fucking awesome sundae. We absolutely want to hire you. So give us a number. What will get you to move here?”
“I…I don’t.” Parker’s mouth falls open, her expression shell-shocked.
“How does this sound?” Bay asks, pulling his cell from his pocket, typing something on the screen, then turning it for Parker to see. “Salary, plus benefits, plus overtime.”
“I…” Parker looks from the cell to Bay, to Penn, to the cell again.
“Come work for us, Parker,” Penn urges, slipping out of the car and rounding the hood to stand by her.
“Okay. Yes…yes, I’d love to come and work for you guys,” she says, sounding shocked.
“Fuck yes!” Bay hollers. “Can you start Monday?”
“I…I mean, I guess,” she mumbles. “I need to find somewhere to live.”
“No, you don’t,” I interrupt, unable to keep quiet any longer. “You’re moving in with me.”
“No.” She shakes her head.
“Yes,” I argue.
“Danny,” she tries to protest.
“You’re living with me, end of,” I growl, trying not to make my words an order, even though that’s exactly what they are. There’s no way she’s living anywhere but with me, because even though she might not know it yet, she’s already mine.