Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
STELLA
“No, no, no—you don’t understand,” I say, waving my wine glass for emphasis and narrowly missing a jug of sangria and Emily’s fringe. “He looked exactly like Batman’s kinky cousin. I’m not even exaggerating.”
The table explodes into laughter.
Megan snorts rosé up her nose. Ella’s wheezing. Yasmin has actual tears running down her cheeks. And I’m not far behind, doubled over and laughing at my own damn story.
This was supposed to be a civilised night—a catch-up, a couple of drinks. But we all know that just one drink is code for let’s order nachos and overshare until we lose our voices .
Megan—predictably—was the ringleader. Emily booked the table.
Somehow, Yasmin, Ally, and even Ella all showed up too.
The boys are off doing whatever it is men do when left unsupervised at Arden’s place, which means we’re free to dissect every embarrassing detail of our love lives like horny forensic scientists.
“Batman’s kinky cousin,” Yasmin gasps again, wiping her eyes. “That’s the best fucking description I’ve ever heard.”
“I bet he’d love that nickname,” Ally giggles. “Imagine us all calling him that to his face.”
“Don’t you dare,” I warn, pointing a semi-threatening finger—wine glass and all. “That name stays here. Between us. In the vault.”
“But it’s so perfect,” Ella croons, eyes gleaming. “Mysterious. Masked. Probably great with his hands…”
“Very good with his hands,” I blurt before I can stop myself.
And instantly regret it.
Emily’s mouth drops open. “Stella!”
“Shit.” I cover my face, but it’s too late. The damage is done.
“Details,” Megan demands, leaning forward like we’re in a courtroom and she’s about to cross-examine me.
“I’m not giving you details!”
“You already did,” Yasmin sings. “ Very good with his hands , remember?”
“That was different. I was emotionally compromised.”
“Now you’re wine-compromised,” Emily says, topping off everyone’s glasses like she’s fuelling chaos. “Which means even better details.”
My phone buzzes against the table, lighting up with Jake’s name.
And just like that, every molecule in my body tightens. It’s ridiculous—how one buzz, one name, can hijack every thought in my head.
Jake
How’s girls’ night?
Are you behaving?
I bite back a smile and angle my phone away from the nosy hawks I call friends.
Stella
Define behaving.
Jake
Not telling them all the filthy things I want to do to you.
Fuck you on your kitchen bench.
Lick whipped cream from your perfect tits.
Heat flares in my cheeks so fast I think I might spontaneously combust. I cross my legs under the table and try not to look as flustered as I feel.
Stella
I would never.
Jake
Good.
Some things should stay between us.
Like how you look when you come apart underneath me.
I let out an audible whimper. Not even a subtle one.
Megan’s eyes narrow. “He’s sexting you again, isn’t he?”
“Nope,” I lie, clutching the phone to my chest like it’s a sacred relic. “He’s… just being friendly.”
“She’s got that look again,” Emily whispers. “The Jake’s-being-very-very-bad look.”
My phone buzzes again.
Jake
Wish I could see you right now.
Touch you.
Wrap my hand around your sexy throat.
Oh no.
I squeak. A freaking squeak.
Ally leans in. “What did he say?”
“Nothing!” I yelp.
“Bullshit,” Yasmin cackles. “That was not a nothing sound. That was a he wants to do dirty things to you sound.”
Stella
You’re terrible.
Jake
And you love it.
Stella
Jake…
Jake
You love being bent over my workbench.
Or riding my cock in your office chair…
I drop my phone like it’s a live grenade.
“Oh my God.” I clap my hands over my face. “He’s being so inappropriate.”
“That means it’s so good,” Megan grins. “Come on. Give us a line. Just one.”
“Absolutely not.”
Ella pouts. “But Batman’s kinky cousin is such a vibe.”
“He’s not Batman!” I hiss. “He’s a mechanic!”
“Same thing,” Yasmin shrugs. “He wears a mask, fixes things, gets you all hot and bothered.”
“Stop!” I laugh, but I’m half-tempted to excuse myself to the toilets just to read his messages in peace.
My phone buzzes again, and of course I pick it up.
Jake
Bet you’re so fucking wet right now that I could slide right in.
No resistance.
Just your tight, desperate cunt gripping me like it missed me.
“Okay, that’s it,” I say out loud, flipping my phone face down. “No more texting. Jake is cut off.”
“What did he say?” Ella asks, eyes wide with delight.
“Nothing appropriate for public consumption.”
“So obviously the best kind of nothing,” Megan smirks.
We’re saved—temporarily—by Logan appearing at our table with another round of drinks and the biggest grin I’ve ever seen on a man who once cried over a broken coffee machine.
“Ladies!” he announces. “How are we tonight?”
“Logan!” I grin. “How did the date go?”
He practically glows. “Life-changing. Julia is amazing. She’s smart and funny, and she actually likes me! We’re going out again tomorrow.”
“That’s brilliant!”
“She said the Mustang entrance was the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done. She thinks I’m—quote—a mysterious car enthusiast with soulful eyes.”
Yasmin chokes on her drink. “Are you gonna tell her the truth?”
“Eventually,” he says. “But I’m gonna ride the mysterious-and-sophisticated wave for as long as possible.”
He heads off to another table, and the moment he’s gone, the girls pounce.
“You let him borrow a customer’s car?” Yasmin asks, wide-eyed.
“Jake drove him,” I clarify. “Very supervised. Very safe.”
Ally sighs dreamily. “You’re like the fairy godmother of the garage.”
“I am not.”
My phone buzzes again. I flip it over before I can stop myself.
Jake
Still thinking about your mouth.
The way you suck my cock like it’s your favourite thing in the world.
I’m hard just picturing it.
I let out a strangled groan.
Emily leans in. “What did Batman say now?”
I glance at my half-empty wine glass. “I need another drink.”
“Correction,” Megan grins. “You need a cold shower, a locked room, and maybe your vibrator.”
Jake
Next time, I’m making you scream for me.
No holding back.
Nails in my back.
My name on your tongue.
Yeah. I’m going to need that cold shower.
Because at this point? I’m about three messages away from texting back Come pick me up. Now.
And honestly, I think the girls would cheer me on the whole damn way.
Jake
The boys are getting restless.
Chase wants to crash girls’ night.
Should I tell them you’re all too drunk?
Stella
We are not drunk.
Jake
Spell “responsible” then.
I glare at the phone like I can will it to behave. My brain scrambles for letters, but my fingers betray me.
Stella
Responisble. Fuck.
Jake
That’s what I thought.
We’re on our way.
I let my phone fall to the table. “The boys are coming.”
“Thank God,” Emily sighs dramatically. “I miss Tom.”
“You saw him three hours ago,” Megan says, raising an eyebrow.
“And it’s been three hours too long,” Emily replies, throwing back her wine like she’s in a rom-com montage.
Within fifteen minutes, the testosterone parade arrives—Arden, Chase, Jake, Parker, Asher, José, Robert, Tom, and Rhys. They stroll into Grumpy’s like they own the place: zero subtlety, full pub-mode energy. Our quietish girls’ night dissolves into chaotic co-ed mayhem.
Jake beelines for me, sliding into the booth beside me like he belongs there. His thigh presses against mine under the table, and that familiar heat floods low and fast.
“Miss me?” he murmurs, his breath brushing my cheek.
“Nope.”
“Liar.” His grin is all teeth. “I missed you, too.”
“It’s been four hours.”
“Four hours too long.”
And just like that, I’m melting.
The pub's noise, a mix of clinking glasses, laughter, and someone's karaoke attempt, amplifies as Arden treats the table to another round. It’s loud, but Jake’s arm along the back of the booth makes me feel settled.
Until Megan ruins it.
“So, Jake,” she says far too innocently, “Stella was just telling us how you remind her of Batman’s kinky cousin.”
Silence.
Actual silence.
Even the karaoke cuts out.
Jake turns slowly, eyebrows raised. “Batman’s kinky cousin?”
“Megan!” I hiss, feeling my face ignite. “That was supposed to stay between us!”
“What? It’s a compliment!” she insists, waving her wine glass.
“Batman’s kinky cousin,” Chase repeats, grinning. “This is gold.”
“Oh, this is good,” Asher says, practically rubbing his hands together.
“It was the mask!” I blurt, trying to salvage whatever dignity I have left. “At the masquerade party. He was wearing this black mask and—oh God, why am I explaining this?”
“Because it’s hilarious,” José says. “I want that on a shirt.”
Parker points at Jake, grinning. “It’s official now. That’s your nickname.”
“Like hell it is,” Jake snaps, but he’s laughing. The bastard is enjoying this.
“Kinky Batman,” Robert teases, testing it out slowly. “Bit of a ring to it.”
“I hate all of you,” Jake mutters, slipping his arm around my shoulders like he’s claiming me in full view.
“So wait,” Rhys says, looking between us. “You two met at a masquerade party?”
“And had a mysterious masked encounter months before she started at Doc’s,” Ella adds helpfully.
“And now you work together,” Yasmin chimes in.
“And are clearly sleeping together,” Arden finishes, smirking.
“We are not—” I start, flustered.
“Actually, we are,” Jake says casually.
The entire table turns to stare. I whip around to glare at him. “Jake!”
“What? It’s obvious. Might as well stop pretending.”
“But workplace?—”
“—Relationships are fine,” Arden interrupts smoothly, “so long as they don’t affect performance. From what I’ve seen, yours hasn’t. If anything, it’s improved.”
“Are you two officially together then?” Emily asks, eyes sparkling.
Jake looks at me. In the middle of all the noise, the clinking glasses, the hum of conversation, he goes soft. Serious.
“Are we, Stella?”
It hits me like a punch to the chest—the look in his eyes. There’s no teasing now. No smirk. Just honesty. And hope.
And in that moment, I forget every professional line, every self-imposed rule, every excuse I’ve used to keep him at arm’s length. Preventing us from being more than what we already are.
“Yes,” I say quietly, but certain. “We are.”
The table erupts in cheers. Someone bangs the table. Megan claps.
Jake leans in and kisses me before I can second-guess myself—warm, unhurried, tasting like beer and Jake.
“Get a room!” José calls.
“Seriously, you two are disgustingly cute,” Megan groans.
When we break apart, Jake keeps his arm around me, fingers brushing bare skin beneath my sleeve like a quiet reminder: I’m here. Still yours.
“So, Kinky Batman,” Chase says, raising a brow, “how does it feel to be officially off the market?”
Jake doesn’t hesitate. “Like the luckiest bastard in New Hope.”
He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I grin like a teenager at a school formal.
“And Stella,” Ella props her chin on her hand. “How does it feel to be dating Batman’s kinky cousin?”
I glance around at this table full of idiots I’ve somehow come to love—this weird, loud, beautiful family I didn’t even know I was missing. And Jake, beside me, who’s become something more than I ever expected.
“Pretty fucking amazing,” I admit.
The table cheers again, and someone starts chanting Kinky Batman loud enough that even the bartenders pick it up.
By the end of the night, Jake’s got three nicknames, Parker’s drawn a mock-up logo on a napkin, and I’ve lost count of how many times someone made a joke about utility belts.
And somehow, I don’t care.
Because Jake’s arm never leaves my shoulders. His eyes keep drifting to mine like he still can’t believe we’re real. And every time our fingers brush, it feels like a secret just for us.
Yeah.
This might’ve started as a random hookup.
But somewhere along the way, it became something real.
And if that means I’m dating Batman’s kinky cousin?
Honestly—
I’ve had worse ideas.