Chapter 26 #3
His smirk is lethal as he crosses the garage and stops right in front of me, next to the Porsche. “Well, once you’re done with the car, can I boss you around? Fold you into any position that I want and fuck some sense into you?”
Tapping my chin sarcastically, I reply, “Hmmm. Not sure that will help.”
“What will then? You know that’s why I’m here.”
“I know, Elliot. It’s just…I need to be able to know that no one else can take credit for this, okay?”
“I would never…”
Staring up at him, I say, “Yeah, well my last boyfriend said that too and look how that turned out.”
His brow furrows as he cups the side of my face.
“I am not him, I’m sure as fuck not the same kid you spent years hating, and I’m not your parents.
So, not sure how many times I’ll have to say this, but I’m not leaving you, I’m here to support you, and I’m so fucking proud of everything you’ve done.
The last thing I want is to take credit for any of it, especially when I’m part of the reason you ever doubted yourself in the first place. ”
Moisture builds in my eyes again, but I turn away from him, wondering how I’m even supposed to respond to that.
Finding words has always been a strong suit of mine, but around Elliot lately, I struggle to find any that can articulate how he makes me feel.
Just you being here is helping repair everything he broke, I want to say, but I don’t. Instead, I glance back at the car.
He sighs in frustration, probably from my lack of response to his declaration, then asks, “You said you made lists of what needed to be done on the car, right?”
“Yes, but you don’t get it, Elliot—”
“You’re right, I don’t,” he says, cutting me off. “So, put the dash back on and then retrace every inch of the car until you feel better.”
My eyes snap back to him. “What? That could take me hours.”
He shrugs before walking over to a stool next to my tool bench, setting the bottle of champagne on top and crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes still on me. “Then I’ll just wait here until you’re done.”
“Elliot, you don’t have to wait for me.”
His brows draw together. “I know I don’t, Dilynne. I’m here because I want to be. I thought I made that clear.”
Yeah, there’s definitely something in my eyes.
Twisting away from him, I mutter, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He chuckles. “Don’t worry. I know exactly what I’m getting myself into.”
***
Almost two hours pass by, and Elliot doesn’t move except to get up and use the restroom once. He doesn’t even sit there and scroll on his phone.
No.
He watches me retrace every inch of the Porsche from hood to trunk, inside and outside, and finally, when I feel satisfied with my inspection, I speak. “Okay. I found it.”
His brows lift. “Yeah? What was it?”
I pull the valve cap from my pocket that I realized was missing about an hour ago and walk over to the front driver’s side tire, screwing it back in place. “The tire valve cap.”
Standing from the stool, he walks over to me. “Do you feel better now?”
“Yes.”
“Are you ready for champagne?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
Grinning, he pops the cork, the sharp crack echoing through the garage. Handing me the bottle, he says with a laugh, “I realized after I got here that I don’t have any glasses.”
Shrugging, I take the bottle from him and lift it to my lips, taking a swig. Then I flash him the biggest smile I can muster. “I did it!”
Yanking me into his chest, he pulls the bottle from my hand and lowers his mouth to mine, kissing me so intensely that my knees nearly buckle.
“Yes, you fucking did, Dilynne. And now we’re gonna celebrate.
” Taking a swig from the bottle himself, he hands it back to me before retrieving his phone from his pocket, clicking around on the screen, and then the sounds of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” come from the speaker.
“Now, I’ve been a very good boy, don’t you think? ”
Laughing, I say, “Oh! So this is why you stuck around? You wanted to know if Steven was telling the truth?”
He pushes the bottle toward me again as I take it from his hands.
“It might have made the past two hours more entertaining, envisioning what this moment would be like.” Setting his phone on the top of my toolbox, he leans up against it, crossing his arms over his chest, that smirk of his in full effect.
“And what if I told you that I found the missing tire cap an hour ago?”
His smile falls. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
His eyes narrow. “You little menace.”
Unhooking the strap on my overalls, I let them fall before repeating the motion to the other side and then reach up and untie my bandana and let my hair fall down. “Don’t play the game if you can’t handle being outsmarted.”
The heat in his eyes burns right through me, all the way down to the juncture between my thighs. “I can handle it, especially because no matter what game we’re playing, you’re the one I want to be playing it with.”
My mouth falls open slightly. “Elliot…”
He rushes over to me, crashing his mouth to mine, and then hoists me up on top of my tool cart, and with all the tension already thrumming between us, we’re both coming undone in record time.