“Morning, Miss Maggie,” Darren said without looking up from the paper.
“Morning.” I smiled, even though he wasn’t looking, as I walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. “Where’s Felix?”
Despite feeling like I’d invaded their lives, they never made me feel that way. In fact, they seemed almost glad to have a woman in the house. Especially when said woman did a lot of cleaning for them and made dinner sometimes.
My mom had called me relentlessly at first, begging me to come home. She gave up after a few weeks, then only called to check in. My sister didn’t give in as easily. Her worry and annoyance over what I was doing with my life evident every time I answered her calls. Yet needing to have someone or something to tether me to my old life, I still answered them.
Darren lowered the paper he was squinting at. He had reading glasses but said the silly things were a nuisance, so he never wore them. “In the garage, I think.”
“Here?” I put the milk away and leaned against the counter, blowing on my coffee.
He gave me a short nod, and I moved out the back door to the garage to find Felix staring at his bike. He was still wearing his pajama pants, which hung tantalizingly low on his defined hips. His black t-shirt was sleep rumpled, and the muscles in his arm jumped every time he stroked a hand through his hair.
“Hey.” I stopped in the doorway of their small garage.
He looked up, a huge grin crawling over his face. “Come here.”
I walked over to him, and he wrapped his arms around me from behind, leaning his chin on my shoulder as he continued to stare at his bike.
“What are you staring at it for?” I shouldn’t have asked. Those guys did weird things when it came to things with wheels.
Sipping my coffee, I bumped my ass into him to get a response.
“Don’t wiggle that thing near my cock unless you want me to bend you over my bike,” he whispered and nipped my ear.
I tried not to shiver or roll my eyes. “Well, answer me.”
“I think it’s done.”
Huh? “The bike?”
He grunted in affirmation.
“Right. That’s great news.” Though it didn’t look much different from the last time I saw it a few days ago. “Does that mean you can finally take me for a ride on it?”
He’d never offered, and I’d only asked once. He’d given me a firm no, and that was that.
Felix chuckled, kissing my cheek and stealing my coffee mug from my hands. I’d have protested, but he did it all the time. Never wanted his own and always drank mine. I offered to make him one many times, but he said he preferred to share. Tastes better, he said. I didn’t agree with him, but it was sort of sweet, so I let it go.
“I’m serious.” I cut my eyes at him. “Wait … am I like, not good enough to get on the back of your bike with you or something?”
He almost choked on his next sip of coffee, turning his head from where he was standing next to me with a glare. “You’re kidding, yeah?”
Scrunching my nose, I said, “I’m actually not.” I didn’t like to feel insecure; that wasn’t me. But I’d wondered about it a few times.
He reached over to tweak my nose, and I tried not to slap his hand away. “It’s not safe, Little Doe.”
I glared up at him. When he didn’t say anything else, my mouth fell open. “What?”
He shrugged, sipping more coffee and looking back at his bike. “You heard me.”
“But, but …” I sputtered and shook my head. “But you get on it all the time!”
He gave me a smirk. “Yeah, keyword there being me. Not you.”
That was so stupid, and I could feel my cheeks heat with indignation. “That’s such double standard bullshit, Felix.”
“Oh, yeah?” His smirk grew wider, morphing into a mega-watt grin that would usually melt my panties.
Not this time. I crossed my arms. “Yeah.”
He lifted a shoulder, walking out of the garage. “Hey! Stop right there. I’m getting on the back of that bike with you, big guy. Or else.”
He spun around in the doorway, dark brows rising. “Or else?” I nodded and he asked, “Or else what?”
Pointing a finger at him, I lowered my voice to as menacing a whisper as I could manage. “Oh, you don’t even wanna know what else, mister.” Because honestly, I had nothing.
He threw his head back with a loud laugh, and some of the annoyance vacated my body. Some. “I mean it, Felix.”
He nodded, looking at me like he was trying not to laugh as he sunk those white teeth into his bottom lip. “Oh, I’m sure you do, Little Doe.”
I huffed. “Well? Are you going to let me ride with you?”
He walked over to me, lifting my chin and planting his lips on mine for a brief, toe-curling kiss. His tongue swept into my mouth, jumbling my thoughts and making my arms move to his sides. He stepped back, and my arms fell away. “No,” he simply said before walking away again.
“Fine. I guess I’ll just have to ask Jared or one of the other guys at the garage if they might take me for a ride.” I inspected my chipped nail polish as he paused, turning around to look at me once more. “I’m sure one of them would feel bad for me after I explain—”
“Stop right there.”
Yeah, I felt petty for stooping that low. But it worked.
Ten minutes later, he was putting Jared’s helmet on my head and adjusting the straps. Then he was telling me where to put my hands and legs before we rode away from the house and down to the warehouse district.
“This is awesome!” I yelled over the wind that was slapping me in the face.
He didn’t reply, but I could feel him chuckle thanks to how tightly I was holding him.
We got a burger and a shake from Shake N’ Burger, and the smile never left my face the whole time. “Seriously.” I dunked my straw into my shake, taking a long sip. “So awesome.”
He chuckled, shaking his head at me while he ate his burger.
“You’re in big trouble tonight, you know.” He wiped his hands with a napkin and smiled at Nita, the chef’s wife, when she walked by.
“Oh?” I pretended I didn’t care, but I kind of liked getting in trouble with Felix.
“Don’t oh me,” he grumbled, “Little bribing Doe.”
“It’ll be worth it.” I winked.
He scoffed and took a sip from my shake. “Fucking right it will be.” With his jaw clenching, he then asked, “Would you really have done that, asked them to take you out?”
“No, and you know I wouldn’t.” I gave him a hard look.
He nodded. “Yeah, but that’s still fucked up, Mags.”
“Sorry,” I murmured, grabbing his hand and bringing it to my lips.
Gifting me a tiny smile, he chucked me under the chin and went back to finishing his food.
“Even after this, you’re not going to let me ride with you much, are you?” I asked the table quietly after a few minutes had passed.
“Mags.” I looked up, watching his lashes bob up and down over his brown eyes when he blinked. “I was serious when I said it’s not safe.” He sighed. “So no, not all the time. But I know you like it, so I’ll try, ’kay?”
I nodded, biting my lip to hold back a grin. That was as good as I would get from him right then. And it was good enough.
“Now that we’ve started saving, have you given any thought to where we’re going to live?”
Fiddling with the plastic cup in my hands, I tried to think about it.
Felix chuckled, bopping me on the nose and saying, “Don’t think too hard. Just say whatever you see when you close your eyes and imagine it.”
Imagine it. Closing my eyes as excitement coursed through my veins, I tried to do exactly that. I could feel the salty breeze and see nothing but flat blue, so I reopened my eyes and scowled. “All I can think of is water.”
He sat back in the booth seat, tilting his head as he watched me with humor dancing in his dark eyes. “Then water it is. We’ll find a place near the water. Simple.”
I was still smiling as we walked outside and he tucked the helmet back on my head, careful to smooth my hair back out of my face first. “I love you.” I rose onto my toes to kiss his nose.
Giving me a devilish grin, he took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Right back atcha, Little Doe.”