“Shit. Shit, shit, shit.”

I tossed the broken voltmeter across the garage in a huff. Nothing was going right these days. Not my job, not my life.

“Hey, you breakin’ my shit, boy?” Mr. Hanson’s grizzled head popped from around the office door into the garage bay. “I’ll take it out of your pay.”

“It’s already broken,” I said, and walked over to pick up the offending tool off the floor. “How am I supposed to fix these cars without the equipment I need?”

“I remember when all you needed to fix a car was a good ol’ wrench. Now it’s all this automated, digital mess. Easier before. Good ol’ combustion engine.” He coughed up from his throat onto the garage floor.

I shuddered and stepped back. “Yeah, good ol’ smog and fossil fuels burning holes into atmosphere. I bet you miss the smell of ozone.” I wiped my hands down my coveralls. “I’m taking a break.”

“Whatever, just get back here and finish up these two before you go home tonight. They’re being picked up in the morning.” Then he spat again and headed back into the office.

I rolled my eyes in disgust and headed out the side door. There was a small café a few doors down and that was where I turned to when I left the garage. I parked myself in a booth in the very back and ordered a caramel mocha. Just taking a sip of the drink reminded me of Jason. I took out my phone and looked at the last text I received from him. It was just a ‘good morning, have a good day’ text, but it made me feel a little better to see it. I hadn’t seen or talked to him in a few days, but we’d been texting regularly. He was giving me the space I thought I wanted to think things through.

I leaned my head back against the wall and heaved out a sigh. Nothing was going the way I thought it would. My job was slowly wearing at my sanity. The work was hard, the hours were long, and the pay was crap. I’d never get ahead working for Mr. Hanson, but I didn’t know what else to do. Cars and computers were what I knew. I taught myself how electronics components worked and how to code my last few years at the orphanage by working on their junkers, and it’d helped me so far, but I didn’t see how it was going to get me any further than where I was now. I opened my eyes and looked around the dingy little café. If I didn’t accept Jason’s claiming, was this all there was for me? Would I just be a Paisley mechanic for the rest of my life, living on low wages in a tiny apartment until I wasted away from disappointment and bitterness? Wow, I was cheery as winter sludge today.

I was grateful for the job opportunity when I first came to Stelline City, but now I wanted more. And I didn’t know how to get it. And my seeming inability to get ahead was slowly eating away at what little confidence I had. I was never going to be enough.

My phone dinged in my pocket, thankfully pulling me from my pit of moroseness. I dug it out, figuring it would be Mr. Hanson telling me to get my skinny ass back to the garage, but it was from Jason.

Have dinner with me tonight.

It was half command, half question. My fingers lingered over the phone screen for a few seconds before I responded.

Where?

My place. His answer was fast. I could picture him, the phone clutched in his big hands, waiting on me to reply. I chewed nervously on my lip for a few seconds. I hadn’t seen Jason since that day in the park, the day Ollie showed up at my apartment. I wondered if he knew about that. As much as I went on about needing to sort out my head and get things straight and do things on my own, I missed him. I missed him more than I wanted to admit. I typed quickly.

Okay. What time?

8. I’ll send the car, came back immediately.

I clicked off my phone and smiled. Finally, something to look forward to. I quickly drained my coffee, swiped my blue card, and headed back to the garage to finish the last two cars so I could get home in time to shower tonight. And I was actually humming as I walked back to work.

I barely got home in time to get a shower and change before my phone was dinging with the message that the car was waiting downstairs. I headed down and slid into Jason’s sleek car. It was the first time I’d been alone in it, aside from when I was working on it, and it felt odd. Familiar and strange at the same time. I tapped at the screen on the dash to find music and leaned back to watch the city rush by. Traffic was light tonight and it wasn’t long before the car was gliding into the underground garage at Jason’s building. I stepped out of the car and headed toward the elevator.

Then I stopped and studied the digital pad in front of me. Jason had opened the doors with his hand. I looked around, feeling like I was doing something wrong, and laid my hand on the screen. To my surprise, the doors glided open. I walked in and the elevator whisked me to Jason’s apartment. When the doors swished open, he was standing there. And he took my breath away.

He was barefoot. Barefoot. And wearing jeans and an untucked shirt. I’d never seen him so casual before. He was goddamn sexy and my heart was pounding so loud against my ribcage I was sure he could hear it from across the room.

“Hi.” He smiled at me.

“Hi. The elevator?” I pointed behind me as the doors glided shut.

“Oh.” He looked a little sheepish. “I had it programmed for you the first night you spent here, just in case. I’m glad you figured it out. I forgot to tell you.”

Now my heart traveled from my chest to my throat. He was basically giving me a key to his home. I had access anytime I wanted. Just a press of my hand and his speedy little elevator would dump me right into his house. He did that for me. Because he wanted me here and he trusted me.

“Thank you,” I said, because I didn’t know what else to say.

“No problem. Come on, dinner is ready.” He led me to the kitchen where the island was set for dinner.

“You cooked?” I asked as I settled myself onto one of the uncomfortable metal stools. This had to be more of Vivian’s decorating.

“No,” he laughed, “I ordered in. Do you like sushi?”

“I don’t know,” I said, and peered suspiciously at the covered trays in front of us. “Never had it before. Raw fish is bait in the backlands.”

“I hope you do. This is from the best sushi restaurant in the city. They don’t normally do takeout.” He had the decency to blush at the ostentatious pronouncement.

“Here.” He handed me silver chopsticks and began to pile little tidbits onto my plate. “I’ll start you off easy, nothing with eyes or obvious body parts. And try the salad.” He dished something green and shiny onto the plate before picking up a piece of sushi and popping it into his mouth. He chewed with gusto and waved his fingers at my plate. “Try it.”

I studied the pieces on my plate and picked one that didn’t look too scary. I picked it up with my fingers—I wasn’t good with chopsticks—and nibbled the end of it. It didn’t taste bad. Sticky-ish rice that was pretty good.

“The whole thing.” Jason laughed at me. “You need to taste it all together.”

I took a deep breath and popped the morsel into my mouth. I chewed quickly at first and then slower as the flavors mingled around my mouth. The slight sourness of the rice combined with the rich, ocean taste of the fish and the slightly salty flavor of whatever that green stuff was. It was delicious. I grinned at Jason and reached for another piece.

“I hoped you’d like it. Would you like some wine?” He reached behind him into the glass-fronted fridge and pulled out a green bottle with Japanese characters down the side. “It’s a koshu wine. Would you like to try it?”

Normally, I didn’t drink, but I nodded, since the sushi was such a delicious surprise. Jason grabbed glasses and poured. It was a beautiful buttery yellow in the glasses, with little bubbles that ran up the inside. I took the glass from Jason and gave it an experimental sniff. I took a small sip at Jason’s urging, my eyes widening at the light rush of citrus that flooded my taste buds. I took a bigger sip, drained my glass, and held it out for a refill.

“Whoa, take it easy.” Jason laughed. “Just a little more, then maybe some coffee? And eat a little more. I need to fatten you up.” He gave me a wink.

We finished dinner with another glass of wine, and took small cups of thick, sweet coffee into his living room. The night outside the windows was bright with starlight, and for a little while we simply sat on Jason’s oversized sofa and watched the night move by. He finally turned to me and took my coffee from my hand, placing it on the coffee table. His hands slid over my shoulders until he was cupping my head gently between his strong fingers. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto my lips, slow and easy, not pushing, just tasting. He pulled back before the kiss deepened and smiled at me. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I said, my fingertips tugging at my bottom lip where I could taste the mix of coffee and Jason’s mouth.

“How’ve you been? How’s work? How’s… everything?” he asked in a rush. And before I could answer him he added, “Please don’t cut off contact with me again. Okay? I need you to understand that I’m here for you. I support you and back you and will stand up for you no matter what. We’re fated, and you need to learn to trust me. We need to learn to trust each other.” He was looking at me with hope in his eyes. And he was right. If you couldn’t trust your own mate, then who could you trust? I nodded and scooted closer to him.

“I do trust you. And I’m sorry. I won’t cut off contact with you again. And I’ll work through what I need to work through without disappearing. Just promise to give me space if I need it, okay?” I leaned into him, nestling into his warm body. His arms folded around me.

“I can do that,” he answered.

We sat for a few minutes more and he said, “I really do want to know how everything’s been going.”

I rolled my eyes a little and stuck out my tongue. Real mature of me, I knew, but it was the way I felt. Jason laughed at me and gave me a little shake. “What was that about?”

“Just… my job. It’s not exactly what I thought it would be. I’ve been thinking I need to find something else. I’m just kind of stuck there. There’s nowhere to go with that job. Unless Mr. Hanson dies and leaves me the garage, all I’ll ever be is a mech. I don’t see myself replacing motherboards and making sure rich dudes’ cars are compliant for the next fifty years.” I blew an exasperated breath. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Well, what do you want to do?” Jason asked me, like it was the simplest question in the world to answer. And maybe it was, for someone like him with the education and the resources to do whatever it was he wanted. It was different for someone like me.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled.

“Well, you code the computers on the cars, right?” He had an idea, I could see it in his grin.

“Yes,” I said slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

“Then work for me!” He grinned at me, like it was the most natural suggestion in the world. “I need an app developer, someone who can code and code well. You’d be perfect.”

“I can’t do that.” I shook my head and moved away from him. “App coding is completely different from the stuff I do with cars. I don’t know how.”

“You’re brilliant. You’ll learn. I’ll pay you to learn—on the job training. Take some courses.” He was smiling like he was offering me a gift. And he was. One of the best I’d ever been offered. Honestly, it was the best offer I’d ever had, and I desperately wanted to take it. Designing apps? If I’d ever had a dream job, it might have been that. I loved computers, I just fell into the car part.

“I can’t do it.” I stood up and walked away from the sofa to peer out of the window.

“You can. I can help you.” Jason was behind me, his hands on my shoulders.

“I don’t… I can’t take your help, Jason. I don’t want pity from you, a ‘boy-toy’ job. That’s not what I want people to think about me.”

“Is that what you think this is?” He turned me around to face him. “I’m not offering you the job because I fucked you and want to fuck you again. I’m offering you the job because I think you can do it. You’ve got skills that I need, and I don’t mean in the bedroom.”

“Don’t push me on this, Jason.” I backed away from him and folded my arms over my chest.

“I’m not, I just think—”

“I said no. I’m not working for you. I think maybe it’s time for me to go home.” I looked around for my jacket. “Don’t worry about calling the car, I’ll take the tram.”

“Rudy, wait. You don’t have to go. It’s okay. We’ll drop this subject for now. Just know that if you ever change your mind, the offer is still on the table. And it comes with no strings attached. None.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back to him.

“Thank you for understanding,” I said simply.

“Whatever it takes to make you comfortable. Whatever it takes to make you feel supported. That's all I want. I'm here for you, Rudy.”

“I… this is all so new to me, I don't know what to say about it. It's never been like this for me before.” I walked to the big windows and looked out over the sparkling city.

“I'm going to be here to help you every step of the way, with everything. You're mine. You're my mate. This is what I do. This is what fated mates do.” He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest. His chin nestled into the top of my head and his arms were strong and comforting as they pulled me even closer into him, molding my body to his. I could feel every inch of his body pressed into mine and I thought about how long it'd been since we'd been together alone. Desire ignited deep inside of me, burning at the pit of my stomach, prickling over my body, every inch of me burning and sensitive.

I could tell he felt the spark building between us too. I could tell he felt that tug, that pull that only fated mates had. It built between us. He leaned down and ran the tip of his tongue over the soft curve my ear.

“I want you to stay here tonight,” he said, his voice husky and low with need.

“I want to stay.”

He turned me and plunged his tongue into my mouth, hard and claiming. His fingers were already working at my clothes and I was tugging at the button on his shirt. Grasping and pulling at each other, we tumbled toward the sofa and fell into a heap, touching and tasting. And that was where we spent the rest of the night, wrapped around each other in a glorious heap of burning flesh.