“Dinner and a movie.” Avery smiles when we pull into the back of the shop.
“That’s how we do it.” I smile back at her. Reaching over and grabbing her hand, threading our fingers together, I pull her into the middle of the seat. She laughs and I close my eyes, just soaking up the sound. “Missed this.”
“Me too.”
Keeping her hand in mine, I climb out of the truck, guiding her to follow me. She climbs out of my side and I push her up against the truck. “I need some help,” I tell her.
“Oh yeah?”
“Uh-huh.” I lean in closer. “You said slow. I can do slow, but I need to know, can I kiss you? Can I hold you? What’s off-limits, Aves? I don’t want to chance screwing this up.
Standing on her tiptoes, she presses a kiss to my lips. “Yes to kissing,” she says, dropping back to her feet. She wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tight. “Yes to holding.”
I bury my face in her hair and breathe her in. “Deal. When you’re ready for more, you let me know.”
“You sound awful sure of yourself.”
“The one thing in this world that I’m sure of is how much I love you. Everything else will just fall into place.”
“So cocky,” she teases.
“Come on, you.” I pull on her hand and lead us into the shop, then up to the roof.
“No pizza?” She smirks.
“I thought maybe we’ve graduated from that. I was thinking we could order Chinese.”
“Perfect.” A smile lights up her face when she spots the DVD lying on the table. She picks it up and shows it to me, like I didn’t already know it was there.
“Sticking with the tradition, huh?”
I shrug. “I’ve never seen it.” I’m referring to the second Hunger Games movie. “I bought them all if we decide to make it a late night.”
“You’ve never seen it?”
“No. I didn’t want to watch it without you.”
“Dylan.” She shakes her head in amazement.
Pulling out my phone, I dial the new Chinese restaurant in town, then hand it to her. “Just order two of whatever you want and give them the shop name. They deliver our lunch frequently.”
She takes the phone and orders for us. “How will we know when they’re here?”
“Good point. We should probably go downstairs and wait on them.” I offer her my hand, which she takes, making me feel ten feet tall and bulletproof.
I decide to use this time to show her a little about the shop; I never thought to do that when we were kids. “Let me give you the tour.” I lead her to the front of the building. “This is what I guess you could call reception. People can wait if it’s a simple fix, like tires or an oil change.” We take a few more steps. “Out there is the garage. That’s where all the magic happens.” I wag my eyebrows at her, making her laugh. “Down this hall are the offices, the bathroom, and the break room.”
“So how many people do you have working for you?”
“Six not counting Dad and me.”
“That’s great, Dylan. I’m so proud of you,” she says, placing her hand on the arm that’s already holding her other hand and leaning in to me. “Can I see your office?”
I lead her down the hall and push open the door. For a mechanic shop, it’s pretty clean. My associate’s degree hangs proudly behind my desk. I watch as she walks around the desk and takes a seat in my chair. I know the minute she sees them, the pictures of her, of us.
“How long have these been here?”
“Since the day I pushed you away.”
I watch her reaction. She smiles, the corner of her lip tipping up in a shy smile as she stands from the chair. “Come here.” She waves me over, and like a moth to a flame, I follow her. She pushes me toward the chair and I fall willingly. “We’re alone, right?”
“Just us.” The next thing I know she’s climbing on my lap, straddling my hips. Reaching out, I rest my hands on her waist to steady her. “How many women have you brought back here?”
“None.”
She raises her eyebrows. “You can tell me.”
“I just did. None. I’m not going to lie and say there was no one else. I’ve had my drunken regrets when the sorrow of missing you got too bad, but no one has been here, or in my bed. Hell, not even at my house.”
That must be what she wants to hear because she leans in and kisses me. I let her set the pace—I’m good with any pace, actually. Her lips are on mine, and she’s on my lap. I’m pretty much in heaven right now. “What about you?” I ask once she pulls away for air.
“There were a few, and alcohol was involved, but I knew what I was doing. I was trying to get over you.”
“How did that work out for you?”
“It did the opposite, really. I compared them to you.”
Tilting my head up, I kiss her. “I don’t want to hear anymore,” I say against her lips. “You’re here, you’re mine, and that’s all that matters.”
“Yours, huh?” she asks, wearing a flirty grin.
“Mine.” I kiss her hard. She rocks her hips against me and I moan at the contact just as there’s a loud knock at the outside door.
“Food’s here.” She laughs, hops off my lap, and runs to the front door.
I adjust my hard cock that can’t be hidden and rush after her to pay the bill.
Once we’ve stuffed our faces, we head back up to the roof for our movie. Avery is standing beside the couch with our blanket. “You first,” she says. I take a seat on the couch. “Can we lie down?” Her question is almost shy.
Doesn’t she know yet? I would give her anything. I stretch out on my side and pat the spot in front of me. Avery lowers her body next to mine and curls up with the blanket in her arms. Resting my hand on her hip, I pull her close. “This okay?” I ask, snuggling into her.
“Yeah, it’s not as hot now that the sun has gone down.”
“You might actually need that blanket depending on how long we stay out here.”
“I thought that’s what I had you for?” she asks, not taking her eyes off the TV.
“You have me, Aves. Any way you want me, you have me.” I kiss the back of her head and settle in.
It’s not lost on me that I’ve waited to watch part two of this movie with her and that we’re now getting our part two. I can only hope that ours never ends.