I took her back out to my car and she slipped into the front seat next to me. I could see her eyes shining and her cheeks were red from the thrill of what had just happened. I noticed my own heart rate was up too, but not in a good way. I hated seeing men rough women up. It got my blood boiling. I spent a night in jail once rescuing a woman from being beaten by her boyfriend who didn’t want to be rescued.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she murmured, glancing around at the hall where the entire town seemed to be going to pieces behind us.

“Well, somebody had to,” I pointed out. “I wasn’t just going to let that fucker get his hands all over you when you clearly didn’t want it.”

“My ex.” She shook her head. “As hard to comprehend as it is, he actually didn’t realize I was serious about things being over.”

One look at him and I could tell instantly: he didn’t deserve Mia. She was way too good for that selfish prick. “Well, I think he just didn’t want to, but I’m pretty certain he’s got the message now,” I remarked with some satisfaction, as we pulled away and started down the road back to the garage. I wasn’t sure why I was taking her there, but it was almost as if I wanted to start again, the way it had been that morning when it had been the two of us together, bathed in sunlight.

“I’m sorry you had to become involved though,” she continued, rolling down the window and letting the cool breeze in. “I feel stupid because I should have known what they were like. That the night would be a total wash, but I honestly didn’t think everyone would be as bad as all that.” She shook her head in wonder. “I really didn’t.”

“I did,” I replied bluntly. “You’re not around here. You have to stand outside the charmed circle to see how rough it gets for anyone who’s not on the inside.”

“Yeah, I guess I stood on the outside tonight,” she said softly. “And it was downright ugly.”

I could feel her staring at me. There was an electric energy running between the two of us. As soon as I saw that useless piece of shit with his hands on her, something had rocked up inside of me, something that told me I had to get over there and make things right in the next ten seconds, or I would never forgive myself. It was more than just my past whispering in my head. It was a protective feeling I wasn’t used to having, let alone directed at someone like Mia.

As we started down the long road out of town, I reached over and put my hand on her bare leg. Her dress had ridden up a few inches, and if I could have, I would have grabbed her and fucked her right there and then. But there was only so much I could expect from a fancy woman like her, and it certainly wasn’t like I could—

“Pull over here.” Mia pointed to a spot at the side of the road, a little dusty from all the cars that had stopped there over the years.

I had stopped here a few times too. I cocked an eyebrow at her expectantly as I let the car come to rest.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” She giggled as she unbuckled herself and slid from the seat onto my lap, straddling me at once.

“You did it before,” I reminded her, running my hands up and over her back.

“Yeah, but it was late then. This is risker,” she murmured.

I leaned up and kissed her hard to keep her quiet. I needed to be inside her as soon as possible and I didn’t want to wait a second longer. The adrenalin from the fight and seeing that other guy with his hands all over her, was still rushing through me, flooding my system, and I needed to do something about it.

She was grinding back down against me, arms around my neck, but this wasn’t what I wanted. I was feeling aggressive, and I wanted her beneath me, to look deep into my eyes as I drove into her. In the tight space of this car, I pulled her around and positioned her beneath me, then shifted the seat to almost horizontal.

She giggled. “How do you want me?” she breathed.

I groaned at the sound of those words coming out of her mouth. Every which way, Mia. Every which way. Grabbing her legs and straightening them out, I pulled her panties down and tossed them aside. Then I drew her feet up on to the dashboard and slipped between her thighs. Her need for me was palpable, coursing through the air around us in waves. I could already smell her arousal and it drove me crazy.

She grabbed my hair, pulling me in close to her, our tongues tangled, and the flavor of her filled my senses. I thought I would never be able to forget her taste, her smell, the feel of her skin. Part of me still couldn’t believe that she was giving herself to me like this. I had always wanted her any way I could have had her, but this was way more than even my wildest fantasies.

I grabbed a condom, pulled down my pants, and swiftly sheathed myself. She pressed her feet into the dashboard so her hips were angled up toward me. I could already see her pussy glistening from where I was above her. The night outside was dark and quiet while inside, all I could hear was the sound of our breathing, and the sensation of our desire consuming both of us.

I ran my hands over her bare legs possessively and moved toward her. She’d looked so fancy in her dress with her hair all done and her makeup perfect, but here she was with her legs spread wide in the front seat of my car practically begging me to fuck her. The contrast was sexy as hell and I couldn’t get enough of it. I pushed into her in one swift thrust and let out a long groan of pleasure.

“Oh, my God,” she gasped. She hooked her ankles around me and started to grind back against me, meeting me halfway.

Her lush body felt so good next to mine, fitting around me like a glove. I ran my hand over her head, letting my fingers come to rest against her full lips.

She parted her mouth and drew me in, flicking her tongue across my fingertips and sucking on them lightly. “Mmm…” She sighed. One hand was placed against my chest and with the other she sunk her nails into my ass, as though she wanted to shove more of me into her.

We fucked like that desperately, as though this was all she’d been able to think about all night long. The whole time I watched her, burning her face into my memory. I didn’t know how much longer we would be able to play this game, the one where she made it seem as if she could actually be with me. That I wasn’t just a pit-stop—that she really wanted me—and liked me for who I was. Like she didn’t care that the dress she wore right this minute probably cost more than what I made in a month.

I knew it was all a big lie, but I was willing to hold out as long as I could.

“Holy fuck.” She tipped her head back, teeth clenched.

I leaned down, ran my tongue from the bottom of her throat to the top. Then reaching her lips, I pulled her tongue into my mouth and sucked it hard. That was all it took. I felt her give out around me, her pussy clenching and pulsating around my cock as she moaned into my mouth and came hard. Knowing I had pushed her over the edge, and realizing that in all the mess this night had been, she’d chosen me over them— the pleasure inside me suddenly burst like a dam.

I roared like a beast as I came. For a long time, I held myself deep inside her as my cock twitched and released. I’d come harder than I could ever remember climaxing before in my life.

When it was finally over, I withdrew slowly and fixed her seat for her. I couldn’t look at her. I was afraid she would see how affected I was. She ran her fingers through my hair absent-mindedly as I disposed of the condom. When I was sure I had my features composed, I turned to look at her.

“Back to your place?” she asked.

I nodded at once. “Back to my place.” Even my voice sounded strange and harsh. I pulled the car out and started down the road toward my house. I couldn’t believe we’d just done that, but I had a feeling it was just the beginning.