“Well,” I say, doing a graceful bow. “That’s me for the day!”

I turn, still laughing, and get back to work. I realize only after I’m midway through my afternoon jobs, that it’s the first time I’ve truly felt at ease for a long, long time. I never thought that would happen when I lost the garage, but I’m slowly coming to terms with all the changes. They’re more challenging than I could ever have bargained for, and that isn’t a bad thing.

I think I might just like it here.

*   *   *

Yawning, I stretch and take lazy steps as I head into the garage. It’s just about 7 a.m., but no one is here yet, which is strange. It’s Friday and Tazen told me to be in earlier for a job that needed to go out by closing of business today. I pushed my ass out of bed and made it in on time, but no one is here. I figure I can get started anyway, so unlock the front door and step in.

I don’t see it coming, because obviously no one sees a giant paint tin swinging towards their face coming. I open my mouth to scream but it hits me straight in the forehead. I stumble backwards as a sharp pain radiates through my head. I topple to the ground as I lose my balance. I crash down with a cry, trying to steady my fall with my hands but not succeeding.

I land flat on my back.

Agony.

Something warm is gushing down my forehead and I realize it’s blood. Tears burst to my eyelids and I try to push up, but my head is spinning so I stay down. I hiccup and a sob tears from my lips. This was a prank, obviously, but it was a cruel, heartless one. He could have killed me. A mix of anger and pain swirl in my chest and my tears flow harder.

I press my hand to my forehead to stop the blood flow, but do no more because I can’t control the tears.

I don’t know how long I lay like that, clutching my head, but I hear a shouted, “Fuck,” and then Tazen is kneeling over me, his hands on my face.

“Y-y-y-you,” I croak. “Piece of shit.”

“Baby,” he whispers, his voice pained. “I didn’t…”

“Do you think it was funny?” I sob. “You could have killed me.”

“Shit, it wasn’t meant to … it was meant to just spill.”

“Yeah,” I laugh brokenly. “Well clearly it didn’t.”

He leans down, scooping me into his arms. “I’m so sorry, angel.”

“You’re not sorry, you’ve wanted to hurt me like this from the start.”

“No,” he says, striding towards the bathrooms. “No I didn’t.”

He sounds truly pained, and I know he didn’t mean for it to go like this. I can tell just by his reaction, but I’m hurting and I’m embarrassed. I squirm in his arms, but he holds me tighter. “Hold still, you’re covered in blood. Fuck. Where are you hurt?”

“My, ah, head.”

I blink as I feel a bit light-headed. “Tazen,” I whisper. “I’m dizzy.”

“Shit,” he says, kicking the door to the office open. “Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

“I don’t … ah … know.”

“Sit, let me see.”

He places me down on the desk and rushes towards the cabinets to pull out the first-aid kit. He doesn’t speak as he starts wiping my head, and getting the blood away so he can see the gash. I stop feeling dizzy as he works and when I’m cleaned up, he leans in close to inspect the gash. I don’t know what comes over me, but the sudden urge to taste him, to feel him, overwhelms me. I try to push it back as I whisper, “Tazen?”

His eyes dart down to mine. “Yeah, angel?”

“We took it too far.”

He closes his eyes for a moment and nods sharply. “Yeah, baby, we did.”

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes shoot open and he stares at me in shock. “No, don’t you say that. I’ve been a fucking dick to you.”

“And I’ve been a royal pain in the ass.”

His eyes go back to my gash. “I hurt you.”

I reach up before thinking, and place my fingers against his cheek. His eyes find mine and everything just seems to move quickly from there. He leans down and captures my lips with his, and before I know it, we’re kissing. It isn’t a deep kiss, but it’s long and it’s sweet. His lips explore mine with no tongue for a while, then he snakes an arm around my hip and pulls me closer to him, forcing my legs apart so he’s standing between them.

That’s when the kiss gets hot.

In fact, it gets frantic.

Weeks of sexual tension, anger, passion and lust explodes. I capture the back of his head with my hand and tangle my fingers in his hair, kissing him hard and deep. Our tongues dance, our groans fill the small space and passion radiates through my body, making me want so much more from him. I open my legs wider, angling my hips up so I can feel him right there, right on my sex.

“Fuck,” he breathes, pulling his lips from mine. “You’re hurt. We need to stop.”

“No,” I breathe. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Angel,” he growls. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine. The pain has eased. I want this, Tazen. I’ve wanted it since the start. You can take me to the hospital after you fuck me.”

His eyes flash with need and he leans back down, taking my lips again. His fingers glide up my sides, taking my tank top with them. He pulls it up and over my head, then he unclips my bra, not wasting any time. He leans back when he’s got my bra off and stares down at my exposed breasts. “I knew,” he says in a husky rumble, “that these would be fucking beautiful.”

He leans down and captures my nipple between his lips, rolling the hard bud around until I’m gasping and squirming against him.

“Tazen,” I plead. “Oh God.”

He sucks and pulls, flicking the tip with his tongue. He sucks and licks the soft flesh of my breast, before taking hold of my pants and jerking them down. I shift so he can get them off, and then I’m sitting on the desk, fully naked while he’s fully clothed. Color rises to my cheeks and I squirm uncomfortably, not knowing how I feel about being in this situation with him, even though I want it so badly it burns inside me.

“Don’t be ashamed,” he rasps, his voice so thick I can hardly make out his words. “You’re beautiful, angel.”

He drops to his knees in front of me, taking hold of mine and spreading my legs wide. I suck in air when he leans forward and closes his mouth over my aching sex. A loud whimper escapes my throat as my backside launches off the counter of its own accord. Tazen takes hold of my hips, holding me down as he spreads me wide and sucks my clit into his mouth.

It’s then my whimpers turn into pleasured cries.

He doesn’t take it slow, doesn’t hold back, he sucks my clit deeply, drawing it in and out of his mouth to create friction. I gasp as little bolts of pleasure shoot right to my core. “T-T-T-T-Tazen,” I stammer as a thrilling sensation radiates through my body and right to my center where he’s still sucking.

When he slides a finger inside me and curls it upwards, hitting that sweet spot, I explode. My head drops back and I don’t care that it throbs when it does, it feels so fucking amazing that nothing else matters. I scream his name as my hips buck furiously and my orgasm tears through me. Tazen pulls his mouth from my pussy with a hiss of pleasure and stands, fumbling frantically with his jeans to get them undone. I watch with a hooded expression as he jerks them down and frees his cock.