He shrugs. “The usual. Hey, what are you up to tonight?”

Fucking my man, slow and sweet.

“Having a quiet one.” I force a smile.

“You should come out with a few of us. We’re going to the Shack for a few drinks.”

“I’d love to, but I’m swamped, sorry.”

He frowns. “Are we ever going to be able to get along again? I stuffed up, Aria, but I want to be your friend. I care about you.”

I sigh and stop walking to turn towards him. “Look, Yates, I hope that can happen too, but right now things in my life are complicated, and I don’t have the time to think about anything else. Maybe when it gets better we can catch up.”

“Is it because of him?”

He jerks his head and I spin around to see Blade striding towards us. Why the hell is he here? And he looks . . . pissed. When I left him this morning he wasn’t pissed, so why the hell is he pissed now? When he reaches us, he stops and shoots daggers in Yates’ direction. Well, Blade has a jealous side. Good to know.

“He botherin’ you?” he barks.

“Ah, no, we were just talking,” I say gently. I want to reach out and touch him but that’ll only cause suspicion.

“I was just asking her if everything was okay,” Yates says, taking a step back. “No harm.”

Then he turns and scurries off. This only reinforces exactly why I am not with him anymore. He never faces a fight; he runs from them. I turn to Blade and whisper, “What’re you doing here?”

He’s watching Yates still, but at my words his eyes turn down to me. God. Yum. He obviously came straight from the garage, because he’s wearing a tight black tee and grease-stained jeans. His hair is mussed and he looks fucking amazing. Girls in the hall stop and stare at him, some of them giggling like school children. Blade takes no notice; his eyes are on me.

“Thought I’d come and pick you up.”

“I have a car . . .”

“No, you don’t,” he says.

I blink. “Um, I drove it to school this morning.”

He gives me a crooked smile that makes my heart melt. “And I came and stole it while you were busy.”

“You stole my car?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He shrugs. “I’m restoring it – Suzie deserves that much. So now you’re comin’ back to the garage with me. I have a late one and fuck, honey, I want you there.”

Honey. Swoon.

“I’m tired.” I pout.

He grins down at me. “I’m sure I can make it worth your while.”

“Oh, I just bet you can.”

“Come on, I got your favorite cupcakes.”

“Chocolate with caramel frosting?” I just about squeal.

He rolls his eyes. “Fuckin’ women.”

I follow him out to the car, not touching him even though I really, really want to. He opens the door for me and I slide in. The moment he gets in, I reach over and grab his shirt, pulling him towards me until our lips touch. He groans and kisses me deep, with a fuck-load of tongue, then he leans back in his chair, panting and pitching a fine tent in his jeans.

“Any chance you wanna suck my dick while I’m driving?”

“So vulgar.” I grin.

He winks at me. “It’s the way you like it.”

This is true.

He pulls away and we drive towards the garage. “So, are you always the romantic type?”

He grunts. “Getting cupcakes is hardly romantic.”

“Sure it is,” I protest. “I think cupcakes are the epitome of romance.”

“Course you do, honey.”

I grin and lean back in the chair, putting my feet up on the dash. My pencil skirt rides up and Blade’s eyes flick to my legs. “Put your legs down. You’ll make me hard.”

“Harder,” I point out.

“Seriously, I can’t drive while your legs are up there and your fuckin’ skirt is riding up.”

“Then look away,” I breathe, sliding my skirt down lower until my panties are bared.

“Fuck me,” he grunts.

“Pay attention to the road, Blade. We wouldn’t want to have a crash.”

I slip my fingers beneath my panties and gasp at the warmth there. Just seeing him causes my body to react like this. I moan as I slide my fingertips over my clit, and I relish in the feeling of it swelling beneath my motion. Blade growls and uses one hand to adjust his cock, which looks painfully hard.

“Someone is goin’ to see you, Tulip,” he rasps. “Stop that.”

“Make me,” I breathe, tilting my head back and rubbing harder.

“Fuck it.”

The car turns a few times, horns honk and then Blade skids to a stop. Before I even have the chance to open my eyes he leans over me and unbuckles my seatbelt. My eyes snap open and I barely stutter out a confused gasp before he lifts me and pulls me onto his lap. We’re in an alley, and lord only knows how long it’s going to be before someone comes down here.

He slaps my hands away and replaces my fingers with his. He rubs my clit, over and over, then he dips his fingers into my pussy. I gasp and hold onto his shoulders, groaning as he finger fucks me. Then he pulls his fingers out and shoves them into my mouth with a wicked grin. My cheeks burn as I suck myself off him. He reaches between us, and he shifts, undoing his jeans.

Then he pulls them down just enough for his cock to spring free. He shoves my panties aside and slowly sinks me down over his thick, hard length. I gasp and clutch his shoulders, letting my head fall back. He fills me to the hilt and then takes control of my hips, using them to rock backwards and forward, up and down, until we’re both panting and gasping each other’s names.