We arrive at the garage at around 6:30 pm. Bags with Thai takeout in both of our hands, Tess and I make our way to the big, open garage door. Bennett already lounging on a chair, a beer in his hand. Eli is hidden under an old car, it looks to be some vintage Mercedes. It's silver, and very shiny and fancy looking.

"Oohh nice, food," Ben comments and takes the bags to place them on the small table.

"Hey boys, how's it going?" Tess asks as I make my way over to where Eli is still working.

I'm not sure he noticed us coming yet so I gently place my hand on his thigh that is still visible from under the car and call out his name. This must've startled him because after a painful banging sound, a curse follows. I can't help the laugh that's coming out of me but after he slides out from under the car and looks at me with a scowl I quickly slap my palm over my mouth and suppress the laugh into a giggle.

"Hey there," I smile at him.

"Hey," he grunts and rubs his temple.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I tell him and remove my hand from his thigh the cup the side of his face instead. My thumb rubs his temple softly and I lean in to place a small kiss on the slightly read area where he hit his head.

When I pull back his eyes are darker but softer. He gives me small smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"We brought food."

"Great, I'm starving." His eyes rake over my kneeling form.

For some reason, I feel like he wasn't strictly talking about food.

"Come on then," I whisper and straighten up. Eli follows me to the table and plops down on the last free chair. Guess I gotta stand. I go to grab the container that has my food. Eli follows my movements and cocks his head.

"What?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and reaches for my arm, pulling me toward him. In a flash, his other arm circles my waist and I am pulled onto his lap.

"Eli!" I scold him.

"Eat." Is all he says.

Bennett has an amused grin on his face and Tess suggestively raises her eyebrows at me. I hate them. I scoot around a little until I'm sitting more comfortably and dig into my food. It's delicious and we all eat in silence, enjoying our dinner.

"So, why are you guys here all the time, nowadays?" Tess asks.

"We have this client that always brings us his very expensive vintage cars and he needs a speedy repair for this beauty over there because he wants to take it to some car show in Europe next week," her brother explains.

Eli has finished his food and is leaning back in the chair, his long legs under me stretching out in front of us. One of his hands finds its way under my shirt and rests on parts of my waist and abdomen, his thumb barely brushing the underside of my breast. I never wear bras and I think Eli appreciates this because as soon as he notices, his hand hitches up a notch and his thumb now firmly presses against my boob.

My thighs clench in response but he draws back his thumb a bit and begins tracing soothing shapes on my skin and my muscles start to relax again. Tingles spread across my body and I can feel myself getting sleepy. My body sags back against Eli's chest and he presses a chaste kiss against my neck.

"Tired?" he asks me.

I nod.

"You wanna ride with Eli, Romy? I will take Bennett home, then." Tess offers and I nod again.

"Sweet, a personal chauffeur," Ben smirks and Tess rolls her eyes at him. I chuckle sleepily and snuggle more into Eli's warm chest.

"Are you gonna lock up?" Ben asks Eli.

"Yeah."

"Okay, see you at home then."

"Bye, lovebirds. See ya later," Tess chirps and waves goodbye before skipping over to her car.

Eli is quick in locking up the garage and I watch him with hooded eyes. I just want to go to bed. The sun has made me tired.

"Do you and Bennett talk a lot while at work?" I ask Eli, wondering since he isn't that much of a talker.

"Sometimes."

He walks me to his truck and opens the door for me. On the drive home, I fall asleep.

I wake up to knuckles stroking my cheek. I yawn and look around, noticing I am still in Eli's truck.

"Hi, sleepyhead. I was about to carry you inside."

"You can still do that," I tell him, stifling another yawn.

"You wish," he chuckles and unclasps my seatbelt.

"Yes, I do."

"I'm sure you can walk."

"And I am sure you can carry me." I give him my best puppy dog eyes and pout my lips. His beautiful green eyes roam my face and I notice his jaw clench a few times before it relaxes again. A lock of hair fell onto his forehead.

"Are you being cheeky with me?" His voice is a little rough and my eyes widen a fraction, not having expected the change in tone.

"Maybe." I flutter my lashes at him a few times.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"All of what you're doing right now, it drives me fucking insane, Romy." Eli's hand grabs the back of my neck and he pulls me close to him, our noses touching.

"What if I don't stop?"

He roughly exhales through his nose and his eyes flicker around my face.

"We said to take things slow," he grits out.

"I know. But it's so difficult." I whisper.

"Fuck, don't I know it," Eli whispers and soon enough, his lips are on my own. Our mouths moving in sync, almost like they have done this for years. Kissing Eli feels so familiar already, it's kinda scary. Eli's hand moves from the back of my neck to my throat and he applies a bit more pressure. A quiet moan spills from my lips and Eli's tongue enters my mouth and finds mine in an instant. Our tongues battle for a moment, a smile on both of our faces before Eli has had enough and he squeezes my neck again, this time more firmly. I relent and let him dominate the kiss. My hand moves over the center console and under his shirt, his skin hot to the touch. His abs tense as my hands explore his taught skin and he groans. It almost sounds like he is in pain. Almost. His teeth capture my bottom lip and he gently tugs on it before letting it go and pulling back, breaking the kiss. I whimper a little, unhappy with what he doing. Our breathing is heavy. I make a move to kiss him again but he stops me, his rough hand still around my neck.

"Taking it slow, remember?" His hand leaves my neck and grabs my hand instead.

"No, I don't remember." I grumpily say.

"Yeah, you do. Go inside," he orders.

"What about you?"

"I'll be right in, don't worry."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere, I just have a call to make."

"To whom?"

"Doesn't matter. Just go inside, darling."

I sigh but go inside anyway. Being too tired to argue or be mad or hurt over this. Also, I'm horny. But mostly tired.

I'm in the bathroom in a big T-shirt, brushing my teeth, when Eli walks in. He looks tired, too. He grabs his own toothbrush and we clean our teeth in silence.

On my way out of the bathroom, I glance back at Eli. My chest constricts a little. I have no idea why.

"Good night," I quietly tell him and turn to leave.

"Hey," his voice makes me turn back around. "Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

I take a few steps towards him.

"Only if you ask nicely."

He closes the distance between us, tangles both of his hands in my hair, and tilts my head back slowly.

"Please, can I have a goodnight kiss?" Eli whispers, his hot breath fanning my face.

"Okay." I nod.

His mouth descends on mine in a torturously slow way and captures my waiting lips. This is different than the kiss in the car. It's gentle and slow and a little languid. My fingers grasp the front of his shirt and I raise onto my tiptoes. Eli's hands detangle from my strands and move to gingerly cup my face. He nips at my lips once more before breaking the kiss. He doesn't let go of my face, though.

"Good night, darling."

I don't open my eyes, not wanting the moment to end.

"Can I-?" The words get stuck in my throat.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?" I rush out, opening my eyes at the same time. The look in his eyes is a pleased one and I wonder if that was his plan all along.

"Yes, you can," he affirms. "Let's go."

He takes my small hand in his big hand and leads us to his room. It smells so much like him and I love it.

"Do you prefer a side?"

I throw him a questioning look.

"To sleep on," he clarifies.

"Oh, um no, I take the one you usually don't sleep on."

"To the left you go then."

"The left when facing the bed?"

"Yes."

I lay down under the covers and wait while Eli gets changed. I hear him rustling around at his dresser. My eyes are getting heavier and heavier. Soon after, I feel the mattress dip under his weight. His arm snakes around my waist and pulls me into his body, my back against his chest.

"Sleep tight, beautiful," he murmurs and presses a few butterfly kisses along my neck.

"I will," I tell him. I feel so safe in his arms, I think it's impossible for me to not sleep tight.

I wake up to my boob in Eli's hand. Thinking he must be awake I crane my head back to look at him but he is still fast asleep. His face looks relaxed and peaceful. The arm whose hand isn't holding my breast is under my head, serving me as a pillow. I try to turn around but his grip on me strengthens and he grunts in disapproval. I'm not sure if he's awake, though.

"Eli?"

No answer.

"Are you awake?"

A grunt. He then pulls me flush against his body and I can feel his arousal pressing into my lower back.

"Someone seems happy I am in their bed," I snicker.

"Mhm, very," Eli answers me in his glorious morning voice, his face snuggling into my neck, his stubble slightly scratching my skin in the process.

"How did you sleep?" he asks me.

"Amazing," I whisper. "What about you?"

"Amazing," he parrots me.

His morning wood is still pressed into my lower back and I scoot up a little bit so it's now aligned with my butt. I wiggle around a little as if I am trying to get comfortable. It's payback time. He immediately stiffens and squeezes my boob as a warning. I don't stop. My wiggles gradually turning into grinds.

"So, tell me. How am I the one being so tantalizing all the time?" I ask with the most innocent voice I can muster.

"Fuck Romy, stop it." Eli's hand withdraws from under my shirt and he grabs my hips to still my movements. His grip is bruising and I am forced to stop my teasing.

"Stop what? I wasn't even doing anything," I whisper and flutter my lashes at him.

"I'm gonna spank your ass if you don't stop playing dumb with me," he threatens in a low voice.

I start cackling at his, what I believe to be an empty threat, and manage a confident "You wouldn't dare."

Faster than I can process, his hand on my hip pushes down so I am laying on my belly, he proceeds to throw the duvet off of us, and with my shirt having ridden up on my body, he delivers a sharp blow to each of my exposed cheeks. The slaps echo in the room and a loud gasp escapes me. I put one hand over my gaping mouth, the other has clawed itself into Eli's pillow. I turn onto my side slightly and look back at him with a shocked expression. My face flushed a deep red.

"You want more, or are you done?" he questions with a cocked brow.

I am too stunned to speak so he continues. "I take it your done, then."

"Are you kidding me?" I finally say, trying to ignore the dampness collecting between my thighs.

"Do I look like I'm kidding, Romy?" he nonchalantly asks, flopping back down onto his back.

I didn't know what to say to that.

"I asked you a question, darling."

"I- I don't, I mean, no, you don't."

He smirks at me and holds his arm out. "Come here."

I climb into his arms and he pulls me on top of him. His hands going to my butt, rubbing and kneading the stinging cheeks.

"You're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just surprised," I tell him.

"Clearly," he chuckles. "And you also clearly liked that, judging by the state of your underwear." He notes as his fingers ever so slightly brush against it.

I groan and hide my face in his chest, embarrassment flooding my body. "Why do you always have to be so blunt?"

"It's just who I am, darling." He taps the side of my butt a few times. "I need to get up and head to work."

"Okay," I mumble and slide off of him.