Coming Home(151)

“Never,” she said, tilting her head back.

“I need you,” he said hoarsely. “I need you, Leah.”

“I’m yours,” she promised. “Always.”

He lifted his head and brought his mouth to hers, and her hands came to his hair, twining her fingers in it as she kissed him, pouring her promise into it, wanting him to feel the weight of her words, the sincerity of her vow.

He loved her slowly for as long as he could, but as the sounds began falling from her lips at regular intervals, he lost himself to his desire, gripping the arm of the couch behind her head as he sent her over the edge before he quickly followed.

And as he lay on top of her with his forehead on her shoulder and his breath hot and fast against her skin, Leah closed her eyes and trailed her fingertips along the vale of his spine.

“Always,” she said again, because in that moment, she knew she would spend the rest of her life loving him.

No matter where he was.





“Stop staring at me. You’re making me nervous.”

Jake and Tommy laughed as Danny tried to stifle a smile. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s just an oil change, and it’s one of our beater cars. You can’t screw it up.”

“Yes she can,” Jake said. “If she strips the drain plug, that shit’s gonna be leaking everywhere.”

“See?” Leah said, gesturing at Jake.

“Ignore him,” Danny said, coming up next to her and making sure the hood prop was secure. “If you strip the plug, I’ll just make him replace the oil pan.”

“What the f*ck?” Jake said. “If she strips the plug, I’ll just get a new plug. Why the hell would I have to replace the entire pan?”

“Because you’re a dick, and I said so,” Danny responded as he tucked a strand of Leah’s hair behind her ear.

She pressed her lips together, fighting a smile as Danny said, “You won’t screw it up. I’m right here.”

Leah exhaled heavily before she turned to face the open hood. “Let’s do it.”

Danny smirked as he came up behind her, resting his hands on her hips and his chin on her shoulder. “Okay, so you have your supplies. What do you do first?”

Leah chewed the corner of her lip, and Danny found himself wanting to spin her around and soothe it with his tongue before he slammed the hood of the car down and laid her across it.

And if it hadn’t been for Tommy and Jake, he would have.

She scrunched her nose before she asked, “Remove the oil filter cap?”

Danny smiled and nodded his approval. “Good,” he said, gesturing to it, and Leah reached in and removed it easily, handing it off to him.

“Okay,” Jake said, leaning on the other side of the hood with his hands. “The easy part’s over. Time to get on your back.”

Before Danny could even intervene, Leah turned to him. “Yeah, well, I would assume any woman you told to ‘get on her back’ should be prepared to suffer.”

Tommy did a spit-take before he started choking on his soda as Danny burst out laughing behind her. Jake’s initial look of shock quickly transitioned into one of pride.

“The force is strong with this one,” he said to Danny before he nudged the creeper over to them with his foot.

Danny stopped it with his own before he grinned down at her. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” she said, turning to sit on the creeper.

He leaned down and handed her a pair of latex gloves, and she took them from him and put them on before snapping them at her wrist. “I feel very official,” she said, holding out her hand. “Socket wrench.”