Drive My

DRIVE MY

(BETWEEN CHAPTERS 15 AND 16)

" W hat do you guys call me?" Comfortably slouched on the passenger side of the car, Vaughn rolled her head along the back of the leather seat and looked at Justin. The advantage of him being a drummer was that Vaughn could often look at him, really take him in, and not worry about being caught. His honey-gold hair, broad shoulders, concentration face—all delicious. The downside? His drums tended to block most of him, and there was always distance. Now, in his car, in the dark, with intermittent streetlights illuminating him, she was free to stare as much as she wanted. And she didn't care if she got caught. Loose from drinking caipirinhas, she'd dropped her jaded-bartender shield and let herself enjoy their date.

Justin was a good guy, even though he had a ton of red flags—he drove a fast car, was in a rock band, toured constantly, had biceps she could dangle from, and a killer smile. Getting wrapped up in him came with risks, but it felt good to say exactly what was on her mind. Plus, even if she hadn't agreed to try actually dating him, they'd been hooking up long enough that she knew she could trust him. Hell, he was driving her home from a party for one of his bandmates, who was also one of his closest friends. Obviously, they trusted each other, and the fresh insights she'd gotten into him had made her greedy.

"We call you Vaughn." Justin tapped his thumb against the gearshift to the beat of the song streaming through the vintage-style stereo.

"No. What's my nickname?" Vaughn stretched and adjusted on the bench seat so that her knee almost bumped his hand on the shifter. "Annabelle is Bells, Sue is Sexy Sue, Lena is Sunshine or Angel—"

Justin lifted his hand in the universal stop sign. "Only Darryl calls her Angel. He'd beat the shit out of the rest of us if we even attempted to call her that."

Vaughn laughed. "Darryl wouldn't hurt a fly." Though he sported colorful tattoos all over and used to wear a violent spiked hairstyle, it had always been clear that Darryl was a lover, not a fighter.

"He would." Justin nodded once. "He definitely would if he thought someone overstepped or was threatening."

"Me calling Lena ‘Angel' isn't threatening." Vaughn didn't hide the skepticism in her tone.

Justin dropped his hand on Vaughn's thigh—finally. They weren't often handsy outside of sex, but now that they were officially dating, he touched her a lot more. She liked it.

"If you said ‘Lena, you're an angel,' it'd be fine. But the moment you say ‘Hey, Angel!' D will give you his laser beam eyes."

"Laser beam eyes?" Vaughn couldn't imagine Darryl, the only person she knew who truly embodied chill , giving anyone any kind of aggressive look.

Justin squeezed her leg, then rubbed his thumb along the outer seam of her jeans. "Yeah, he wouldn't lay a finger on you or be rude, because he knows I'd fuck him up, but he'd make it clear that ‘Angel' is off-limits."

Vaughn threaded her fingers through his. "You'd fuck up Darryl over me?" Again, a little more skepticism. But he'd made her think. She'd never let herself consider something serious with Justin. He was a good-looking guy in a band on the rise, traveling the world. Despite their new couple status, pinning her hopes on anything more than casual would be an easy setup for heartbreak. But did she like the idea that he had serious thoughts about her? Maybe.

Justin glanced at Vaughn, then returned his gaze to the road. "Without hesitation."

That glance told her he meant what he'd said. But should he? It was a fun thought, but Darryl and Justin had known each other most of their lives. "He's practically one of your brothers."

"I'd fuck them up too. And for way less."

Vaughn squeezed his hand. Why was she so turned on by him being ridiculous? In her line of work, resting bitch face and not hesitating to throw elbows as needed was second nature. Even so, now she wanted to meet his brothers and put his statement to the test. "I can hold my own."

"I know." Justin tugged her leg toward him, then kissed her cheek before returning his focus to the road. "I'd still fuck someone up if they so much as gave you the side-eye, though."

Vaughn patted his hand. As entertaining as this unexpected alpha-hole fantasy was, she needed to know her nickname. "Put your caveman away and tell me what you call me."

"You usually like it when I get primal." Justin slid his hand up her thigh and stretched his fingers toward the inner seam of her jeans.

"Stop stalling!" Vaughn playfully pushed at him.

Justin took her hand and held it in her lap, their arms twined together. "I call you Vaughn."

"That's no fun." She pouted and twisted toward him, trapping their arms between her legs.

"When we first started going to your bar, the guys called you Bartender Babe. But now my Neanderthal bandmates know your name. They call you Vaughn."

Vaughn didn't miss the way Justin's jaw clenched at the nickname. She liked it. Had he been protective all this time? The idea appealed a little too much. Lots of her regulars looked out for her, but Justin doing it made her want to be primal. She squeezed her legs together, grinning when he wiggled his fingers.

"And you let them call me Vaughn? Nothing more formal? No insisting they only talk to the other bartenders?"

"If I did that, they'd invent excuses to talk to you more. I'd be beating them up nonstop. We'd miss gigs. Gotta play my cards close."

Vaughn undid her seat belt and slid to the center of the seat, grateful his classic car had bench seats. "Like this?" She rubbed her palm along his chest.

He tilted his head and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "Maybe a little."

"What about this?" She kissed behind his ear.

He hummed, then freed his hand from her lap long enough to shift gears as he steered through a turn, then put his arm around her, grabbing her far hip and dragging her against him.

She snuggled in, then slid her fingers to his belt buckle. "Or like this?"

"You're playing dirty now."

She snaked her other arm around his shoulder and pressed her fingers against the base of his skull, giving him a small massage. She worked her hand through his hair, removing his ponytail holder. "I like dirty," she said, her voice husky. She slipped the elastic around her wrist and combed through his hair again, silently marveling at how smooth it was as she kissed his neck. His pulse pounded against her lips.

No matter how she tried to protect her emotions or play it cool, one of the things she relished the most about their connection was this. Touching him, teasing, building a frenzy in him and matching it. There was a reason they kept coming back to each other after every tour, every extended absence. Their chemistry was second to none.

"Fuck, Vaughn." Justin's thighs clenched as he pushed in the clutch and covered the brake. He pulled the car out of gear and directed them off the road, next to a hedge. He turned everything off, set the emergency brake, and turned into her, pushing her flat against the seat.

"I'm excellent at multitasking." He sucked her earlobe, tugging it with his teeth before letting it go. "I can maintain two beats." He licked from her ear to the corner of her mouth. "I can eat soft tacos while shifting." He pressed his hips against hers. "But I can't do all the things I want to you while driving. I can't take it."

The way he kissed her had so much heat, she wondered how her clothes hadn't melted away. Breathing heavy, she said, "We can do them when we get to my apartment."

Justin pulled off his shirt with one hand and threw it into the backseat. "We're doing them there too." He pulled Vaughn toward him and crushed her with another kiss.

Needing to be closer, she wrapped her legs around his waist and molded herself to him. His bare skin sizzled like lightning against her. Craving more contact, she pulled away enough to lift her shirt.

"I got it." He threw her shirt in the same direction he'd thrown his, then dove into her cleavage, licking and kissing her as he unclasped her bra.

She used the opportunity to work on his belt and pants button, then her own. As she shimmied her jeans down, she arched her back, her breasts in his face. She leaned over to push them below her knees, and when her gaze returned to Justin, he was still, gazing at her with reverence. "What?"

He trailed a finger from her jaw to her chin, down her neck, over her breast, to the edge of her panties. "I need a minute to appreciate all my teenage fantasies coming true at once."

Instead of feeling self-conscious about her contorted position, his touch and the awe on his face had her mentally cataloging all the things she wanted to do in this car. Vaughn lifted her eyebrows. "All your fantasies?"

"In my dream car." Justin raised a finger and whirled it around as he glanced around the classic Road Runner and settled back on Vaughn. "With an unbelievably hot woman." Another finger. "Who's taking her clothes off." Justin practically swooned as he ticked off the point. "And. And " —shifted to put them face-to-face— "I get to touch her." With a hand behind her ear, Justin pulled Vaughn into a kiss that was both delicate and smoldering. "We made it, middle school me. We made it."

Overcome with lust and wanting to impress Justin's younger self, Vaughn pulled his jeans open and slipped her hand into his boxer briefs. "You can do a lot more than touch me."

Justin growled as he kissed her, moving her until she was almost flat against the seat again. "Enthusiasm of a twelve-year-old," he said as he balanced her thighs against his shoulders. "Stamina of a man in excellent cardio-vascular health."

Caught between a chuckle and a gasp, Vaughn lay back and enjoyed the attention Justin lavished on her. He was definitely the poster boy for multitasking. It didn't matter that they were in his car. He'd gotten all her awareness focused on him and the desire he stirred in her. One hand explored between her legs, teasing her sensitive places and giving her the exact right amount of pressure as he devoured her. The other roamed. He rubbed her thigh, grabbed her hip, caressed her midriff, teased her nipples. His hand traveled from side to side along her body, exploring all while he made her core pulse and swell. He overwhelmed her with pleasure. She wove her fingers into his hair and pressed her nails against his scalp, needing something to ground her.

He froze, then caught her gaze. "Am I hurting you?"

She shook her head, using that moment to catch her breath. "I'm going to mess up your seats."

He grinned. "They'll wash."

She tried to wiggle back, but he held firm. "Dream car!" she protested.

"Dream girl beats dream car every time." He tongued her pussy so hard she had to brace her hands against the door to steady herself as a massive orgasm rolled through her.

Her guttural shout surprised her as much as Justin calling her a dream girl had. Shaking from her orgasm, her surprise, her…shit, her absolute euphoria over everything that had happened in this car, she shifted so that she could pull him toward her and kiss the hell out of him.

"You okay?" Justin whispered.

"I'll be better after you fuck me."

"Fantasy. Jackpot."

They fumbled to push his pants out of the way. As soon as his cock sprung free, Vaughn rubbed herself along him.

Justin hissed. "You're gonna make me come so fast." He flexed his hips against her, dragging himself through her wetness again.

"That's okay." She gave his earlobe a soft bite. "You earned it."

"Fantasy me lasts all night."

A groan rumbled in Justin's chest as Vaughn slid her hand between them and positioned him right where she wanted him. "Real you lasts all night too."

They thrusted at the same time, moaning together.

It had never occurred to Vaughn that sex in a car might be remarkable. On the surface, it seemed like an awkward rite of passage for high schoolers that couldn't possibly be comfortable or fun. It was something you got to drink to in a game of Never Have I Ever. Not remarkable, just novel. And then Justin laid her out on his front seat and changed her thoughts on car sex forever.

"Damn, Justin," she panted against his ear. She hadn't been humoring him when she'd said the real him lasted. She had countless nights of personal experience to back it up. But now he was fucking her like he had something to prove, and she was about to explode all over again.

He pushed into her and rotated his hips, giving her clit a delicious rush of friction. Two could play that game. On his next thrust, she squeezed his length tight, holding him in place for a few extra seconds.

"Holy fuck." He breathed the words like a prayer. "Do that again."

A thrill ran through her. Knowing she affected him that way when she barely held on to her wits almost drove her to a frenzy. She started to squeeze, then stopped.

"Uh!" Justin froze and caught her eye. "You okay?"

"Will you tell me my nickname if I do it again?"

A wicked smile spread across his face. "I'll tell you any damn thing."

He thrusted, she squeezed, and they erupted.

Panting as they came down, Justin peppered Vaughn's face, neck, and shoulders with kisses. She held on to him, rubbing his back and giving him small kisses as well. She wondered if she glowed. She felt like she did, like her satisfaction could power the whole damn city. Eventually, he lay his head on her chest.

Vaughn marveled at the intimacy they had found. Even though they both had their pants pushed below their knees, their legs were at angles to fit the length of the bench seat, and the wind rustled the hedges against the car windows. She was content. Where had they parked? She didn't care. She'd never had a moment like this, and she wasn't ready to let it go.

Without moving his head, Justin blew across her nipple, then tapped it as it stiffened.

Not one to giggle, Vaughn surprised herself when she did, unable to resist the tickle.

Justin shifted his weight, propping himself on his elbows. He kissed her like he was ready for round two. "Miiiii," he said against her lips, then quieted.

"What?" Her heart thudded, heavy as a bass drum. Had he been on the verge of calling her mine ? It was wrong to want that. He'd go on tour again in a few months while she stayed behind. Anything could happen while he was gone. Hell, he could come home with a new woman. But in this moment, she couldn't help it. He'd planted the thought and now she wanted it.

"My dream. You're my dream weaver."

It wasn't quite the same, but she liked it. She'd dream about this night while he was on the road, about everything she'd experienced with him, and she hoped he would too. Dream weaver was a good fit.

She smiled and kissed him, then slid up a little. "You should take me home and see if I can get you through the night."

"Not if." Justin reached into the backseat and recovered their shirts. "How. My dream weaver is creative. Wondering how you're gonna get me through the night gets me through everything else."

Vaughn pulled her top over her head, using the moment to collect herself. She knew he thought about her, but saying it that way, damn, did it steal her breath. She pushed her arms and head through the garment, then leaned toward him as she untangled her pants and pulled them up. "You really should write lyrics."

Justin shook himself into his pants and pulled up his zipper. "I'll write them on your skin." He pulled her in and delivered another searing kiss.

"Let's go to my place and you can try out your first verse."

He turned over the ignition. "Buckle up. I'm feeling inspired."