39. 🔧 Under the Hood

**JUSTICE**

The sex Keke and I have together is nothing short of out of this world.
Fucking a woman on top of a car was a first for me. That wasn’t what made it so special. It was the fact that I drilled Keke so hard; we made a damn dent in the metal, and laughed about it afterwards. I’ll probably leave it as a reminder of a wonderful morning turned early afternoon.
Keke adjusts her skirt from where it twisted around her waist. She stops what she’s doing to answer her phone. It’s Joe. We had agreed to go over for coffee and maybe a slice of pie and then head on over to Xaver and Pip’s for dinner.
After a few “Oh, nos” and sympathetic noises, Keke hangs up. She tells me Joe, after apologizing right and left, had to call their Thanksgiving a wash. Apparently, Nico had a falling out with his girlfriend and Joe and his family were doing damage control.
No hay problema.
I can think of a thousand ways and positions to occupy our time.
However, I felt damn bad for Nico. Having tasted the joys of a girlfriend, I can’t imagine going back to the single life.
“Shall we leave now? Maybe I can help in the kitchen—”
“You haven’t seen all the cars yet.”
She swivels her lips up, thinking. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“Let me show you this camper van I finished restoring last year. I upgraded the shower and toilet area and revamped the kitchen.” I’m damn proud of how it turned out and yes, I want Keke to admire my handiwork, but that is far from the real reason I haul her inside.
I want to take her on the platform bed.
The sheets are a bit dusty and more than a little musty.
That doesn’t matter to her, or to me.
With the sliding door on a crack and the tinted windows shutting out most of the light, we lose ourselves in the dark... in the darkness of each other.
I’m a grown man who hasn’t lost a beat down since I was fifteen, and through the years, I’ve proven I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.
When Keke promised to go after my abuser, it made an explosion, like that of a supernova, go off in my chest. The feeling is so fiery and intense I can’t contain it. I have to release it on her body, over and over, until we can no longer move.


Looking down at her sleeping form, I brush the hair from her temple and kiss her warm skin.
You’ll never need to wear your coat indoors again. I’ll always keep you warm.
Her brown eyes open, peeking up at me. “Mmm, Justice. That felt nice.”
I smile, moving so I can spoon her. “You asked me yesterday about my day.”
“Yes,” she says, her lips moving against my arm under her head. “You didn’t want to talk about it.”
“That’s not true,” I say with mock indignation. “I wanted to fuck you first. Now, I’m ready to talk.”
“I’m listening.”
“I was on a job.”
“Legal or Illegal?”
“Fairly legal I suppose. A guy hired me to find his sister and the guy she was with.”
“And… what happened?”
“I found them.”
“And?”
“Her brother took them home. I didn’t stay around. I was too eager to get back to you.”
“Hmmm.”
“What does that mean?”
“Did you tell Pippa about your job when you called her yesterday?”
“Are you mad that I did?”
Her pouting lips poke a hole in my skin. “Yes, Justice I am. You called her. Why didn’t you call me?”
I laugh. “That conversation would have been hella strange. I wasn’t about to tell you over the phone I was on a stakeout for a guy who is as dangerous as he is crazy.”
She gives me an indignant sniff. “I would have understood.”
“I didn’t know that.”
Pressed so close no air can come between us doesn't stop the silence from doing so.
After an interminable length where I flounder for what to say, Keke bites out, “Will it always be like that? You telling Pippa everything first before telling me?” Her displeasure trickles into the atmosphere, making the air in the van oppressive with its weight.
Trying to lighten the mood, I reply, “Who am I here with now?”
She sighs. “You are here with me.”
I barely catch when she says, “But only because Pippa is no longer available.”
I suck in a breath. "Do you really believe that?
“Yes, I do. And while I’m telling the truth, why don’t you. You loved her, right? I know you did. And… and I think you still love her.”
“Yeah, I do, but only as a friend.” I scrub a hand down my face, hoping the movement will give me clarity enough to say the right words. “I never told Pippa how I felt about her because I knew, deep down we weren’t compatible. Not like you and me.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. You have no fear of the dark side of life and you have no trouble accepting me as who I am. Pippa would have pitied me, same as I pitied her the abuse she suffered. You, on the other hand, want to do damage to a guy who hurt me. That’s why I’m with you…” I take a deep breath, letting everything I feel and want out into the open, "and that’s why I want you to stay with me. Go to your parents, say what you need to, then come back to me and the guys. I know they’ll be okay with us being together. I’ll do whatever I have to make it so.”
“Justice, I—”
I rush on, determined to overcome her objections. “Just think about it. We still have two weeks before you leave. Let me convince you. I’ll take some time off—”
She puts two fingers on my lips, “I was going to say, ‘yes’, Justice. I don’t need any convincing.”


We stay in the van kissing, talking, and fucking until the very last moment before we have to leave. As soon as we get in the car and put our seatbelts on, Keke places her hand on my thigh. I find it humorous that I now expect it to be there when I drive.
Driving the Aston Martin, which is now my favorite car, I turn out onto the road. “Do you think you’ll be back before or after Christmas?”
Keke shrugs, her hand moving on my leg. “I’m not sure. Let’s play it by ear. If my parents are acting right, I’d like to spend Christmas with them and be back in New York by New Year’s.”
“Will you tell them about us? About me?”
“That’s what I meant by ‘acting right.’ I won’t stand for them lecturing me about you.” I flick my gaze to her face. Keke looks so fiercely determined, I’m 99.9% sure she’ll get her way.
I’m praying she does.
I want her parents to be comfortable around me. Like me, even. If I’m being optimistic, I want them to think of me as another son. Other than Keke’s body, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to fit into my girlfriend’s family. However, it’s not a deal-breaker if I don’t. With the guys and our own children, Keke and I will have more than enough love coming our way.
My thoughts switch to her day of departure. As unreasonable as it is, I can’t help feeling a sense of loss at the thought of her leaving me for a few weeks. I’m scared that when she goes, I’ll revert to my state of numbness. In the past, I’ve fucked my issues of abandonment, shame, and sheer dirtiness, away. How will I deal with them when she goes?
I’m deathly afraid to find out.
All I can do for the remaining two weeks is work hard to get the guys on board with our relationship, and as much as time allows, I’ll show her such a good time, she’ll be in a hurry to come back.
I pull into the building’s garage and park in a prime spot near the visitors’ entrance. Since I don’t have an express key, we’ll have to take the lobby elevators to Xaver and Pip’s.
I turn off the engine. Keke shoulders her bag and reaches for the handle to open the door.
I place my hand on her thigh, stopping her for one last kiss… and maybe a quick grope to her panty-free pussy.
“Keke—”
“They’re here. They’re here!”
Seth opens my door while D’Andre and Cam jostle to open Keke’s. The guys pull her to her feet, hugging her like they haven’t seen her in years, instead of three days.
“We missed you,” Cam says, his words muffled in her sweater. “What took you guys so long? Were you busy making out?”