Fast & Hard (The Fast 1)

Our breathing is still sporadic and her fingers are running through my hair when she giggles, “Holy shit I missed you.”

“Mmm, Dick-on-Demand was in danger of going out of business there, for a while,” I mumble into her warm mounds.

“Never,” she laughs, my head rising and falling with her chest.

Blissful moments pass even though the hood of this car is not the most comfortable place. Elon Musk should work on that. I take Mallory’s head in my hand and look in her eyes, kiss her lips softly. “I’m so in love with you, Mal. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn your love, please know that.”

“You idiot,” the corners of her eyes crinkle and she smiles, rubbing her fingers through the stubble along my jaw that’s gotten quite long in my laziness. “Where’s my phone? I think it’s in my pants.”

She grunts and points to her pants flung on the floor. I groan at the loss of her skin pressed up around mine but I sit up and reach for the pants before settling down again on my back and handing them to her.

She pulls her phone out of her pant pocket and starts swiping through it. I grumble at her and the bloody phone, but keep my mouth shut as I’ve been working on. She snuggles into the side of me and hands me the phone, “Here.”

She has the messaging app pulled up. There’s lots of messages in green instead of blue, red exclamation points next to them, message not delivered. “What is this?”

“Read,” she taps the screen with a fingernail.

Lennox, I love you. I love you so much. You stupid asshole I’m fucking in love with you.

“You… love me?” I lower the phone and turn my head to look at her. Her full lips are curled up, her eyes soft and happy, her face flush with contentment.

She holds my face in one hand and caresses a feather-light kiss across my lips. “I’ve always loved you, Lennox Gibbes.”

I capture her in my arms and drag her onto me, kissing her with every ounce of passion from deep within as her long hair cascades over my shoulders.

“That’s what you get for blocking me,” she giggles and bites my lip.

Epilogue

“If you need a light, I’ll be the match to your candle. My darlin’ I’m ready to burst into flames for you.” - Vance Joy, ‘I’m with You’

Fourteen Months Later

Mallory

The trees are rich oranges and auburn and the gentle breeze making leaves dance in the grass is crisp on my skin, but the fire keeps me cozy. Surrounding the fire pit that we use more nights than not, when we’re home, are now deep wooden benches so we can sit together.

Pumpkins and a few carved turnips line the stone border wall. My second year attempting to carve a turnip didn’t end up much better than the first. Mine look like rats gnawed through them versus the little intricate faces hollowed out of Lennox, Jack, and Matty’s turnips.

That’s ok. I know when I’ve been bested and they can win the turnip battle.

“Warm enough?” Lennox has an arm around me and snuggles me closer into his warm chest.

I’m plenty toasty but I lean into him anyway, let the smell of his woodsy cologne mix with the scent of the fire and the ocean. “Mmmhmmm,” I nuzzle him and run my hand

up his muscular thigh.

“Mallory,” his fingers thread through my hair and he warns me, “don’t rub the lamp if you don’t want the genie to come out.”

I silently chuckle at the ridiculous things he still finds to say to me every day, all the ways he makes me laugh. “Does the genie grant me three wishes if he does come out?” I look up at his green eyes dancing, reflecting the light of the fire.

His warm hand comes to my face and his thumb traces my jaw, “There’s no limit on the wishes I’ll grant you.”

God, I love this man.

This castle on the island is our sanctuary but home is wherever he is. We find a way to keep home with us no matter where in the world we are. And when we are back on the Isle of Skye, the time spent here is extra special. Our home is full, not just with furnishings now, but with Aria who has become a frequent flyer, Matty and Jack, Mum and Pop, Bram who is graduating soon, old karting friends Lennox has reconnected with, and new local friends I’ve made. My sister is a lost cause, but Cody’s been here a few times for the holidays and we’re closer than ever.

“We should get started,” Lennox gives me a quick kiss, “I’d like to take the bike out one more time this year.”