“I guess you’re going to let your mother think about what she said,” he said, letting his smile grow.
I grinned and leaned back into Dex.
Dad saluted and walked back inside, letting the door click shut.
Dex kissed my forehead, and I knew that somehow…
I’d won.
Epilogue – Dex
Two months later
“It’s your turn to get the tacos.”
“No, we made a deal last night. I cooked, so you said you’d get tacos today.”
“No, I didn’t. I had my fingers crossed behind my back, so it doesn’t count.”
Sasha, our new, nineteen-year-old apprentice looked between us. “Do you two ever not fight?”
Jamie grimaced and looked at her. “Would you believe we were way worse than this when we met? We couldn’t stand each other.”
“I can’t imagine anything worse than this,” she said.
“Oh, it’s true. We would fight all the time, but somehow, I charmed her into falling in love with me.” I flashed Jamie a grin.
“Charmed? More like you tricked me. Somewhere between tacos and fighting and your aunt getting me drunk.”
“I’m just—I’m gonna get the phone.” Sasha covered her mouth with her hand, but her laughter was obvious as she darted through the workshop to get to the phone.
I moved closer to Jamie and took the wrench from her. I’d quickly learned—not long after we’d made our relationship official—that her temper was a very real thing.
The standing toolbox I’d once fucked her up against had the dent to prove it.
She’d been restricted on tools for a while.
“Look, if you still can’t tell Aunt Greta no when she’s got a tray full of whiskey shots…”
She pointed her finger at me. “Tell that to your sister. She’s a damn bad influence on me.”
“No, she’s a pusher, and you give in to her. You’ve literally been arguing with me about who’s getting tacos for lunch for fifteen minutes, yet she bats her eyelashes at you, and the next thing I know, I’m carrying you to bed.”
She sniffed and folded her arms. “At least I didn’t throw up on you again.”
“And you’re still getting tacos, because I cooked you dinner last night.”
“No, you cooked us dinner. That’s what happens when you infiltrate your girlfriend’s house to the point you live together.”
I pretended to be shocked. “Infiltrated your house? I’m offended. Besides, you stayed at my place one time and got grilled by Greta about sex the next day although we were both too afraid to do anything.”
“I’m not saying I mind—”
“You like that I infiltrated your house?”
“You just said you didn’t!”
“Oh God, you’re still going?” Sasha came back into the workshop. “I have an idea. I know the taco place. Why don’t you give me money and I’ll go get lunch so you can both finish your freaky foreplay?”
I turned to her, blinking. “One, I let my sister spend way too much time around you people. And two, why the hell can I not hire a nice, quiet, sass-less woman?”
Jamie touched her hand to my arm. “You bring out the sasshole in all of us, honey. It’s really not our faults. It’s all you.”
I gave her a withering look before turning back to Sasha. “Go and take fifty bucks out of the register. That should cover all three of us.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Sasha grabbed her purse and threw a wave over her shoulder. “I’ll go out the front.”
“Ooh, big spender,” Jamie teased when she’d gone.
I held a finger to my lips. “Watch it. You’re getting on my nerves, woman.”
“You’re always on my nerves, Dex. You’re practically a medical condition at this point.”
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“I do, but as you know by now, fucking with you is so much more fun.”
I grunted and pulled her against me, sliding my hands down her back to cup her ass. “Watch it. There aren’t many places in this garage that haven’t seen me fuck you yet. I’m happy to tick the rest off the list.”
She eased her hands up my chest and linked her fingers behind my neck. “Why? Does it still turn you on when I give you attitude?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the reason I started seeing you as more than a gnat-like annoyance.”
“Funny. It was your cock that made me realize that’s exactly what you are.”
“Watch your mouth, you.” I grazed my teeth over her lower lip. “Or Sasha is gonna come back to something highly inappropriate.”
“You already exhausted your shenanigans allowance on her day off.”
“I’m the boss.” I kissed along her jaw. “I can do what I want.”
“You think you’re the boss. We both know I’m really the one in charge.”
My cock agreed, but my mind did not. “Whatever you say, darlin’.”
“You’re starting to piss me off, Dex.”
“Awesome. I love angry sex with you. My back doesn’t, but it can deal with it.”
She smacked her hands against my chest and glared at me. “Dexter.”
I spun us so she had her back up against my Dodge. I really needed to get it out of the garage, but for now. “Talking of the places I haven’t had you yet…Over the hood of this Dodge is one of them.”