“Ding, ding, ding!” Iroll my eyes. Ithought Ilikedbeing in control all the time, in relationships, but Iguess I’d just … never tasted the opposite until now, and Ican’t get enough.
He takes my hand and kisses every knuckle. “Being in awe of your power,Princess Aerin,doesn’t make me weak. Just like you choosing to have me be in control doesn’t make you weak. And if I’m ever too bossy, you’ll tell me to stop, and if you’re ever being too bratty, I’ll spank your perfect, biteable ass,Princess Morningstar.”
Now Ithink my chair is soaked. There’s no server out here, but Ijust have to say it anyway. “Check, please!”
After leaving the restaurant, Inotice the towncar has been replaced with a 1963 black Triumph Spitfire. “Are you kidding me, Jett? The car Ibegged Dad for when Iwas a girl? He told you that?”
“Did you forget he made me sign in blood, Mads? Iwas rewarded handsomely with some very useful information, including but not limited to your favourite restaurant and favourite car. If he thought this was just sex, would he have done that?”
“Absolutely not,” Iconfirm, unable to wipe the glazed smile off my face as Jett opens the door of the glossy convertible for me. He doesn’t even open his door; he just jumps in and fires up the vintage engine with a satisfying roar. “Jett?” Iask as he slowly leaves the valet station.
“Yes, darling?”
“I don’t mean to sound like a lovesick idiot or anything, but … you look absolutely, devastatingly sexy driving this car.” Itake out my phone and snap him looking … “Like … hotter than James Dean and Elvis combined.”
“That’s how I look?”
I nod, looking at what I’ve snapped and drooling over the photos. He slows for the stop sign to really look at me.
“That’s how Ifeel when I’m with you. Looking at you in that passenger seat, completely taken care of, it makes me feel like the fuckingman, Baby. Notto mention you look hotter than um, Marilyn Monroe and Priscilla Presley combined.”
I lean over and kiss his now lightly stubbled jaw. “That’s the best compliment anyone has ever given me, Jett. Ithink maybe you’ve finally earned one of these.”
“Baby!” He is genuinely shocked to see me pull his crinkled pack of Lucky Strikes out of my jacket. “I’ve been wondering where those went.”
“Dad stole them from your pocket earlier, slipped them in mine, said to only let you have one if you were being‘truly fucking cool.’”
He laughs into the night. “This is the first time all day that you thought Iwas cool?”
“No!” Ihuff a laugh. “Actually, Icompletely forgot about them until Ilooked at this picture. You're a literaldream, Jett.”
He looks at my phone. “I look like fuckin’ Elvis! Post it, Baby. No wait,” since there’s no one behind us and we haven’t left the parking lot, he lights up the cigarette and poses with it between his lips while Iclick away. Ishow him the best one and he obviously loves it. “Wanna? Now? Make it our soft launch, and BuzzFeed next week can be the hard launch?”
The fact that he wants the world to know about us so soon sends pure adrenaline through my veins.
“Yeah, what should my caption be? Oh, how about this?”
“Dream boy,” he reads. “That’s not verysoftof you, Baby. Don’t knowhow,but however Igot outta the friendzone, Iam gratefulas fuck!Baby Morningstar actually fancies me.Finally.”
I turn red and cover my face with my hands, but let’s be honest, he’s making it pretty impossible not to.
He gently pulls my hands away and uses the cool metal of his rings to calm my cheeks. “Why be embarrassed? I’ve fancied you the better part of a decade.” He hands me the cigarette and takes a few of me on his phone, showing me the best one. Iactually love it, and suddenly he’s selecting it for his story with the caption, ‘My rock ‘n roll princess.’
“You like it? I’ll do it right now, Mads.”
Suddenly I’m nervous, and his eyes trained on me don’t help, so Ipuff on the cigarette before setting it in the ashtray. My finger hovers over the post button. “I like it, and Ilike you, and let’s do it. Shit.”
He gets giddy and kisses me, and it makes me giddy. “Right, on three. One, two, three!”
We both push the post button on our respective phones with dramatic flair, and we scream as Jett takes a sharp left and flies onto the Pacific Coast Highway. The stars are coming out as the wind from the coast whips our hair around. He reaches into a little console and hands me a hair tie. Igaze at him like I’m not sure if he’s even real. Ireach for it, letting my fingertips linger on his before securing my hair into a high ponytail, the curled ends flying every which way.
My suspicions are confirmed when we drive further into Malibu rather than away from it, towards the hills. One last reward from Dad. Even if I’m frustrated that I’m not getting laid tonight, knowing that Jett’s willing to wait, just to make me feel cared for, is worth everything. Knowing he’s wanted inside me for years still gives me the power, and it feels incredible. Imight just lend him some.
Chapter 22
Maddy
Jett slows, turning on Sunset Lane, heading down to my parents’ beach house, typing the entry code from memory. He doesn’t pull into the driveway, though, going further and typing in the private beach access code. He parks and jumps out of the car to help me out, grabbing a flashlight to lead us down the beach, holding my hand.
