Page 25 of The Mechanics of Broomstick Racing

It was too soon—she was too sensitive. But she was so damned competitive. Zephyr ground out her frustration when he allowed her, and she knew this was payback for all the times she had teased him. This was not how she had imagined him getting her back.

His arm was an iron bar across her hips, pinning her against the hood so she couldn’t find her own release. She had to wait for him to finish lapping her up, so fucking lazy.

“Please, please, please.” Zephyr glanced down at him. He paused, meeting her eyes and seeming to consider her request.

“Do you have any idea how good you fucking taste?” he asked.

“I…don’t?”

She squirmed, watching as Neil stalked from the front of her car to the side of the hood. His fingers threaded into her hair before knotting in it and forcing her head to turn to the side. He kissed her hard, deep, messy. He continued kissing her until he caught her hand snaking down to finish what he’d started.

His hand clamped around her wrist and hauled it over her head. “Don’t be impatient,” he said.

“Don’t be greedy,” she snapped back.

“Fine. I can speed this up.” Neil took a step back, unzipping the top of his coveralls and slipping the top off. It hung, suspended by his belt, and revealed the tight white cotton t-shirt he wore underneath. He was bulkier than she had realized. Gods, she hoped she wasn’t drooling. She squeezed her legs together to give herself a small amount of unsatisfying friction.

Neil moved to the shop’s sink, scrubbing his hands before returning to her. He gripped her knees, prying her willing legs back open before him. He slid a finger, and then a second, inside her. She arched against his hand, but he hadn’t exaggerated. She didn’t have long to wait before she was whimpering unabashedly once more.

“You should have more restraint,” Neil said as she writhed under his machinations. “I’ve been waiting for you for years. You’ve been waiting to come for minutes.”

His words were enough to tip her over that edge, even as they confused her. “Oh, I can’t again,” she muttered when his mouth replaced his fingers.

“You’re dripping, Zephyr,” he protested. “I’m simply helping clean up.”

“You’re helping yourself, you mean.” She pushed the hem of her dress back down, but could only lie there. She felt lighter than she had in months, but momentarily exhausted. It had been a long time since she’d been with anyone, and she honestly hadn’t expected to be spoiled like this.

Neil scooped her off the hood, carrying her over to the passenger seat before settling her inside. He threw her boots in the backseat before he vanished into the office. He returned with her keys and a small backpack, which she assumed had a change of clothes inside. Benefits of a dirty job, she supposed. You always had extra clothing stashed away.

She let him get behind the steering wheel of her car, though he had glanced at her before getting in, as if to ask permission. Now he tapped on the dash thoughtfully. “I was going to take us to the bonfire, but I can’t find where I dropped your underwear.”

She laughed, tugging his coat around her body. Gods, she hoped Hattie wouldn’t be the one to find her lost underwear. The old witch would not handle that quietly or without embarrassing her grandson and Zephyr both. “Just drive me home,” she demanded.

Her change of subject threw off his smug routine. Neil frowned. “It’s only nine-thirty.”

“Perfect. I’ve been told that’s your bedtime.”

Now he flushed, but he obeyed her command. The garage opened again, and they were off into the night.

Chapter 13

Cuddling had always been awkward for Zephyr. She did not like to sit still and allow herself to be petted like some lapdog. But it was cold outside, her brain had yet to restart, and Neil was being so gentlemanly, letting her sleepily lean against his shoulder. It turned him into a sort of anchor for her. Anticipation made her bouncy, almost unable to keep herself from floating away.

She burst into a hysterical giggle, startling them both.

Neil blew out a sharp breath. “Easy. I’m driving a very expensive car that isn’t mine. What has gotten into you?”

“It’s just…I realized you’re grounding me.” The pun brought the giggles back until a staticky zap jolted her. “Hey!” she protested, pushing her lower lip into a pout. “That was on purpose.”

“Terrible jokes have consequences,” he declared.

She envied his control. “As an air witch, I can dole out punishments, too. Like give you a bad hair day or steal the air from your lungs.”

“That escalated immediately.”

“It really got away from me,” she agreed.

Her cabin bloomed into view, and they parked in her sad shed. When Neil got out of the car, he knocked his knuckles on the support beams, worry lines forming on his brow. If she didn’t keep them moving, he’d get distracted by one of the many home repairs she needed.