Page 206 of Cross the Line
The relief I feel at being home in one piece is immeasurable as I sink into the buttery-soft leather with a sigh while we wait for the gates to let us in.
“It’s sturdy and safe,” Eli says with a gentle caress to my thigh. “Exactly what you need.”
“I don’t know, I liked the Puma. It was quaint and?—”
“No, you’re not racing around Los Angeles in a fucking Puma, Fin,” Jayden says with a no-arguments tone that has me glaring at him in the rearview mirror. “Don’t give me that look, I’ll spank it off your face if you bring up that death trap again.”
I glance at Eli to find him trying to contain his laughter—pouty lips rolled together, eyes glittering with mirth.
I know what the surprise is in a blink.
“I’m not taking your car,” is all I say in my best stern, I-mean-business voice. “I don’t need something this big or burly.”
“Big and burly?” He snorts. “Are those your favorite words at the moment?”
Ugh. “It’s that stupid show and all the conversations Christina and I have about it. She’s obsessed with the main guy. Personally, I don’t see it, but hey… what do I know, I’m into the two of you pests.”
Oh, God, the nerves are back, and my mouth is open like the gates of Rambletown.
“I’m not giving you my car.” Eli’s guffaw is punctuated by the there-there pat of his hand on my thigh.
Oh. “Good. Because I spoke to Summer about it, and with the wages she’s paying me, I can afford to take out a small loan for a practical run-around like a Puma or even a Spark…”
I’m edging my way through the tailgate, the bigger gates behind closing, when I catch sight of the big purple bow and balloons behind Jayden’s car at the far end of the garage.
Don’t freak out.
“Babe…” Jayden starts with a cautious zing to his voice.
“Yeah, I know. I know.” Eli sounds all cool and in control, but his hand is gripping my thigh like he’s going to freak out if I freak out.
“What have you done?” is all I can muster as I park in his reserved spot…
Right next to the fancy-looking, white-gray SUV wearing the huge-ass lilac bow. The lilac balloons around it spell out congratulations, and Eli is so damn lucky that I haven’t crashed his car into the wall with how unfocused I am right now.
“You need a car, Fin,” he says when I sit in silence trying to figure out how I’m feeling, because ‘overwhelmed’ doesn’t cut it. “Something reliable and safe that we won’t be worried about every time you drive it. You’ve seen how the press can get. The other day, they were chasing after us on a moped. It’s dangerous and?—”
“Too much. This is too much. I haven’t earned it. I…” I keep staring at the wall in front of me like it might somehow absorb all this jittery energy roiling through me.
“Earned it?” Jayden asks, a chuff of amusement edging his words. “You don’t have to earn gifts, and the car is a gift from us to you.”
“An early birthday gift,” Eli adds.
“And Valentines,” JJ hums, his fingertips tracing along the back of my neck when he leans forward between mine and Eli’s seats. “They’re only a few days away.”
With a playful nip to my exposed shoulder, he tips his face to level me with big puppy-dog eyes. Clearly, he’s learning from Blanca.
“And we need to make up for not being here for it,” Jayden says, matter-of-fact.
“We need you to be safe, Fin. To know that you’re safe all the time.” Eli opens his door and gets out, huffing at the balloons that get in his way.
I don’t have to wonder whose idea they were because it’s got Jayden written all over it.
“The trunk is impressive for all the runs you’ll be doing for work,” JJ states with a gentle caress to my arm. “It’s also electric, so you never have to stop for gas. You plug her in when you get home, and she’ll be ready to go when you leave for work.”
“She looks expensive.” I turn in my seat to find him grinning at me.
“She’s a great car.” With a shrug, he boops my nose—it’s becoming a habit of his.
