Page 36 of Jackrabbit

The same thermos Colt had bought for Beau that first morning was sitting next to him—which gave him all sorts of warm fuzzies he didn’t want to look too closely at—and as Colt reached over to pick it up something slid off the top with a soft hiss of metal. It fell into his lap, and he stared down at it.

When he picked it up and held it out in front of him, he had to press his lips together to stop himself from making some stupid ass noise. Sometime while Colt had been sleeping, Beau had taken Connor’s wasp and attached it to a gold rope chain. Colt turned to stare at Beau’s broad, beautiful back and ran his hand through his hair. He let out a puff of air.

God, he was so incredibly fucked.

Colt stood and put the necklace on, the wasp settling on his sternum, and went to sit at the island. Sipping his coffee, he waited for Beau to turn around.When he finally did, Beau’s warm honey eyes dipped down to the wasp and back up to Colt’s face. Neither of them said anything, and Colt felt like a live wire.

Then Beau turned back to the stove, and the tension snapped. “Turkey bacon. And you’ve got an hour on the sim after you eat it.”

Colt smiled against the lip of the coffee cup. “Yessir.”

***

It didn’t take long for Colt to get a car. Two days after Rosy cut that check, Colt showed up to the shop at noon in something hideously mustard yellow with a missing fender. But it rumbled like a beast under his legs and handled like a dream. And it was his.

Camaro body. Older than he’d hoped, newer than he’d expected.

As he pulled into the parking lot, Colt revved loud and hard so they’d know he was coming. By the time he was in front of the garage doors, the guys were filtering out. Liam laughed and started circling as Colt threw it in park.

Colt hauled himself out of the window and sat on the sill, his legs inside the car. He slapped the roof right over a rough oxidation spot. “Whatchya think?”

James tucked an oil stained shop rag in his back pocket and knelt down to look at the horrifically clouded headlight. “Nah, man, bottle of mustard for sure.”

“You're missing a fender,” Liam called.

“No shit.” Colt rolled his eyes and rested his chin on top of his arms. “Just cosmetics, man. She's nice under the hood. That's what matters.”

Camila came up next to him and shoved him aside so she could look at the interior. “She? Your cars are always guys. Why she?”

“Coz she's got curves in aaallll the right places,” Xavier said.

Colt grinned. “Nah. Coz she's a little bit crazy. Little bit fucked up. Kinda wild under—ow!”

“You're such a shit, Colton,” Camila admonished as she slapped his arm again. “Show some respect.”

“YeahColton.” James raised his voice to something high, nothing like Camila's tone. “Show some respect. Before Mama Mila gives you the chancla.”

“You know what this car needs?” Liam asked as he came back around the side and pulled off his hat to wipe his forehead. “Flames.”

Xavier cackled. “Underglow! Green, you know. Really lean into this ugly-ass color scheme.”

“My street car didn't have underglow,” Colt said. His eyes flicked toward the shop. Definitely not looking for the last employee. “I'm sure as shit not putting it on her.”

“Let's name her Dijon,” James said as he put one foot on the passenger side tire.

“Twinkie,” Liam offered. “Yellow with that white stuff on the inside.”

“Nah, can't use Twinkie. Copyright, innit?” Xavier leaned against the other side of the roof and grinned at Colt. “Plus, too on the nose with this twink driving.”

“Excuse you, I ambuilt.” Colt leaned back and pulled up his shirt to show his torso. “Like a fucking tank, bro.”

“Didn’t realize I was running a strip show in my front parking lot.” Beau's voice rumbled across to them even though he never raised it, and Colt looked over to see him walking toward them from the diner. “Put your clothes back on, boy.”

Or I could take more off, Colt’s brain supplied.

He dropped his shirt and rested his head on his arm again. “Might be a good side hustle. Merc's Boys, huh? It's Raining Men?”

Beau shook his head and pushed Colt aside to look in the car just like Camila had. But unlike when Camila had done it, Colt was suddenly extremely aware of every molecule between them.