Page 43 of Challenge Me

I smiled. Permission granted.

“Yes, ma’am.”

◆◆◆

I fished my keys out of my pocket as I trotted downstairs; a little plastic fox dangled from the ring, its black paint chipped around one ear, revealing the orange beneath. By the time I reached the underground garage, keys jingling in my hand, Fox’s engine had cooled enough that the metal no longer ticked beneath the hood.

Fox’s shadow was sprawled across the hood with his Game Boy held above his face.

“You’re back early.” Fox blinked at me, then disappeared to check the dash clock before reappearing on the hood. “It’s not even lunchtime yet–”

I crossed the space between us, grabbed Fox’s face in both hands, and forced my lips against his. Fox made a startled squawk into my mouth, his claws catching briefly on my shoulders before he melted into me, the surprise disappearing beneath a hungry little growl. His shadow softened beneath my hands, changing from smoke to something almost solid as his mouth opened eagerly.

“Change of plans. Not going home tonight. Lai and Ghost are going on a revenge spree, and we’re gonna make sure it goes smoothly.”

Fox blinked at me, whining against my lips, his eyes sliding toward the white Challenger parked several spaces away.

Ghost remained silent.

“Are we going to chase someone?” Fox asked into my mouth. I felt his grin spread slowly, chrome fangs catching my lower lip.

“Maybe.” I leaned one hip against the Mustang’s front fender. “Depends on how much trouble I can cause at the club and how seriously they take it. Might even get ourselves into another police chase.”

Fox bit his own lower lip, barely holding back a moan. I couldn’t believe it. Surely, he knew better! He knew exactly how much the last chase had cost us! The arrest! The charges! The impound lot!

Alas, he was still a Mustang.

“No promises,” I warned, already smiling. “But maybe we can race Ghost there.”

Fox’s driver-side door popped open so violently it nearly struck the concrete pillar beside him. His glowing eyes rolled back, and he flopped across the hood, sinking halfway into the metal with a helpless groan.

I laughed and shook my head. He was so easy to please.

As it turned out, Mustangs were not nearly as high-maintenance as I remembered. Scarlet had been a money pit. There was always something wrong with her; something leaking, rattling, or grinding. She had demanded constant attention, only to develop an entirely new problem the moment the previous one was fixed.

Fox was different.

Fox was happy with a full tank of gas and pizza on Wednesdays. He wanted his oil changed on time, his paint washed by hand, and as long as we took the long way home, pushed a little beyond the speed limit, and made out in the garage before going inside, he considered himself well cared for.

Fox needed only two things: me and speed, preferably at the same time.

“So what are we waiting for?” Fox asked.

“Lai.”

Fox groaned dramatically.

“I saw him ten minutes ago,” I continued. “He wasn’t even in full makeup yet.”

That changed everything. Fox’s eyes narrowed with immediate calculation. We both knew Lai could take forty minutes deciding which shade of red best communicated that your bloodline would end tonight.

Fox slid from the hood and climbed into my lap before I had fully settled into the driver’s seat. His knees pressed into the leather on either side of my hips, claws dragging slowly down my chest.

I should have told him to behave. I should have reminded him that Ghost was only a few spaces away, that students occasionally came through the garage, and that Lai could appear at any moment.

Instead, I glanced toward the stairs.

Silence. We had time.