Be All, End All

“Beer?”

Darynn held a bottle out to him. They weren’t as cold as they’d been, sweating heavily in the late night heat, but they were still beer.

Dom stepped closer, reaching for it. She leaned forward until she could pass it to him, no touching. Backing up, Dom turned to her truck. Monkey boy hopped up using the tire and perched on the side of the bed facing her. They weren’t level, he was still several feet lower than her, but it was much closer. The distance was about fifteen feet or so, too far to jump, but close enough to talk in normal tones.

“You like it here?”

She double blinked at his sudden question. “Like it?” She shrugged, “Sure.”

“What about Barstow? Ever thought about going back there?”

Darynn stared at him. Where was this leading? “You trying to get rid of me?”

His gaze dropped and he killed some time taking hits from the bottle.

“Barstow was just training. Get to know an engine, fix ‘em up, then it just started repeating. Fixing pieces of crap just good enough so they’d run and dumbass boys could crash them again. I wanted more than Barstow.”

“Is this what you wanted?”

Darynn glanced around, surprised at the question. “Yeah, I guess. Never really thought about it. I’m doing what I want to do and there are no assholes on the team to deal with.”

That completely serious look, like he was contemplating the riddles of life, or his own mortality. “Your dream was to end up in some dirty little garage living out back in a motor home?”

Who wouldn’t take offense at that? “You trying to piss me off?”

“Just asking a question.”

She nodded slowly, “Then the answer is yeah. Your garage might be small, but it’s no dirtier than any other garage and better than most, plus it’s well equipped. I get a wide range of jobs to work on. I’m near the racing circuits, working with good people. The living situation might change someday, but not tomorrow. I’m content where I am.”

“Don’t you want more?”

“Who are you questioning? Me or yourself?”

That shut him up. Stupid line of question anyway. If he wanted to fucking talk to her, she hoped future conversations were a little more productive, and actually had a point!

Minutes passed. Dom seemed content to nurse his beer and look at the stars. She finished her beer and started a new one.

“You know, with Letty I never had to ask for anything.”

Darynn gave her opinion of that little comment by not bothering to look at him. “Congratulations,” she said with as much sarcasm she could.

He was looking at her now, and either hadn’t heard her or was planning to ignore her. “Whatever Letty gave is what I got.” He shrugged, “The irony of that is that I never wanted anything from her. Half the time I wished she hadn’t’ve bothered.”

That cooled Darynn’s anger a bit, and she gave him her attention.

His gaze dropped from her direct one for just a second before holding it again. “Now I don’t know how to ask for what I want.”

He fell silent and she figured he was expecting something from her. “Same way all the rest of us do it, Dom.” She couldn’t control the annoyance in her tone. “You just fucking say it and hope you don’t get shot down. Welcome to reality.”

A soft huff of laughter. “I expected you to be blunt.”

She shrugged, “It’s called direct. Be all, end all. Semper fi. Do or die. Only go around once. And all those others.”

“Okay. Then I want you. I want you in the house. I want you in my bed.”

Eyes wide she just stared at him.

“Direct enough?”

Darynn looked away from him to gather her thoughts. What the fuck?

“I won’t be your live in whore,” she whispered finally.

She thought he might have twitched at hearing what she said. “Darynn, you could have refused what happened last night, but I don’t think any less of you for doing it. That’s not what I’m asking for. I want you, and not to share.”

“Then what was last night?”

“Fun?”

She smiled. Yeah, it had been that. She opened her mouth to say more, but then shut it.

“Darynn, I slept last night. Haven’t done that since you fucking almost puked on my shoes at Che’s. Thought it might be better with you here, parked out back, but now I just stare out the window. I can’t sleep knowing you might just drive off during the night. That I might not be part of your be all, end all.”

He’d wanted to talk, and she’d wanted directness. Well, she’d gotten it, and now she had tears pooling, obscuring her vision.

Obviously once he’d gotten started it was easier.

“I hate that you think I have some different bitch in my bed every night. There hasn’t been one since you started, not one, and it’s driving me fucking crazy.”

She smiled, but the change in expression made a tear fall. She was quick to wipe it away, but it didn’t go unnoticed.

“I want that trailer burned. I want to know you’ll stay, and I’ll put a ring on your finger if I have to.”

Too much! Her lips parted in an almost silent gasp. The tears wouldn’t be held in check now. Her heart thudded heavily and twisted at the same time. No way! Had Dominic Toretto just proposed to her?

He hopped down, making the landing look graceful. It only took a few steps to put him right beneath her looking up. “That’s what I want, Rynn. You going to shoot me down?”

She smiled a little at his quoting her, but she was shaking her head before she realized it. Still crying and almost blind from it she dropped her legs over the edge. Hands held up to her were all the motivation she needed to push off from the edge. It never occurred to her that she might hit the ground and she didn’t.

The taste of the salt of her tears only became noticeable as she passed it to him. Arms and legs wrapped around him, she clung like a child, but the kiss was far from platonic. He squeezed her hard, almost hurting, but she didn’t care.

Minutes passed, and if she was crying on him he didn’t seem to care.

Finally they broke apart, panting, and more than a little aroused. “Can I burn it?”

Darynn grinned, “Burn yours. Mine’s better.”

He was moving, walking, back towards the lights of the house.

“Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, to tie you to my fucking bed.”

She giggled. A very girlish thing to do, but she didn’t care. Wiping her face on the cotton of his shirt dried her tears, and restored her image, at least in her opinion. “Well, at least you’ll get some sleep,” she teased.

The few people in the yard that were between Dom and the backdoor stepped aside, seeing both his burden and his goal. Looks of surprise, curiosity, and envy followed their progress.

Inside was much better lit and much more crowded. Dom didn’t break stride. Darynn just held on, looking over his shoulder at the people they passed and the looks they were getting.

Leon grinning at her had her smiling back.

When Dom started up the steps half the damn house was watching. Conversations quieting, forcing even more attention to them.

Several of the team had gathered to watch, Brian and Rome with Leon, Vince and Gregg. They spoke between themselves. Leon was the one to speak out. “Bout fuckin’ time!”

Whoops of laughter followed them up the stairs. Darynn blushed and grinned.

“Did you just propose to me?” she whispered, still doubting what she’d heard.

Lips in close to her ear whispered, “I’d do anything for you.”

Gooseflesh rose as her eyes closed.

**That's it. I'm done.

I struggled with this ending. Who wouldn't? Went from the most torrid sex I'd ever written to... happily ever after? Had planned on Darynn driving away and Dom chasing after her or some such shit, but them charries work their own plot sometimes.

Thanks for reading. I had a blast writing this, and READING! Yep, this one was more fun to read than write, even for me!

Thanks for the reviews, and thanks again for reading. I appreciate all of it more than words could tell.