Some guys had stolen Denny and Abby’s seats, so I invited them to sit at the band’s table with us. On the way, I apologized to Denny—again—for being an ass when I’d caught him with Kiera. Since I’d already apologized, he brushed it off with a joke about him being used to me being an ass. I had to laugh at that. Yes, I supposed he had gotten used to me being a jerk. Hopefully my days of snapping at him were over.

Denny and Abby left the bar long before me, and then, at the tail end of the night, my friends left too. Since I wasn’t going anywhere without Kiera, I stayed until her shift was over, and we walked out of Pete’s hand-in-hand. I was so happy to be going home with her, I hummed a D-Bags song the entire way to my car.

My car…in my joy to reconnect with Kiera, I’d almost forgotten that I’d be reconnecting with my other baby too. Running my hand over the hood made me grin; there was a fresh coat of polish on her. Turning to Kiera, I told her, “Thanks for not wrecking her.”

Soft smile on her face, she kissed my jaw. “I know what she means to you…I was good to her.” She started walking around to the other side of the car. “I only got her up over a hundred that one time.”

Icy dread flashed through me as my eyes darted over my baby. She was joking, right? I glanced up to see Kiera shake her head at me, amused, as she got into the car. Frowning at her comment, I got behind the wheel. “Not funny,” I told her.

She grinned at me, then leaned over to kiss me. I pulled away before she could, and she pouted. Smiling, I told her, “Happy birthday, Kiera.”

She looked confused for a second, like she’d forgotten the date had changed during her shift, then she gave me a beautiful grin. “Thank you, you’re the first one to say it.”

I smirked at her as I leaned forward. “I know, I planned it that way.” My mouth met hers, soft, teasing. I slid my tongue along her lip, then angled our connection so I could feel more of her. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of her. Need surged through me as our mouths moved together, as her tongue touched mine. Kiera groaned, sending an ache straight through me. It had been too long since we’d last made love. I needed her.

Just as I was debating lying her down on the seat, Kiera pulled away. Her eyes were hooded with desire as she examined my face. “Take me home, Kellan.” Leaning forward, she breathed soft, wonderful words into my ear. “Take me to our home.”