A/N: I wanted to get this out before I have to go to work and say thank you to those of you who read and reviewed the first chapter of this two part fic. I'm sorry in advance for the mistakes and I hope that they don't take away from the story and that you enjoy it nonetheless. As always nice reviews are much appreciated!

XXXXXX

The pub is dimly lit and quiet as they walk in and he can feel her tense beside him as they move towards the bar. He looks over his shoulder at her and chuckles, seeing her take in her surroundings with wide eyes, she looks guarded and so unsure. But even in the low light she still looks breathtaking and he finds himself asking for the umpteenth time since they left the trucks, why it took him so long to stop being an ass and take his shot with her. His attention gets pulled away from her when his name is called.

"Hey Kev." Jay greets his friend walking behind the bar.

"What brings you by dawg?" Kevin asks as he comes to stand in front of him.

"We just got done working and she agreed to get a drink with me." Jay says gazing at the woman next to him again. He says her name to get her attention and she looks up at him.

"This is Kevin, we've been friends since high school. Kevin this is Erin she's a fellow food trucker."

"Is that how you got tricked into going out with him?" Kevin jokes as he pours Jay a glass of whiskey.

Jay feigns offense with his friend's words and a blush comes to his face that can still be seen in dark bar. She nods and chuckles – finding it admirable and adorable that he can go from overconfident to bashful in the matter of a few seconds.

"What can I get for you Erin?" Kevin asks as he steps aside to let her see the alcohol displayed in varies rows behind the bar.

"I'll just have what he's having." She tells him – nodding towards the tumbler of amber liquid Jay has in front of him.

Both men look to be in shock as they look at her.

"What?" She raises an eyebrow at them.

Kevin purses his lips as he shakes his head and goes to get another crate of glasses.

Jay smirks at her as he shrugs. "I just don't think either of us were expecting you to want whiskey."

"What were you expecting?"

He shrugs with her question. "I don't know. Maybe something fruity or some kind of wine."

Erin gives her thanks to Kevin as he slides a tumbler in front of her before she turns back to Jay.

Chuckling into her glass as she takes a quick sip.

"Wine I can tolerate sometimes but it makes for an awful hangover and I just don't do fruity drinks, they give me gut rot." A look of disgust comes to her face as she thinks of the last time she had a fruity alcoholic beverage.

"Got it." He smirks again as he takes another drink of his whiskey.

The hours pass by quickly after that and the conversation flows freely between them as they get to know each other. She sees why he's such a hot commodity among the woman of Chicago. The self centered, cocky façade he puts on is just a defense mechanism – a way to keep himself from being hurt or disappointed. Within just a few hours he lets her see a little bit of the real him, the guy that's still confident but not overly cocky, he's smart, sweet and funny. And she honestly wishes that she got to see this side of him when they first met or any time after that but she gets it because she too has built up walls to protect herself and keep herself from being vulnerable. He enjoys seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. She's quick witted and has a sharp tongue but he found that out when they were first introduced. He's getting to see why she acts so tough and unfazed with everything because she had to put on the hard exterior to keep herself from getting hurt. And he even learns what cooking means to her – having her share that it's been her escape since she was a kid.

By the time the bar closes, they've lost count of how many drinks they've had but Kevin gives them water, trying to sober them up some as he finishes cleaning up before closing down and offering to drive them home.

When they get to Jay's apartment complex, Jay looks at her and even when tipsy they can tell that neither of them want the night to end just yet. So he invites her up and she bashfully accepts his offer before they're exiting the car – both bidding Kevin a goodnight as they make their way into the building. Kevin just shakes his head at them before driving off.

XXXXXX

Her whole body aches as she climbs out of bed the next morning. She's had her fair share of hangovers but the one she has right now – has her thinking that she knows what death feels like. To her surprise her memory is completely intact as she recalls all the events of last night.

A shower is first on her agenda – hoping the hot water can soothe all of her aches and pains – or at the very least some of them.

Once she's dried off and dressed for the day she walks out to the kitchen where she finds a fresh cup of coffee waiting for her on the counter.

"Ok let the interrogation commence." Erin grumbles as she plops down on the chair in the living room, feeling better now that she's showered and had some caffeine.

"Somebody got in late last night." Nadia says from her spot on the couch. Erin just nods, knowing that her friend hasn't even gotten started yet.

"So is it someone I know? Ooooh is he cute?" Nadia sits up a little more and leans forward.

"Yeah but cute wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe him." Erin all but mumbles against her mug before she takes a sip.

"What word would you use to describe him then?"

Hot. Charming. Sexy. Delicious. Erin thinks to herself before mumbling the first word that came to mind.

"Is it Jay?" Nadia practically squeals.

Erin rolls her eyes at that. "How is he your first guess?"

"Because you said it's someone I know and he's hot. He was the first guy who came to mind. So am I right?"

Erin nods as she bites her lip.

"Finally!" Nadia yells and jumps up on the chair she's sitting on.

"What do you mean finally?"

"Oh please you could cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife." Nadia retorts and it causes Erin to roll her eyes again.

"So tell me everything. How did you end up going out for drinks with Jay?" Nadia seems to get more antsy with each question.

"Well since both you and Mouse conveniently bailed on us on the same night." Erin gives her roommate a pointed look.

"Wait, wait what do you mean conveniently?"

"Oh please Nadia, I've seen the way you two are with each other and I heard the rustling in your room when I knocked on your door yesterday. So when Jay told me that Mouse spent the night with someone and wasn't answering his phone. We put two and two together."

Nadia doesn't deny anything and just smirks, her silence pushing Erin to continue. "Anyways we decided to work together for the night and split the profits. Once we closed up, he came to our truck and asked me out for a drink." Erin ends it there and takes another sip of coffee.

"Ok and?"

Erin just shrugs.

Nadia shakes her head and sets her coffee mug on the table. "No, no, no, you can't just end the story there."

"Why not?"

"Because best friends tell each other the whole story."

"Like you told me about you and Mouse?"

"There's nothing to our story. We're just friends who happen to sleep with each other every once in awhile. But you and Jay are different. There's been that spark between you since the day you met." Nadia says with so much conviction.

That last statement makes Erin's heart ache in a good way.

"Hello. Earth to Erin." Nadia waves her hand breaking Erin from her thoughts.

"So you guys went for drinks and then you came home?" Nadia has a feeling that's not what happened but she's excited to engage in some girl talk with best friend again – even if it is like pulling teeth to get the details.

"We went back to his place after bar close and I…" She sighs as the specific memory comes to mind. "I may have gotten into bed with him." She pulls her lip between her teeth again as more images from last night flash through her head.

"And what happened after you crawled into bed him?"

Erin tilts her head at Nadia and gives her a look that says 'you know what happened'.

The girly squeal Nadia lets out has Erin retreating back to her room.

XXXXXX

Jay and Erin spend a lot of time together in the weeks to follow. If they're not at the competition or working in their trucks, they're at one of their two apartments.

Some nights they just talk and others are spent between the sheets. But cooking, together, is definitely what's caused them to get as close as they have.

And tonight, as his arms flex around her while he admires her making their food – they both think that even though they just started this thing between them they feel they could easily spend the rest of their nights, just like this – with each other.

Like most nights, after their cooking session they end up in the bedroom before they even get a chance to eat.

He lets out a chuckle when they go back out to the kitchen to refuel and she wolfs down some mac n cheese bites she insisted on making – telling him that he had to try them.

The crunch of the golden breading compliments the noodles and creamy cheese on the inside. He doesn't know how many he eats before telling himself that he should stop, since his body's not exactly used to eating unhealthy food.

She pops a couple more bites into her mouth before she too pushes the plate away.

"I don't get how you do it." He tells her after looking from the almost empty plate and over to her. Her bare, muscular legs crossed and one hand resting on her abdomen as she takes a swig of beer.

"Do what?"

He gives her another once-over before his eyes meet hers. "Look so good and stay in shape, yet eat so bad."

"I don't eat that bad."

He just gives her a pointed look and raises an eyebrow at her.

"I don't. I mean yeah sometimes I splurge and eat unhealthy but for the most part I have a good, healthy diet just like you." She moves to straddle his lap, laying her hands flat on his chest before she begins to move them up and down, dipping lower and lower each time until she reaches the waistband of his sweatpants. "But it may seem like a lot as of late because you've been helping me burn off a lot of extra calories." She whispers into his ear, giving it a little nibble as she sinks down on him.

XXXXXX

Nadia somehow convinces the three of them to go out to dinner one night after the challenge day.

They aren't at the restaurant long before Erin excuses herself to go to the restroom. She gives herself a once-over in the mirror as she washes her hands and then exits the restroom. She stops dead in her tracks when she hears Mouse. His voice holds a panic within it.

"I can't keep doing this Jay." Mouse whispers and Erin feels her stomach churn.

"It'll just be until we win the competition and then we'll be done with them."

Erin's heart drops with Jay's words. Her sadness only lasts for a few more seconds before it's replaced with pure anger. She gets Nadia and tells her she'll explain later before they both leave – not being able to face either of the guys.

XXXXXX

She avoids him after that. Every message. Every call. Every attempt to talk to her gets ignored.

She considers dropping out of the competition – telling herself that if it means that much to them then they can have it. But then she tells herself that her and Nadia have worked too hard and come too far to just give up. No matter how hurt they are – they're determined to at least finish the competition.

He's confused. He thought things were going great and then something happened that night at the restaurant and he's been given the cold shoulder ever since. And he just wants to know why.

He thinks that there's a little hope for him after Mouse was able to talk to Nadia and finds out why they were being shut out.

She's just about to head home when she hears his voice behind her.

He can see her tense with his simple greeting and he has a feeling she's just going to keep walking but she doesn't. It takes a couple seconds for him to realize that he should talk while he has the chance. He takes a cautious step forward followed by another until he's close enough to gently grab her bicep and turn her to face him.

She doesn't meet his gaze, instead choosing to look at the sidewalk. She takes a shuttering breath as she anxiously waits for him to say what he needs to say.

"Nadia told us what happened that night – about what you heard." He feels her start to pull away. "Please just let me explain."

She sighs and relents with a nod of her head so he continues.

"What you heard was not what you think." He takes a deep breath – already feeling how much this is going take out of him. "I told you a little about what Mouse and I were like when we got back. The drugs, and the drinking and gambling. We were in a rough place and we ended up getting in deep with some bad people."

She slowly feels herself soften towards him with each word he says. "Jay, I-"

"No I want to tell you." He shakes his head. "Mouse had asked an old friend to loan him some money. I thought that he had paid him back but it turns out he still owes him. So when this guy saw us on the show, he got in contact with Mouse – telling him he wanted his money, now."

"So that's who you're talking about ." Then it all makes sense to her.

He nods his head and looks so ashamed. "While I do know how much of a threat you are to me in the competition. I would never, ever use someone like that – especially if that someone was you. Because I care about you Erin – more than I thought possible in such a short time."

She smiles sadly at that. "I'm sorry for overreacting. I shouldn't have-"

He interrupts her by attaching their lips in a sweet, tender kiss. They get so lost in each other that she doesn't even realize he's backed her up against the truck until they break for air. "What do you say we get out of here and I make it up to you?" He murmurs against her lips.

"I'd say my place or yours?" her voice comes out raspier than usual.

He smirks as they get into Fried Ride, leaving Mouse and Nadia to get Slàinte home.

XXXXXX

"This is a challenge we call Bread and Butter. You'll have two hours to prepare the three most popular items on your menus. The winners of today's challenge will not only win fifty thousand dollars and be named America's Top Food Truck but they will also get their own segment on the Food Channel." The host looks between Erin and Nadia and Jay and Mouse. "And your time starts now." He all but shouts causing both teams to rush back to their kitchens and start cooking.

The judges compliment both Erin and Jay after eating their food. There's another dramatic pause that neither of them are going to miss, as the three people sitting at the table nod at each other.

"Congratulations Erin and Nadia." It's as if she goes deaf after that – not hearing a single thing said to or around her for a few minutes. Nadia gives her best friend a hug before running over to Mouse and hugging him as well. That's when Erin's eyes meet Jay's. She thought he'd look disappointed or sad or maybe even mad but he gives her one of his signature grins and it has her making her way towards him.

"Congratulations." He says genuinely as he pecks her lips.

She whispers her thanks, still not quite believing they won. "I thought you'd be a little more disappointed than you seem."

"Nah, you deserved this way more than we did. Besides I got you, so I consider that a win in my book."

She hums approvingly as she leans in to give him a real kiss.

XXXXXX

They're all sitting in the living room, waiting for their episode to air. Both Nadia and Erin are anxious to see how the segment turned out. They're also excited to see their boyfriends reaction to the news they shared on the half hour special – since they showed the not yet seen improvements to The Fried Ride.

It seems to near the end so quickly and before they know it, they're unveiling their practically new truck.

After winning the competition, Erin and Nadia decided to give Mouse the money he needed to pay off his debt. And with the remaining money they wanted to fix up their old truck.

"So now that you guys have seen the changes we made, we wanted to ask you both something." Nadia announces once the show is over.

"Ok." Jay nods and pulls Erin into him more.

"We thought that maybe we could work together on a permanent basis and maybe travel outside of Chicago for a little bit." Erin states and both men look at each other – clearly confused.

"Meaning?" Mouse questions.

Nadia rolls her eyes at having spell it out for them. "I work with you and Erin and Jay travel and work together."

Mouse agrees almost instantly but Jay takes a little bit as if he still doesn't understand. Nadia takes Mouse's hand and pulls him out of the room to give their friends some privacy. Once they're gone Jay pulls Erin onto his lap.

Erin looks so disappointed. "It was just a thought and I knew that you may not have been serious out taking Slàinte across the country. So if you're not down to-"

He cuts her off with a kiss. "It is a nice thought and I'm so down to work with you babe." He tells her before reattaching their lips in another, deeper kiss. Her heart rate accelerates as his expression grows more serious.

She nervously shifts in his lap but his hands remain on the small of her back.

"I love you." His words cause her heart to pound even harder in her chest.

"I know it's soon but-" He gets cut off by her lips on his this time.

When their lungs are screaming for air, they pull apart and she rests her forehead against his. "I love you too and I'm so excited to travel the US, doing what we love together." She adds, both of them with elated smiles on their faces as Nadia and Mouse rejoin them with beers in each hand.

"Slàinte." Jay says as they all clink their bottles together in celebration of their lives and the adventures they're about to embark on.