Author's Note: I was going to wait till Friday to post this, but I couldn't wait. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I liked writing it. Also thanks so much to my couple of reviewers for the comments! It helps so much to see those words of encouragement!

Letty and Dom's first date

Chapter 11

Friday at noon Letty walked over to the Toretto house with her bag of stuff for the beach. When she arrived Dom was loading up a cooler in his trunk while Vince and Mia teased him from the porch steps.

"I wish we could come," her friend said, but shot her a wide grin when she saw Letty. "But you two kids have fun."

"Shut it, Mia," Dom told her. "I take your ass to the beach all the time."

"Yeah but Vince always comes too and he chases away all the cute boys," Mia complained.

Letty laughed, putting her bag in the back of Dom's car after she gave the vehicle a brief once-over. It looked like he had repaired whatever damage it had taken pulling that dumb trick at the races.

"Dent's all hammered out," he said, coming up alongside her. His arm brushed against hers and Letty lifted her head to glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she said, watching him until he moved away to go around to the driver's side. She slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.

"We won't wait up!" Vince called so she flipped him the bird out the window as Dom revved the engine and pulled out into the road.

She left the window down and Dom drove down to the coast road so she could smell the salt on the air and feel the wind in her hair.

"So, what got you into cars?" Dom asked, the first one to break the silence.

Letty looked over at him, then shrugged. "My dad I guess. Typical story."

"He help you build that Chevelle?"

"Some of it," she said, looking out the window. "But he died a few years back."

"Ah I'm sorry," he began but she waved off his apologies.

"Shit happens," she said. "Your dad got you into cars too, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, you know him," Dom said. "I don't think there's a bigger gearhead in LA."

"Not even you?" she asked, shooting a grin over at him.

"I dunno," he smiled. "Maybe."

"What was the first car you ever built with him?"

"The Charger," he said. "Started working on it with him before I could talk in full sentences."

"That's pretty cute," she told him as he turned off the highway towards the beach parking lots. "You learn your wrenches before your alphabet?"

He laughed. "Probably. Cars always came a lot more naturally than other subjects."

"I can relate," she agreed. "But maybe it's just partly cause engines are interesting and literature is dull."

Dom pulled into one of the lots, paid for parking and found a space along the edge where he didn't have to worry about someone dinging his ride with a lazily-opened door. They got out and Letty shouldered her bag as he grabbed the cooler and a large beach tote.

Together they walked across the lot and past the cement barriers along the sidewalk to the sand. On weekends the place would be packed, littered with bodies and towels and umbrellas. A Friday midday, even at the tail end of summer, was a bit better. Letty pointed out an empty space and they set out their towels. She knelt to dig out her sunscreen while Dom stripped off his t-shirt and she tried not to be too obvious about checking him out.

He slathered on his own SPF across his muscular chest and down his arms, legs, over his face.

"You want me to get your back?" she offered, tucking her tongue between her teeth and trying to look innocent.

He tossed the bottle to her and she took it, walking on her knees across the towel when he sat with his back to her. Letty squirted the lotion into her hands and laid them against his shoulders. His skin was warm already under the hot California sun. She smoothed her hands down his back, working the lotion in and noting that he was in good shape all the way around.

Once he was thoroughly protected from the sun's rays, she stood and smoothed her still-greasy hands over her legs. She balled up her tank and tossed it in her bag before shimmying out of the ripped black shorts she wore, leaving her in the red bikini she'd picked up in the DR. She pretended not to notice that Dom was staring as she rubbed sunscreen into her skin.

She turned her back to him, gathering her long hair over her shoulder as she passed him the sunscreen. She was hyper aware of him behind her, even on this wide public beach full of other people. She couldn't stop the faint shiver down her spine when he laid those big hands against her back. His palms skated over her shoulders and the back of her slim neck. His fingers traced the line of her spine and skirted the edge of her swimsuit bottoms. He swept them back up again, over the curve of her torso and the wings of her shoulder blades.

"I bet you give great massages," she murmured when his fingers curled over her shoulders and pressed down with just the right amount of pressure.

"Come over and I'll show you some time," he murmured against her ear.

Letty shivered again, then gently shoved him away, turning to face him. "You're trouble, Dominic Toretto."

"Don't tell me you're not."

She smiled at him.

"You've got that look in your eye," he laughed. "It says you're a devil."

"Just mostly," she said, winding her hair up on her head in a sloppy twist. "Race you to the water!" But she was already running before she'd finished the challenge.

"Hey!" Dom went after her, and caught up to her where the waves were breaking against the sand, catching her up in his arms and carting her out beyond the surf where he dumped her unceremoniously.

She retaliated with a splash of water and they battled back and forth until they were both soaked through and choking with laughter on saltwater.

They drifted for a while, Dom asking Letty about the DR and listening as she told him about the beaches and the races and her Abuela's cooking. They got hungry and waded back to shore to unpack the lunch that Mia had packed into the cooler, then swapped dream engine-specs over sandwiches.

Letty reapplied sunscreen while Dom went to go grab ice cream from the little place up the beach a ways. She paged through the latest issue of Hot Rod she'd tucked into her bag. She was absorbed in a story about the comeback of the American Muscle when she was startled by something cold hitting the back of her legs. She fairly yelped in surprise, then sat up, glaring up at Dom who was chuckling, two melting ice cream cones in his hands.

"Whoops," he said, passing her one.

She took it, trying not to be distracted as he licked some melted ice cream from his fingers.

"Hotter than I realized out here," he said, watching as her tongue chasing the melting ice cream to prevent it from becoming a worse mess.

He settled beside her and they both ate their treats in silence as they read the article together, then checked out the spread of pictures on the following pages.

Dom suggested a stroll along the water's edge and when they got a bit away from the largest of the crowds she let him kiss her while the ocean rushed up around their feet. It was even a little bit sweet and he still tasted vaguely like ice cream.

They looked for the perfect shell and Letty found a bright blue rounded piece of beach glass. They took their time strolling back to the blankets and sat talking until the sun started to slowly sink in the sky.

On the way home they stopped by a food truck set up in a parking lot and doling out loaded up Sonoran hot dogs. They ate them leaning against the side of Dom's car and he told her the story about how once Vince entered a hotdog eating contest. He had not won, but he'd still puked.

Dom took the scenic route back, down a winding single-lane old highway with little to no traffic. He opened up the throttle on the stretch of road and Letty gave out a whoop of delight, the wind whipping through her hair.

When they finally pulled up on their block Dom came to a stop in front of her place, putting the car into park. She looked over at him, not really wanting the day to end, even though by now the moon was shining bright overhead.

"Thanks for today," she said. "I had a good time."

"Me too," he said, and meant it. He reached over, cupped her cheek with one of his big hands.

She let him draw her into the kiss. This one wasn't nearly as sweet as the one they'd shared on the beach, a bit more charged. She wanted to chase after that spark but the part of her brain that still worked knew she wanted to wait a little longer.

Dom let her draw back and she drew her tongue over her lower lip where she could still feel the graze of his teeth. She reached for the handle of the door.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" He asked as she stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Letty leaned into the back of the car, grabbing her bag. "Sure," she said, shooting him a grin. "Was going to go see Mia anyway."

"I'll have to steal you away from her," he joked, then waved when she straightened up and closed the car door.

"Goodnight Letty," he said.

"Night Dom."

He waited at the curb until she got to the door and unlocked it. She waved once more before disappearing inside. On the other side of the door she stood a moment until she heard the rumble of his engine and the sound of the car getting further down the street. She didn't even stop to notice her mother wasn't at home, she fairly floated up the stairs.

She wasn't an expert but it seemed like that had been a very successful first date.