Author's Note: Letty really doesn't like skanks, Dom.

Chapter 19

"You know I really wish you would tell those girls to buzz off some times," Letty said as she slid into the passenger seat of Dom's car after the latest race.

"Why?" He asked. "I like when you do it."

"You're really going to start not liking it Dominic I'm serious," she said and he sobered, looking over at her.

"You know I'm just talking to them right?"

"I know that and you know that but they don't know that. No one else around knows that. There's plenty of rumors about you stepping out on me."

"Who cares what other people say, Letty?"

She sighed, blowing a breath out slowly to keep herself calm.

"Look, I get it. It's all part of your tough guy reputation. But I just would like it if you would… sometimes let me have a little respect too."

He glanced over at her. "You think you're not respected? All you have to say is two words and those girls back off. They know you'll beat their asses and they know I won't stop you." He reached over to squeeze her thigh as he pulled onto the highway. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Yeah…" she bit her lip.

"C'mon… let's ditch the after party," he said, blowing past the exit for home.

"Where are we going?" She asked, looking out the window.

"Gotta remind you that I'm yours just as much as you're my girl, don't I?"

"You're not taking us to get matching tattoos or some shit, are you?" She asked, dubious.

He laughed. "Nah. You'll see."

She didn't have a clue up until he pulled up at a stretch of beach where they'd come once before. It was technically a private beach and belonged to the guy who owned the condo just up the curve of the cove. Technically because it was a vacation house and he was rarely there. And also because if you walked down to where the water met the sand the rise of the dunes hid you from the view of the building.

"You wanted to go for a swim?" She asked, getting out of the car.

There was a nice breeze coming off the ocean, but the night was still warm. They walked out across the dunes and the wind tugged at Letty's hair. Dom took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. She swore she could feel his pulse against her palm, but maybe that was her own.

"Why did you bring me out here?", she asked when they came to a stop where the sand went from loose to packed. She gazed out across the water, watching the moon reflected on the waves. It felt peaceful. A lot different from how their lives could be.

"Just wanted somewhere we could actually be alone in all of LA," he told her, cupping her jaw as she turned to look at him.

"Not too many places where that's possible, " she murmured, leaning into his touch. His fingers threaded through her silky hair as he drew her close. She closed her eyes just before their lips met. Sometimes Dom would kiss her like this, like she was the most precious thing in the world. It was full of all the sweetness he had in him. That soft side of Dom that not many got to see. She leaned into it and into him as his arms came around her. The kiss changed then, deepened. His hands slid down to palm the curve of her ass and she laughed against his lips, drawing back.

"That your favorite part of me?" She teased and he grinned.

"One of them," he agreed, then drew her close again, dropping a kiss atop the crown of her head.

"I'm sorry about the rumors," he finally said, sighing. "I'll try and put a stop to them."

"What about the girls?"

"I can't control what other people do," he protested, then kept ahold of her when she tried to walk away. "C'mon Letty you know it's harmless."

"Put yourself in my shoes for a minute, Dominic," she said. "You would be fine if guys were hitting on me in front of you?"

"I'd break their fucking faces."

"See how mad you got just at the mere thought of it?" She laughed. "And you like to make me jealous."

"You're right, " he admitted. "I do like when you're jealous. I like knowing you feel as possessive about me as I am over you."

"And that's why you don't chase them off?" She frowned at him.

"I like when you chase them off." He rested his hands on her hips. "I like when you get that look on your face…"

She raised her brows. "A pissed off look?" She tried not to be amused. "There's something wrong with you Dominic Toretto. "

"If there is, it's your fault," he said smiling down at her. "Trust me when I say no one else has ever made me feel the way you do, Letty."

"And how's that?" She asked, her throat suddenly feeling tight.

"Everything," he said softly, leaning down to press his brow against hers. "Even saying I love you doesn't feel like enough."

She stared at him, then grinned. "Say it anyway," she said, pressing her face against his broad chest. "Say it again."

"I love you, Letty." He said and kissed her.

She kissed him back until she was out of breath. He tugged her down into the sand and the crashing surf and kissed her all over, as if he could leave his claim on every inch of her body.

He let her do the same, and they mapped every bit of one another's skin under the moonlight. She left her mark on him in the shape of her teeth against his throat, her name breathless on his lips, in the erratic beat of his heart beneath her palms.

They cooled off naked in the ocean, washing away the worst of the sand and Dom retrieved a towel from the back of his car. They took turns drying one another off and slowly dressing again in clothes that hadn't fully dried.

Letty leaned up to slip Dom's beloved cross necklace over his head and he caught her mouth with his before he straightened up. She was more than half-certain that girls would still buzz around him at the races but at the moment, she didn't really care. He loved her. And she believed him. Believed he'd never said those words to another girl. Most everything he had with her was a first, she knew. He hadn't really ever had a serious relationship before. She stroked her hands down over his chest, smoothing his now slightly-wrinkled shirt.

"I'm still going to chase all those girls away," she told him. "Even if I have to break a face or two."

He laughed. "Baby I wouldn't have it any other way."

She rolled her eyes at him. Something really must be wrong with his head for him to enjoy that so much. Maybe love really did make you stupid.

He reached for her hand and she tangled their fingers together as they walked back to the car. The night was waning and the sun would be rising soon. They climbed back into his car and he drove them home as the sky blurred from black to navy to brilliant orange and red. His hand came off the stick to squeeze her thigh lightly as he pulled up at her place.

"I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," she leaned over to kiss him. "After I shower the sand off and grab some sleep. You wore me out."

He gave her a grin that was just a little annoying and she rolled her eyes with a little smirk before slipping out of the car.

"Hey Letty," he said when she was almost at the front door. She turned to look at him. "I love you." He told her and she smiled at him.

"See you later, Dom," she said, and went inside.