Author's Note: Thanks to all of you that gave me a kick in the butt to finish this. As some of you have noticed, I write along a lot of different genres so it can take me a while to get my voice back into a story. Just one more chapter to go. I might even have a one-shot, new story to throw in the mix. Humongous thanks to my beta who takes time out of her busy schedule to set me right.

-Y-

Growing Up Fast

Chapter 6

Dom, Letty, Mia, Vince, Leon and Jesse got together the next day and hung out like a family. They didn't talk about the past. No one talked about the consequences of post-prison life or Letty's trip. Tomorrow had arrived and they spent it focused on the future.

Letty and Dom had both spent a restless night thinking about each other and the moment they had shared in her driveway. To the surprise of almost everyone, Dom had sent all the eager skanks packing in favor of a night alone. At her house, Letty had slept on the couch rather than her room upstairs. She couldn't bear to sleep next to now two empty bedrooms. They pondered the letters they had sent to each other and how close they had become in the last few years. They thought of the several times when they had both wanted something more even if for a few desperate moments. Dom considered the promises he had made to CJ and how long ago that seemed while Letty dwelled upon the role she had always played for the men in her life. Even though half a block apart, their musings went down a similar path wondering what was to become of the other -- and whether they were willing to pursue walking down that path together.

Now in the light of day, they silently confronted each other and were mostly relieved but also disappointed at the mutual understanding their locked gazes revealed. They were attracted to each other, probably more than either had ever been attracted to anyone else due to their shared past. But they weren't willing to risk their friendship over it. Letty wasn't interested in being one of Dom's "girls" nor was she convinced that he really saw her as more than CJ's littler sister that he had promised to protect. She had lost the two biggest links to her past and wasn't eager to get that close to anyone anytime soon. And Dom wasn't going to kid himself that he was ready to commit to somebody, even someone as seemingly compatible with him as Letty. She deserved to have a man in her life who was going to be good to her and who wouldn't hurt her. He had serious doubts whether he could be that man. So in the end, they had to come to comfortable terms with their attraction because they knew that it wasn't going anywhere.

So following Dom's homecoming, things were pretty much business as usual. He started getting back into the street racing scene and drumming up more customers for the garage, turning it into a full-fledged business and not just a side project like it had been for his father. It was slow-going and rough work, especially keeping up with the store as well. But creating a Toretto legacy was something that became important to him after having two years in prison to think about how he could make up for screwing up his life.

Dom also spent a lot of time with Mia because he had never realized before how much it meant to him that they were so close. They would go on little road trips to see family or just have a quiet dinner at home like normal people did. She had missed out on so much and in many ways had to grow up before her time. He wanted to give some of that time and normalcy back to her. At least to him, she appeared to be well-adjusted and happy. He had Letty and his crew to thank for a lot of that.

Letty got back into the swing of things too even though it took her a little longer than Dom and Mia would have liked. They were supportive and she was appreciative of their efforts in her tough girl kind of way. It would be a while before her life seemed real again. Living in that big house alone wasn't helping but it was something her father had left her along with a small amount of money. And there was part of CJ remaining in that house. Although it had never been a happy place, it still held those important memories that Letty found difficult to let go.

Leon and Jesse along with Letty were wizards in the garage just like before. With Vince spending more and more time with his band, they kept pretty busy keeping up with the work. It was crazy that they got along as well as they did with them spending so much of their time together working hard and playing even harder at the parties and street races. They became their own little team--Team Toretto.

And of course, Dom was all over the ladies. He had always been a ladies' man but it still surprised him at how willing a lot of bitches were to give it up to him just because of his reputation. He dated some of them for a few weeks but he wasn't trying to be tied down and they all knew it. He was young and having fun. He didn't need a girlfriend to be telling him what to do and nagging him to death. He just wanted the benefit of having someone keep him company in bed and occasionally to hang out with at parties. Sometimes girls tried to hang on, like the clingy act was really going to make him settle down. In fact, it just made him blow them off even quicker.

Needless to say, Dom had experienced more than his share of dramatic skank meltdowns. He had risked hooking up with that crazy Jenny Tran even though he was pretty sure that he was going to regret it. Hell, she was one of the hottest pieces of ass on the street and she was certainly eager to give it all up to him. But when it went sour, she had called her brother into it and started all kinds of shit that caused him trouble to this day. One girl tried to key his car which caused a major ejection from the street racing scene and another girl trashed his room before slapping him and hooking up with one of the other racers. Numerous bitches had tried spreading crazy rumors about him from claims that he had any number of social diseases to having performance problems or saying that he was gay.

But there was always a new ho to replace the old one and Dom continued to find girls to keep his bed warm on the regular.

Letty watched all of Dom's man-whoring with a disapproving eye and sometimes included a few choice words to go along with it. None of his girls ever liked Letty and the feeling was completely mutual. Letty liked to call Dom's girls out for the opportunistic skanks they were which usually didn't go over well. They always seemed threatened by her and it wasn't hard to see why sometimes with the way she and Dom acted around each other, bickering and bantering like an old married couple. And just like with CJ, at the end of the day he was pretty much always going to side with Letty so bitches that didn't at least tolerate her were gone sooner rather than later.

Letty tried to say that it was the price she paid for being the only girl on the team and that Vince, Jesse and Leon's girls did it too. Dom didn't buy it since Letty got along with a lot of the other guys' girlfriends but he let it go. He tried not to let on but he secretly hoped that there was more to her animosity than her sense of moral appropriateness. He occasionally flaunted his girls in front of her a little just to see what reaction he would get out of her although nine times out of then, it was usually more trouble that it was worth.

Dom wasn't much better anytime some dude came sniffing around Letty and he had the advantage of playing the whole "big brother" card. Thankfully, neither Mia or Letty were giving it away like the girls he hooked up with. Mia was too smart and Letty had too much self-respect to go giving it up to random guys who weren't going to treat them right. Letty in particular was just as likely to kick their asses if they tried to play her. But that sure didn't stop her from flirting like it was her job. And boy did that girl know how to drive a man wild. On the one hand, he hated to see it because it meant that Letty was slobbering all over some jerk who didn't deserve her. But on the other hand, he loved to watch her turning on the charm -- the way she swayed her hips and tossed her hair while giving some poor sucker the sexiest look he had ever seen on a woman. The clothes she usually wore to the races didn't help matters. She dressed pretty tomboyish at the garage like he was used to but when she went out, she could draw a guy's eye to every delicious part of her body from her smooth, sexy legs to that tight stomach that she liked to let peek out.

He tried not to think too much about his own reaction to her. Still, he couldn't help sometimes thinking about how good she looked while keeping from reaching out to grab her for himself.

What really confused the situation was that even when Dom was dating some random chick, he still liked to spend a lot of his time with Letty. They had never lost that connection of talking about bigger things with each other from the time when Dom was locked up. When they were hanging at the garage on a late night with or without the rest of the team, they would talk for hours about whatever was on their minds. It felt good and right, like he was home and she was the one person in the universe that saw things the way he did. Not even Mia and Dom had that type of relationship. Dom and Letty could navigate each others' moods and cut out all the bullshit of conversation, getting right to the parts that mattered. Hell, they could almost even finish each others' sentences, scary as that sometimes felt.

It was dangerous and they both felt that from time to time. Sometimes it seemed to Dom that acting on their attraction was the only logical thing to do. He'd look over at her and all he wanted to do was kiss her. He would stare at her lips while she talked about engine upgrades or the newest video game that she was determined to beat Jesse at. It wasn't anything she'd do on purpose. She wouldn't be flirting or anything. She was just being herself and open in a way that was special to their relationship. He had caught her staring at him too every now and then and he would pretend not to notice her checking him out. In those moments, they would hold back but they'd also be thinking, what if...

He couldn't kiss her; wouldn't kiss her. Because he wouldn't be able to stop with just a kiss and he suspected that she wouldn't either. Because kissing would lead to all kinds of complicated things that neither of them wanted to deal with.

There was major baggage associated with them getting involved. In addition to working together, they were family to each other and both of them were obviously close to Mia. If it ended up not working out, it would ruin a whole lot of relationships. Given how things looked right now with the group, it would be Letty that found herself on the out. And Dom would be damned if he caused her to lose any more people that she was close to and depended on, especially if it was because he was too much of fuck-up to give her what she needed. If that meant keeping his hands off her then so be it. Besides, he had plenty of bitches to distract him even when his thoughts so strongly turned to her. He'd always honor his promise to himself and to CJ.

So in those moments, he'd think about what was best for Letty and he'd smile and make some wisecrack that would send her into a fit, all the while thinking of cold showers and old ladies to calm his raging hormones. Meanwhile, she'd glance at him and pause as if sensing his desires, throwing him the slightest smile as if she understood the truth of his actions. It was their routine.

He could afford to leave Letty alone. Un-touched. Un-hurt. Safe.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What the fuck are you talking about, man? That is such bullshit and you know it!"

Dom turned his head to see Letty's eyes ablaze with indignation and disbelief. There was no mistaking that he had royally pissed her off -- and he couldn't have been more pleased with himself.

They were both hanging out in the garage, sipping on a beer and tinkering with his car. Well, he was sipping on a beer. Because of her dad, Letty wasn't much of a drinker. But it wasn't engines or paint jobs they were fighting about -- they were always of one mind when it came to cars. It was the same, timeless kind of debate that showed the great divide between the sexes.

"Letty, I don't make the rules, okay. I'm just telling you how it plays out in the real world."

Her disgusted scoff only further amused him. "The real world? So you're saying that when a dude waves his dick around all over the streets then he's a stud that people should look up to. But when a woman sleeps around, she's automatically a slut that you'd be embarrassed to be associated with, except, of course, for when you're screwing her yourself. Right, that's the real world." She rolled her eyes and returned to her work. "So is that why you broke up with Little Miss Wannabe Stripper last week?" making no effort to hide her disdain.

Letty hating on his girls was nothing new but he wasn't too happy about how personally she was taking their conversation. "What exactly are you so pissed about? Are you itching to get out in the streets and fuck everything in sight?" The thought was equally disgusting and infuriating to him. Letty wasn't that kind of girl but the thought of her being with just one other guy made him crazy.

"That's not the issue. That's some sexist shit you've got going on in your head. A ho is a ho no matter what they're packing in their pants."

His thoughts quickly turned to what she was packing in her pants as he watched her leaning over his engine. Her leather slacks, stretched obscenely tight down her legs, were begging him for a grope. How she could wear leather in the heat of the garage was a mystery to him but he wasn't going to complain. Her tight, midriff-baring tank top had ridden up as she bent over and he could see the sweat beading against the exposed skin along her back. She tossed her hair in a huff revealing her long neck and soft cheek, blushed red with annoyance. Of course, she wasn't intentionally trying to get him worked up with her choice of dress -- she saved that for the races. But he couldn't help becoming a little heated over her steamy body slaving in the shop everyday. And as she tinkered with his engine, he thought there was nothing hotter on the planet than watching a woman like Letty working on his car.

But he needed to get himself away from that line of thought. Dom really did understand where she was coming from in their argument and although he had his caveman tendencies, he thought he'd give her a break. "Look, I'm not saying that I personally believe in those things but it's just what I see happening out there. Isn't it better to understand what you're facing?"

"So you don't really believe it but you'll just go along with it?" She popped her head up from inspecting her handiwork on his engine and then less than gently lowered the hood back into place. Dom winced in pain for his baby but didn't say a word. He was already in the doghouse and more importantly, he understood that she would never do anything to hurt his prize.

"Dom, it's hard enough being a woman on this team and in the streets without that bullshit always being thrown in my face, especially from you who should know better. I mean damn, you've got a younger sister. How do you feel about dudes with that same dumb-ass attitude being around her in the neighborhood?" She leaned against his car staring at him pointedly, waiting for some kind of profound answer from him.

"You know how I feel about Mia being around those knuckleheads."

"Well, wouldn't you prefer it if guys weren't such assholes?"

"Sure. But it's never going to happen no matter what I say or do," he replied with a shrug. He moved to stand next to her, leaning against his car as well.

"You're hopeless," she said with a smirk. "Hopeless and spineless." He nudged her in jest earning himself a retaliatory ribbing in return.

"Why are you all worked up about this anyway? It's not like you didn't know that's how guys thought before we all decided to crack on Leon's new trick." Her glare towards him was lethal. "Uh, I mean, his new girl, uh, lady-friend." She still didn't look pleased. "Hell, Letty, what do you want me to say?" He was getting a little annoyed with her impatience. He didn't think anything was going to please her.

She gave him that pissed off, tough girl look but relented and backed off. He caught a glimpse of seriousness flash in her expression before she turned her head. They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments, Letty lost in her thoughts and Dom always waiting for her to share them with him.

"Dom, you know, I've loved growing up here and hanging with you guys, even though you piss me off on the regular. But sometimes it's just hard going out there and always having to prove myself and deal with the bullshit of guys who don't want to take me seriously because I'm a girl. And I also get tired of people who completely ignore that I have boobs and a vagina."

"Well, when you put it like that --," he said dryly. In fact, it was something that he himself had a completely difficult time overlooking.

"Shut up," she said with a chuckle. "Anyway," she shouted dramatically. "Why can't people just be people. It's fucked up that guys can go out and do what they want and us girls are seen as these whores or not taken seriously. How am I supposed to find a man in that scene or even just cool people that I can hang with?"

"Are you tired of us and looking for some new friends?" His smartass grin gave away his pathetic attempt at offense.

She rolled her eyes at him again. "I'm being serious, asshole. Do you want Mia bringing home one of those losers from the races?"

"Hey, the boys know that Mia's off limits. And if they forget, then I remind them in a way that hurts like hell. She needs to bring home one of those college boys. You know, a guy with glasses and a job; maybe a stack of books, listening to classical music and drinking wine."

Letty cracked up at his description and Dom drowned himself in the sound of her laughter. "Good luck with that, Dom." There was no way a sassy girl like Mia would bring home a dude like that after growing up around all the action in the neighborhood.

"The point is," Dom clarified, "Mia doesn't have to worry about that shit because she deserves better than all that and is going to rise above. You know, she's meant for better things than the street scene and a better life than hustling from month to month. She's going to make something of herself and make us all proud."

Letty nodded, agreeing that Mia was going to be the one to make it in a big way. And they all wanted to do for her to make that happen. But as Letty let his words sink in, Dom noticed a sadness creep into her eyes.

"And that's my point. Where does that leave me, Dom?" she asked looking directly at him. "I'm not anybody's skank but I'm not exactly a classy lady you want to bring home to your mom."

She was right. When he thought of her, she was in a category all her own. There weren't many girls out there like Letty. He hadn't thought about how difficult that could be for her to love a scene that wasn't ready to appreciate her for who she was.

"Maybe sometimes I see myself being something more than the tomboy on the team. You know, maybe I want to find someone that likes what I like, that I can kick it with and not have to deal with his male ego bullshit."

"You ever think that maybe you're better than all this too?"

"Yeah right," she scoffed.

"I know CJ did," he added quietly. CJ had often talked about how he wanted so much for his little sister. But most of all he had wanted her to be safe and happy away from all the craziness of the streets they had grown up with. It's why Dom had given Letty such a hard time when she had decided not to go to college after graduation. In thinking about Mia, he was now considering that he should have pushed harder, maybe even suggest that she go that route now that he was back and looking after things in the garage. He spent so much energy enjoying the fact that she was in his life everyday that he had lost sight of what was best for her.

"Is that what you want?" he asked semi-seriously. "You looking for Mr. Right so you can have 10 kids and live in a big house with a pool and a couple of dogs?" She looked at him skeptically, horrified that he'd utter something so awful. "I'm sure you're just itching to take up knitting and play tennis on the weekends with your country club friends." Letty's smirk was sharp but she did look marginally amused by his ribbing. He was only half joking though. Letty did deserve some stability which is what CJ had hoped for her. Maybe she wouldn't be living like the Huxtables but he didn't want her constantly worrying about bills and bullshit from the streets. He didn't know when but at some point CJ's dreams for her had become his own. He was only confused about where he saw himself fitting into those dreams.

They were silent again for a moment before Letty glanced over at him and absently hit him on the arm. "What is this, Oprah?" she added nervously. "You don't have to get all big brother on me, Dom." There were never any clues on how she would react to a mention of CJ and bringing him up had clearly unnerved her. "It doesn't matter. It's not even a big deal." She straightened herself and was about to move away when Dom grabbed her arm.

"Hey, this is a big deal. You being happy matters to me." She turned to look up at him and saw the sincerity in his words and that something else that was always between them. Neither could turn their eyes away. Dom's hand still rested on her arm in a light caress, unwilling to break contact. There was no one around to distract them from each other this time.

Letty could only feel her attraction dampened by the knowledge that no matter how much they cared about each other, essentially, Dom would never see her as more than a way to honor CJ's biggest responsibility. God help her, she loved him and one day, probably sooner rather than later, she was going to have to let go of her childish dreams that they could be together. She was going to have to let go of him. The idea brought forth a kind of misery that she was having trouble hiding.

Dom could sense her distress, although he wasn't completely grasping the root of it. All the implications of what she had said spun around in his mind. Her pessimism and loneliness struck him like a ton of bricks. He had only ever wanted to see her happy and he realized that he was failing her.

He absently loosened his grip on her and ran his fingers down her arm to grasp her hand in his. At that moment he had a vision of what it would mean for Letty to find a new world away from the team. How would he deal with some other man taking responsibility for her happiness? Would he be able to watch her fall in love, get married, move away from him and everything they were to each other? He was overwhelmed with a tightness in his stomach about it. He thought of everything that they had both been through in the past few years and how they had been there for each other. He thought about the connection they had developed. He thought of their attraction and the respect they had for their friendship that kept them from acting on it.

With all of this running through his mind, it became so clear to him. He would keep his promise to CJ -- he would take care of Letty and he wouldn't break her heart. He would never, ever break her heart.

And then he did the only thing he could, the only conclusion to a long, difficult journey that led them to this pivotal point. He pulled gently on her arm to get her attention and when she turned her trusting eyes back to look into his face, he leaned down to capture her lips with his.

All of the images in his head, all of the fantasies and longings couldn't compare to the taste and feel of her mouth against his. His first taste of her was slow and sensual. His free hand moved to cup her face in his palm to hold her to him as he languidly moved his lips over hers. One taste turned into three and then turned into a string of kisses that deepened with each passing second. When she placed her hand against his chest and turned to face him more directly, her contact with his body ignited his desire for her in a way that he should have predicted but for which he was completely unprepared. He moaned in triumph at the way she immediately opened to him and they devoured each other hungrily. He took in her shock as well as her almost instantaneous acceptance and response to him. Nothing had ever felt more passionate or right for either of them and the emotions of finally giving in to each other were all consuming.

Their close calls before had been charged with sexual tension and longing, both aware of each other in the most intense of ways. They would touch and feel together before finally holding back because the timing had never been right. But tonight, there was no buildup, just an instant decision on Dom's part to finally do right by her and his own emotions. As egotistical as it sounded, he knew that only he could make her happy in the way that she needed and he wanted to start right then. The way she responded to him and the pureness of their embrace showed him that he had made the right decision.

Dom said he would never kiss her because he wouldn't be able to stop and there was nothing but truth in that. She deserved everything and he wanted to be the one to give it to her.

After a few moments of abandonment, they pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. They rested their foreheads together giving them time to take in what they had done. Dom placed soft kisses against her lips which she enthusiastically accepted.

"Damn, I've wanted to do that since you were 16," Dom whispered breathlessly. She nodded her head in agreement, still unable to put voice to her raging thoughts and emotions. He raised her face to meet his gaze and lovingly stroked the smooth skin of her cheek. "Baby, to me you are something so much more than you think. I know I'm not perfect but let me show you that I can make you happy." He needed her to understand where he was coming from and he searched her expression for any sign that she was ready to accept what they both knew they wanted.

Letty looked back at him with so much love in her eyes but there was also an equal amount of fear and vulnerability. She tried to gather her thoughts and get control of herself which was hard to do when he was touching her and looking at her like that. "You know how I feel about you, how I've always felt about you." In Dom's touch, she felt everything she had hoped for from him and it scared the hell out of her. "Dom, I'm not one of those girls that you can play around with. If we do this, we can't go back. I can't." She pleaded with him to understand her fear. She wanted him so much, as much as he apparently wanted her. But she wouldn't be an accomplice to his overactive hormones or some trophy he could parade around at the races.

Dom did understand her fear and felt it a little himself. He risked fucking up a relationship that meant the world to him, and dishonoring the best friend he ever had in the process. He risked losing himself in her which was a frightening thought for someone who had never had a girlfriend for more than a few months. But to him, it was a bigger risk not to try and grab for the one thing in the world that he knew would satisfy them both.

He pulled her against him and held her. When he kissed the top of her head, he couldn't help but smile as he felt her arms go around him, holding him just as tightly. "Letty --," he murmured in her ear. He felt her tense in his embrace, preparing herself for the rejection she assumed would follow. He pulled back and begged her to look at him. "This isn't about trying to play you or get into your pants. You know me better than that." Rubbing her back, he hoped to sooth her tension and convince her that they had to take a chance on each other. "You say you want to find someone that understands you? Letty, that's me. You can feel it just like I can." He refused to tear himself from her eyes that shined intensely with emotion. "I think it's time that we stay strong together. I want this. I want you."

There weren't words to describe what he saw and felt from her in those moments. He simply recognized it as love and hoped she could see it returned by the way he held her. In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

Unable and unwilling to stop the impulse, he leaned down and gave her another passionate kiss that she returned in kind. Realizations discovered and accepted, they couldn't get enough of each other. She sighed into his mouth and leaned into him, feeling nothing but heat as he took hold of her and gently pushed her back on top of his car.

He would never forget the image of her lying there with her hair spilling across the hood, dark brown waves slithering against red. He felt the rapid beat of her pulse against his lips and the hurried rise and fall of her chest pressed to his. His kisses trailed along her neck to her breasts as he enjoyed the softness and salty sweat of her skin. As his arms moved to hold her hands above her head, his lips then instinctively sought out hers again while he explored the body he had been aching to touch for so long.

She pressed against him aggressively and he responded by playfully teasing her. He nibbled her lower lip and then softly traced it with his tongue causing her to moan with longing and pleasure. Just the sound of her was enough to energize him and when she wrapped her leg around his back to pull him closer, he feared they had reached that point of no return. Although not the most comfortable of positions, they remained intertwined with each other, tasting and feeling as much flesh as they could get reach. As far as Dom was concerned, there was nothing else he could do but take her right there on top of his ride.

But in the interests of comfort, Dom released Letty and in one swift movement, picked her up with her legs still straddling his middle. Happy to be grabbing her delicious ass, he carried her over to the couch and sat down before laying against her chest while she cradled him in her arms. He raised his head and took the time to see how desire had transformed her already beautiful features. She was flush with wantonness and he felt her hips grinding into him in a clear invitation. But it was her eyes that had him mesmerized. They were so bright yet so hungry simply because they were gazing at him. Surely ripping his clothes off and having her way with him was exactly what she was planning in that mischievous mind of hers.

"It looks like somebody's all grown up," he said.

"That's more than I can say for you most of the time." She giggled into his mouth as she brushed her lips against his.

"I can show you what a big boy I am," he whispered into her ear, pushing her hips against his on the couch.

She returned the caress against his ear, kissing and nibbling along his neck and cheek. "Promises, promises. You do like to talk a big game."

"Oh, I don't need to talk, baby, and you know this." He gave her body an extra squeeze and raised a challenging eyebrow like the smartass that he was.

Then unexpectedly, she lifted her hand and stroked his smooth head in the most provocative caress he could ever remember feeling. Her touch was loving yet possessive, passionate yet tender. She stared down at him almost in reverence of what they were feeling together. But her body's response to him was pure fire. No matter what happened from that point on, he belonged to her completely.

Letty's sensual touch also gave him time to come back to his senses a bit. He placed his hands on her hips to stop her movement and said a prayer or two that he would have the strength to stand up for them -- because he wanted this, the whole thing and he wasn't going to let it get messed up before they even got started.

"Baby?" he said breathlessly.

"Hmmmm." She didn't even need to use words and he was melting against her in lust. Her fingers had remained against the skin of his bald head and she was tracing circles at the nape of his neck.

How was he ever going to get through the next few moments? She was sitting there staring at him and licking those luscious lips of hers. Those lips that he had just thoroughly tasted seemed to be calling to him and begging him for another helping. He had to get rid of this most tempting distraction.

He pulled her body to his, which wasn't the best thing to cool his jets but was better than looking at her face so filled with a sexy innocence that made him tingle all over. He placed a string of kisses along her neck while stilling her body's movements with his hands against her hip and back.

"Dom, if you're trying to be the noble gentleman here, I think you're doing a pretty shitty job." The tickle of his breathy chuckle against her ear caused her to jerk in his hands and grind in his lap once more.

"Actually, nobility is the farthest thing from my mind right now." He took her ear lobe between his teeth and begin to suck as if to prove his point. Her whimper of approval had Dom grinning and Letty returned the smile she could feel pressed against her cheek. He pulled back slightly looking her square in the face and gave her the sexiest smirk, one tinged with playfulness and restraint but with an overwhelming need as well. "I think we both know how much you're turning me on right now." He peppered his words with soft nudges of his nose against hers, his lips always dangerously close to consuming hers again.

Letty gently brought her hands to his shoulders and pushed into his groin meaningfully. The hardness that greeted her left no debate to his claim. "I noticed something was up," she joked in response.

But despite her attempts to provoke him, he pulled back even more and his resigned stare was met with her pout. Her lusty eyes held disappointment at what she figured was the end of their little make-out session. They had been waiting so long for this. She was burning up for him and he was putting the breaks on before things had even gotten good.

"Hey," he whispered bringing her attention back to him. He slid his hand from her back and lifted her chin to face him. "It's not like that. When I take you -- and I am definitely going to take you --." He punctuated his point with a meaningful squeeze to her hip. "I want it to be perfect. I'm not gonna just bone you on the dirty couch in the garage." She kept her eyes fixed on his steady gaze, letting his words sink in.

He was then rewarded with a bright smile and wished he could bottle the look of satisfaction on her face at hearing his declaration.

"Well, boning on the dirty couch in the garage would be kind of appropriate for us don't you think?"

He laughed into her neck as he pulled her to him once more. "Maybe, but I'm still not going to do it no matter how much you're killing me right now."

"I'm killing you? That's funny because from here, it looks like you're playing the tease. And for the record, I don't need perfect Dom. You know I'm not the flowers and candlelight kind of girl. More like car parts and race tracks." She kissed him softly on his forehead and he returned her smile with an adorable grin of his own. "But when we get to the whole 'taking' part, I will need you to rock my world. I'm talking all night, sex machine, monkey-love fest where you satisfy my every sexual desire."

He gave her a cocky look as if offended that he would do anything less. "No doubt, baby. When I make love to you, you'll be screaming and begging for me all night." Looking flustered at the thought, Letty leaned in for a steamy kiss that sealed their promise of a mutually pleasurable joining. Dom pulled back and ran his fingers through her silky hair.

"Screaming and begging?" she responded.

"Screaming and begging and praying. I guarantee it," he replied. "But don't I need to at least take you out on a date before I start shooting for a home run?"

Letty howled in laughter at the suggestion. "Dominic Toretto on a date? What a concept. What are people gonna say? What about your reputation?"

"Fuck my reputation," he said hotly grabbing her to him.

"I thought that was the standard?" She giggled beautifully which turned him on to no end. But her smart remark earned her a smack on the ass before he let her go again.

"Ooooh, hot!" she replied. She gave him a brief peck before reluctantly climbing off of his lap and pulling him up after her.

He dropped a kiss to her neck. "You are such a bad girl."

Letty shrugged unapologetically and moved to grab her car keys. "It's been a long day and we need to get out of here. If you want a ride, this train is leaving. Let's go loverboy." He gladly followed her outside, locking up on the way.

As they approached her car, she stopped and abruptly turned to him as if she had just remembered something important. "And another thing," she added. "When we're out, don't expect me to sit shotgun in your car or some shit like those other bitches."

Dom gave her a knowing chuckle of understanding. "I've got more sense than to even suggest it."

"Yeah, you better." She grinned over at him, both amused at the irony of him riding shotgun in her car at the moment. It was going to be an interesting ride between the two.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They kept things quiet between them for a whopping 3 and a half weeks before Dom's hormones and a few beers gave them away at one of their post-race parties. He was more than a little pleased with himself for not rushing into sex with her and taking things slow like a real relationship. He honestly believed that 3 sex-less weeks of courting Letty hadn't gotten to him but as exciting as sneaking around was, it appeared that Letty bending over in a short, tight leather skirt was enough to break him down. The next thing he knew, he was grabbing for her and they were making out like teenagers. It was a bit of a shock to some but to those that cared to look, there was something practiced and casual about their caresses and sultry embrace. Besides, if Dom's recent celibacy wasn't a red flag, Letty's constant good mood was enough to raise suspicion.

Also, upon seeing the two tough racers eating each other alive in the middle of a party, the racer skanks spat out collective expletives knowing that Dom was going to be off the market for a long time.

And that's how they became Dom and Letty. Two parts of a whole that came into their own together.

TBC