I'd grabbed another bottle of Corona and headed straight to my room out of the way. I couldn't believe I'd kissed him. It was stupid, he wouldn't like me when he had Mia walking around looking the way she did. He froze and freaked must have only shouted me as he felt bad, but I didn't want sympathy or pitying looks from him. I woke early and changed into my work clothes before heading down. The guys were sprawled out all over so I picked my way through and headed to the garage.

"Yo Cori what is wrong with you? You look like someone blew your car up." Letty joked when she turned up. I just looked at her and she got it straight away. "Damn he blew you off?"

"I kissed him Letty, damn I fucking kissed him and he just sat there. Didn't say anything didn't do anything. I screwed up." I said throwing the rag I had on to the table. She came and hugged me something Letty didn't do often.

"He's an idiot, want me to break a leg or two?" I laughed Letty knew how to make me laugh.

I was under a car when I heard the flat bed pull up, Mia was going through figures with Dom and what else needed doing to the car I was fixing and Jesse was passing me tools and questioning if I was doing it right.

"Jesse if you don't shut up I'm gonna shove this wrench up your ass. Can't you do something with the diagnostics?" He grabbed my ankle and pulled me out as we saw Brian coming from the flat bed. "What's this ass clown doing?"

"What the hell is this?" Dom said.

"What do you got there?" Jesse asked eyeing the sheet that covered the car on the flat bed.

"This is your car." Brian said that smile on his face.

"My car?" Dom questioned as he pulled the sheet off revealing some smashed up car. "I said a 10-second car, not a 10-minute car." I looked round it the best I could.

"You could push this across the finish line." I said shaking my head.

"Or tow it." Jesse added.

"You couldn't even tow that across the finish line." Dom scoffed.

"No faith." Brian smiled.

"I have faith in you, but this isn't a junkyard." Dom replied.

"This is a garage." I added.

"Pop the hood." Brian said.

"Pop the hood?" Dom asked as if he couldn't believe he was bossing him around.

"Pop the hood." I stood up on the back and leaned in popping the hood.

"2JZ engine. No shit." I said slightly impressed.

"And what did I tell you?" Brian smiled wider.

"I retract my previous statement." Dom replied.

"You know what? This will decimate all after you put about $15,000 in it. Or more, if we have to overnight parts from Japan." Jesse said. I jumped down from the flat bed, they had another thing coming if they thought I would be working on it.

"We'll put it on my tab at Harry's." Dom said and Jesse's eyes lit up.

"Yes!" Jesse beamed.

"I gotta get you racing again so I can make some money off your ass. There's a show down in the desert called Race Wars. That's where you'll do it. When you're not working at Harry's, you're working here. If you can't find the right tool in this garage, Mr. Arizona...you don't belong near a car." Dom said turning his back on him and leaving.

"Hey Cori want to give me a hand getting this off?"

"Why don't you do it yourself Blondie."

"I just thought, you're a great mechanic that you could help," I cut him off.

"Everything in the red tool box is mine, touch it I'll break your arm." I turned and went back to my work.

"Ignore her, CeeCee well she's not very trusting of people these days."

"Bite me Jesse!" I shouted. I heard someone else walk in and then someone pulled me out from under the car. I looked up to see Vince.

"Hey Cori." I pulled myself back under.

"I'm busy."

"Just saying hey, what's with the scrap car?"

"Ask Blondie." I sighed, there was no point in being angry with him, he never asked me to kiss him. I slid back out. "He says its Dom's 10second car. Punk thinks I'm gonna help him."

"He say that?"

"He says I'm a great mechanic and he thought I could help. Well he thought wrong jackass." Vince smiled.

"Good to know someone else has the right opinions on this guy." Vince smiled. I smiled back and slid back under feeling awkward.

Dom asked me to head to the store and pick up some Tequila, it was Sunday and Sundays meant barbeque. It was a tradition Dom had got from his dad every Sunday we had barbeque and drinks, relaxing and having fun. I pulled back in before Leon, Vince and Letty had got back. Then I saw Brian.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping out Dom asked if I wanted to stay so I am." He replied that smile on his face, one of these days I was going to knock it off for him.

"Cori, just get along with him, try please." Mia asked.

"No I don't trust him for shit." I said slamming the bottle down.

"Cori the guys are all here, now let's just sit eat and drink." I glared at Brian walking towards the gate. I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave or not.

"I'm outta here." Vince snapped seeing Brian.

"Come on, dog." Leon said trying to grab his arm.

"Vince get over here and give us a hand." Dom shouted, Mia looked at me pleadingly, but I wasn't going to stay. So I walked round heading to my car as I heard Vince shout.

"Looks like you got all the help you need brother." He came round as I was ready to get in my car. "Cori where you going?"

"Anywhere Blondie ain't." He nodded.

"Come on we'll go for a drive." I hesitated, not sure I wanted to be in the car with Vince for however long. "Please Cori." I took a deep breath and nodded.

"OK, sure." I slid in beside him my hands on my lap. I had never felt so awkward with Vince. We drove through downtown quietly. I wanted him to bring up the kiss, but at the same time I didn't I was dreading it.

"Cori…that kiss." I groaned inwardly and looked out the window.

"What about it?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Cori" His voice was stern and commanding wanting me to look at him. "I know I upset you." State the obvious why don't you, but I knew he was trying to at least explain, so I held my tongue. "Cori look at me, I'm sorry." I didn't need him apologising I was the idiot.

"Sorry? Sorry? I kissed you! It's not as if you forced yourself on me! And," I'd turned getting angry only to have his lips crush into mine. My first reaction was to fight him off, but his arms wrapped round me holding me to him so I couldn't escape. But I didn't want to escape, I moulded myself to him. I pressed as much of me as I could to him and ended up in his lap the seat reclined so we were almost laying together. I broke the kiss first just so I could breathe and he smiled up at me brushing hair from my face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you wanted me, I'm sorry I didn't kiss you back." I stopped him by kissing him again and he laughed.

"I've wanted you from the night we met. It use to really piss me off when Mia would come by and you would just fall all over her."

"Way I saw it a pretty talented girl like you wouldn't want someone like me, I thought for a while there was something between you and Leon. But I guess I definitely know now,"

"It's you I want." I finished for him just as his hands grabbed my ass. I batted at his chest and kissed him again. "Brian has to go, but Dom isn't going to listen to us." Vince shook his head.

"I know, but we can't exactly kill the punk."

"No, but we can be there for when he fucks up so we can kick his ass to the curb." I smiled.

"So what we just roll on back to the fort?"

"We go back I haven't got anywhere else to go and your place ain't exactly habitable you spend almost as much time as Dom's as I do and I live there. But we bide our time and when he tries to screw us over or hurts Mia, we can be there to sort it, like the loyal and trustworthy family we are." He smiled at me.

"I like it, but don't expect me to be friends with that punk anytime soon."

"I wouldn't expect you to." We got back to the house just as they'd finished saying grace.

"Look who it is." Letty smiled.

"Old Coyotes 'R' Us." Leon laughed.

"I thought you weren't hungry, pumpkin." Letty added.

"You know, I gotta eat."

"He's always hungry." Leon said.

"CeeCee sit here." Jesse motioned to the empty seat beside him. I moved towards him and sat down.

"All right, sit down." Dom said and Vince kissed the top of his bald head.

"How you doing, Mia?" He asked I rolled my eyes, had we not just been making out like a couple of teens in his car?

"Here you go." Letty said passing me and Vince beers. The barbeque went ok, Vince and I said little other than to talk with Leon, Jesse and Letty. We went in to the house to watch a movie later, Mia was washing up and Brian presumably went to help her. I laid on one of the couch my legs draped over Vince's.

"Someone get some popcorn." Letty said from her spot on the floor.

"Popcorn sounds good to me." Vince said getting up heading to the kitchen. Letty started the film as we waited and the next I knew Vince was storming past throwing the bowl at Leon.

"There's no popcorn."

"Make your own goddamn popcorn!" Vince snapped. I sat up and Letty looked at me questioningly before I went after Vince.

"Vee!" I shouted and grabbed his arm. "Vince what's wrong?" He pulled from my grip and paced.

"That punk…" He growled and gestured with his hands. "He… I always wanted to take Mia to that little Cuban restaurant Cha Cha Cha, she asked me about it just now and then asked the Punk to take her there!"

"Vince I'm not seeing the problem, yeah she did it to get to you, but,"

"But nothing I'm gonna,"

"What Vincent? Hmm? Why should you care?" I snapped folding my arms. So much for me thinking we were a couple. I felt his hand on my waist.

"Cori," He pulled me round to face him resting his forehead on mine. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have got pissed like that. Screw the punk and if Mia wants to screw him that's up to her, I got you…right?" I smiled and tilted my head to kiss him.

"Yeah you do, even if you are a pain in the ass." I smirked.