Many thanks to my two fabulous reviewers: xsparklesthemagicalunicornx (haha love the name change! :] ) and Violet201! You guys are make me smile with your positive feedback! :D I hope more than two people are reading this though!

This is one of my favorite chapters...so please let me know if you like it! Just a warning, I really suck at writing Dotty. I hope I did a decent enough job! :\

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 24: Mine

By: LoveInk

"What gives you the right to disrespect me, when you would never allow someone to disrespect them?"

Her words ran through Dom's head over and over again. When had he sunk so low as to treat a woman like that? His father had taught him better, but there was just something about that woman in particular that made him act like that. He was ashamed of it, but he couldn't help it either. He ran his hands over his head as he tried to banish the frightened look in the girl's eyes from his head.

After a moment he felt a warm hand rub up and down his back. He lifted his head to find dark brown eyes looking back at him. "What's going through that big bald head of yours?" Letty asked, her brow creased in concern.

"Am I an asshole?"

"Sometimes," she answered, smiling softly to take the sting out of her words. "Why?"

"I called her a bitch, Letty," he admitted, hanging his head back down. At her questioning look, he explained. "After going for a ride with Spilner, I came back to the garage and Alex was there with Leon. I was…a little disrespectful. I just…there's something about her that I don't like!"

Letty sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "The reason you don't like her is the same reason Vince doesn't like Brian."

"Why's that?"

"They're both changing your friendship," she replied confidently. "You and Vince are slowly drifting apart and you're both putting the blame for it on other people. But it's not her fault and it's not Brian's fault. It's your fault and his fault."

He nodded, rubbing a hand over his head once again before reaching an arm out to wrap around her waist. Her words made sense. Lately, he and Vince hadn't done much talking. The only interactions they had were Dom's wishing him good luck before a heist and Vince getting angry at him for the way he treated Alex and for bringing Brian around. He couldn't recall the last time they'd really talked like they had in the old days. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple before sighing. "How do you see through all the bullshit, Let?"

"Because I know you both way too well," she said, grabbing his hand and entwining their fingers. "You're not a bad guy, Dominic. You just screw up sometimes."

Dom chuckled, reaching his hand over to caress her cheek. "Thanks, Let."

"Mmm," she said leaning into his caress. "I'm surprised Vince didn't lay into you. From what I heard from Leon, you were a little harsh."

He let out a long breath and nodded slowly. "He wanted to," he admitted quietly. "He had that look on his face, you know?"

Letty nodded. She'd known both boys practically her whole life and had seen both of them fight numerous times. They both had a signature look on their face when they were about to beat the crap out of someone. She'd learned what signs to look for so she could intervene before damage was done. "Wonder what stopped him."

"She did," he murmured.

"She got between you two?"

"No. Instead of hitting me, he walked out to see if she was okay," he explained. A small smile crossed Letty's face lighting up her chocolate eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Sounds like our Coyote is in love," Letty sang, giggling when Dom rolled his eyes and lay back down on the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Don't say me that shit. You're making me feel even worse," he groaned. She chuckled, crawling up on the bed and sliding a leg over his stomach so she was straddling him. He sat up on his elbows and studied her tan face, his callused fingers gently tracing over her cheek. "Do you think she's going to screw us over?"

Letty chuckled and shook her head. "No," she admitted. "She wouldn't do that to Vince. She really loves him, Dom."

"I hope you're right," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her lips.

She pulled away and studied his face. "Are you going to play nice tomorrow at Race Wars?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Not making any promises," he said honestly, smirking when Letty rolled her eyes in response. His hands settled on her hips. "I might be civil if you can persuade me."

Letty laughed as she slipped her hands under his shirt, letting them trail over the hard muscles she found there. "Oh I'll persuade you," she whispered, catching his lips in a sensual kiss as she pushed him down onto the bed.

Alex studied Vince as he drove back to her house from the beach. They decided on an impulse to get some take-out Chinese and have a late night picnic on the beach. She'd convinced him to go skinny dipping and now he remained shirtless as he drove. She had to admit she loved the view. His tan skin seemed to glow in the light coming from the dash, showing off his beautiful tattoos. Bending over the center console, she pressed a kiss to the head of the dragon on his arm, grinning up at him when his blue eyes fell on her. "You keep doing that and I'm gonna crash this car."

She giggled and settled back into her seat, slouching down before kicking her bare feet up onto the dash. "What's the dragon for, V?"

"Someone told me dragons were good luck and at the time, I needed all the luck I could get," he explained on a shrug. "What about you? What's the flying music note for?"

"I was fifteen and dumb. I thought it looked cool," she said, her fingers absentmindedly trailing over the beautiful artwork on his arm. "Ronnie convinced me to get it. He was getting his big back piece and it wasn't fair if he got one and I didn't. Asshole."

Vince chuckled, shaking his head at her. "You don't like it?"

"I do, it's just not the most attractive thing ever. It's not a cute butterfly."

He looked her over. She was just wearing a simple black bikini. She hadn't bothered putting shorts on or a top since she figured she'd just change at home. Her bikini bottoms sat low on her hip revealing the tiny music note with wings. "I think it's sexy as hell."

She smiled up at him in response. Her eyes glanced out the window, watching as her exit flew by. "Where are we going?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

He shrugged a shoulder. "You'll see." He grinned as her bottom lip stuck out in a pout; he knew she hated surprises. "You excited for Race Wars?"

"Oh yeah, super excited," she replied sarcastically. "Apparently I'm going to get made fun of all day."

"Well, if you don't know what a car battery looks like, you deserve it," he teased, chuckling when she punched his arm.

"I know what it looks like!" she exclaimed with a smile. "I was just messing with him!"

Vince laughed. "Uh-huh sure."

"That's it. I want out," she said, sitting up and reaching for the door handle jokingly.

He rolled his eyes at her. "You're going to open the door in the middle of an unknown street and jump out?"

"Yes," she said decidedly. Vince pressed the automatic door lock on his side; he knew she was bluffing, but it didn't hurt to lock the door just in case. He turned into the empty parking lot. Watching, as she studied her surroundings. "Isn't this the Dodger's stadium?" she asked, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

He chuckled as he nodded. Despite her random choice of favorite basketball teams, he knew she was loyal to only one baseball team. "Forget about the team. Yankees are best anyway."

"That's it. End of relationship," she said, though there was a laugh in her voice that clearly showed she didn't mean it. "The Giants are, hands down, the best."

"Whatever you say, Tiny," Vince replied, rolling his eyes at her. They'd already had a few fights about baseball teams and he did not want to relive them; they never ended in his favor. "Do you want to know why we're here or not?"

Alex sat up as she nodded. "Yes, I would love to know why we are here."

"Remember how you asked me what it felt like to race?"

"Yeah," she said, dragging out the word suspiciously. She's asked him just hours before when they were discussing the races. "You said it was indescribable. Like trying to explain what water tastes like."

He grinned as he nodded. "Right. So are you ready to see for yourself?"

She sat up, her bright green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Really? You're going to do it right now?"

Vince nodded again, happy to see her so excited. "I need some practice before tomorrow."

Alex clapped her hands. "Are you going to go now?"

"Count me down," he said, one hand on the wheel while the other tightly gripped the gear shift.

"Three," she said, grinning as he revved his engine. "Two. ONE!" she shouted, holding on for dear life as he pushed the accelerator. She was thrown back in her seat by the speed. It was truly an exhilarating feeling. It was over just as quickly as it began leaving her breathless.

Vince chuckled at the look on her face. "You like it, Tiny?" he asked, running a shaking hand through his hair; the adrenaline racing through his veins making his heart thunder against his chest.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," she breathed, trying to catch her breath. "Again?"

"All right," he said, moving his seat back. "C'mere."

Alex raised an eyebrow wondering what he meant. "On your lap?"

"Yeah. Nothin' like being in the driver's seat," he said patting his thigh. She grinned as she scrambled over the center console and onto his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.

She placed her bare feet over his booted ones, turning her head to look at him over her shoulder. "None of that when I'm driving," she said, her heart doing flip flops as he gave her a naughty smile.

He grabbed one of her hands and led it over to the stick shift. "Ready?"

Alex nodded her head. His breath was hot on her neck as he counted down. With a jolt, they were off and speeding through the parking lot. She used all her concentration to keep the wheel straight while Vince worked the stick.

As the car slowed down to a stop, she felt his beard gently graze her skin as he mouthed the skin of her shoulder before traveling up her neck. Reaching a hand blindly down the side of the seat, she managed to press the right lever to make it recline. As Vince fell backward, she gracefully turned so she was straddling him, her knees on either side of his waist. Leaning forward, she buried her hands into his hair before attacking his lips with a hot, hurried kiss. His hands slid down her back before long fingers curled around the curves of her hips, gently edging down her bikini bottoms.

When they were done, they stayed in the car, both of them breathing hard. Alex was still on top of him, her chest pressed against his, face nuzzled into his neck. "So I'm guessing you liked it," he murmured, his lips against her forehead. The tips of his fingers softly trailed up and down the smooth expanse of her back before he caught the ties of her top in his hands and easily tied it back on.

"Definitely," she breathed, shivering under his touch. "Thank you."

"Mmm," he murmured in answer. "Anytime."

The sound vibrated through her chest and she giggled. "How many girls have you done this with?" she asked curiously.

"Just you."

"Liar," she accused, moving her head so she could see his face. "I'm sure you've accosted many women inside this amazing car."

He shook his head. It was true, he hadn't. The inside of his car was sacred to him; it was rare other girls got to ride in the car, let alone have sex in it. "Other girls wouldn't appreciate this," he admitted with a soft smile. "Not like you."

She knew he was telling the truth and relished in it. "I like that."

"What?"

"Being first for once. You've got so many notches in your bedpost, I'm surprised."

He groaned, rolling his eyes at her. "You make me feel like a walking STD when you talk like that, Tiny."

"Yeah, but you're my walking STD," she teased.

He chuckled, as he gently trailed a finger down her arm. "I like the sound of that," he admitted. And he did. He loved that she called him hers and he could call her his. The car was comfortably silent for a few brief moments as they both just enjoyed being close to each other. He felt her nose nuzzle his neck gently and smiled. "What?" he asked, breaking the silence.

She pressed a kiss to his neck. "I love you," she murmured against the skin there.

He let the words hang in the silence of the car, loving the way they sounded. His hand gently ghosted up and down her back, making smooth designs as he went. "Marry me?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. He hadn't meant to ask her quite like that; he'd wanted to make it romantic and memorable but that moment sitting in his car, with her in his arms, it just felt…right.

Alex froze, had he really just said those words? She was positive her ears were playing tricks on her. There was no way. She sat up and looked at him, green eyes wide. "What?" she breathed.

A small, nervous smile turned up the corners of his lips as he reached out a hand to caress her cheek. "Marry me."

Alex felt her breath catch in her throat. She hadn't been imagining things. He'd really just asked her. Just like that. "Really?" she asked, her voice a little choked.

He nodded, unsure of whether her reaction was good or bad. "Yeah, really."

"You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he replied honestly. His brows furrowed in confusion. "Tiny, is this a good reaction or a bad one?"

"I just…I didn't think you'd ever…"

He smiled at the shocked look that was still on her face. "Still not an answer, Tiny."

"What?" she asked, distractedly. Her mind was still reeling from the shock of him asking her in the first place.

Vince chuckled, pushing a stray hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Usually when someone proposes, you answer them…"

A warm smile slowly spread across her face as she leant over and caught his lips in a kiss. She pulled away from him. "Yes," she whispered, a soft giggle escaping her lips. She leant forward and kissed him again. "Yes, yes, yes!" Between each word, she peppered his face with kisses.

His gruff laughed filled the car as he pulled her in closer, enveloping her in his arms and holding her tightly. "You're going to be my wife," he said, disbelief in his voice.

She sighed happily, her heart beating like crazy. "I know. I'll be Mrs. Catella."

"You'll take my name?"

"Oh hell yes," she said enthusiastically. "I want everyone to know you're mine."

:)

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Love Ink