Havoc (Tattoos and Ties 1)

Alec had no idea what drove him to stick around. He had declined the roadside assistance that guaranteed someone from the dealership would be available within thirty minutes of the call, and instead, he worked at tugging the blown tire off his beloved sports car—a task he hadn’t performed since…well, ever, and one he wasn’t certain he tackled correctly.

“You’re incredible.”

Alec ignored Blaine who had his disgruntled, lazy ass parked against the back of the hatch, his thumbs going nuts on his cell phone screen.

“The only motivating factor to keep us out in the middle of nowhere has to be those tight leather pants. And less than two hours ago, you promised a room full of pompous assholes that you’d keep your shit clean and your wholesome, dedicated civil servant persona intact.” Blaine’s mocking tone suggested an accompanying eye roll at the idea of Alec and wholesome in the same sentence. “You’re ridiculous.”

Alec manhandled the tire off the lug studs—a term he’d read on Google, not one accessible from his already extensive vocabulary—and rolled the wheel away, stopping just short of leaning the mangled tire against the shiny red paint of his baby. On second thought, he let it fall to the ground in the opposite direction while stretching to his full height, then looking down at his hands. He couldn’t tell for sure—it was too dark outside—but he assumed they were dirty and wiped at each one.

“You’re your own worst enemy. You know that, right? You’ve always had a thing for the bad boys. And my gut says that guy’s as bad as they come. You know he’s straight, right? Your little endeavor is going to end up with you getting us beat up by a hot, pissed off biker.” Blaine clicked his tongue and snapped his head toward Alec. Luckily, he couldn’t clearly see the patronizing expression his friend surely wore. “Straight and most likely planning to come back here and rob you blind. He might even be a serial killer. Probably gathering a group of his big serial killer biker friends as we speak.”

Oh great, Blaine’s overly dramatic side. Just what he needed right now.

Besides, that biker wasn’t straight. Alec didn’t need to explain the moment he and his motorcycle man had shared—the instinctual connection of lust fueled by desire. Only obvious in the subtlest of ways. Well, that and the way those leathers had betrayed their wearer. That man wasn’t even close to being straight. Well…at least Alec could hope.

He opted for silence as he went for the hatch that housed all the tools he’d used to remove the tire and searched for something to clean his most certainly filthy hands.

Honestly, Blaine had it right, but he’d never confess to it. The decision to decline roadside assistance did hinge on those tight leather pants. Well, those and that snug leather jacket that stretched over those broad shoulders and massive chest. Okay, those pouty lips and gorgeous eyes caught his attention too. The thick mane of hair cascading down the guy’s back and the beard just barely long enough to be classified a beard…yeah. Alec hadn’t seen anything that looked that good or tempted him so completely in a very long time.

But as time slowly passed, Blaine’s ridicule made more and more sense. If Alec pushed his lust aside, he couldn’t actually say he’d picked up the gay vibe at all. Maybe he’d misread the biker. Hell, he hadn’t even got the guy’s name. What if he never showed? Or worse, he came back prepared to rob him? Alec schooled his features, hiding his concern.

The internal self-mockery started its dance in his brain. He did in fact have a thing for bad boys. A guy decked out in all leather, brazen enough to let his long hair hang free, riding a shiny black motorcycle in the early morning hours was about as attractive as it got. He bet there were sexy tattoos decorating all that muscle under those clothes. He wondered if his motorcycle man ever pulled all that hair into a man-bun or did he just have a long braid when he needed it contained? Alec wanted to feel the silky strands tease his fingers and fill his palms with their softness. He nearly groaned at the idea.

Dammit. See? That was how it always happened. Alec tried for reasonableness and instead got lost in the wonder.

Truthfully, had he been watching the road in front of him, not concentrating on the approaching single headlight about to blow past, perhaps he could have avoided this situation altogether.

All this doubt was Blaine’s fault. His buddy had officially crossed the line of annoying friend and began working his last nerve. In the distance, Alec heard an engine then seconds later he saw a pair of truck headlights coming their way. His relief was welcome and strong as he announced smugly, “That didn’t take long at all.”