Unconstrained

1

Leland

I was the last one left at the body shop. My boss, Beau, was out of town, and I’d told everyone else I didn’t mind closing up. I’d been taking my time. It was one of those rare evenings in New Orleans when it wasn’t raining or too deathly hot. There was actually a little bit of breeze. The evening air was pleasant, so I was taking my time and enjoying having the garage door open to let the air in.

I heard the sound of a motorcycle engine, a Yamaha XSR900 was my best guess. I glanced up, wanting to catch a glimpse of one of my favorite bikes. The driver didn’t whiz by like I expected. He turned into our parking lot and skidded to a stop. I hadn’t closed and secured the front gate yet. It should have been one of the first things I did at closing time, but after I’d finished putting a new radiator in a Lincoln Navigator, I’d just started cleaning up.

The rider was thickly muscled, and I prayed he wasn’t there to give me any trouble. When he dismounted and pulled his helmet off, I stared. I may have drooled. He was fucking gorgeous. He had close-cut dark hair, deeply tan skin, and dark eyes that seemed to penetrate right into me. His shoulders were broad, and his arms… Jesus, I wanted to run my tongue over them.

“Where’s Beau?” he asked.

I tried to answer, but all the moisture fled from my mouth.

The big man chuckled. “I know I’m hot, but are you just going to stand there staring, or do you talk?”

Fuck. Why was I so damn awkward? “He’s… um… not here, and we’re closed.”

The guy just grinned. “I’m a personal friend. I’m not here to see him about work, so I’ll head on up and knock on his door.”

I shook my head. “He’s not home.”

The man gave me a slow once-over. “Are you the only one here?”

I hesitated. He’d said he was Beau’s friend, but my boss had some questionable acquaintances. I had no doubt there were plenty of guys who would try to claim friendship with Beau who would get kicked out on their ass if they set foot in his shop.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Scared as I was, I stood my ground. “We’re closed, and you should leave.”

“Why don’t you tell me where Beau is, and maybe I can do that?”

“If you want to know where he is, why don’t you call him?” Oh shit. Did I really want to take that tone with a man as big as this stranger was?

“’Fraid I lost his number.”

“What’s your name? I’ll tell him you stopped by next time I see him.”

“I’m Snake.”

I didn’t want to know why he was called that, did I? I was about to ask him to leave again when the sound of several motorcycles heading down the street distracted us both.

“Fuck. I think they found me.” Snake grabbed my arm and hurried me toward the garage.

What the hell? “Who found you? What the hell is going on?”

I glanced over my shoulder and saw three motorcycles turn into the lot. One of the riders aimed a gun at us. Bullet started flying, and I screamed.

Snake slammed me to the ground, covering me with his body.

“Don’t move.” His mouth was right against my ear, and his warm breath made me shiver. No, I was absolutely not getting turned on while being shot at. I was also not thinking about how incredible Snake’s big body felt pressed against me.

“Got him,” one of the riders yelled.

The rest cheered, and I heard them speed down the road.

Several moments passed before Snake lifted his head and looked down at me.

2

Snake

The boy under me should have been scared to death, but he was looking at me like he was starving and I was a steak dinner. I’d never claimed to be a good man, so instead of moving off him, I ground my hips against his, letting him feel everything I had to offer.