Dirtiest Little Secret

Her stomach squeezed with stress. She’d thought he’d been concerned for her safety, but maybe…maybe she’d missed his point. Maybe that was his way of warning her not to come back to see him?

“Crap.” She felt like a naïve idiot. Why hadn’t she

thought of that possibility before now?

Ava rolled down her window and breathed deep of the cool country spring air. She was confusing the hell out of herself.

What was she expecting? It had been weeks since she’d seen him at the bar. What could really come of this visit? Best case scenario, another round of great sex. Worst case… Humiliation if he didn’t want anything to do with her. Shame if she discovered she’d slept with a committed man.

Her stomach sank a little lower.

Ava forced her mind off Isaac, trying to appreciate the beautiful weather, the lush scenery, and the quiet country road. She hadn’t seen another car in either direction for miles and relished the serene sound of birds in the trees. She’d been through hell at work. She deserved a break. Maybe she ought to just look at this as a simple drive in the country. Maybe she wouldn’t even stop at the shop but just drive on by and consider this nothing more than a spin to relive a great memory, then return to…

To what? Real life?

Real life was what had sent her on this drive in the first place. To escape the pressure of training new employees and the embarrassment of the innuendos floating around the office. Matthew might have lost his job, his apartment, and his wealthy, well-connected fiancé, but he’d gotten her back by pinning her with the reputation of an ice queen.

If it weren’t for Isaac, she’d believe she deserved it. But he’d proven Matthew wrong. Isaac had seen the heat inside her, stifled and dying, before Ava had even known it existed.

She wanted that again. Wanted to feel the burn.

She turned the last bend toward Revival, holding her breath. She didn’t even know if the shop was open on Saturdays. And she had no idea where he lived. If this didn’t pan out…

Around the curve, a building came into view on the left—an old gas station resting at the base of a hill. Ava’s heart jumped. Then she spotted an open bay door to the garage and excitement surged, pushing her mouth into a smile and her heart into a tap dance.

All thoughts of just passing by fled. She slowed and pulled into the dirt lot beside the building and parked between a touring BMW coupe and a 1990s Ford F150 that had seen better days. A fluorescent Help Wanted sign hung in the front window, and the building was surrounded with motorcycles of all kinds, lined up like soldiers. Inside the garage bay, three bikes sat in various states of deconstruction.

Ava shut down the engine, and the tranquility seemed to swallow her whole. Silence, broken only by the tweet of a bird, filled her head. She blew out a breath, relishing the peace, but nerves of a whole different kind bubbled in her belly.

This wasn’t her. She didn’t chase guys. Certainly not guys who owned garages in the country and hung at biker bars. But she wasn’t who she’d used to be either. She didn’t want anything to do with dating another suit, a man who loved her father, her father’s money, or his company more than he loved her. And right now, she didn’t even want a man who loved her. She didn’t want obligation or promises or even a future.

Ava might not know exactly what she did want, but she was very clear on what she didn’t want. And right now, that was a start.

She stood from the car and looked around as she wandered toward the open garage bay.

“Hey there.” A male voice pulled her gaze back to the parked cars. Someone put a hand out the window of the BMW coupe and waved. “You lookin’ for Isaac?”

She took off her sunglasses, folded the arms, and tucked one in the vee of her blouse, approaching the BMW with a smile. “Hi. Yeah.” She stuck her thumbs in the pockets of her cutoffs and smiled at the man in the car. He was attractive and in his forties. “Is he around?”

“In the office, interviewing.” He pointed to the shop and the Help Wanted sign.

“Ah, okay. Are you waiting to talk to him too?”

He grinned. “Yeah, but not for the job.”

She gestured to his car. “I sorta figured.”

He laughed. “We’re gonna look through some bike catalogues and mix and match me a new bike.”

“That sounds exciting.”

“Spice of life, that’s for sure.”

“No doubt.” Isaac had certainly been the spice of her life. “I’ll just wander until he’s free. I promise not to steal your place in line.”

Ava started toward the garage with a smile. He was here. That was half the battle.

Inside the open bay, a phone rang, echoing in the space. The garage was ridiculously well organized and surprisingly clean. Even the bikes that were in pieces had their parts laid out in a very orderly way. All the surfaces shone, the floor wore a clean, textured finish, and all the cabinets looked freshly painted.