Dirtiest Little Secret

But all Isaac could think about was the sight of Ava walking into his garage, torn cutoffs showing her long legs, a loose, flowy top hanging off one shoulder, and cowboy boots. She’d braided her long hair into o

ne tail and had aviator sunglasses clipped between her breasts.

Fuckin’ edible.

He flexed and clenched his hands to ease the need to feel her.

She hadn’t bothered them in over an hour. But people had come and gone. The phone had rung at least a dozen times. And Isaac still had no idea why she was here. Either for more sex or…for more sex. He didn’t mind the sex—hell, he craved it—but for the first time since Jeremy died, he wanted more with a woman. He wanted to talk with her. Get to know her. See who’d she’d become. She’d certainly grown out of the shy girl with her nose in a book.

But if he were honest with himself, he knew she was here for more backcountry biker sex, not for Isaac. All of Isaac. He didn’t want to care. He wanted to give her what she’d come for, then happily send her back to that rat pack in New York.

“Isaac?” Joe said.

“Huh?” He refocused. “Oh yeah. Looks like we’ve narrowed it down to two categories. If you want to go with a Harley, shoot for the touring styles in your price range, like the Road Glides or the CVOs. They’re compact, dependable, comfortable, and won’t have your ass draggin’ on the ground. But I know you like Beemers, and you can’t go wrong with one of their K models. We’d buy either stripped down, then I’d customize every detail just the way you want it.”

“Sounds good.” He stood. “Can I take a few of these to show Suzie?”

In the distance, the rumble of multiple Harleys touched Isaac’s ear. And in his mind’s eye, Isaac saw the Steel Warriors finding Ava in his shop looking like their next meal. His protective instincts flared. He pushed to his feet, collecting the catalogues.

“You bet.” He handed them to Joe as they exited the office. “Call me with any questions.”

His gaze traveled over the garage. He found Ava and a young interviewee perched on stools at a counter. Ava’s legs were crossed, one booted foot swinging, one hand twirling the end of her braid. Just the sight of her flooded him with all sorts of emotions—most of them circling around desire. Physical, mental, intellectual desire.

But she certainly wasn’t here for his brains or business savvy.

The phone rang, and Isaac’s stomach dropped. But without missing a beat, Ava said, “Excuse me,” answered the phone, took a message, and returned to her conversation.

Joe glanced at Isaac. “Can’t you just hire her?”

Isaac chuckled. “She’s already got a job.”

“Too bad.”

“Fortunate, actually.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I wouldn’t be able to concentrate with her around.”

Joe burst out laughing just as five Harleys thundered onto Isaac’s property. They slowed near the garage bay, and one of the guys jumped from the back of another bike. He pulled off his helmet while stalking toward Isaac, yelling over the idle of the bikes. “Wrench, my bike done?”

“Yeah.” He said good-bye to Joe and walked him out, meeting Grim at the bay opening. “She’s right here, ready to ride.”

Isaac steered the bike around to face Grim and found him staring at Ava and the woman she was interviewing.

“Is that the tease from Grind?” he asked.

Isaac dropped the stand and let the bike lean into it. “She’s not a tease, and you won’t see her at Grind again.”

Grim gave him a lopsided I-know-better grin. “You claimin’ her, you wingnut?”

“Damn right.” He smacked the keys to the Suzuki into Grim’s hand. “Tell your boys she’s off-limits.”

Grim chuckled. “Your funeral. A woman like that might be fun to take for a spin, but the high maintenance gets old real fast. I’ll tell the others, but if she steps into Grind again without you, that makes her fresh meat. And I know a few guys who wanted a taste real bad.” He pulled Isaac’s hand up and smacked a wad of twenties into it. “That ought to cover the clutch.”

With their brother on wheels, the gang steered back onto the road and disappeared around the bend. The rumble faded on the warm air.

Ava finished up her interview and escorted the other woman out to her car. Isaac leaned a shoulder against the open garage door watching her move, relishing the sheer, curvy grace of her. She returned to the garage and waited there at Isaac’s side in silence while the woman got into her beat-up Toyota and drove away.

As soon as the sound of their engines faded, Isaac exhaled and let his shoulders drop. “Do you hear that?”

She crossed her arms and listened for a second. “What?”