Francesca “Frankie”
Getting financially cut off from my controlling father might be the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
Leaving home with only what I could fit in a small suitcase and heading out on a road trip with less than three thousand dollars to my name might be the best or the worst decision I’ve ever made.
Having my car break down in the small town of Lovesbury the day before Valentine’s Day is truly a twist of fate, as the tall, dark, and handsome grumpy mechanic can’t get the part he needs for my car until Monday, leaving me stranded in Lovesbury over the Valentine’s Day weekend.
Thanks to his younger sister, I’m now their houseguest for the next three days, to his dismay. Bidding on him at the Bachelor Auction is the icing on the cake when the grumpy mechanic is forced to spend a romantic date with me.
Vale
As a confirmed bachelor, I swore off women a long time ago, but unfortunately, my younger sister decides to play matchmaker, doing everything in her power to throw the beautiful, curvy, spoiled rich girl whose car is the only thing I should be putting my hands on, in my path—even tricking me into signing up for the Valentine’s Day Bachelor Auction.
And you’ll never guess who the winning bidder is.
Chapter One
Vale
The sound of my wrench hitting the concrete floor for the third time in the last fifteen minutes fills my autobody shop.
How am I supposed to concentrate on fixing my client's car with all the giggling coming from my office?
Especially when one of those voices belongs to a sexy, rich girl whose expensive foreign car is a dream to work on, but whose parts are almost impossible to have delivered in less than a week.
Luckily, I have a connection who might be able to get me the part in three days. It isn’t ideal, but it’s still better than the alternatives. The sooner I get Francesca back on the road, the better.
Francesca.
Even her name screams wealth and privilege. Add that to her expensive clothes and perfume, I can’t stop inhaling when I’m around her, and she’s way out of her element in a small town like Lovesbury.
“Vale. You have a phone call. It’s Brewer.” My younger sister, Penelope, taps the side of my leg with her foot.
With a grunt, I wheel out from under the luxury car, praying he can get me the part for Francesca’s car sooner rather than later.
The sooner I can get her back on the road and out of Lovesbury, the better.
She’s too much of a temptation with her long legs, looking a mile long in the short skirt she’s wearing—it’s February in Montana.
She should be wearing a long skirt or pants, so I’m not tempted to reach out and run my rough work hands over her silky-looking limbs to see if they’re as soft as they look.
I suppose she thinks those knee-high black leather boots are warm enough to walk through the snow.
The top she’s wearing is another sign she doesn’t belong here.
It’s silk and probably costs more than my shop makes in a month, which is saying a lot since I make a very comfortable living that supports me, my sister/receptionist, and five full-time mechanics.
But it’s her perfect hair, makeup, and manicure that scream spoiled trophy wife, not down-to-earth soccer mom.
Even if I don’t see a wedding ring on her left hand.
Not that I’m looking for a soccer mom to start a family with.
I’ve witnessed firsthand what falling in love with a spoiled princess will do to a person.
My own spoiled, rich mom claimed to love my father, even giving up all that wealth in the name of love.
But in the end, she still chose her old, rich life when I was only six months old.
My dad did the best he could as a single parent, but it wore him down, and he turned to the bottle, choosing to drink until he passed out every night while I was left to fend for myself, starting at age six.
It wasn’t until I turned fourteen that he got clean and sober, married my stepmom, and they had Penelope.
By then, the damage was done, and I swore I’d never fall in love.
It was a good thing Mr. Philips, the previous owner of the auto body shop, took me under his wing and taught me all about cars.
Otherwise, who knows where I might have ended up—jail or worse.
Never had I worried about being interested in anyone until Francesca walked into my shop two hours ago with those damn sexy curves and long red hair, making my heart stop.
An animalistic need surged through me. The urge to throw her over my shoulder, take her back to my place, and make love to her before I even knew her name almost won out until I noticed the Mercedes she had parked out front.
Sure, it was an older model, but it was still a Mercedes.
When she walked into my garage, not even wearing a winter coat, I knew she was going to be trouble. She introduced herself as Franchesca but asked that we call her Frankie. Something I refuse to do—it’s too personal, especially since she’s not going to be sticking around long anyway.
Her scent fills my office, making my cock stir to life. That bastard has played dead for most of my thirty-five years on Earth. Now, it only takes a hint of Francesca’s perfume to make me hard as a rock, ready to devour her.
“Hey, Brewer. You got any news for me?” I pick up the phone, trying to ignore Francesca and Penelope in the corner of my office, flipping through that damn calendar the mayor’s wife, Evelyn Hartwood guilted me into posing for, like most of the Bachelors in the Valentine’s Day Auction tomorrow night.
Sure, it was for a good cause, but we looked ridiculous in the photos—a bunch of grown, shirtless men holding adorable little puppies.
To the horror of most of the single guys in that photo shoot, the calendar and photos went viral, and the whole town is now filled with single women from all over the country looking for a shirtless hottie of their own, as they’ve been calling us.
I cringe remembering how the photographer had me pose, the top half of my overalls tied around my waist with the sleeves, chest bare, holding a squirming little puppy.
I didn’t ask Francesca whether she was one of the women here for a chance to win a date with one of the bachelors.
I never would have signed up for the bachelor auction, but with Evelyn stopping by my shop every chance she got, bringing a basket of baked goods to sweeten the deal, and my sister Penelope begging me to help the Veterans Center earn enough money for a new roof, how could I say no?
“Sorry, man. But the soonest I can get the part is Monday afternoon.”
“Yeah, okay, well, thanks for trying.” We say our goodbyes, and I hang up the phone, but the weight of Francesca’s stare pulls my gaze to her beautiful face.
“Sorry, but I won’t be able to get the part for your car until Monday.” Her face falls at my words, and I hate that I’ve put that sad look on her face.
“Okay,” she says as she sets the calendar on the edge of my desk, and I swear she keeps glancing down at it.
Anger rushes through me at the thought of which guy in the calendar has caught her attention.
I bet it’s Rook Harrington, the cocky hockey player who always thought he was too good for Lovesbury.
Rumor has it he hired his own photographer to take pictures of him with a puppy and sent them to Evelyn to be included in the calendar, but I don’t know that for a fact, since I refuse to look through the calendar myself.
“I guess I’ll rent a hotel room for the weekend. ”
“You’re kidding, right?” Penelope laughs so hard I’m afraid she’ll fall off the chair.
“Weren’t you listening when I told you this is Lovesbury’s big Valentine’s Day Festival?
People from all over are here for the celebration, with ice carvings and vendor booths in the enclosed, heated pavilion where the bachelor auction is being held tomorrow night.
You won’t be able to find a place to stay at all this weekend in Lovesbury.
All the hotels and inns have been booked solid for weeks. ”
“Oh,” Francesca worries her bottom lip between her teeth, making me want to give her something else to suck on.
“Are you sure?” Confusion sets in, and I can’t figure out what she’s talking about.
I must have zoned out while thinking about her plump lips and how I want them wrapped around my cock and missed part of their conversation.
“Vale won’t mind if you spend the weekend with us.” A smirk crosses Penelope’s face, and I realize I’ve stepped right into her trap. “I mean, it’s kind of his fault for not having the part for your car that you need.”
Damn, Penelope, she’s just as bad as the meddlesome old ladies in town, forcing my hand to let Francesca stay in our extra bedroom.
“Sure.” I silently curse the town and its damn Valentine’s Day Celebration. If it weren’t for the celebration, the temptation that is Francesca would be far away from me and my space in one of the hotels in town.
“Great.” Penelope jumps out of the chair, grabbing Francesca’s hand and pulling her up.
“It’s getting late.” I glance at the wall clock.
Four-thirty. We normally close at five, but with all the extra business we’ve had lately, I probably won’t get out of here until late.
“And now that it’s settled that Francesca will be staying with us, I want to get her settled in and maybe have a girls’ night.
” The thought of having Francesca under my roof for the next couple of nights does nothing to soothe the cravings I have for her.
Penelope grabs her coat from the hook on the wall, and I realize Francesca walked into my shop without a coat, wearing only that silky blouse, a tiny skirt, and black leather boots that will be starring in my fantasies tonight.
“Here.” I walk over to where my coat is hanging on the wall, take it down, and drape it over Francesca’s shoulders. “I don’t want you to freeze.”
Her eyelids flutter as a look of shock crosses her beautiful face.
“I can’t take your coat.” She places her hand on my coat and tries to remove it.
“You shouldn’t have to go without it when I was the scatterbrain who drove through Montana in the winter without proper outerwear.
” The way she says outerwear has me imagining her underwear.
I wonder if it’s as silky as the shirt she’s wearing. Or is it a see-through lacy number?
Shaking my head, I clear my mind of those dangerous thoughts. I’ll never have a reason to see her underwear, so I need to stop thinking about it. But that doesn’t stop what I’m thinking from escaping my mouth.
“You are going to do as you're told.” I step closer to her and whisper in her ear. “Or you’ll find yourself over my knee with a bright red ass from my hand for disobeying me.” Her eyes widen with lust as I silently curse myself for letting my intrusive thoughts slip out.
I quickly glance back at Penelope, who is suspiciously engrossed in her phone.
I know I should apologize to Francesca for my crude words—I don’t need her to think I’m some creep who goes around spanking women he doesn’t even know.
But I can’t. Something about having her much smaller body wrapped in my coat, leaving her marked with my scent, is making me say and do crazy things.
Francesca is tall for a woman, but still at least half a foot shorter than my 6’7” frame. My coat swallows her whole, and I love how it looks on her. So damn the apology.
“All righty then.” Penelope breaks the silence.
“Francesca and I will see you back at the house. But don’t be too late.
The Hallmark Channel is having a Valentine’s Day marathon, and I know you won’t want to miss it.
” Penelope gives me that smirk, knowing how much I hate Valentine’s Day, even though I was named after it.