26. 26
I didn’t come here expecting an audience.
One second, I’m standing at her front door with a half-grin and an update about her car. Next, I’m being praised by two strangers with perfect posture, impressive hair, and the kind of knowing smirks that say they’ve known Zoe for longer than I’ve known her last name.
And now?
Now I’m standing in the doorway of her too-cramped rental, boots planted on the mat, air thick with tension. Three pairs of eyes watch me—two amused, one unreadable.
Hers. The only ones that matter.
“Come on in,” the woman, Dani, says. She gestures past Zoe before she can even blink. “Let’s not be rude to the man.”
I catch Zoe’s glance as I do. Her mouth opens, then closes. Her eyes flicker, something quick and unsure flashing behind them. I lift a palm, directing my attention to Zoe. “Are you sure? I can go. I didn’t plan on interrupting anything.”
“Don’t be silly, you’re not. We only just got here,” the guy, Jeff, says before flicking Zoe a look.
She exhales sharply. “It’s fine. Come in.”
That shocks me more than it should. She’s on edge, I can see it. But still, she doesn’t push me away.
“Wait, he mentioned a car before,” Jeff announces. “Don’t tell me that thing outside is yours. Where’s the Merc?”
Zoe snorts. “Unfortunately, yes.”
I lean back against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Sorry for the delay, but your parts are set to arrive mid-next week.”
She nods apprehensively. “Thanks.”
“And how do you two know each other?” Jeff presses, sipping from his glass again.
I glance at Zoe, half-expecting her to cut in, but she doesn’t. I clear my throat. “She came into the shop the day she rolled into town. Her car was practically begging for a funeral. Smoke pouring out from under the bonnet.”
Jeff raises a brow. “So you weren’t lying when you said everything had gone up in smoke, huh?”
Zoe levels him with a glare. Dani tips her chin toward the corner where Sprinkles is dramatically grooming herself on a pile of cushions. “And now you two are what, sharing custody over that thing?”
“She’s technically mine,” I reply, slipping my hands into my back pockets. “I adopted her.”
Jeff chokes on his drink, and I see his eyes flick from me to Zoe, like he’s collecting evidence for a case I haven’t realised I’m on trial for.
“I only brought her here because I figured Zoe might like the company,” I say easily, but my gaze cuts to Zoe just as her mouth tightens. She doesn’t deny it.
Jeff leans back and mutters, “What is it with small towns and their people? Everyone’s so friendly.”
“More like intrusive,” Zoe quips, side-eyeing me with a smirk that’s all warning.
I flick her wrist and wink. “Don’t get your hopes up. Not everyone in town’s this friendly.”
Jeff watches me again, more thoughtful this time. His gaze drifts between me and Zoe, subtle but sharp. He’s clocking something. I can feel it.
“You’re a mechanic, right?” Dani asks.
“Yeah. My brother and I run the shop.”
She raises both hands, eyes wide. “Oh, wow, you look so young to be managing a whole business. No offence.”
“None taken.” I smile easily. “Been working there since I was seventeen. Ten years under my belt now.”
Jeff whistles low. “Ten years? So you’re what, twenty-seven?”
“Yep.” I roll my neck. “It’s all I know. Fixing things is what I do.”
“Is that where the muscles come from?” Jeff blurts out
I smirk, scratching at my jaw, heat crawling up the back of my neck. “Guess lugging around gearboxes does have its perks.” I’ve never had this much attention thrown my way all at once.
Not like this. Especially not by people who matter to her.
Zoe groans. “Jeff, I’m pretty sure your boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate you ogling another man.”
He waves her off. “Oh, he wouldn’t mind. He’d be jealous, if anything.” He pauses dramatically, eyes twinkling. “Of not seeing him, of course.”
I laugh, and my gaze shifts to Zoe again. She’s watching me. Softly. Closely. Until she notices I’ve caught her and turns away quickly, scolding them with a roll of her eyes.
Dani motions to my helmet. “And you ride a bike?”
“Yep,” I say. “Cars are boring.”
Jeff fans himself dramatically. “Well, well. A mechanic and a biker. Anything else we should know? Hidden tattoos? Piercings?”
I stick out my tongue, the silver bar glinting under the light. “Just this. No tattoos.”
Their faces light up. Zoe’s eyes go wide, laser-focused on my tongue like it’s personally offended her.
My gut twists at her reaction, but not in a bad way.
Her surprise sends a jolt straight to my chest. Truth is, I’ve had it since I was sixteen.
Rebellious phase. A girl at school did it behind her house.
She’d been practising and refused to take my money, which meant I paid in other ways.
Doesn’t matter now. What matters is Zoe. Her face. That reaction.
“You’re so fucking nosy, Jeff,” Zoe mutters. “Don’t mind him, he’s—”
“Fabulous,” Jeff finishes for her. “And observant.”
We share a few more minutes of rapid-fire banter, most of it aimed at me. Zoe tries to rein them in, half-laughing, half-exasperated. She keeps shooting me these flickering glances, like she’s not quite sure what to do with me now that her worlds are colliding.
I check the time. “I should actually head back to the shop.”
Jeff pouts. “Sad to see you go. We were just getting started.”
I stand, and the room pauses, but I grin and nod toward her friends. “Nice to meet you both.” Turning to Zoe next, I mutter, “I’ll, uh, see you soon?”
She hums something soft, and her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. She doesn’t say anything more, but she doesn’t have to. And yet, I linger. Waiting for what? I’m not sure. Maybe something in her face. A reason to stay.
Jeff doesn’t let the silence settle. “Well, walk the bloke out, darling,” he says, giving Zoe a light smack on the ass.
My jaw tenses. Not because I don’t think they’re close. Clearly, they are. As friends, but still. That touch makes something in me grind.
Zoe walks me to the door, shutting it behind us as she apologises under her breath. “Sorry. They’re a lot.”
“It’s all good, Freckles.” I smirk. “A little banter never hurt anyone.”
She looks up at me. Really looks at me. There’s a weight behind it, a pull. Her face is half-lit by the warm sun, and a piece of her hair blows in the wind, falling across her cheek. My hand moves before I can stop it, brushing it gently behind her ear.
Zoe swallows, and I catch the motion. My jaw locks tight, but my eyes betray me, dropping to her mouth. Just for a second. Full, soft, parted like she’s holding back words I’ll never hear.
Unavailable or not, off-limits or not… I want to kiss her. The thought is foreign, strange in a way that rattles me. I don’t do this. I don’t let myself want this. Not with anyone.
But Christ, I want to taste her until she can’t breathe
A thud from inside suddenly cuts through the moment, and she flinches, taking a step back.
“Uh, I’ll see you later!” she says quickly, clearing her throat before pulling the door shut behind her. But the door doesn’t mute a damn thing.
“Freckles? I’m sorry, but… what the fuck?” That’s Jeff.
“You idiot, if you hadn’t fallen over the fucking couch, he probably would’ve kissed her.” Dani’s voice is amused and deadly accurate.
“Guys, shut the fuck up. He’s probably still outside,” Zoe hisses.
I grin, shaking my head as I walk toward my bike. I have no idea what the hell that just was. But I want more of it. More of her .
I’m in trouble.