Chapter 7
RILEY
Iwas shoulder to shoulder with Ryot under the hood of a sleek black car, and my hands were deep in the wiring harness while he checked the fuel rails beside me. The familiarity of the work should have grounded me, but my mind kept drifting to the man who took up way too much of my thoughts.
I wasn’t sure how I’d found myself in this position. Shawn had sent me running into the night, fearful for my life. Now I had a job I actually loved, a safe place to sleep, and a boss who made my pulse race whenever he was near.
I was supposed to keep my head down, stack cash, and figure out my next move. Instead, I spent far too much time thinking about Ryot.
The way his broad shoulders filled out his shirt, how his dark green eyes saw too much, and the black ink on his tanned skin all fueled my imagination. And my libido.
But it was more than just physical. I also liked his quiet confidence and the little things he did that showed he paid attention to me.
I caught myself staring at his grease-streaked hands as he tightened a fitting and quickly looked away.
Stop it, Riley. You cannot afford this.
“You’re quiet today.”
I shrugged. “Just focused.”
He made a low sound that might have been amusement. “You’re always focused. It’s one of the things I like best about you.”
I kept my eyes on the wiring and prayed he couldn’t hear how hard my heart felt like it was beating.
This attraction was already becoming impossible to ignore, and it only got harder each time he said something sweet like that. Which happened often since Ryot worked beside me more often than not.
He wasn’t checking my work like he didn’t trust me. If anything, the opposite was true—he kept handing me more responsibility. Every time he gave me another complex job, it felt like another quiet vote of confidence. Yesterday, he’d let me lead the full suspension setup on a team’s drift car.
He was coming to trust me, and it made me feel guilty over the secrets I was keeping.
“You mentioned you grew up around engines.” He handed me a wrench, his fingers brushing mine and sending a spark of awareness up my arm. “Who taught you?”
I kept my eyes on the fuel rail I was securing. “My dad. He was a mechanic. I spent most of my childhood in his garage.”
“Sounds like a good way to grow up.”
“It was.” I smiled a little at the memory and kept my tone light.
“After he died when I was ten, the other guys in the shop stepped up. They were like uncles to me. Taught me how to rebuild engines by the time I was twelve, tuning bikes at fifteen. I was working full-time in performance shops by eighteen and going to trade school at night.”
He nodded. “Explains why you’re better than half the guys who’ve been here for years.”
“Lots of practice.”
He asked a lot of questions. I answered honestly, but I kept everything surface-level. Childhood stories. Shop memories. Technical stuff. Nothing about my mom, nothing about Shawn, and nothing about why I’d really shown up in Crossbend with almost nothing to my name.
Every time the conversation drifted toward anything too recent, I redirected it back to the car we were working on.
I could tell he noticed the walls I kept putting up. He was too observant not to. But so far, he hadn’t pushed too hard. He just kept chipping away at my defenses little by little.
And the small, casual touches sped the process along.
They happened constantly. A steady hand on my lower back when he guided me around a lifted truck.
Fingers brushing my shoulder as he reached past me for a tool.
The way he’d take a wrench from my hand, his rough fingertips lingering just a second longer than necessary.
Each one sent a little spark through me that I tried desperately to ignore.
I knew I should put a stop to it, but I found myself leaning into his touch instead. I looked forward to it, even. After so many years of being on my own, those small points of contact felt dangerously good.
And then there was the possessiveness, which only got worse when a customer was involved because Ryot didn’t seem to care about pissing them off.
I was finishing up a diagnostic on a street bike when a guy wandered over, leaning against the workbench. “You’re the new tech everyone’s talking about. Didn’t know they made mechanics this pretty. You free after your shift? I could show you the best place in town for—”
The words dried up when Ryot appeared beside us like he’d materialized from thin air. He just looked at the customer with an unblinking gaze. The guy straightened, mumbled something about needing to check on his car, and fled through the nearest roll-up door.
I bit my lip to hide a smile as Ryot stepped closer, his hand brushing my shoulder blade as he looked over my work.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” My voice came out more breathless than I wanted. “I’m fine.”
He gave me a searching look that made my knees feel weak, then nodded and went back to his own bay.
The way he always seemed to appear the second another man paid me too much attention was ridiculous. Over the top.
But I liked it.
Every single time something like this happened, butterflies swarmed in my stomach. Ryot made me feel wanted and protected. Cared for in a way I hadn’t felt since my dad was alive.
It was terrifying how quickly I was getting used to his attention. And how badly I wanted more.
I was in trouble. It was becoming increasingly harder to ignore how badly I wanted Ryot. I was irritated with myself for the indecent thoughts that kept creeping in during the day and the even naughtier dreams that woke me up at night.
I hadn’t ever reacted to anyone like this. Never wanted someone’s hands on me.
But I also knew this couldn’t last.
If I stayed, my past would eventually catch up.
Shawn had to know by now that I’d taken the evidence and run.
He and whoever he was paying off would come looking.
I had no idea what they’d do when they found me, but this fragile new life I was building could blow up in my face when the truth came out.
I had no idea if Ryot would even believe me. The thought of him looking at me like I was a criminal made my stomach twist.
The smarter choice would be to leave before I got in any deeper with Ryot. Pack my bag now that I’d gotten the Mustang running again and disappear.
But I wanted to stay a little more every day.
I was still turning that dangerous thought over in my head when I stepped into the narrow aisle between two tall tool chests to grab a socket set. I didn’t see Ryot coming the other way until we nearly collided.
His hands shot out, wrapping around my waist to steady me. “Careful.”
My breath caught as we stood there, his fingers warm through my tank top. I looked up at him, and every reason I had for keeping my distance went up in smoke.
Ryot’s gaze dropped to my mouth, and his grip on me tightened. Then he kissed me.
His firm lips pressed against mine, and his tongue swept across them, demanding entrance. The tension between us finally snapped, and his mouth claimed mine like he’d been waiting for this exact moment.
One hand slid up to cup the back of my neck as he pulled me closer. I melted into him, a small sound escaping my throat that I would probably be embarrassed about later. But for now, I just lost myself in the kiss that was over too soon.
Someone called his name from one of the bays. Ryot pulled back with a low curse, his forehead resting against mine while our chests heaved. The look he gave me before he turned and walked away made my knees weak.
I touched my tingling lips and knew this definitely wasn’t over.