Chapter Three
IT SHOULDN’T BE BUGGING me that he spoke to her, should it?
She wasn’t mine. She wasn’t anyone’s, but Rocket was a predatory fucker, at least from what I’d heard, so maybe it was just the protector in me, stepping up to defend a woman who I’d witnessed showing nerves around big guys like him.
Still, she fucking kissed me, didn’t she?
Didn’t that mean she was at least less his than she could be mine?
I forced myself not to dwell on it, because she’d been mortified after, and I didn’t like seeing her that way.
After Jeff headed off, I stepped outside with Caroline, and crouched beside her SV, to take a look at her brake lines, callipers, and discs. Nothing looked untoward, so I held my hand out for her key, and started her up.
“Gonna pop around the estate on her. Let’s see what she’s doing. Is it happening at speed, or coasting?”
She bit her lip, looking adorably young and sweet. “Uh… both, I think? I don’t know. It’s not every time. Sometimes they’re fine.”
Hmmm. Intermittent problems were tricky fuckers, but my mind was already working its way through possibilities and solutions, as I donned my helmet, and pulled away.
It bothered me a little, leaving her there while Rocket was still around, but I’d just invited the fucker to be around more, so I could hardly quibble now.
I tested the brakes while I was going slow, finding them normal, so I took the road out of the estate, and down into the disused lot behind it, pushing her a little faster, so I could see what was happening.
Technically you wouldn’t want to be using your brakes that much at high speeds, because that’s what gears were for and letting off the gas, but I put us both through the paces, and I couldn’t find a damn thing wrong.
I headed back into the industrial estate, and into my parking lot, realising instantly that Caroline wasn’t waiting there for me. Where the fuck did she go?
I parked up as close as I could, wrenching my helmet off as I strode into my shop like… like what? Like I had a right to know where she was?
The first thing I heard was laughter, and saw her helping Rocket move some boxes off the shelves we were going to move.
“What’s… hey, you don’t need to help with that,” I said, shooting a glare at Rocket, as I lifted the small box out of Caroline’s hands and set it down.
“It’s okay, I was… did you find anything?” Find anything where? I found a fucking biker brother with… with who? My woman? Give me a break. Somehow an asshole had taken up residence inside me, because that wasn’t my way.
“She’s performing as she should. Now I’m happy to take them off, dust them up, replace the pads, and see if that improves anything, but honestly I think I’d be wasting your money.”
“Someone needs to give him a lesson in how to run a business, am I right? You take the money,” Rocket murmured, and I clenched my fists.
“My business isn’t fleecing people, Rocket, so if that’s how you roll, this isn’t gonna work.”
“Jeez,” he murmured, while Caroline frowned at me, pushing her short dark hair back and stepping away from Rocket. Why did that feel better already?
“Tell you what… I can pop off the pads and see how they’re looking. It might tell us if you’re riding the brakes a bit or something.”
“Probably those tiny little hands struggling to squeeze ’em tight enough,” Rocket murmured, and I tossed one of my brochures at him.
Caroline followed me as I headed back outside, and already that felt better, like pressure lifting off my chest, because for some reason I really didn’t like him near her, or her near him… it was definitely one or the other. Maybe both.
“Is everything okay?”
I crouched down to fake concentration, like I was checking her brake pads and disks, but really I was just trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me.
“Harley?” Caroline crouched beside me, and with her came a soft breeze scented with her perfume, something sweet, like flowers of some kind, and I found myself taking in a deep breath through my nose, just to take more of it in. Clearly I’d gone insane.
“I can take her in right now, and check them for you. I’m not charging you unless she needs replacement parts, or actual work is necessary though.”
Caroline rested a warm hand on my upper arm, and another hit of that perfume reached me. Why now, and not before, when we were in that enclosed space. Jesus, did she add it, to entice Rocket, or something? My fist clenched as anger and frustration filled me again.
“Harley?”
I shook free of her gentle grip and stood up, almost knocking her over as I moved, so catching her, and dragging her up with me?
That was just more of whatever the hell was fuelling my insanity right now?
Would I have let her fall? Obviously not, but did I make a habit of touching her?
Of touching any customers of mine? Fuck no.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to bump you,” I said, stepping away as soon as she seemed to be holding her own again.
“It’s okay. You didn’t do any harm, Harley.”
I dragged a hand over my hair, glancing around us uncomfortably, like I wanted an interruption, like I wanted something to distract me from these weird feelings I didn’t usually have for her.
I liked her. Sure I did. She was sweet, funny, massively into her motorcycle, and the ride itself.
What’s not to like? Why it was suddenly feeling like I wanted her for myself, I had no fucking idea.
Like she’d want a dick like me. I mean, I was a better prospect than Rocket, but only just.
“If you think they’re fine, I can just go?” I’d been ignoring her, and that wasn’t like me. Fuck me. Had I been possessed by a fucking alien or something?
“Sorry, Caroline. I’m just distracted. Rocket’s setting up in my workshop, and it seemed like a good idea at the time…
” I trailed off, glancing in through the window to see Rocket manhandling my shelving aside, all on his own, because I’d abandoned him to it.
At least the fucker had a good work ethic.
“You don’t like him?”
I faced her again, the woman currently making me feel like I’d been bodysnatched, only what I really wanted was… Jesus, don’t go there.
“Nah, he’s fine. It’s just distracting me. It’s… okay, let’s go get your brakes off and check everything’s good.”
“Like I said… I could-”
“I’m not letting you back on her, until I know she’s safe,” I practically barked at her, surprised to see a smile in response. I thought she’d be offended I pretty much snapped at her, but no. She seemed to be pleased, for god only knows what reason. A woman reason, I guess.
Caroline
WHILE HARLEY CHECKED ON my brakes, I took his advice and went back inside to get myself another one of my ‘god-awful chocolate disasters’, and paused to watch Rocket as he finished replacing all of Harley’s display parts on the shelving he’d moved.
“You enjoying the show, love?”
He straightened up, brushing dust from his hands onto his jeans. He had a smirk on his face that I was starting to realise was just his usual version of a smile. It made it seem like there was some inside joke in his head, that I probably didn’t want to hear.
“Just curious about what’s going on here. What are you setting up?”
He came over to lean on the counter, and I backed up a few steps to rest my back against the wall, putting distance between us, because he made the area seem small and compressed, and I needed to breathe.
“Not gonna touch you,” he said quietly, turning to carry on, as if he hadn’t spoken, “so this area here will be cordoned off, to trap fumes, and I’ll get an extractor set up too.
The wall over here will be my counter and display.
Oh… I do custom spray jobs. We figured this was a good place to find clients. Well, Harley did. He’s good people.”
“I know,” I said quickly, like it was suddenly important for me that he knew I knew that about Harley.
I’d been coming to him for one thing or another for about six months, maybe more.
At first, he’d just been this guy who knew so much that I could ask anything, and he’d understand, and he never ever talked down to me, or mocked me for my lack of knowledge.
He’d been calm and soft with me too, like he recognised my nerves around people.
“I come here a lot,” I blurted, my eyes drifting closed for a second, as I groaned internally, because he never asked that, and I didn’t need to say it. Sometimes my brain to mouth process was a little bewildering for some people, and Rocket looked confused for a moment.
“You guys fucking?” Oh my god! My cheeks flushed red, and heat burned its way through me, as mortification struck me dumb.
How could he think that? Why would he think that?
Was I behaving like I was intimate with Harley?
Did Harley think I was behaving like that?
Did Rocket see the almost kiss? My fingers trembled around the paper coffee cup, and I froze, determined to not spill a second drink all over his floor today.
“Shit. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m… I say what I think, and sometimes it offends people.”
I lifted my eyes to his, seeing guilt painted right across his face. Maybe he understood because he was like me. There’s nothing wrong with either of us, we just lack that filter that keeps the wrong words from coming out sometimes.
“It’s okay. I should go see how he’s doing.”
I practically ran back into the open garage bay, almost crashing into Harley who’d been heading my way.
Coffee splashed everywhere for the second time today, mostly missing both of us, but making my embarrassment and humiliation hit the red level of the ‘I’m a loser’ scale.
“Oh my god! What’s wrong with me today?”
“I knew you didn’t really like drinking that shit,” Harley muttered, laughing as he steadied me, and then his eyes found mine, and the smile dropped from his face.
“Jesus. Are you okay? Did…” he glanced behind me, and his frown became a scowl, “did he do something to you? Did Rocket hurt you?”
He sounded like a protective boyfriend, and why was I suddenly gutted that he wasn’t mine? Why was I suddenly wishing that I could run to him with every little problem, and let him fix it for me?
“He thinks we’re fucking,” I blurted, and Harley froze, his eyes widening at me, before he blinked rapidly, seemingly lost for words. Why the hell did I just say that? Gahhhhh! Swearing was so unusual for me too, and yet I just blurted that out.
“Uh…” Harley released my arms, and backed up, rubbing his thumb over his bottom lip, his stubble making a scratchy sound.
“I… Oh my god, I didn’t mean to say that!”
Harley grinned, still looking a little shell-shocked, which wasn’t that unusual for people having conversations with me.
“Don’t worry, little lady,” he backed up to crouch by my motorbike, but I caught his low murmur, “I should be so lucky.”
Did that mean he wanted to, or didn’t? Did he want me to hear him or not? I stood there like an idiot for a moment, and he finally tilted his head up, catching my gaze.
“You want me to talk you through this?” Oh. Doing my best to push aside the humiliation, and overwhelmed state of mind he’d left me in, I crouched beside him, watching as he pointed.
“Your pads are buffed to a shine, meaning you’re riding your brakes a little.
It’s not a problem, but I’ve adjusted your brake lever travel, so that braking will be easier for you, without needing more pressure from your hand.
” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, his breath leaving him in a sharp gust.
“I made things weird, didn’t I? I’m sorry, Harley, I really am. I say dumb things, and people get uncomfortable. I’m used to it, but I try, I really do.”
I started to get up, and Harley’s hand caught mine, halting me before I really moved. If anyone else touched me as much as he had today, I’d have been a mess, but his touch didn’t upset me in the same way as other people’s did.
“You don’t say dumb things, and you’re not making me uncomfortable. I’m just, I guess I’m still remembering how it felt to hear you say that word.” He groaned and looked at his hand, still gripping mine.
“Wh… what word?” I felt like minutes passed before he met my eyes again, and he breathed one single word that burrowed deep inside me, making me want things I shouldn’t be wanting.
“Fucking…”
My bottom lip suddenly burned, and I realised I was biting down hard on it, but what was I trying to do, stop words from coming out? Stop a moan of need from escaping?
Harley’s eyes focused on my lips, and suddenly I was looking at his too. Were we about to kiss? For real this time? Not my stupid attempt, but the real thing. Was this really happening?
“Gonna head out, man. Wanna get measure… and
I’m interrupting. Fuck me. Later!”
Rocket disappeared, but the spell was broken, and we both straightened up, his hand falling away from mine, and the residual warmth I’d been enjoying dissipated too fast.
“Uh… anyway, you’re good to go. You shouldn’t have any more problems, but you uh… you know where to find me if you need anything.”
I dug in my pocket for my phone, to access the payment apps stored on it, but Harley gently pushed it back down.
“I barely did anything, Caroline. There’s no charge.”
“But…”
“Just buy me a coffee sometime.” He grinned and headed for the counter, then suddenly spun on his heel, lifting a finger in the air.
“Proper coffee, that is. Not the weird shit you like.”
I felt myself grinning as I nodded, grabbed my helmet, and headed back out to the bay, to get out before I did or said something to ruin this moment. We’d be okay. I didn’t make it too weird. I didn’t, right?