Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
Zoe
“What’s that sound?” I glance up to the rearview mirror to see if anything looks out of place.
Thud, thud, thud, I hear it again.
What the hell is going on, the early morning traffic seems to be whizzing by without a care in the world.
Thud, thud, thud.
Wait a minute, is it coming from my car? I glance up to the mirror, it’s getting louder.
Huh?
The thud continues and then my car starts bumping as if I’m running over something. Damn it, it is my car.
I indicate, pull off the road, and get out of my car. I walk around to see the noisy culprit, crap. A flat tire.
“Fuck’s sake, I am not in the mood for this shit.” I bend down to inspect the damage, I can hear the air gushing out, it needs to be changed.
What am I going to do? I scroll through my phone, my finger hovers over my brother’s number, and I hesitate. I know he’ll be busy at work, and the last thing he needs is to come out and do this.
I wonder if I could change it?… I mean, how hard could it be?
Surely I could work it out.
I pop the trunk and pull up the lining to reveal the tire and tool kit.
Right….
I take out the instructions and quickly read them, okay, sounds easy enough, I can do this.
I get the tool kit and lay it on the ground beside the car and then look at the huge ass tire as it fits snugly into its hidey-hole.
It’s such an awkward size to try and lift from this angle. I stretch my arms wide and grab the tire, I lift and lift…. And using all my might, it moves an inch.
Shit.
I brace my stomach and lean right over and secure my hands underneath the wheel.
Beep beep…. A car horn sounds as it flies past. Beep, beep.
“Fuck off,” I mutter, wearing black gym tights and a pale pink sports bra top. What must I look like from behind with my ass in the air?
In my defense, I wasn’t expecting this to happen when I rushed out the door to the gym at five this morning, now in hindsight I should have worn a T-shirt or something.
I struggle and struggle and, damn it, I’m working up a sweat here.
Who knew that tires were so heavy? Those mechanics must be buff, they make it look so easy.
I pull on the tire some more, “Come out.” I grunt, I put my foot up on the car to try and get some leverage.
Beep, beep, another car horn sounds as it flies by.
“Fuck. Off,” I snap, I’m getting infuriated now.
Seriously…. just how weak am I? I can’t even get a damn tire out of a trunk. I thought all the gym visits would have at least equipped me to get a fucking tire out of the trunk. I wipe the sweat from my brow and struggle some more. “Seriously, come out, you motherfucker!” I yell.
“Need some help?” A deep voice asks from beside me.
I glance up to see a policeman standing there in full uniform.
He’s tall and big, scary looking.
Fuck.
“Ahh….” I wince, oh no…. did he just hear me cussing like a sailor?
“Those tires can be real motherfuckers,” he says amused.
Yep…. he heard me alright.
I stand up embarrassed, “Oh I’m sorry, it’s just……” I can feel myself going red, one for swearing, two for wearing next to nothing, and three…. this damn cop is hot, and I’m a sweaty mess.
“Move aside,” he says.
“It’s fine, I’ve got it.” I cringe, I haven’t, not even close, he’s too attractive for me to look like I just crawled out of a dumpster. I will call my brother after all.
“I said, move aside,” he says all authoritarian-like. He stands over 6ft3 at a guess, built like a truck, and he has light brown hair that has a little curl to it.
Hot.
I move to the side, and he leans over the tire, his forearms are muscular with thick veins coursing down the length of them.
“I was just driving along, and I heard a thumping sound, it scared me,” I splutter.
He glances over his shoulder at me, “Not the context you want to hear a thumping sound, I guess.” He turns back to the tire.
Oh……
My eyes drop down to his tight ass in his perfectly ironed police pants, I pull my sports bra down and my tights up higher, I feel overexposed.
“I was coming back from the gym,” I tell him, trying to explain why I look half undressed.
“Aha.” He keeps fiddling with the tire.
“And I couldn’t get the tire out.”
He passes me a bolt, “Well, you need to unscrew it first.”
I stare at the bolt in the palm of his hand, “Oh.” I feel my face flush with embarrassment.
“Right.” I cringe, kill me now. Am I really this dumb?
He lifts the tire out with ease and lays it down on the ground, he gets the jack out and starts to pump it to lift the car, my eyes drop down to his thick quad muscles that I can see through his pants, hmm…… seriously though.
He’s a policeman.
I snap my eyes away as I remember where I am.
A trace of a smile crosses his face as if he can read my mind.
I pull my sports bra down again, indignant that he’s caught me perving.
“I’m fine from here, thank you.” I tell him.
His eyes come to meet mine, “What’s your name?”
“Zoe.” I wipe the toe of my runners over the dirt to distract myself from his big blue eyes. “What’s yours?”
“Dylan.”
I roll my lips to hide my smile, he has a name and holy hell, it’s hot, hot, hot.
“Well, Zoe, there’s something you should know about me,” he says in his deep raspy voice, he gets onto his knees and looks up at me from the ground, “I always finish what I start.” The air crackles between us.
I bet you do.
“Well…….” My pea brain misfires, “Umm,” I shrug, “That’s good.”
Oh hell…… that’s good?
Seriously, is that the best reply I’ve got, what the hell is wrong with me?
Quick, say something that’s cute and witty.
Mind blank…….. shit!
Okay, it’s better to stay silent than to say something ridiculous, I’ll just keep quiet.
The morning traffic is whizzing by, I can’t take my eyes off him as he removes the bolts and takes the tire off, he lies down onto his back with his knees bent and my eyes linger on his quad muscles that I can see through his pants.
He’s a machine.
Unfortunately, he changes the tire in record speed, and I kind of wish this took all day.
“There you go, Zoe.” He stands, “All done.” He gives me this big, beautiful smile, complete with dimples and a sparkle in his eyes, and my breath catches as we stare at each other. Holy……
Jeez.
“Thank you, Dylan.”
“The pleasure was all mine, ma’am.” He gives me a playful wink.
Okay, what the hell? This cop could be a stripper or something.
“I’m sure changing tires isn’t in your job description.” I smile, grateful for his kindness.
“You would be surprised what’s in my job description.”
Fucking…. is fucking in your job description because I’m quite positive you would excel at it.
We stare at each other again, an unspoken chemistry swirling between us, after a moment I stop with my staring. “Okay, well I better get going. Thank you so much for your help.”
“I’ll give you an escort home.”
“Really not necessary, officer.” I smile.
“Just to make sure the tire is safe,” he adds.
“Oh… okay.”
I get into my car as he watches on, I grip my steering wheel with force, my palms are sweaty and damn, Dylan the Policeman has me all in a fluster. I pull back onto the road and peek up into the rearview mirror to see him pull out after me, a thrill of excitement runs through my blood.
Please tire, fall off again. Explode or something. I dare you.
We drive the five miles back to my house, and I pull into the driveway, he stops the car against the curb and winds down the passenger side window, I get out and walk over to the car and lean down through it, “See, all safe.”
His hand is leaning on top of the steering wheel as he looks over at me, “Your husband is probably wondering where you are.”
I hear my heartbeat in my ears, “No husband.”
“Boyfriend?”
I shake my head. “No……. You?”
He gives me a slow sexy smile, “Neither.”
“Oh.”
“Do you live with roommates or…...?” he asks.
“I live alone,” I cut him off.
We stare at each other, as if both waiting for the other to say something.
Ask me out.
His eyes hold mine.
Ask me out.
“Well then,” he eventually replies, “You have a nice day.”
Huh…. he’s going?
I step back from the car.
“I’ll see you around, Miss Zoe,” he replies.
When, when will you see me around? If I had ever seen you before, I wouldn’t have forgotten.
He’s dismissing me, crap, I’ve totally misread the situation.
I step back from the car.
“Thanks again.”
“The pleasure was all mine.”
I turn and walk into my house; I can feel him watching me, and I internally kick myself, why didn’t I look hotter today?
I hear the car start up, damn it, he’s going.
The car stays running and stationary out the front and once inside, I peer through the sheer curtains.
What’s he doing?
Thump, thump, thump sounds my heartbeat in my ears as I imagine him coming and knocking on my door and kissing me like his life depends on it.
I smile as I imagine how random that would be.
Randomly perfect.
But, alas, my naughty dreams are shattered, and I watch on as he slowly drives away.
My shoulders slump, well shit. I let out a deep exhale, that’s the first time I’ve met an attractive man in a long time, and nothing happened.
Not even flirting… well, kind of flirting.
Ugh, what were you thinking fool? He’s a policeman, and he did a good deed, it is his job after all. There was nothing in it.
I glance at my watch, oh crap, with all the tire action, I forgot that I’m meeting Avril for breakfast, I have ten minutes to get ready. I take the stairs two at a time, I better hurry.
“What do you mean he changed your tire?” Avril frowns.
“Just what I said, he changed my tire.”
“Policemen don’t change tires.”
“I know, I thought so too, this one did apparently.”
“Helpful.”
I sip my coffee, “Helpful on the eyes, too.”
Avril smiles, “Really?”
“Ridiculously so.”
“Why didn’t you ask him out?”
“Because he was just being nice and I’m getting back with Rodney.”
“Ugh.” She rolls her eyes, “Rodney is a dick.”
“He’s not a dick, he’s just going through something right now, so we’re taking a break.”