This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons--living or dead--is entirely coincidental.
Salvaged copyright @ 2014 by Brook Winters. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
Jess
Men like that don’t exist. That was what Jess Myers thought, as she flipped through the pages of the romance novel. She was romantic, but not naive.
Come on, for real. Handsome, rich, and surround by all that mystery and intensity—all with a hint of danger? That is only possible in fiction. Also, she wasn’t sure if she would like to be approached by men like that. She doubted that she would be able to play the role of the innocent heroine, just dying to have a taste of the wild side.
She sighed and looked over to the big clock on the gray wall. Almost 5. About 15 minutes to get out of this shithole. Not that she didn’t like her job, but the job was just a means to an end.
Recently graduated, with a fresh diploma in Economics, she couldn’t find a decent job to satisfy her efforts and all she sacrificed for college. Just thinking about all those years in college and the money she spent on her education gave her headaches.
How did I, the intelligent girl who graduated with honors, end up working in a salvage yard? It was still a mystery to her. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. It was this or the streets. She had a load of loans to pay, with money she didn’t have.
That was life, never fair. So, when a friend approached her with this job offer, she didn’t think twice before she took it. It was the best she could get at the time, and it would have been perfect, if it wasn’t for her controlling jerk of a boss.
Marcos Cavalli, just the thought of the bastard made her angry. If he were a more understanding person, she’d have already closed the doors and tidied things up for the next working day. However, knowing Marcos, that was unlikely to happen. The one time she tried to close up a few minutes early, she learned her lesson the hard way. There was no chance at all she would do it again, even if it was a slow day like this.
If her uptight boss found out that she closed the doors just a minute before 5 o’clock, she would be in big trouble. There wasn’t much she could do other than read and fantasize about her fiction hero while she waited for the clock’s small hand to finally reach that big 5, signaling that it was her time to get the hell out of there.
She was so fixated on the clicking of the clock that when the doorbell rang she jumped. Startled, her mind registered what that meant. Last minute customer. Who the hell dares to come at this final hour?!
Angry, she turned to greet the unwanted client who thought it was fun to come at the last minute of her workday. Why are people so inconsiderate? It was then that she saw the personification of every woman’s dream man, right in front of her.
Goodness, she thought, he’s not a man. He’s a Greek god—with all its attributes. Jess’s hormones overtook her logic.
She didn’t know why she was so excited all of the sudden. She was never one to lose herself over a guy, but just looking at the man before her—who could blame her. He was extremely tall and had a perfect body with the right amount of muscles, broad shoulders, and a flat stomach. Hallelujah to that! She was tired of only seeing ogres in the salvage. He wore dark blue jeans, a white shirt, and a black leather vest with biker patches on it. She was able appreciate the intricate tattoos covering every inch of exposed flesh on his arms, as well.
The more Jess looked, the more she knew that he was exactly the type of man her mother wouldn’t approve of. But who cares? After all, I’m just looking and enjoying the show. She bit her lip, taking in the man and continuing her appreciation.
He had dark hair, razed to the root. It was just how she liked— no hair to get in the way of his beauty. He’s sexy as hell! He had a strong jaw with soft stubble. His walk, his pose, and his smile—at the edge of cynicism— gave her the impression that he did not take shit from anybody. The man was too macho for that. His attitude plus his body...and what a body… belonged on a cover of a sexy magazine made entirely for women’s delight.
“Hello there, sugar,” Mister-macho-man said, and Jess lost her voice. His baritone voice combined with the insolent glint in his eyes. He did a slow inventory of her body, pausing at her best assets.
His eyes were a vivid ocean blue, the kind a woman fantasized about, and Jess was certainly intoxicated by his eyes. They almost stole her breath away. Silent, they took in one another. Words were not needed at the moment.
Jess was intimidated and somehow also fascinated by him, and it wasn’t her fault. He was big and scary. He was the kind of man who inhabited wet dreams— an authentic male, all tattooed with raw virility that seemed caged and ready to attack.
Jess changed her mind, her fiction hero was nothing compared to the macho man before her. Since Jess didn’t answer, he arched a perfect brow at her. Then, the cocky bastard smirked with a big wink, as if he was already in her pants, and said, “Want to take a picture? It will last longer.”
That did it for her. The enchantment was broken.
Jess was used to men like him. Her big, scary brothers were proof of that—thinking of big scary men, she took a clinical look this time at the stranger and noticed that he had the same features and brutal energy as a motorcycle bad boy. Shit. She knew very well his type and would definitely not get enchanted with this bad boy. Been there, done that, and it didn’t end well, she thought. She decided to treat Mister-macho-man there the same way she would treat men who thought they were the last cookie in the package.
Son of a... She swallowed the insult and neutralized her face, as if she had not heard his comment. She outlined a cynical smile and said as natural as she would to any customer, “How can I help you?”
Mister-macho-man looked at Jess, really looked at her, and raised a brow, as if he had been studying a rare species. It was clear that denial wasn’t something he was used to.
“Well, that’s a first.”
“What?”
“Nothing, beautiful. Where do you keep the good stuff here?” he said suggestively, but Jess continued her professional façade.
Out of habit, she took a quick look at the clock and internally groaned; yet, she forced herself to smile at the customer and asked, “What are you looking for?”
Josh
When Victor called early in the morning because his favorite car suffered an “accident” and needed a replacement right away, Josh knew that he was going to spend all day hunting for the piece in every salvage yard in town.
Because Victor’s cars were all old-school jewels, it wasn’t easy to find pieces for his babes, as he liked to call them. Victor was an important client and paid well, Josh just didn’t like his demands. The guy was into street racing and old cars, and Josh was his mechanic. So, it was his responsibility to make Victor’s babes shine, run faster, and beat the crap out of his enemies in terms of style, speed, and performance.
Josh had a reputation to keep. His garage was known as the place where car and bike lovers could “pimp their ride.” He still knew a lot about cars; but, bikes were, and forever would be, his passion. He was even in a motorcycle club: Brothers in Fire. He loved his club, the people there were his family.
The garage was his second home, so that was why he worked to keep the good reputation of the place. In simple words, he had to fulfill Victor demands.
***
The sun was setting and still Josh couldn’t find
that one piece he needed the most. There was only one salvage yard left that he knew of, and it was at the far end of town. He didn’t know what else he could do besides drive there and hope that they had what he was looking for.
When he entered the big salvage yard, he went directly to their office. He was tired of taking long walks around the salvage looking for the replacement part. He figured that he’d ask them directly where they kept all the good stuff and finally complete this mission.
With a sour mood, he entered the gray building with an old, forgettable feeling that he had seen better days, just like the cars outside. He paused and thought, Well, well, well, would you look at that. His day just brightened, and a predator smile blessed his hard features.
At the counter was a beauty focused on the wall opposite from him. He took the opportunity to look her over. She was petite, and her nice figure was wrapped in a simple outfit: a colorful blouse that was nicely filled out and jeans that hugged her hourglass figure.
However, what really grabbed Josh’s attention was her wild, curly, black hair that contrasted with her translucent skin. There was no denying that the girl was a peach, and he loved to eat peaches all day. She had soft features, even though she was frowning, and Angelina Jolie lips, which Josh could imagine doing a million and one things to him.
Well, my day just got better, he thought. When she finally noticed him, Josh knew that he was going to get lucky tonight. He couldn’t contain his surprise when the little chick gave him a black out. Well, now that was a first. Usually women wanted to fuck him and men wanted to get as far away from him as possible.
However, the war was not lost, the night was young, and her rejection only spiked his curiosity. When he first entered the salvage yard, he wasn’t looking for a roll in the bed, but after the small interaction with the wild beauty with black hair, he knew that it was bound to happen.
Since she was all business and no play, Josh decided to get down to business and leave the fun part to later. He explained what he was looking for, and she called a man to escort him to where he might find it. To his surprise, he actually did. Then, he went back to the gray building and made the purchase. Since it took a while for him to find his piece, it was already dark outside.
Jess
When business with “Mr. I’m-the-best-thing-since-the-invention-of-chocolate” was finally completed, it was late. Linda, Jess’s friend, had already called her saying that she couldn’t wait for her because she had to pick up her son. So, Jess had no other option but to reassure her friend that she would be okay and that she would catch the bus.
“Shit!” she said unexpectedly, looking at the clock. There was no way she could get the bus now, at least not in time to be home in the next two hours.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?”
Jess couldn’t get used to the name he was calling her, but she wasn’t complaining. Compliments from a sexy man were never enough, even if that sexy man was a motorcycle bad boy.
“Nothing. Just figuring out how to get home, just lost my ride.” Jess didn’t know why she told him that, but it was automatic. She figured that maybe she was too stressed to control her actions.
“No problem. You can ride with me.”
“What?”
Jess looked at him confused. Did he just ask me to ride with him?
“Yeah, beautiful. I know that I’m possibly the reason you lost your ride, so it’s only fair that I give you a ride back.”
She bit her lip, suddenly unsure of her decision. Why is it so hard to say no to him? Maybe because his steel blue eyes are pressing on me like I’m something out of the ordinary.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I just want to give you a ride. I promise not to bite—unless you ask me to.”
She was taken aback by his not so subtle comment; but, she recovered fast and said, “Thank you, but I’m good. I’ll find a way to get home.”
“Oh, come on. Now you’re offending me.”
“I—” she started, but he cut her off.
“Look, I get your situation. I’m a total stranger offering you a ride. With the world today you are damn right to be doubtful about me, but I can guarantee you that I’m no rapist or serial killer. My name is Josh Balentine, and I own a car workshop in town. It’s called Ride and Die. Ever heard of it?”
Jess shook her head in response.
Josh said, “Well, that’s okay. It’s a small shop that specializes in pimping cars and bikes. Now that I’ve introduced myself, care to tell me your name?”
“Jess.”
For some reason, Jess didn’t give him her last name. It felt too personal, and he was right, she didn’t know him. He could be lying about everything he said, and she definitely didn’t want to end up in the news as the girl who caught the wrong ride. But... something about him made her want to believe that he was telling the truth.
“So now, Jess, can we go?”
She had to admit that he was being polite now, but there were many weirdoes who seemed normal at first glance. She still didn’t want to risk it, so she said, “Thank you so much for the offer, but I don’t know....”
Josh released an exasperated sigh. “Look, the way I see it, you don’t have many options, and right now I’m your best bet. So, do you want to go or not?”
Wow, isn’t that kind of rude? She wanted to answer him with equal rudeness but before she could, the bastard started to walk away from the store, leaving her to her thoughts.
Is he leaving? “Wait!” she found herself saying, before she even made a decision. He stopped but didn’t turn around, the arrogant bastard. “Let me just close and tidy things up.”
“Okay.” He smiled.
The bastard! But what option do I have? Linda is already gone, and there is no way I can get a bus at this hour. It already passed, and a taxi is out of the question, simply because I don’t have the money to spend on it. Thinking it through, her only option was to accept a ride with Mister-macho-man—Oh wait, Josh. She just hoped he wasn’t a rapist or psycho. Well… only way to know, she thought.
***
They walked straight to a black metal bike, a Harley, and Jess’s eyes widened. You have to be kidding me! He doesn’t expect me to climb on that monster, right? What did I expect? He’s a biker. Of course, he has a bike. It was stupid of me to think otherwise.
“What’s wrong, beautiful? Afraid of bikes?” he taunted.
“No,” she responded, promptly denying her fears.
His provocation made Jess put on her big girl pants and walk to his monstrous motorcycle.
“Good. In that case, take this.” He gave her a helmet, but she notice that there was only one.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I don’t need one,” he said, as he smiled in that arrogant way of his.
He thinks he is invincible. Jess took the helmet and tried to put it on, but somehow the simple process was difficult. Noticing her dilemma, Josh helped her. A simple brush against her skin melted the ice walls she built around her heart to protect herself from him.
This mere gesture showed that he had a heart and a soft side beneath that rough attitude, and that meant a lot to her. It was the small things that meant the most. Jess smiled, grateful to him, and got on the bike.
As she settled on the bike, Josh narrowed his eyes, and his muscles tensed. His lips moistened like a caged animal ready to break free, but he held himself. His reaction made her feel powerful and hot. She was also a bit overwhelmed, but the taste of lust was so strong that it overtook her fears.
“Ever been on a bike before?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Her response made him raise a brow, but she didn’t offer any further explanation. He shrugged and said, “Well, you know the basics then. Hang on tight. Don’t make any sudden moves. Last, don’t touch the engine. It gets pretty hot, and it will burn the shit outta you.”
“Okay.”
With his help, Jess placed her feet in the right places, and he clim
bed on the bike. “Ready?” he asked.
She held Josh tight as he instructed, feeling his bulging muscles in her mere mortal hands. Suddenly, she didn’t have the voice to answer.
“Jess?”
“Let’s roll,” she said, waking up from her trance.
He pulled out of the place slowly, and she wondered whether it was out of consideration for her. Plus, he actually drove safely—which Jess didn’t expect at all from a biker who looked like such an animal. Well, you know what they say: Don’t judge the book by the cover, she thought.
As they rode, she instinctively leaned into him, feeling more secure. However, to be honest, she was feeling more than security. Her body was reacting differently, as if it was hyper-sensitive to his heat. Jess didn’t know if that was a good thing because she wasn’t used to feeling this way about a guy she just met.
Salvaged (MC Romance) Page 1