Chapter One

“You no good piece of crap.” Hands on her hips, Jessie Knutson kicked the flat tire with the toe of her black leather pump. She’d kicked it twice already in the last ten minutes, the first time due to frustration, the second time in retaliation for scuffing her favorite pair of shoes. Exhaling, she tucked a flyaway section of hair behind her ear.

The day couldn't get any worse. She lost a button off her blouse, ripped her skirt, and now on the hottest day of the year, she stood alone on the side of the road because of a bum wheel. Checking her cell phone once more for service, she cursed the surrounding West Virginia Mountains before tossing her useless phone back in the car.

Weighing her options, she gazed back in the direction she came. A long walk back into town held no appeal. Ironically, she'd been heading toward Spencer's Auto Repair just down the road, she wasn't sure how far it was or whether it was still open. As a representative and salesperson for Bauer Auto Supplies, this was her last stop of the day.

Jessie had called earlier and left a message on their machine stating she probably wouldn't make their appointment due to the severe thunderstorms in the area that had given her a slow start. She had made surprising good time and, not wanting to miss out on a new account, she decided to try to make it there before they closed.

“Damn that flat tire.” Jessica kicked the tire one last time. Having grown up around cars, she knew how to change a flat. She just wasn't in the mood to change it wearing a skirt and high heels. Glancing at her watch, she folded her arms across her chest and tapped her toe. She'd give it another ten minutes before digging a pair of jeans and boots out of her overnight bag. The rumble of thunder in the background made her hair stand on end. She shortened the time to five minutes.

Leaning up against the door of her red coupe, Jessie took in her surroundings. It had been months since she had been in her home state of West Virginia. The joyful song of wood warblers drifted from the trees. The fragrance of native wild onions floated in the air. She loved the hills, the lush forests, and friendly people. The constant travel of her sales job was getting old. She had an apartment in Charleston, but she was never there.

The sound of a vehicle coming down the road brought Jessie's thoughts back to the present. Her pulse raced. She grabbed her purse so it was in easy reach, the calming weight of her small handgun returned her heartbeat to normal. Fortunately, she never had to use the thing, but it was a comfort to have with her in some of the areas she visited.

Her hands started to sweat. She crossed her fingers that the advancing vehicle included a knight in shining armor, and not a serial killer on the loose looking for saleswomen with flat tires. With the site of a wrecker coming toward her, she breathed a sigh of relief. The truck braked, coming to a stop on the opposite side of the road.

The driver's side window rolled down and a young, handsome face poked out. “Afternoon, ma'am. Do you need some help with your car?” He had dark hair, smoky eyes, and sexy stubble. He was gorgeous.

Finally finding her voice, she answered, “I’m so glad to see you. I’ve got a flat. I'm afraid my cell doesn't work and I really didn't want to have to change my tire in a skirt. “ Even though it was true, she still felt foolish rambling on. She blushed and kicked an imaginary stone with her foot before resting her hands on her hips.

He cocked his head when he heard her answer. She had such a low, raspy voice that she was often mistaken for a man. That worked to her advantage as garage owners were more likely to make an appointment with someone they thought was a man and very off guard when they found out she wasn’t.

“Well, let me take a look and see what we can do.” He grinned and turned off the engine.

His low, rich voice had a slight Southern drawl. To hell with the car, she wanted him to do some service work on her. Just the sound of it made her panties wet. What a girl wouldn't give to have him whisper sweet nothings in her ear while feeling the breeze of his breath on her neck! Jessie’s heart skipped a beat and her knees weakened.

The truck door squeaked open. He eased out of the wrecker. His work boots sounded on the hot pavement as he advanced in her direction. Jessie bit her lip as she did a quick scan of the rest of him. The man was tall and lean with a certain swagger to his step. He wore blue denim jeans slightly worn at the knees and what looked to be black motorcycle boots. His light blue work shirt, unbuttoned and hanging loose, showcased a hairy chest and six pack abs. Yummy. The initials BJ embroidered on the pocket sent another line of erotic pictures floating across her thoughts.

A slight glistening from the humid air gleamed on tan, muscular forearms dusted with black hair. Her heart rate accelerated as she stared into eyes that matched the darkness of onyx. Approaching the flat tire, he caressed the rim around the cause of her distress, his strong hands slightly stained with work.

She remained quiet. Her eyes followed as he straightened and circled her vehicle. His hand never left the smooth, warm surface of the car as he surveyed it for other ailments. Jessie’s sensations were on overload as she imagined those gentle fingers gliding across her curves. Rounding the front of her vehicle, the man gave her a smile and a shy onceover of her body before turning his attention back to the tire. Was the slight pink on his cheeks a blush or from the heat?

Jessie turned, hoping to hide the smirk. Men, they were all alike. Did he like what he saw? She would be a fool to think her long legs and C-cup breasts hadn't added to her sales somewhere along the way. She knew her best assets and wasn't afraid to use them, but in this case she wanted him to find her attractive, not want to buy something from her.

He prowled like a panther as he approached her, his hand still touching the warm metal of her car. He looked even better close up. Dark, wavy hair touched the back of his neck, damp from the heat of the day. His face tan from the sun, his deep brown eyes still locked on hers. High cheekbones graced his chiseled face, while a day or two’s worth of whiskers accented his jaw. How she wanted to feel his rough jaw line along the smooth skin of her inner thigh.

Her eyelids dipped as they settled on his sweet lips. Despite the heat, her nipples hardened. A flash of sunlight reflected off a buckle on his boot and her gaze dropped to his feet. She’d always loved men with long legs. Those tight blue jeans showed off his muscular thighs to perfection.

Jessica hated to admit it, but she had been too long without a man. The only action her lower half had seen in the last six months belonged to a battery-operated toy packed in her suitcase. She had never been into one night stands but traveling left little time for dating. This man was at least six feet tall. By the looks of his big boots, he was sure to have the right equipment to make her engine purr. What should she do? His left hand was wedding-ring free. Would he be interested in her? He looked a couple years younger, did he like older women?

She licked her parched lips. Her eyes followed a bead of sweat trailing down his throat into the nest of dark, curly chest hair. It worked its way south through a forest of curls, and along the hills and valleys of his abs. She felt lightheaded from the heat of the day and the intensity of his gaze. Her mind flashed to what the rest of him might look like. The parts covered up by clothes.

Her body temperature rose. She brushed the back of her hand across her feverish forehead and closed her eyes. Jessie tried to swallow, her throat suddenly parched, too. Was it from the heat of the day or the hotness of her rescuer? Her hands trembled and her head swam in confusion.

“Are you all right? You look a little pale.” BJ grabbed her elbow, guiding her toward the driver's side of his truck. He swung the door open, reached across the seat and grabbed a bottle of water from a white cooler occupying the passenger seat.

As she stood in front of the door, the coolness of the cab refreshed her immediately. The sips of cold water invigorated her, but being so close to such a fine-looking man was definitely making her thirsty for other things.

“Climb in and cool off. It has to be over one hundred today. When you're up to it, we'll head back to the shop. I don't have the compressor with me, so we'll have to tow it. It's too flat to try driving, you could ruin the rim.” BJ helped her up the high step of the wrecker.

His fingers scorched her already hot flesh, warmth flowing through from the inside out. His touch lingered even after she settled into the seat. His face looked concerned.

“I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me.” Jessica tried to hold her skirt together as she climbed into the driver's seat and slid to the center. She placed one leg on each side of the stick shift—a not very ladylike position to be in—but there was a cooler there. Besides, she was more interested in staying as close to him as possible.

“If you say so.” He leaned in and gave a quick smile. His hand now rested on the seat beside her. Brown eyes bore into hers before slowly lowering to her breasts and thighs. He wiped the back of his forearm across his damp forehead. “Well. I better get your car loaded so we can be on our way.”

****

Bernard Spencer, Jr.—or BJ as everyone called him—admired the curvy woman straddling his stick shift. The glimpse of long, shapely leg encased in thigh highs raised his body temperature a notch. He shifted in the seat. It wasn’t just his temperature rising.

He peeked at her again, noting her skirt was torn at the side. What was this lady doing out in the middle of nowhere, looking hot to trot and wearing thigh highs? He had always had a thing for women in thigh highs but they only seemed to exist in movies and magazines. He gripped the wheel harder. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to trail a finger along that lace?

He couldn't help stare at the creamy flesh visible where her blouse was missing the top button, and a glimpse of a black, lacy bra made his fists clench around the wheel. She had obviously been having an interesting day. His balls tightened just thinking about the first time he saw those long legs standing by the car. Fantasizing about her standing there wearing nothing but thighs highs made him break into a sweat.

She looked even better close up. A smile crossed his lips. Her eyes were green with the longest lashes he had ever seen. Those lips begged to be kissed. His gaze dropped to those gorgeous breasts and there was no way in hell he could look away when she took a deep breath. Those magnificent tits swelled, threatening to pop right out of that little lace bra. He swallowed. The creamy expanse of skin between those hotter-than-fuck stockings and her skirt begged for his touch. He had to get a grip. He straightened and squared his shoulders.

Their shoulders touched. He fumbled with the ignition and the truck keys fell on the floor. “Sorry, it’s been a long day,” he apologized and grabbed for the fallen keys.

“No worries.” His passenger laughed.

He looked her way and froze. She had the cutest freckles on her nose. Since when did he like freckles? He’d never slept with a redhead. What color would her nipples be? What was that joke he had always heard? Oh, yeah, would the carpet match the drapes? Damn, his jeans were getting tight.

He cleared his throat and started the engine, and then reached between her legs to shift the stick into gear. His fingers gripped the gear knob in a death grip. It was just too tempting to not rest his hand on that shapely knee. Or better yet, pull over to the side of road and have her straddle him. He groaned and switched that hand from the shift to the steering wheel. Better to concentrate on the road than his attractive companion.

BJ had closed his auto repair shop early just a few hours ago. There were no more appointments and the one salesman who was coming had called to say he wouldn’t make it after all. The garage was closed on Sunday so no sense waiting around for nothing. He had cold beer and bait in the cooler and his fishing pole in the back.

Coming up over the hill and seeing a woman stranded by the side of the road just wasn't in the plans for the evening. He risked a glance at the tantalizing legs of hers. Damn. She was a looker. He could make out those smoking hot curves a quarter mile away, and her legs grew better looking the closer he drove.

His cock jerked, jumping to life like a divining rod nearing water. If she wasn't married or had some other attachments, he might just get lucky. He’d love to have those gorgeous long stems wrapped around his waist and see her long hair spread on his pillow as he buried himself deep inside. He took a deep breath to calm his beating heart. He’d been avoiding the fairer sex lately and for good reason.

He was just a few days away from closing the deal on a new business. He didn't need any distractions to get him off track. BJ took a deep breath as he gave the car's owner another look. Yes, she was hot, but he needed to concentrate on her car. If he got any more interested, he'd be making an exit from the wrecker with an embarrassing bulge.

She had to be a few years older than him. And that voice. Deep and raspy, she would make a fortune working as one of those phone sex girls he saw advertised on late night television. He couldn't see her doing that, though. This woman carried herself with class, confidence, and sophistication. So different from the women he picked up at the bar when he needed a companion for the evening.

BJ had always been honest about not wanting a relationship, but unfortunately, it wasn't what most women wanted to hear. It was getting easier to just jerk off in the shower and spend his evenings alone. He had too much money riding on his future business plans to make stupid mistakes with a young lady looking to hook a husband.

No, he needed to find someone older, established, accepting of him just the way he was. Could he possibly hope the fiery redhead sitting next to him might be interested in some wild, no holds barred sex?