Presley was hiding our friendship—relationship—from the world.
She hadn’t offered up much explanation as to why, but I understood. She’d been the talk of the town once this summer after the wedding, and she didn’t need to tie herself to me publicly and go through it all again.
I’d leave Clifton Forge in a few weeks and she’d be here to deal with the gossip. If Presley needed me to be her dirty little secret, I’d play that game. The alternative was not having her at all, which wasn’t an option.
The nights I wasn’t shooting, I went over to her house. I’d let her feed me dinner, then kiss her senseless. Before things escalated past heavy petting, I’d excuse myself and go home for a cold shower.
It was easy behind her closed door. There was no pretending.
But walking into the garage today and not pulling her into my arms was going to take some major restraint. Maybe, if no one was watching, I’d be able to steal a taste of her lips.
As I approached the garage, my hopes were dashed. My usual parking space was taken. Every space was taken. I had to park on the street, and when I walked inside, I was met with chaos. Not a seat was empty. Was everyone in Clifton Forge getting their oil changed today?
Presley’s fingers flew over the keyboard as she sandwiched the phone between her shoulder and her ear. “Great. See you at three.”
She spotted me standing by the door and for a brief moment smiled. Then she either remembered I was her dirty little secret or she remembered she had a million other things to do—I preferred the latter—and she shot out of her chair, scrambling for a piece of paper on the printer and a set of keys hanging on a pegboard. She breezed past me, flying through the door to the shop as the customers waiting drank coffee, chatted and buried their noses in phones.
Since all the chairs were full and I’d signed that insurance waiver, I headed into the shop.
I found Isaiah standing beside a tool bench, chugging from a canteen of water. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, wiping his mouth dry. “Here to pick up the bike?”
“Yep.” I smiled, clapping my hands together. “Can’t wait to see it.”
“Come on.” He grinned and jerked his chin for me to follow him through the shop.
Two mechanics I hadn’t met were each busy with a car. Emmett slammed the hood on a third and nodded his hello. Presley was nowhere to be seen.
How had she disappeared? I glanced around, searching, and finally spotted her rushing inside from the parking lot. She threw a pair of keys to Emmett and went right back for the office, not sparing me a glance.
That stung.
When she was in the room, she had my attention, but that didn’t seem to be the case with her. She had a surprisingly easy time ignoring me. It was probably good for my ego, but . . . damn, woman.
“Haven’t seen you around much,” Isaiah said, leading me toward the far corner.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy.” I’d only shadowed him the one day. “I, uh . . . thanks for letting me watch you work on the bike that day. I realized after that”—because Presley had made me realize—“it might be tough to have me lurking over your shoulder. I didn’t want to get in the way or cause any hard feelings.”
Isaiah slowed, eyeing me carefully. “Appreciated.”
“So this is it?” I waved my hand at the machine covered with a tarp.
“Yep.” He jerked off the cover, revealing a gleaming black motorcycle underneath. My fingers skimmed the gas tank. The machine was truly a work of art. I bent down to get a closer look. The tank was painted a gleaming black, but hidden in the shiny surface were matte-black flames. “Wow.”
“Let’s take it outside.” Isaiah lifted the kickstand with his toe and put both hands on the handlebars, steering it through the open bay door and into the sunlight.
If it had been glorious inside, outside it was magnificent. The bike was meant for the road. It was meant to be in a movie. “I-I’m . . . speechless. Thank you.”
“Better take it for a ride.” Isaiah nodded to the seat.
“Hell, yeah.” I took the bike from him, straddling the seat. I hadn’t been on a motorcycle in years, but once upon a time, I’d ridden regularly to and from the police station. I started the engine, the rumble sending a wave of excitement through my veins.
I slid my sunglasses over my eyes, grinned at Isaiah and rode to the street. I glanced at the office as I passed and found Presley standing on the sidewalk outside, her hand shading her eyes, but there was a smile on her face.
So maybe she wasn’t ignoring me completely.
I smiled back.
Then I raced away, opening up the machine as I sped down the streets. It was the best ninety grand I’d spent in years.
We’d be using it for two movie scenes, but then it was coming home with me. This was my bike.
The road beneath the wheels was smooth and the motorcycle rode like a dream. I wanted nothing more than to take it out for hours, but I had to be on location to shoot today. So after thirty minutes, I headed to the garage, my hair windblown and my smile firmly fixed in place.
And tonight, no matter what she thought about being seen with me, I was taking Presley for a ride. I wanted to feel her toned thighs pressed against my hips. I wanted to feel her chest against my back and the whisper of her breath on my neck.
“So?” Isaiah asked as I parked it in the lot. Emmett came out to join us.
“That’s one hell of a bike.” I held my hand out to shake his. “Thanks. You did an incredible job.”
“Tell your friends in Hollywood.” Emmett chuckled. “We’d do projects like this one every day of the year.”
“Done.” I’d gladly send them business. “Mind if I leave it here? I drove over but I can have someone come with me later today to pick it up.”
“We can get it to your house,” Isaiah offered. “No problem.”
“Are you sure?” Because that would mean I wouldn’t need to bring Shelly or another crew member to the garage. There was a clear boundary between the film crew and the garage, and I’d like to keep it that way.
“We’ll drop it off at lunch.” Emmett nodded. “We’ll leave the keys with Presley.”
“Sounds good.” They both turned to leave, but I stopped them. “Can I ask you a question?”
Isaiah turned and nodded.
Emmett did the same, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest. “What’s up?”
“Presley’s ex. Is he going to be a problem?”
The two of them shared a look.
“What’s it to you?” Emmett’s eyes narrowed.
“I was a cop. I want to know if she’s in danger.”
“No,” Emmett answered at the same time Isaiah said, “Maybe.”
My spine stiffened. “Maybe?”
“Her ex is an epic fuckup.” Isaiah ignored Emmett’s glare. “Will he hurt her? Probably not. But she needs to stay away from him. He’s tied up with a nasty crowd. If you see him around, you need to tell us.”
“I’m not scared of the ex.” Or his motorcycle club.
“There are things you don’t know,” Emmett said. “No matter what Presley told you, there are things you both don’t know, so if you see him around, don’t be the hero. Make the call.”
Something about his tone, the sincerity and the protectiveness in his voice, made me nod. “All right.”
Until my time in Clifton Forge was up, I’d do my best to keep a watch on Presley. While I was here, she was mine.
With one last wave, I walked across the parking lot toward the street. Through the office’s window, I saw Presley on the phone. I was tempted to go in there while she was distracted and kiss her cheek, but she’d fillet me for that one.
So I’d wait, shove the urge deep, until I could claim that kiss tonight on my new bike.
“This is quite the view,” she breathed over my shoulder, her eyes aimed into the distance.
“Montana has some stellar sunsets.”
She hummed her agreement, pressing her cheek into my shoulder.
The ride along the highway with Presley at my back had been better than I could have imagined. Having her pressed against me, her small body holding tight to mine, was both bliss and agony.
Even after we’d found a secluded place to pull over and watch the sun set, she hadn’t climbed off. She was still there, her arms around my waist and her cheek against my shoulder.
My hand was on her leg and my thumb circled her knee. Every lap, I found it harder and harder to breathe. Every stroke of my finger against her jeans made me wish I could rip the loose denim from her legs and find out what she looked like wearing nothing at all.
I’d need two cold showers by the time we made it home.
My day had been spent on set, rehearsing tomorrow’s shoot and doing a retake of a small scene Cam hadn’t been happy with. We had some days set aside for retakes, but no one wanted to use them. They caused stress and levels were already on the rise now that we were in the final half of our shooting schedule. Thankfully, Cam was happy with the retake and I’d managed to sneak out before being pulled into the tent for the cast and crew dinner.
Shelly was already on my case for skipping out each night. She wanted me there to help support morale.
Sorry, Shelly. Presley ranked higher than morale.
My bike had been in the driveway when I’d arrived at my house. Presley’s Jeep had been parked in its normal space. I’d dumped my backpack at home, then rushed to her door, taking her hand and dragging her outside the moment she’d answered my knock.
I’d put her on the bike and shot out of the driveway, her yelp of delight ringing in my ears. My plan had been to stick to the roads in town, ride for thirty minutes, but she’d pointed at the sign to the highway and away we’d gone.
Fifty miles away from town, we’d crested the top of a hill with a wide, gravel pullout. I’d parked us here, the kickstand down, and we’d watched the sun make its way toward the horizon.
Her hair was blown away from her face, like mine. Next time, I’d put her in a helmet, but for today, neither of us seemed to care about safety. Tonight was about adventure and the wind and the open road.
On nights like this, I wasn’t sure why anyone would want to live in the city. The plains spread below us and the mountains rose in the distance. Above us, a few stars glinted in the vast, sapphire sky. We had at least an hour of light left, but as the evening turned to twilight, the magic of Montana found its way into my heart.
Or maybe it was Presley.
“I was dying to kiss you today,” I whispered into her ear. “I almost did.”
Her eyes dropped. “Shaw, we—”
“I know. I’m temporary. You don’t need the gossip. I get it, but that doesn’t make me want to kiss you any less.”
“If people knew, if the guys knew, it would only make it more complicated.”
I suspected the guys at the garage already knew, but I wasn’t going to burst her bubble. “I’ll keep this quiet, but when we’re alone, you’re all mine.”
She grinned and let me go to swing her leg off the bike. I expected her to walk to the edge of the bluff and take in the sunset from her feet. Instead, she turned her back to the view and straddled my lap, looping her arms around my neck. “We’re alone now.”
My mouth fused to hers, and I kissed her like I’d wanted to kiss her all day. Our tongues collided in a messy, wet duel that we both won. As the sun continued to fade, my need for Presley surged to a fire even a dozen showers wouldn’t cool.
“We gotta slow down.” I broke away from her mouth, panting. “Otherwise I won’t be able to stop.”
Her hands came to my face. “What if I don’t want you to stop?”
My jaw dropped. My cock, already hard, wept. Please let me have heard her right. “What are you saying?”
“We only have a month.” She looked up at me with those blue eyes, matched by the sky above our heads. “You’ll leave and we’ll both let go. But for now, when we’re alone . . .”
“Let’s make the most of it.”
“Yeah.” She smiled and dipped her lips to the underside of my jaw, peppering it with kisses.
I growled, my cock begging to be let out of my zipper. I hauled her to me, holding tight, and I lifted us both off the machine.
I would have liked nothing more than to fuck her on the bike, but it was brand new and this was going to be hard and fast. I didn’t trust my balance that much. There was a picnic table in the distance, shielded partially from the road by two cottonwood trees.
Her legs wrapped around me as I walked us to the table, her mouth sucking and licking at the skin on my neck.
I set her on the edge of the table and her hands went right for my jeans. I tugged on the strap of her belt, loosening its hold so her jeans draped over her hips, exposing creamy skin and the black lace of her panties.
“Condom’s in my pocket.”
She raised an eyebrow, digging into my pocket. “Expecting this?”
“Hoping for this.” I chuckled, dropping my lips to hers. “So damn hopeful.”
She smiled against my lips as she retrieved the condom.
I put a hand in the center of her sternum, checking over my shoulder for any oncoming traffic. The road was empty—we hadn’t seen a car since we’d parked—and the trees shielded us along with the fading light.
I flicked open the button on her jeans, dragging down the zipper, though I could have slid them free. Presley arched her hips, helping to shimmy them toward her knees. She toed off her shoes and those jeans pooled on the gravel by my boots. My fingers caressed her skin, dragging trails along the flesh of her legs.
I started at the outside, then worked my way in, first to her knee, then up an inch. Down an inch, up two. Until my fingers were barely centimeters from the gusset of her panties.
I dragged my thumb up her covered slit.
“Shaw,” she moaned, squirming under my touch. “Quit playing around.”
“I like to play.”
Presley lifted up on one elbow, her chest heaving. “Play later. When we’re behind a closed door. Right now, I need you inside.”
I loved the desperation in her voice. It shredded my control and I leaned over her, dragging my nose along the lace panties, inhaling her scent. I placed kisses up her belly, over the top of the white Clifton Forge Garage tee that molded to her flat stomach and firm breasts. I found her lips with mine and kissed her as I undid the zipper of my jeans and set myself free.
Taking the condom from her hand, I rolled it over my shaft and slipped my tongue out of her mouth. I leaned back, and with one yank, I shredded those lace panties.
Presley laughed to the sky. “I always wanted to know what that felt like. A man ripping off my panties.”
“Yeah?” I leaned in to whisper against her lips. “What other fantasies do you have?”
“Keep going and maybe you’ll find out.”
I chuckled, savoring every shiver and hitch in her breath as I let the stubble on my jaw scrape against her chin and the cool breeze wash over the wet I left on her lips.
I reached between us, gripping my cock to drag it through her entrance. She moaned, the sound loud and long because there wasn’t a damn soul out here to object. Presley could scream at the top of her lungs and only the birds would hear.
I’d love to hear her shout my name.
I inched forward, stretching her. It took every ounce of control not to thrust in deep and feel the pulse of her slick, wet heat, but I worked us together with patience.
She shifted each time I went deeper, her breath gasping as she adjusted to my size. “You’re big.”
And she was tiny. I’d known this was going to be a snug fit, and I gritted my teeth to keep from exploding. I wanted to make this good for her, for both of us.
My fingers splayed between us, holding her wet folds apart as I rocked us together, until finally, I was seated as deep as she’d take me. Presley’s eyes were squeezed shut.
“Good?”
She bit her lip. “Move.”
Fuck, yeah. I took her knees, holding up her legs as I withdrew. She hissed a breath when I drove forward, grinding the root of my cock against her clit. Her hands gripped the table.
“You feel fucking incredible, baby.”
“So do you.” One hand reached for mine.
I took it, lacing our fingers together, and thrust in again. My jeans fell farther down.
God, I wanted her naked. I wanted that T-shirt gone and Presley spread out beneath me so I could watch her rosy nipples. But we were scratching an itch. We were letting loose and fucking under the sky.
Tomorrow, or maybe tonight, we’d take the time to explore.
My pace picked up and I slammed into her time and time again until she writhed on the table. White spots broke in my vision as I took her hard, loving the clench of her around me.
“Shaw.” She gave me a warning gasp.
I planted deep, hard, and dropped her leg. I found the bundle of nerves between us and stroked, three times before she shattered, her back arching off the table and her mewls fading into the coming night.
When her cries subsided, I began stroking again, this time in short, hard thrusts. It didn’t take long for the build, the pressure to consume me, and I let go with Presley’s hand still in mine and her scent floating on the night air.
I collapsed on top of her when we were both spent. “Damn.”
The fingers of her free hand dove into my hair. “Damn.”
I didn’t want to let her go, but I did. I stood, sliding out and picking up her jeans, brushing off the dirt. As she stepped into them, I yanked up my own jeans and took care of the condom, tossing it in a trash bin a few feet from the table as Presley cinched her belt.
We didn’t speak as we made our way to the bike. I climbed on first, steadying the bike as she straddled me from behind.
Then she sighed, wrapping herself to my frame and holding on tight.
“See?” I kissed her temple. “I don’t grunt.”
The sound of her laughter rose above the roar of the engine as we rode home.