Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” I put my bag on across my body then follow him to his bike with a swarm of butterflies taking flight in my stomach.
Passing me the helmet he had on, he throws his leg over the seat and disengages the kickstand before he looks over at me as I stand there, paralyzed with his helmet in my hand.
“Have you ridden before?”
“Yes,” I tell him as he nabs my wrist, using it to drag me closer. It’s difficult not to become hyper-focused on the way his hand feels against my skin, or the fact that his fingers are so long they overlap around my wrist.
Removing the helmet from my hand, he places it on my head and buckles the strap under my chin before tightening it with care.
“Alright, hop on.”
Right
I can do this.
I get on behind him and try to find somewhere to hold on without holding onto him and hear him laugh. “I’ll only bite if you ask me to,” he says over the sound of the engine while reaching back to grab my wrist. Pulling me forward he wraps my arms around his waist. “Hold on.”
With my hands on his abs that are hard and ridged under the soft material of his t-shirt, he takes off out of the parking lot and slides into traffic. And I’m so lost in my own thoughts that we’re pulling up to Rafe Motors before I remember that I should have asked him to take me home.
Four
NALIA
Sitting cross-legged on the bench seat in Logan’s office with a snoring Dozer lying next to me and drooling on my bare leg, I wait for Logan to come back and let me know what is going on. When we pulled up to his shop and were both off his bike, I told him that I needed to be at my house no later than three thirty so that I could walk over to the school to pick up Zuri from the elementary school at three forty and deal with getting a rental car.
After I explained that to him, he escorted me into the building and told me to wait for him before he took off to talk to a guy named Hank about getting my vehicle towed. It’s been a while, so while I’ve been waiting, I’ve been messaging both Bax and Talon in our group chat, letting them know what happened and that I have my work phone with me so I can still deal with clients this afternoon while I’m away from my home office. Not that either of them asked if I would still be able to work, the two of them were just worried about me. I guess that’s one of the positives of working for family, or more so, working for my brothers.
With them I haven’t had to worry about productivity reports, request for time off or any of the stuff I did with my previous job. They are so happy that they don’t have to deal with clients’ day to day questions, payroll, paperwork, or the trips to the clerk’s office, that I’m pretty sure I could get away with murder.
Clicking out of our group chat, I start to search the internet for a rental car company that can drop off to me either today or tomorrow and cringe when I see the cost.
“Alright,” Logan says, and I look from my phone to where he’s standing in the doorway. He’s so tall that the top of his head almost reaches the underside of the door jamb. “Your Bronco is on the way over here, and I got a car that you can borrow for a few days while I get yours up and running. We can pick it up after we get the kids from school.”
“I was going to rent a car.”
“Well, now you don’t need to do that.”
“I really…”
“Don’t feel comfortable accepting help,” He nods, cutting me off, and I have to admit that it’s a little annoying that he knows exactly what I was going to say. “I’m starting to get that’s your M-O, but it’s gonna cost a few grand to replace your head gasket, so you might as well save a little money on the rental.”
“A few grand?” My stomach bottoms out. I have some money saved, but having a kid, especially a girl who is getting to that age where she thinks her appearance matters, is expensive. Plus, I spent a lot of money moving Zuri and me here, then buying stuff for our house to make it feel like home, not to mention everything for back to school.
“I’ll do what I can to save you some money, but...”
“Please don’t,” I whisper before he can finish. “Just charge me whatever you need to, I’ll figure it out, and I will make you whatever cookies you want on top of that,” I tell him, and his gaze wanders over my face for a moment before he jerks up his chin.