The following morning, she was still replaying their meeting over and over in her mind. Tank had been cold and dismissive the first time they had met, but when he had walked into the diner, she had slowly warmed him up and they had ended up sharing something.

She wasn’t sure what it was yet, but she knew it had the potential to be something fun. He had come out of nowhere, and the more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen much of him around town before… but then again, it’s not like she had been looking.

She smiled to herself as she stirred her coffee and opened her laptop. It was crazy early for her to be up and awake, but she knew she had a hectic day ahead. She had to fit all of her regular work in as well as heading over to the garage and helping her pop with the accounts and some admin. She had been reluctant to agree to it at first, but now that she had the added incentive of Tank, suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a chore.

She smiled to herself as she remembered how it had been the previous day in the diner. It seemed almost comical that it had been Arlene who had brought them together. If she had been a nice person, he may have never warmed to Jess and given her the time of day, but he seemed genuinely amused by her reaction to Arlene and her nasty, bitter ways.

When she had finished eating her food, his had arrived, and he had smiled over at her with wide eyes and gave her the thumbs up.

“How was it?” he’d asked her with a wry smile.

“As you suspected, it’s pretty damned good,” Jess had said as she rose to her feet and slipped her purse over her shoulder, before she lifted her laptop and tucked it under her arm.

“It sure looks it,” he said as his reached out and grabbed one of the huge, triple decker sandwiches between his rough, manly hands. The sandwich had felt so big to her, she had barely been able to hold it, but when she looked at it in his grip, it looked practically tiny.

She gulped.

Those hands.

 “I hope you enjoy it,” she said, a crack in her voice which she had to try and disguise with a little, demure cough.

He smiled at her and bit into it, drips of tomato spilling down his chin… but it hadn’t put her off in anyway, it had just turned her on even more. He was such a brute, and she had felt flustered and had needed to get away.

“Bye then,” she had said as she raced toward the counter and paid Arlene before she’d headed toward the door.

“Goodbye, Jessica,” he had said as he looked back at her over his shoulder.

He knew her name.

He had actually remembered it.

And it had kept her going all night long.

She stirred the coffee again and then she let the spoon rest down on the counter in front of her as she stared into space, almost in a dream.

She could only assume he was going to be there at the garage that morning, and for that reason, she was already feeling in a bit of a fluster.

“What am I going to wear?” she said aloud to herself before she raised the mug to her lips and took a much-needed sip. “And more importantly, how am I going to act in front of my dad? What if Tank sends me into crush overdrive again?”

She laughed to herself, but then she tucked her head into her chest and tried not to scream.

She hadn’t felt like this in some time, and she knew it was stupid, but she just couldn’t help it.

He was far too old for her, for all she knew he could be already in a relationship, and he had two kids for Christ’s sake… and yet he was all she could think about.

“Your pop would go mad,” she warned herself. “You’ve got to think about the consequences of your actions Jessica, you’re an adult and there’s no excuse to be acting like a lovestruck teen.”

And yet, that was exactly how she felt.

She felt as if she was experiencing her first crush all over again.

He was older, sexy as hell… and totally inappropriate for her. But she couldn’t push him from her mind.

A wild, lawless biker…

One who was about fifteen years her senior.

And she wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone.

She bit her lip and smiled. She was going to have to be very good indeed, because if it was one thing she knew and was determined to stand by, it was to never mix business with pleasure.

 

As the morning wore on and she worked through her to-do list, she also began to think about wrapping up her work for the big boss in the city and heading on over to Durrett’s. It wasn’t a weekly thing for her to go over and help her pop with the accounts, but with her carving out a career as a virtual assistant, it seemed ridiculous for him to hire anyone else or to try and do them himself. Jess was the ideal candidate and she was more than happy to help once a month or as needed.

She closed her laptop and sipped her water before she rose to her feet and looked at her reflection in the mirror behind her. She looked flushed and excited, and she knew she was going to have to get a hold of herself. She wandered out of the kitchen and up the stairs before she took a turn into her bedroom and flung open the closet doors. The sun was high overhead, much like it had been the day Zack had decided to play his cruel joke on her, and she felt a rush of nausea pass over her entire body.

She hadn’t heard from him since his last attempt at contact, and for that, she was grateful at least. She just hoped that he wouldn’t try his best to harass Kiara as well.

Jess’s eyes scanned the rows of clothes and she pulled out a pair of cut off shorts and a baby blue t-shirt before she threw them down on the bed behind her. She had spent the morning working in her PJ’s, and although it had felt novelty at the time, she was now wishing she had got up and showered before she had begun working.

She turned on the shower and began her daily beauty routine, by the time she was finished, she was feeling much calmer and she felt a lot more refreshed and revived. She slipped herself into the shorts and t-shirt and spritzed herself with perfume, before she scrunch dried her hair with her hands and a dryer.

When she was finished, she looked at her reflection and realized that her nerves and the butterflies had returned, and she wanted to slap herself straight across the face.

“You’ve got to get a grip,” she said to herself sternly. “You’re acting crazy.”

Now she felt nothing but annoyed with herself, and she grabbed her purse and swung it onto her shoulder.

As she left the house and began to walk toward Main Street and the back alleys that weaved their way around into the other parts of Slate Springs, she looked up at the blazing sun and felt angry all over again.

How had Zack had the nerve to do that to her?

Maybe her dad did have the right idea in hiring someone new to be around the garage, at least then they knew things were being looked after if her pop was away. The thought of Zack sneaking around there when he had been out of town made her skin crawl and her blood boil.

She turned the corner and the familiar sign of her family business came into view.

Durrett’s Motor Inc.

Outside, there was a selection of trucks and battered old cars, some of them in various stages of customization, and the others in various stages of repair. But, that day, there was also something noticeable that Jess hadn’t seen there before…

There were about five massive, glinting Harley Davidson’s lined up along one of the sides of the alleyway, and she felt her heart bounce.

“Oh wow,” she said underneath her breath as she stepped a little closer.

Her eyes immediately found Tank, as he was bending down next to one of them with a dirty rag over his shoulder and a smoking cigarette dangling from his lips.

She stopped in her tracks and swallowed hard.

He had a certain way of disarming her that was alarming and frightening, but she couldn’t stop herself from being drawn to him. She wanted to feel what he had to offer, and she wanted to know more.

She bit her lip.

She stood there watching him for a few moments before he realized she was there, and it was only when he rose back to his feet and turned on his heel that he did a double take and his eyes zoned in on her.

He reached up and swiped the cigarette from his lips before he threw it down on the ground and crunched it out with the big tip of his huge, black boot. He shrugged nonchalantly and glared at her from under a furrowed brow, and she felt as if he was annoyed that she had seen him smoking.

“Trying to quit,” he said as if he was reading her mind. “It’s a filthy habit.”

Her mouth sagged open a little and she found herself mimicking his actions and shrugged too. She didn’t know what to say. It was none of her business, but she had to admit, it had shocked her to see it.

He seemed too well held together to do something like that. As if he was the kind of man who had complete control over his life and wouldn’t let a habit dictate him.

She smiled to try and reassure him.

“How did you find the sandwich?” she asked him without thinking about how dorky it would sound. She found herself cringing the second the words had flown out of her mouth.

He smirked and nodded.

“You were right, pretty damned good,” he said with a glint in his eye.

Jessica smiled back at him and she felt herself moving from one foot to the other, kind of like she was dancing on the spot. She felt so nervous around him that she didn’t know how to hold herself. Her body suddenly seemed like a huge burden, as if it was giving her away with each little move she made. 

She nodded and smiled and then she began to walk toward the front door of the garage.

“Your pop’s out,” he said as she walked past him. “He said he’d be back in about ten minutes.”

“Oh,” she said as she stopped in her tracks and looked back at him over her shoulder. “Did he say where he was going? He knew I was coming down.”

Tank shook his head, his dark eyes drinking her all in and never leaving hers for a moment.

She felt the little hairs on the back of her neck tingle.

“I’ll wait inside,” she said, trying not to stammer. And then she turned her back on him again and kept on walking.

When she reached the small office at the back of the building, she sank down in the dusty old office chair and breathed out. Her heart was racing and she felt nervous, afraid, and turned on all at once.

She fanned her face with her hand and reached for her bag. She reached deep inside and pulled out her cell phone and thought about calling her dad, but she stopped herself when she thought about it properly.

Tank had said he was on his way back.

What was the point in harassing him?

So instead, she opened up her text messages and began to write one to Kiara.

 

J: Hey, hey ?? I feel like we haven’t spoken in forever and suddenly it’s like I have loads to tell you. Debrief and wine required. Can you make it over tonight? Xxx

 

She hit send and then she leaned back further in the chair and closed her eyes. By talking to Kiara about it, she knew she was making her crush a reality, but if she didn’t go into it at great detail, then she felt as if she was going to go insane.

It wasn’t long before her phone buzzed and she had a reply.

 

K: Sounds like the perfect suggestion to me doll! I’ll be there for seven-thirty! Love ya xxx

 

Jessica felt a smile spread out across her face and she held her phone up to her chin. Her and Kiara had been friends for such a long time, that they knew each other’s lives inside out, but it still didn’t mean she was any less nervous about admitting to the fact that not only was she falling for a man who was a lot older than her… but he was also the father of two, working for her own dad… and a motherfucking biker!

“Ridiculous,” she said aloud as she shook her head in disbelief.

“What is?” her father’s voice bellowed from behind her as he burst into the room and slammed a stack of paperwork down on the desk beside her.

“Jesus!” she gasped as she held her hand to her heart. “You scared me!”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t sit alone in my office talking to yourself,” her pop mused. “You always were such a daydreamer.”

“I’m not a daydreamer, I’m an analyzer, these things take time and a lot of concentration,” Jess said with sass and she smiled and cocked her head to the side.

“Well, technically, today, you’re my accountant,” her pop said. “So, scooch on over and let me sit next to you. We have a long afternoon ahead.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said with a mock salute as she slid the chair a foot further to the left and she wiggled the mouse on the ancient PC to bring it back to life.

“You really need to update your technology, Dad,” she said as she tried to control her smile.

“What’s wrong with this old thing?” he smiled, knowing he was about to be given an eye roll of epic proportions.

She smirked and shook her head and then she found her way to the accounts folder on the desktop that looked like it hadn’t been touched since the last time she had been there.

“Right,” she said. “Let’s get started. I have plans tonight so I want to be out of here by five at the latest.”

Her pop smiled at her and saluted her back.

“Yes, sir,” he joked.

 

By the time the clock struck four thirty, Jess was almost fully done with what her pop had needed from her that day. She had helped him file all his expenses and catalogue them all on their accounting system. She had worked through their incomings and outgoings, and she hadn’t been disappointed, either, with some of the revelations.

She had been doing her dad’s accounts for some time now, and this had been the first time she had ever been alerted to something that looked out of place. A large payment from an unknown source had gone into their account a week before.

“So, are you going to tell me about it then, Dad?” she asked as she looked up at him and waited for his reaction.

“If you’re referring to that payment, then no… because it’s business, and although you’re a part of this place, I don’t want to be answering to anyone.”

His words were harsher than his tone and Jess crossed her arms over her chest.

“Is it from the biker’s, Dad?” she asked him as she tapped her foot. She didn’t know why but the thought of The Forsaken Riders somehow being involved in her father’s business terrified her.

He looked back at her and smiled.

“You’ve never questioned anything on the books until today. Is that because Tank is here?”

She realized he was right. So many payments came and went in and out of the account and she had never really thought anything of that until now. She felt her face flush red and she tried to back her way out of the conversation.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “You’re right, this is your business, not mine.”

Her pop came up to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Everything I do is above board, Jessica, you know that,” he smiled. “I’m a stand-up citizen of this town, and this country.”

She nodded and felt a wave of relief wash over her.

“I know you are, and I’m sorry,” she said. “I just didn’t know, with the arrival of Tank, if things would suddenly start nosediving into criminal activity.”

Her dad snorted with laughter and shook his head.

“You always did have a wild imagination,” he said.

Jess shrugged and tried not to let him see the look in her eyes that may give her away. She felt anxious and as if she wanted to grill him about Tank and everything he knew about him, but she could tell that it wouldn’t go down well.

Instead, she kicked at the ground with the tip of her shoe and started to collect her things.

As they left the office and headed back out toward the front of the car shop, Jessica could hear the sound of children’s voices and her heart instinctively skipped a beat.

“Well, well, well,” her pop said happily as they stepped out of the darkness of the garage and into the harsh daylight.

Tank was leaning back against one of the bikes with a smile on his face and his arms crossed over his chest, two children were running around in front of him. A boy and girl who were so incredibly adorable it made her stop in her tracks and smile too.

“Well, what are you doing here kiddos?” her dad asked as he bent down and ruffled them on the head. “Is everything okay, Tank?” He looked up at Tank who’s smile was slowly fading.

“I know, Rich,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “But there was nothing I could do.”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” he said as he smiled back at the two kids. “I just didn’t know if something was wrong?”

“Just their nursery closing early on me for a training day,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You would think they’d tell the parents before they shut up shop.”

He clicked his teeth and ran a hand through his hair to ruffle it. Jess could see the frustration coursing through him and it made him even sexier. His anger was like a bigger magnet, pulling her to him and making him want to know so much more.

“This is Ella and Jacob,” Tank said as he wiped his dirty hands on a rag and threw it down across the seat of one of the bikes. “My pride and joy.”

Jess found herself stepping closer and smiling toward them.

“Hi guys,” she grinned as they both looked up at her.

They both had his eyes, that was for certain. The same dark brown that was both engulfing and intimidating. They smiled back shyly, and Jess couldn’t believe how cute they both were. Ella was clearly the youngest and she was dainty and girly in the most adorable way. She looked like a little princess. And Jacob was a little older, but still a small child. He was dark and brooding like his father, but Jess could tell by the way he spoke and moved that he had a fun streak and she was unbelievably intrigued by them both.

“That’s terrible,” she said in response to Tank’s statement. “What time were they supposed to be there until?”

“Six,” he said as he sighed and looked out across the parking lot. “I’m sorry Rich, but there’s not a whole lot I can do. Sometimes things come up, you know?”

Jessica looked down at the two children and then at her father who had so much work flowing through the place it looked as if he would never get anything finished.

“Do you not have anyone else in town who can help you?” Jess asked him genuinely. “I mean, if not, I would love to watch them for you?”

Tank’s eyes immediately shot up to hers and when they locked in on her, she felt her heart skip another beat.

His mouth twitched into a smile, but it was as if he forced himself to shut it down.

“That’s really kind of you, Jess,” he said as he shook his head. “But no. I can’t, I just…”

He trailed off and then turned his back on her and her father and he began to pack up his tools into a case and slammed it shut. Jess looked toward her dad with a pleading look in her eyes and her dad breathed in and sighed.

“There’s no reason they can’t be around here for a while,” her pop said. “We close in a little over an hour. Why doesn’t Jessica keep them occupied and out of harm’s way while we finish up for the day?”

Tank seemed to be considering it for a moment and then he looked back to Jess and then down at the kids.

The little girl and little boy were holding hands and looking hopeful.

“I’d like that, Daddy,” Ella said. “She seems nice. I like her sneakers. And her hair.”

Jess found herself smiling and she shrugged as if she couldn’t argue with that assessment.

Tank stayed silent for a moment, but then his cold and hard exterior cracked and he too began to smile and laugh. His eyes glinted so brightly they could have lit up a room, and Jess felt herself going weak at the knees.

“Are you sure?” he asked as he looked deep into Jess’s eyes.

“Of course, I am,” she smiled. “I haven’t got anything on.”

She knew she was telling a white lie, but she could see how much her father wanted to keep Tank on board, and it was clear that there was much more to his story than met the eye. You could see how protective he was over his children, it was endearing but it was also heartbreaking. It made her afraid for what may have happened to them before.

Was their past as muddied as it seemed?

She hoped not.

She smiled at him and he looked back to the kids who were grinning from ear to ear.

“I mean, we could walk just around the corner and get ice cream for us all… If we’re allowed, of course?” she smiled as she cocked her head to the side.

“I couldn’t think of anything better,” her dad said as he dipped his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a couple of notes and shoved them into Jessica’s hand. “On me. Go on kids, don’t come back until we all have one.”

Jess raised her eyebrows at Tank and smiled, and she could see a look in his eyes that she both wanted to run to, and away from.

He looked as if he was about to ruin her in every way imaginable.

She swallowed and tried to look away. She didn’t want her father to see what was passing between them.              

“Come on then, kids,” she smiled as she took hold of each of their hands and started to walk with them toward the border of Main Street. “And don’t worry,” she smiled. “I am the best babysitter in town.”

Tank took a deep breath. And it appeared to pain him to let them wander off, but at the same time, it was as if he knew he had to.

“Don’t be long,” he called after them.

And as Jess looked back over her shoulder, she saw her pop walk over to him and place a protective hand on his shoulder.

She couldn’t hear what they were saying, or what was passing between them. But she knew that if it was coming from her dad, then it would be some ultimate words of fatherly wisdom.