Page 84 of Broken Trails
I smirk, scratching at my jaw, heat crawling up the back of my neck. “Guess lugging around gearboxes does have its perks.” I’ve never had this much attention thrown my way all at once.
Not like this. Especially not by people who matter to her.
Zoe groans. “Jeff, I’m pretty sure your boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate you ogling another man.”
He waves her off. “Oh, he wouldn’t mind. He’d be jealous, if anything.” He pauses dramatically, eyes twinkling. “Of not seeing him, of course.”
I laugh, and my gaze shifts to Zoe again. She’s watching me. Softly. Closely. Until she notices I’ve caught her and turns away quickly, scolding them with a roll of her eyes.
Dani motions to my helmet. “And you ride a bike?”
“Yep,” I say. “Cars are boring.”
Jeff fans himself dramatically. “Well, well. A mechanic and a biker. Anything else we should know? Hidden tattoos? Piercings?”
I stick out my tongue, the silver bar glinting under the light. “Just this. No tattoos.”
Their faces light up. Zoe’s eyes go wide, laser-focused on my tongue like it’s personally offended her. My gut twists at her reaction, but not in a bad way. Her surprise sends a jolt straight to my chest. Truth is, I’ve had it since I was sixteen. Rebellious phase. A girl at school did it behind her house. She’d been practising and refused to take my money, which meant I paid in other ways. Doesn’t matter now. What matters is Zoe. Her face. That reaction.
“You’re so fucking nosy, Jeff,” Zoe mutters. “Don’t mind him, he’s—”
“Fabulous,” Jeff finishes for her. “And observant.”
We share a few more minutes of rapid-fire banter, most of it aimed at me. Zoe tries to rein them in, half-laughing, half-exasperated. She keeps shooting me these flickering glances, like she’s not quite sure what to do with me now that her worlds are colliding.
I check the time. “I should actually head back to the shop.”
Jeff pouts. “Sad to see you go. We were just getting started.”
I stand, and the room pauses, but I grin and nod toward her friends. “Nice to meet you both.” Turning to Zoe next, I mutter, “I’ll, uh, see you soon?”
She hums something soft, and her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. She doesn’t say anything more, but she doesn’t haveto. And yet, I linger. Waiting for what? I’m not sure. Maybe something in her face. A reason to stay.
Jeff doesn’t let the silence settle. “Well, walk the bloke out, darling,” he says, giving Zoe a light smack on the ass.
My jaw tenses. Not because I don’t think they’re close. Clearly, they are. As friends, but still. That touch makes something in me grind.
Zoe walks me to the door, shutting it behind us as she apologises under her breath. “Sorry. They’re a lot.”
“It’s all good, Freckles.” I smirk. “A little banter never hurt anyone.”
She looks up at me.Reallylooks at me. There’s a weight behind it, a pull. Her face is half-lit by the warm sun, and a piece of her hair blows in the wind, falling across her cheek. My hand moves before I can stop it, brushing it gently behind her ear.
Zoe swallows, and I catch the motion. My jaw locks tight, but my eyes betray me, dropping to her mouth. Just for a second. Full, soft, parted like she’s holding back words I’ll never hear.
Unavailable or not, off-limits or not… I want to kiss her. The thought is foreign, strange in a way that rattles me. I don’t do this. I don’t let myself want this. Not with anyone.
But Christ, I want to tasteheruntil she can’t breathe
A thud from inside suddenly cuts through the moment, and she flinches, taking a step back.
“Uh, I’ll see you later!” she says quickly, clearing her throat before pulling the door shut behind her. But the door doesn’t mute a damn thing.
“Freckles? I’m sorry, but… what the fuck?” That’s Jeff.
“You idiot, if you hadn’t fallen over the fucking couch, he probably would’ve kissed her.” Dani’s voice is amused and deadly accurate.
“Guys, shut the fuck up. He’s probably still outside,” Zoe hisses.
