Page 3 of Rider

She stood up taller and pulled her jacket closer around her. “I am but not for too much longer. I work at the salon during the day but I take online classes at night and I’m working on finishing an associates degree in accounting.”

Good looking, good attitude and smart? This girl was the total package. Why hadn’t some guy come along and snatched her up? Fuck that, there wasn’t going to be any guys coming around now that I was here. I wasn’t going to give them a chance. She was a total catch and I wanted to learn everything about her. If I could get her to give me the time of day this girl was going to become my everything, I just knew it. I had that feeling the instant that I saw her. I knew she was special. “I’ll have to come get my haircut from you sooner rather than later then.” I ran my hair through my hair. The sides of my hair I typically kept short but the top I kept long but it was getting a little too long.

“I think I owe you Rider so if you come in, it’s on the house. I’ll cut it.”

Luckily, I had my back to her and my hands on the battery because I loved that she remembered my name and the way she said it in that sexy voice instantly made my dick twitch. I kept working until I could make sure I had gotten myself under control. “Anyone ever tell you that you’ve got a voice like that actress Scarlett Johansson?”

I turned around in time to see her cheeks flush pink from blushing. “No but she’s a badass in all those superhero movies so I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I removed the dead battery and took it to the truck, choosing one to replace it with. I had just started to put it into the car when she put her hand on my forearm, halting me.

“I can’t afford that.”

She wouldn’t meet my eyes and as I stood there, her pink cheeks got deeper in color until they turned completely red. It didn’t have anything to do with the cold. It was her having to tell an almost complete stranger that she didn’t have the extra money for even a necessity. I could empathize, as I also knew what it was like to not have any extra money for things that you wanted and needed and working hard to make ends meet.

“Ladybug, will you tell me your name?”

She slowly looked up and met my eyes. “It’s Rayleighn.”

I tested it out and said it back to her. This time we both smiled at each other. “It’s on the house, Rayleighn. Don’t worry about it. And you don’t owe me anything except maybe a haircut one day.”

“On the house?” She asked me.

“Yeah, no sweat. I’m a mechanic and I own Venom Bite, the auto repair shop a few miles from here.”

“Oh.”

Her posture changed with that one word. She dropped her hand from my arm like I was burning her. “I’ll figure out a way to pay you back.”

I tried to laugh it off but I had an odd feeling about the way she reacted when I told her about my shop. She’d seen me in my jacket with my club logo on the back last night and my shop name was associated with the club. Maybe it just caught her off guard or maybe it was the fact that she was going to accept the help that I was giving her. I was in a better place financially so maybe voicing that I owned the shop made it feel more pronounced. The next few minutes she was quiet and I couldn’t help but feel like I had done or said something wrong.

When I finished up the battery, she politely said goodbye to me and gave me a card with her name on it for the salon that she worked at. I watched her go back inside and she gave me a small wave before shutting the door. After that I got back in my truck and headed to work with Rayleighn on my mind.

Rayleighn

It had been three days since I had seen Rider. I kept replaying our conversation over in my head and the way I acted when he told me about his shop. I completely froze up. I knew he had money, I knew he was part of a biker club but it was different knowing it all and having him standing there in front of me looking way too gorgeous for that early in the morning; the confirmation was jarring. He was way out of my league. He was rugged and handsome, exasperated by his five o’clock shadow. I couldn’t help but notice his strong hands as he changed out my battery. I also couldn’t stop myself from imagining those strong hands on me but then I screwed it up by acting all weird.

I didn’t even know if I wanted to try to even let him know I was interested. He was in a biker club, I had Colton to think about. I had just started to clean up my work station when one of my closest co-workers, Carmen, pulled me out of my own thoughts.

“Girl, if you think any harder, you’re going to make my head hurt. What’s on your mind today?”

I let out a deep sigh and proceeded to tell her about the night I met Rider and what happened the morning after. I tell her in detail about that night and the next morning. I told her I froze up and got awkward and asked her if there was any way that I was imagining my awkwardness. When I got done telling her all of it she asked me one question. “Is he hot? I bet he’s sex on a stick right? I’m right, aren’t I?”

I laughed, Carmen was good like that. She was easy going, friendly and the customers loved her. She was always booked. She was also a single mother and dedicated her time to work and taking care of her little girl. She came from a big family and had tons of help raising her child. Often, I found myself envious of all the help she had. Since my parents divorced when I was a kid, I hadn’t heard or seen from my dad in seven years. My mom on the other hand, was great but was living on the other side of the country. She would fly out about twice a year to see me and Colton. At least I had Mrs. Lopez to rely on when I needed someone.

“Why don’t we get out of here and go get a drink. I’m all done for the day. There’s a new spot that just opened up a few blocks from here and the reviews are good. They do appetizers and we can get a bite and talk about this stud who I need way more details on.”

“I wish I could Car but I have to stay. I volunteered to close the salon tonight and since I could use any walk-ins I can get, I’ll be here.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I get it but I still wish you could come out. We’ll have to plan something soon.”

Carmen slung her purse over her shoulder and gave me a hug goodbye. Before long the time began to pass and I had a few customers come in. It was all simple cuts, mainly men who just wanted a trim or a neck shave. I had about half an hour to go before I could close up. I was walking around trying to straighten some of the stations and get the appointment book lined up for tomorrow. I had just reached down to pick something up when the bell chimed above the door, altering me someone was coming in.

When I stood up, my eyes instantly took him in. He was standing in the doorway surveying the shop but when I popped up from behind the counter his eyes met mine and he smiled. He strode towards me and leaned on the counter with such ease, a display in self confidence I didn’t possess.

“Is it too late to get that haircut?”

I wasn’t going to acknowledge that it had been three days since I had seen or heard from him. I wasn’t going to let him know that he had any effect on me at all. How was I going to have him sit and put my hands on this man’s head? Not only was he gorgeous but he was generous and kind. And more importantly he made me feel something. He made me want things that I didn’t think I could ever have again. He made me wish for things like a real relationship, a man to spend my time with, someone to hold my hand when I didn’t feel good and tell me everything was going to be okay on days that I didn’t think it was. I couldn’t tell him any of this though, he’d run for the hills thinking I was a crazy, clingy girl. I’d met him twice and it was crazy to think we could have a connection. So instead I gave him my best smile and chirped, “Of course not. Let’s get you in a chair.” If my mom taught me one thing it was to fake it till you could make it and that’s what I was going to have to do.

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