Page 17 of Coveted By The Bear

I hated being idle though, so I grabbed a tablet and started taking inventory. Lance’s Auto did a bang up job of using domestic parts for the services they provided, and I admired their dedication.

“Hello?” I answered my cell, frowning when I saw I’d missed a call.

“Hey, how you doing, Pretty Girl?”

Miles.

“Good! I got a surprise for you,” I said, beaming like a moron for a man I hardly knew.

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”he asked, his voice was so deep and gravelly I had to fan myself.

“Bike’s all done. Got her engine purring like a kitten,” I told him.

“Oh yeah? I think I need to see this for myself.”

Is he flirting with me?

The possibility made me vibrate with need. Admittedly, my flirting game was like rock bottom, but this man sure made me want to give it my all, anyway.

My pulse picked up, and I had to clear my throat, afraid it might crack if I tried to speak just yet.

This man is dangerous. He could hurt me.

I had to remember that if I was going to engage in this, whatever this was.

A flirtation?

A fling.

Whatever.

Keep it light, Hope.

An idea popped into my head, and I bit my lip, trying to find the courage to just ask him.

“You do? Well, technically I have a break coming up in a little while if you wanted to do a video call?—”

Before I could embarrass myself, a loud noise, like something breaking, came from the other side of the garage.

Dammit.

I really hoped there weren’t any kids playing pranks. It was too early for Mischief Night, for Pete’s sake.

“Hope? What is that?”Miles asked, and the flirting man of before was gone, replaced by concern.

I didn’t know which turned me on more. That he’d called to check on me or that he sounded worried about me. It’d been a really long time since anyone cared like that.

The butterflies inside my stomach took flight, and it felt like a tornado filling me.

“Um, I don’t know. Sorry, Miles, I have to check what that sound is. I’m just gonna put the phone down. I’ll be right back,” I told him before placing my cell phone face up on the steel worktable.

I was not a fan of horror movies, but I did watch them. In hindsight, I should have been aware of how dumb it was for me to go off on my own to check where a strange noise was coming from.

I shivered, even though it wasn’t cold inside the garage. Frowning, I wondered where that sudden draft was coming from.

I drew near Bay 6, looking down at the shelf I’d just restocked with brake pads. The whole thing was on its side and boxes were sprawled all across the floor.

But before I could even think to fix it, I noticed something else. The back door was wide open.

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