Page 1 of Built for Temptation

1

Harbor

I was exhausted. The heat was here in full force this week, which meant more people were out and about. That also meant the emergency room was busier than normal. The heat made people irritable, and they lashed out at us over the simplest things.

Especially things that were out of our control as nurses.

As ER nurses, we were doing our best. We couldn’t control how fast the doctor moved. We couldn’t control if the doctor let them have water or food or anything else to drink. It was all out of our hands. We could only do what we could to make everyone as comfortable as possible.

Which usually meant forgoing our own comfort… a lot.

With one hand still on the steering wheel, I reached up with my other hand to rub one of my gritty eyes. I was so tired, they were beyond dry, to the point it hurt to keep them open. And it didn’t help that I had to make the drive all the way from Augusta to Davisboro to even get home. And that was a good hour-long drive.

State Route 540 felt never-ending on days like these, and I groaned in relief when I finally passed the green sign with white lettering that told me I’d crossed into Washington County. I reached over and turned the radio up a little louder before using the buttons on my steering wheel to try to find a station that had something playing that I knew. If I didn’t find something to sing along to soon, I was going to fall asleep behind the wheel. I already had the windows down, but the wind wasn’t helping much anymore.

My car suddenly began to lose speed, despite me pressing the accelerator. Steam quickly billowed from under my hood. My eyes widened in horror as I veered the car to the newly-paved shoulder. This wasn’t happening. Not today of all days!

“No, no, no!” I cried, slamming my hands on the steering wheel before I turned the car off. My Ford Fusion wasn’t anything brand new by any means—it was ten years old—but it was a good car with low miles. It’d been reliable for years.

Why did it have to break down on the day I was bone-deep exhausted?

Cursing, I slid out of my car and snatched my phone out, staring down at the circle with the line through it by the time in the upper, right-hand corner. Of course, I would break down at the bottom of a hill where I didn’t have fucking signal. Why was this day determined to be an absolute shit-show?

Goddammit, what had I been thinking, settling in a small town? Was peace and quiet truly worth this kind of bullshit? Because right then, I was beginning to think it wasn’t. At least if I lived in Augusta, I’d already be passed out in my comfortable bed. I could’ve even ordered food and had it delivered to me instead of making anything for myself.

Groaning, I looked up the hill both ways, trying to figure out which side was less steep. I needed a signal, and while I knew walking on a highway like this one while it was nearly dark wasn’t exactly the smartest decision, I had to if I wanted to make any kind of phone call and get some help. I needed a tow truck. I didn’t want to be out here all damn night.

Sighing and praying that I wouldn’t accidentally get smacked by an eighteen-wheeler or another car, I began to hike up the hill in the direction traffic flowed, keeping watch on my phone in case I happened to get a signal before I got all the way to the top. It was doubtful, but I was hoping some kind of luck would be on my side.

The sound of a motorcycle reached my ears, and I glanced over my shoulder when I realized it was slowing. A man wearing a Storm Hogs MC cut was sitting astride the beast, one hand resting on the handlebar, the other resting on his thigh. His visor covered his face so I couldn’t see who he was, though his build was definitely all man. Thick arms covered in a light dusting of dark hair. Stained blue jeans from hard work. His white t-shirt was also stained with dirt.

He finally rolled to a stop, and I swallowed thickly when he pushed his visor up, letting me see his handsome face. And man, was it handsome. Light stubble coated his jaw and cheek, and his dark eyes ran over me, doing a once-over, one corner of his lips lifting when his eyes finally met mine.

I wasn’t worried about this particular random man finding me on the side of the road with no one else around. The Storm Hogs MC was known for their contributions to different businesses in the county, and all of them I’d come across in grocery stores or restaurants were extremely kind. They were probably the most decent set of men in the state of Georgia, to be honest.

“Woman, do you have any idea how dangerous what you’re doing right now is?” the man asked me. His voice was deep but smooth—like warm honey. It resonated deep within my chest, calling to something within me—awakening it. Something deep inside of me reacted, and my belly did a weird curling thing before an ache settled deep within me.

I waved down the hill toward my car, and he followed my hand before looking back over at me. “My stupid fucking car broke down.” I sighed and rubbed at the spot between my brows, so fucking exhausted. My shoulders slumped. “And of course, no fucking signal,” I griped, waving my phone around.

He swung his leg over his bike before pushing it off the side of the road. My eyes widened in surprise.

What was he doing?

“Come on. Let’s go down to your car and get anything valuable out. I’ll give you a lift home, and in the morning, you can call for a tow truck. Sound good?” He glanced around us. “It’s getting dark and too dangerous to be out here waiting on someone to come grab your car and bring you home.”

I sighed, knowing he was right. Giving in, I nodded. “A ride home would be great. Thank you.”

He winked at me, and my skin flushed. Why was he so damn good-looking?

“No problem,” he assured me. He began pushing his bike down the hill, and I followed him, trying not to drool over the way the muscles in his arms flexed as he controlled the heavy bike. “My name’s Elliot—Elliot Augustine. Sergeant at Arms for the Storm Hogs MC.”

I smiled at him, relaxing even more in his presence. “Harbor,” I introduced myself. “Harbor Latimer. I don’t have a fancy title.” He chuckled. “Just a nurse at Piedmont in the ER department.”

We came to a stop by my car, and he handed me a backpack. “Stick everything in there. It’ll be easier than trying to somehow hold a purse or whatever while we’re riding. You ever ridden before?”

I nodded. “A couple of times. I had a thing for bad boys in college.”

He threw his head back and laughed as I took the bag from him. “Baby, those bad boys in college have got nothing on a real man like me.”

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