by Bianca D'Arc
“So, I guess you’re stuck. Mind if I take a look?” Lance asked politely.
Tina moved aside as he walked around the edge of the car so that he faced the engine head on. He touched a few things and checked a dipstick or two, keeping his own counsel except for asking her a few pointed questions about what had happened just prior to her breakdown. He scowled a few times and his overall expression was a frown when he stood back from the engine.
“What’s the verdict?” she asked nervously.
“Well, this car isn’t going anywhere until it gets a few new parts and some fluids.” He launched into a technical explanation that she just about followed.
Apparently, she’d let one of the necessary fluids for the engine get too low—or maybe it boiled off somehow—which caused some small, but essential parts, to break. In short, the engine needed major repairs to get going again, which left her effectively stranded in the middle of the desert.
“Where were you headed?” he asked, looking from her to his parked motorcycle and back, speculatively. “I could maybe give you a lift.”
She had to swallow hard before she could answer. The thought of riding on the back of his motorcycle brought that weakness back to her knees again.
“I am running late for something. I just need to get back into town and drop off a package, but it’s pretty important that it gets there on time,” she told him. “I’d be grateful for lift, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”
“How big is the package?”
“Small. It’s in my purse,” she told him.
“Okay, then,” he said, closing the hood decisively. “Let’s leave a quick note on the dash in case anyone comes along, so they know this situation is being dealt with, and we can be on our way.”
She liked the way he seemed to know exactly how to handle things. That hadn’t changed about him. He’d always been fairly resolute, even as a teenager. She’d liked the way he’d stood up for himself, even back then.
She scrambled in her purse for a piece of notepaper from the back of her date book and scribbled off a note she placed under the windshield wiper. She then checked the back of the car for anything she couldn’t leave behind. Luckily, she kept her car neat out of habit. All she needed was her purse.
Tina closed the doors and headed toward the motorcycle where Lance was waiting for her. He had an extra helmet in one hand that he must’ve taken out of one of the big saddlebags. He looked at her dubiously.
“Have you ever been on a bike before?” His piercing gaze looked her up and down. Was it wrong that she felt his gaze like it was some kind of invisible caress?
“Um…no. But I’m eager to try,” she told him trying to show some enthusiasm. She wasn’t about to turn up her nose at his mode of transportation. He was saving her a lot of trouble, after all.
He chuckled and moved closer to her, plunking the big helmet down over her head. “This will help. Keep the face shield down unless you like bugs in your teeth,” he told her, giving her another one of those rare smiles.
He then took her shoulder bag out of her hands and lengthened the strap to its full capacity before lowering it over her helmeted head and sliding it around so that the bag rested against the small of her back.
“It’ll ride easier this way,” he told her.
Lance led her over to his bike and got on, then gestured for her to do the same. It wasn’t as easy as he’d made it look. Of course, he was a lot taller, with longer legs than she had. Tina managed to hop on, resting her butt on the little pad behind him. She arranged her bag at her back, marveling at the fact that he’d been right about it resting easy back there. She adjusted the strap a bit, but then she wasn’t sure where to put her hands.
Lance solved that mystery by the simple expedient of reaching back and grabbing both her hands. She jumped a little, but realized he was just being efficient. He’d put on his own helmet while she’d been fiddling with her bag, so it wasn’t as easy to talk to each other. He placed her hands around his middle and patted them once as if in reassurance. He then seemed to look down and nodded at the placement of her feet on the little doo-dads she’d found that seemed the logical place. She must’ve guessed right.
Lance half-stood and she loosened her grip on him as he restarted the beast beneath them. Once he had the engine going, he sat back down and waited for her to put her arms back around him before he put the bike in gear and started off.
He went slowly at first, letting her get used to the movement of the bike under them. He was a considerate guy for all his bad boy looks. She would never have gone off with anyone else like this, but she had always had a soft spot for Lance. Her instincts had pegged him as one of the good guys long ago, and her instincts were never wrong. There was nothing in the mature Lance’s aura that made her think anything had changed as far as his basic nature. If anything, he’d become even more of a good soul in the time since they’d last crossed paths, but she sensed a great deal of confusion just under the skin. Maybe…just maybe…she could help him sort that out.
To read more, get your copy of Phoenix Rising by Bianca D’Arc.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.
Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.
OTHER BOOKS BY BIANCA D’ARC
Paranormal Romance
Brotherhood of Blood
One & Only
Rare Vintage
Phantom Desires
Sweeter Than Wine
Forever Valentine
Wolf Hills*
Wolf Quest
Tales of the Were
Lords of the Were
Inferno
Tales of the Were ~ The Others
Rocky
Slade
Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate
Cat’s Cradle
King’s Throne
Jacob’s Ladder
Her Warriors
Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan
The Purrfect Stranger
Grif
Red
Magnus
Bobcat
Matt
Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove
All About the Bear
Mating Dance
Night Shift
Alpha Bear
Saving Grace
Bearliest Catch
The Bear’s Healing Touch
The Luck of the Shifters
Badass Bear
Loaded for Bear
Bounty Hunter Bear
Tales of the Were ~ Were-Fey Love Story
Lone Wolf
Snow Magic
Midnight Kiss
Tales of the Were ~ Jaguar Island (Howls Romance)
The Jaguar Tycoon
The Jaguar Bodyguard
Tales of the Were ~ Lick of Fire
Phoenix Rising
Guardians of the Dark
Half Past Dead
Once Bitten, Twice Dead
A Darker Shade of Dead
The Beast Within
Dead Alert
Gemini Project
Tag Team
Doubling Down
Gifts of the Ancients: Warrior’s Heart
Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance
Dragon Knights ~ Daughters of the Dragon
Maiden Flight*
Border Lair
The Ice Dragon**
Prince of Spies***
Dragon Knights ~ The Novellas
The Dragon Healer
Wings of Change
Dragon Knights ~ Sons of Draconia
FireDrake
Dragon Storm
Keeper of the Flame
Hidden Dragons
Dragon Knights ~ The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy
Book 1: Sea Dragon
Book 2: Dragon Fire
Book 3: Dragon Mates
Dragon Knights ~ Outliers
The Captain’s Dragon
Science Fiction Romance
StarLords
Hidden Talent
Talent For Trouble
Shy Talent
Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Arcana
King of Swords
King of Cups
King of Clubs
King of Stars
End of the Line
Diva
Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Sons of Amber
Angel in the Badlands
Master of Her Heart
Futuristic Erotic Romance
Resonance Mates
Hara’s Legacy**
Davin’s Quest
Jaci’s Experiment
Grady’s Awakening
Harry’s Sacrifice
* RT Book Reviews Awards Nominee
** EPPIE Award Winner
*** CAPA Award Winner
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