Page 43

Maddie

I heard him before I saw him.

The low, rough growl of his bike echoed down the road and got louder as it neared the station. It was like my body knew it was him before my eyes confirmed it—my stomach did a full flip, then another for good measure.

I had a feeling he’d come back tonight.

I’d told myself not to expect it. I’d told myself he was probably off doing whatever guys like him did when they weren’t busy playing my unlikely protector. But some stubborn little voice in the back of my mind had insisted he would be back.

And here he was.

Diamond had called around eleven-thirty to say she still wasn’t coming in tonight. She sounded worse than she had last night—raspy, exhausted, and I’m pretty sure she nodded off while we were mid-conversation. I told her not to worry about it. I didn’t want whatever it was she had.

It was half past twelve now.

Friday nights into Saturday mornings were strange out here. Slower in terms of traffic, sure, but busier when it came to… interesting characters. You got the pre-party crowd stopping for snacks, the post-bar zombies looking for greasy food and hydration, and the occasional sad soul who just didn’t want to go home yet.

It almost made me miss being young and out doing dumb stuff on the weekends. Almost.

But the truth was, even if I had the night off, I’d still be home with Tucker. After he was born, it didn’t take long for me to realize he was all I really needed. Him, my mom, and Diamond—they were my whole circle. And I was fine with that.

The bike grew louder, then settled into that familiar idle. I didn’t even need to look—I already knew where he’d parked. Same place as last night, right next to my car on the side of the building.

Ten seconds later, I saw him through the big front window as he walked past the pumps and approached the door.

Tank.

All that leather and denim, the heavy boots, the calm, almost lazy way he walked. Like he wasn’t in a hurry for anyone or anything.

The bell above the door jingled as he walked in, and he ducked his head slightly like the doorway might not be tall enough for him.

I didn’t know how a man could look that good at nearly one in the morning, but he did. Hell, he looked better than most guys I’d seen in the middle of the day.

And the sheer size of him? He made the station feel small. Like the walls shrank to make room for him. I wasn’t short—I never had been—but next to him, I felt like I was still waiting on a growth spurt.

“Hey, mama,” he said. Easy confidence laced through every syllable.

“Hi,” I managed to squeak out and was instantly annoyed with how breathless I sounded. I cleared my throat and tried to regain some dignity.

His eyes did a slow sweep of the store. “All by yourself again?”

I nodded and felt heat crawl up my neck. I was alone. Diamond was still sick, and it was just me and the snacks tonight.

He looked around and then back at me. He leaned casually against the counter. “You mind if I hang out?”

I tried to play it cool, even though my heart was hammering behind my ribs. “Um, whatever you want to do.”

A smirk tugged at his lips. “Not sure you’re ready for what I want to do, mama.”

That did it. A full-body flush spread through me, warm and low and impossible to ignore. I was painfully aware of how long it had been since anyone had looked at me the way he did, let alone said something like that with that voice. Deep and smoky.

I’d had minimal experience with men. At least with the kind who actually showed interest in me. Sure, I got the occasional guy trying to flirt his way to a free donut, but did I want a man who couldn’t even afford a donut? No thanks.

Tank, though? He was the first guy who made me feel something that wasn’t just mild amusement or deep regret. He was dangerous, probably. But the kind of dangerous you didn’t mind inviting in to warm you up a little.

I mean, he had to be into me. Why else would he be here in the middle of the night for the third night in a row? Okay, maybe to murder me, but he didn’t strike me as the type.

I cleared my throat and backed away from the counter. “Uh, I need to take inventory.”

“Want some help?” he offered with that damn smile.

“You know how to count boxes of chips and frozen burritos?” I joked. “It’s a tough job.”

“I’m a fast learner.”

And he was. Surprisingly helpful, too. The tension simmered as we worked our way through the checklist. He handed me items as I marked them off, reached past me more than once, and let his arm brush mine. I tried not to shiver every time he did it. We talked in bits and pieces.

Customers trickled in—mostly tired faces needing gas and caffeine. One drunk guy tried to convince me to give him a slushie for free. Tank just stepped forward and gave him a look. The guy backed off so fast he nearly tripped over the candy rack.

We restocked coolers. He carried the heavy crates. I handled the cash register. We moved together so easily, like we’d been doing it forever. And with his help, everything got done faster than it ever had.

By five, the place was spotless and fully stocked. For once, I didn’t feel like I was dragging through the end of my shift.

We sat behind the counter, side by side, and waited for the sun to creep up.

I glanced at him. “You really don’t sleep much, do you?”

He chuckled. “I sleep. Just not at night.”

“You always been like that?”

“Pretty much. I do a lot of riding. Night’s quieter. Cleaner.”

I nodded. “Makes sense.”

He tilted his head and studied me. “You always work nights?”

“Yeah. Diamond and I took the shift over when we turned eighteen, but I like it. It’s peaceful. And it works better with Tucker.”

His brows rose. “Your kid?”

I smiled at the name. “Yeah. My four-year-old. Full of questions and energy.”

He grinned. “Sounds like a handful.”

“He is. But he’s the best thing in my life.”

Tank looked at me like he was trying to figure something out. “You got help? Family?”

I nodded my head. “Diamond and my mom mostly. Some people drifted after Tucker came along. Others weren’t really around to begin with.”

He didn’t say anything for a second. Then, quietly, “That’s tough.”

I nodded. “Yeah. But we get by.” My mom and Diamond were my lifesavers. I also had Diamond’s family, who loved me like I was one of them, but Diamond and my mom were there constantly.

He leaned back in the chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him. “I’ve never stuck around anywhere long enough to have anything like that.”

“Family?”

“No, I mean—not anything that made me want to stick around.”

My heart skipped, just once.

We fell into a comfortable silence after that, broken only by the occasional customer. When the clock struck eight, I spotted Bonnie’s car pulling in. Drew’s beat-up truck followed right behind it.

I stood and stretched. “Guess that’s my cue.”

Tank stood, too. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Bonnie and Drew waved as they came in, both of them side-eyeing Tank with barely hidden curiosity. I grabbed my bag from the office and met him at the door.

The morning sun was just beginning to warm the air as we walked across the lot. I stopped at my car with my keys already in hand.

“Thanks for helping tonight,” I said. “Made things a lot easier.”

He looked down at me, and there was something unreadable in his expression. “I’ll check in on you tonight. See if you’re working alone.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. So I just smiled.

“Have a good day, mama,” he said.

I got into my car and closed the door. I watched as he stepped back, but his eyes were still on me.

I pulled out of the lot, and I let myself wonder, just for a second, what it would be like if he stuck around.

Then I shook my head. I couldn’t afford to fall for a wanderer.

Tank would just break my heart and move on to the next town.