The Backup Boyfriend by Jaymes, River
Chapter One
Not far from Alec’s intended destination, his motorcycle stalled at the stop sign, and the elderly lady behind him gunned her vehicle, flipping Alec the bird as she roared by. Nothing like being insulted by a retiree before being left to eat her dust. Literally. Alec coughed as exhaust fumes and grit hit his face.
Clearly a cosmic bitch slap for ignoring the expert’s advice and purchasing this bike.
An impulse buy triggered by a hellacious morning, sure. But being forced to push his classic—translation, old—Harley Davidson into said expert’s garage? Not exactly a stellar start to a relationship with Alec’s new-to-him motorcycle or his recently formulated plan to put the past behind him and get a life.
One that didn’t include Tyler, his ex-boyfriend, at every turn.
A fresh wave of determination hit. Motivated, Alec raised himself up on his right leg and heaved his entire weight down on the kick start. The motor sputtered half-heartedly before dying, and two more tries produced the same results. Stumped, Alec frowned at the mound of metal between his legs.
“She’s a fickle one, all right,” a voice called out.
Alec’s lips quirked at the suggestion he take the machine’s uncooperative nature personally, and he sought the source with his gaze. In the front entryway of a metal building, beneath the words Adams’ Vintage Motors printed in red, a man leaned against the doorjamb.
Dylan Booth.
Over the phone the mechanic’s husky voice had slid over Alec like warm oil, but Alec’s imagination hadn’t done Dylan justice. Sporting grease-stained jeans and a black T-shirt, he had clean lines and classic good looks. Arms crossed, he appeared relaxed. Laid-back. But the keen eyes were alert, quietly assessing. On the inside he had to be laughing his ass off at Alec’s self-induced predicament. Alec tried to care, but failed.
The current humiliation paled in comparison to today’s news about Tyler.
The thought of his ex-boyfriend left Alec gripping the throttle with determination. After one more failed attempt at starting the motorcycle, he grunted in disgust and dismounted. Fortunately Dylan Booth kept any further comments to himself as Alec pushed the bike up the driveway, although the man had every right to be giving Alec hell.
“Nice to finally meet you in person.” When he reached Dylan, Alec flipped the kickstand down and removed his helmet, grateful for the cool breeze. Striving to remain composed, he said, “I’m Alec Johnson.”
The mechanic slowly wiped his hands on a rag as he stepped closer, the late afternoon sun reflecting off the greenest eyes Alec had ever seen.
With an air of reluctance about him, the mechanic stuck out his hand. “Dylan Booth.”
Grease stained the whorls of Dylan’s fingerprints. Fresh abrasions lined the top of his knuckles, as if he’d gotten into a fight with one of his vehicles. Alec reached out to shake Dylan’s hand, and the rough calluses caught Alec by surprise.
Interesting. His experiences, such as they were, involved men like himself, those whose list of post-nominal letters reflected the cost of an overpriced education. For a brief moment, his life to date felt way too tame, and he had to force himself to let go of Dylan’s hand.
Alec shaded his eyes from the sun, feeling awkward, because now he had two reasons to feel self-conscious. “I decided against the starter bike you recommended.”
“I can see that.”
Alec waited for Dylan to add what the hell were you thinking? Or serves you right, having to push your motorcycle into my garage.
“I suppose Noah described my purchase as idiotic.” Alec smiled grimly as he mentioned the mutual friend that had referred Alec to Dylan, because one of Noah’s many missions in life included being the buddy that kept Alec humble.
“I think I heard the phrase ‘dumb-ass decision,’” Dylan replied.
Alec knew Noah would never use those words. Dylan on the other hand…
His discomfort growing, Alec shifted on his feet and tried to lighten the mood. “He also claims the M.D. after my name stands for Massively Deluded.”
Of course, when the personal life sucked, delusion held a certain appeal.
One beat later, Dylan’s lips curled slightly in understanding. “Sounds like Noah.”
Alec let out an amused huff. No friend of Noah’s was safe from the man’s opinions. Clearly Dylan had been on the receiving end as well. Unfortunately, Noah was friends with Alec’s ex-boyfriend too. In fact, Tyler’s presence touched every aspect of Alec’s existence. His social circle. His professional life. They even worked at the same clinic.
Alec fought the familiar anxious tightening in his chest. The mechanic remained silent, and Alec realized the guy was waiting for the point of today’s visit.