Fred Munson likes his job as a traffic cop. He’s good at it. It’s his personal life that could use some improvement. With no friends, and being too shy to talk to anyone while out of uniform, when Fred is forced to use some of his vacation time, he has nothing to fill his days. At least not until he comes home to find his driveway blocked by a stranger with car troubles. A month after losing his father, Zen Zeppelin Cave has also lost his place in the world. The only thing holding him together is focusing on a charity junk car race to raise money for cancer research. And he's crossing that finish line even if he ends up replacing every part of the car along the way. Zen had planned on completing the race on his own, but a spur-of-the-moment decision changes that when he invites the adorable, blushing police officer whose driveway he’s blocking to tag along. Going with a stranger on a road trip is completely out of Fred’s comfort zone, so when he accepts the invitation, no one is more surprised than himself. Together, Zen and Fred head south. But will the old junk car hold together long enough to reach their destination? And will crossing the finish line mean the end of the road for a budding romance, or will they find there’s more to their journey?

Banger Challenge

“Come on, Fred. Let’s go to my truck. I need to put a shirt on. Spilled coke all over me right as I turned into the park.” He gestured at his bare chest. Not a fashion statement, then?


Justin led him over to a large, black Ram truck with a yellow motorbike strapped to the truck bed. Fred’s pulse sped up. Was that Zen’s bike? It had to be.


“What?” Fred looked away from the bike.


“That fucking cocksucker Jayden just arrived.”


Fred turned around as Jayden parked a rusty, dark blue car next to their rusty, red one.


“You do?” Justin widened his eyes and looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.


“Well…no, but I mean…I don’t know…erm…” Damn. He swallowed hard and fought the blush wanting to color his face.


“No need to be polite. The man’s an idiot, and he hates me.”


Justin snorted. “He hates me, but the feeling is mutual, so it’s all good.”


Chapter 35