Unsteady (The Torqued Trilogy Book 1) (13 page)

“Hi. Yeah, I’m Lenny.” I hold out my grease-stained hand to shake hers. I really should have put on a pair of gloves and there’s a reason why my nails are painted black.

She takes my hand despite it being dirty, smiling widely, and I can definitely tell—though I’m positive Red never actually smiles—they have to be brother and sister.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Raven, the asshole’s sister.”

“Sorry, you heard that.”

“No need to apologize. I get it. He’s an asshole. But he’s also a really good guy. Our family just has a lot going on, and Red’s taking the brunt of it.”

I’m not sure what to make of her, but I can already tell Red takes on more than his share. Probably because he can’t let go of anything.

Raven waves her hand around, a cup of coffee in the other hand as she focuses her eyes over my shoulder. “So listen, the reason I came over here is I was wondering if you want to hang out sometime? It’s a small town, so it’s obvious you’re new, and I have to admit I find that very attractive. Oh, wait… not like in a ‘hey, you want to make-out on Snapchat kind of way,’ although that could be fun because you’re hot, but in a ‘it would be nice to hang out with someone who doesn’t remember what I looked like when I had braces and made the mistake of perming my hair.’”

After she says this, Raven stares off into space pinching her brows so that her face looks like she is remembering something very painful. I’m beginning to think something might be wrong with her and my eyes go wide. “You okay?”

Suddenly she snaps out of it and shakes her head. “Let me tell you, back then the struggle to be normal was real. Anyway,”—she waves her hand around again—“like I was saying, I thought it would be cool to spend some time and get to know each other. Maybe go down to the river and hang out. There’s usually some kind of party going on any given day.”

I can’t help but smile. Raven is obviously
nothing
like her brother. Thank fuck. I can only take one of him. She’s open and friendly, and I honestly can’t help but hope for the first time since I got here that maybe things could work out.

And then she leans in. “By the way, I
love
your shirt.”

Yeah. We are going to get along just fine. I tug on the front of it looking down at the Beastie Boy symbol. “It’s the only clean shirt I had. I know it’s inappropriate but…”

“Nope. You’ll fit in great with these crazy bastards. Even my dad would have laughed at it.”

Raven is talking my ear off about some mystery guy that she’s been “kinda” seeing, though she says his name is not important, and she can’t figure out if the relationship is headed anywhere when I notice a young guy with a smirk on his face that can only lead to problems approaching us.

Raven reacts before he can speak and shoves her hand in his face. “Go away, shitballs.”

The guy acts like he didn’t even hear her when he looks at me and takes his time looking me over from head to toe. I guess I pass inspection because when his eyes reach mine again, he gives me an appreciative wink. “You must be Lenny.”

I stand there staring at him. He looks like Red, just shorter, about Raven’s height. “Yeah, and who must you be?”

He extends his hand for me to shake. “I’m Rawley.”

As I take Rawley’s hand, I can see out of the corner of my eye that Red comes back, his attention on us. And since I’ve had tons of experience with this today, I can say with complete confidence that he is pissed. The question is why?

A quick thought that maybe he is angry that Rawley is outwardly flirting with me jumps into my head. I quickly shrug away the thought.

He made it pretty obvious from his behavior so far today that he could give two shits who flirts with me.

I glance back to Rawley, and it’s pretty obvious he is aware of Red’s reaction also as he decides to hold onto my hand a little longer than necessary while giving me what I’m guessing is his best panty-dropping smile.

I guess it could work for some. Not me, but some.

When Rawley finally decides to let me have my hand back, he folds his arms across his chest and shoots Red a quick smirk.

“Since you’re new in town, maybe I could show you around.” He’s flirting for sure. Look at that smirk, totally flirting. “My band is playing tonight at Torque. You can come by to listen and then we can grab a beer afterward.”

Is this guy for real? I look toward Raven, and she grabs Rawley by the arm pulling him away from me.

Raven eyes him disapprovingly. “Seriously, Rawley. Cut the shit. She doesn’t want chlamydia and you’re gonna piss him off, and you know what happens when he gets pissed off. We’ll all be miserable.”

He smirks while backing away, holding his hands up in defense. “Yeah, well it’s too late. I piss him off just by breathing.”

I can hear Raven let out a deep breath and then turn to me. “I don’t get it. I spent nine months with my legs wrapped around his torso and we couldn’t be more different.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You two dated?”

“Oh hell no!” She mock gags. “Rawley is my twin. And as you can see I’m clearly the more attractive of the two.”

She then leans in like she is going to tell me a secret. “Don’t let these guys corrupt you. They’re fuckers.”

I smile. Red’s sister is cool. I wonder what went wrong with the other two.

With a heavy breath, I make my way over to Red wondering if this day will ever end. I watch him for a moment, admiring the way his tatted-up arms flex as he unbolts an intake manifold. There’s a sheen of sweat covering him, as I swear it’s a hundred degrees in this shop.

There’s a brief second where I envision the two of us fucking against the wall and the way his forearms would make that same flexing motion as he holds me still.

Stop. It. Right. Now.

“Did you find that rattle on the Explorer?” Red’s left eyebrow rises a fraction. The very way he stands there tells me he’s an asshole and has me burying any “wall fucking” thoughts I have. I’ve got a very distinct asshole radar these days, and it’s definitely going off. Not unlike his brother his eyes move up and down my body but very unlike when Rawley did it, Red’s actions get me to shift uncomfortably under his heated gaze.

I straighten my stance. “Yeah. Looks like it needs new stabilizer end links.”

“Make sure you replace both sides, so she doesn’t have to come back a month from now for the same thing.”

“Yeah well, thanks for the advice, but like I said earlier, I know what I’m doing.” Jesus, I’m being a jerk too.

Amused, Red gives me a nod from his position against his toolbox and moves to stand over an engine block that was open in his stall. Below him, various parts are scattered around the hoist it’s perched on, and I can see he’s in the middle of a big job. “Sure you do, princess.” And then he winks because he thinks it’s funny. I wonder if he’d think it’s funny if he had a screwdriver shoved up his ass.

Ha! Now that would be funny.

I look back at Raven. “Your brother is great.”

She knows I’m being sarcastic and stifles a laugh with her hand. “Oh yeah. He’s a real gem.”

I FINISH THE rattle job, my shoulders so tight with agitation I feel a headache is coming on. I’m counting down the minutes until this day is over.

I pull the Explorer into the parking lot and start walking back inside when I see Red again.

“Finish filling this out.” Red all but throws my tax form at me that I quickly filled out this morning.

Hey, Lenny would you mind finishing filling this out?

Sure, Red, not a problem.

How fucking hard is that?

But I’m learning there’s no asking with Red. Only demands.

I glance down at the paper. My fingertips brushing over the white paper leaves smears from the grease on my hands. And then I look up at him. “I did fill it out.”

He steps toward me, his voice lowering. “You left the marital status blank.”

“Does it matter?” I interrupt, confused and annoyed.

His eyes run over my face, and I wonder if he’s looking for something. “Yeah, it matters. Look, if it’s on the form, it needs to be filled out. You got a problem with that, take it up with the IRS,” he rattles off.

Standing this close, much closer than I need to be, I can see for the first time not only how dark his brown eyes are, but that they have gold in them, around the outside as if to highlight their beauty. I find myself getting lost in the liquid depths, wondering what secrets he has because I know they’re in there. Nobody as crass and arrogant as him gets away clean without having some sort of demons in his closet. I wonder what past pain is hidden behind those long lashes, and if it’s as fucked-up as mine.

After getting a good look, I do have one assessment.

I don’t like his eyes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re beautiful. But that’s the problem. And they’re inquisitive, like he knows I’ve got a story of my own to tell and he’s trying to figure it out. I also can’t help but wonder when he’s looking at me, if he’s judging me. Like he’s certain I can’t do this job and that inside, I’m weak.

Both are wrong.

I break his gaze and look at the tax form in my hand. What I don’t like is that marital status question. Is it any of their business if I have a husband? A soon to be ex-husband.

Red walks away from me, so I take the tax form into the office and quickly mark the box that says separated.

“Red said you needed this,” I tell the lady I assume is Red’s mom, who is sitting at the desk, only to turn quickly and head back to the shop. Tyler had said his mom was the bookkeeper, and the last thing I want right now is to deal with his mom. Mostly because I’m afraid I’ll ask her if she dropped him on his head as a child.

Thinking back to the tax form, I wonder what this guy’s deal is. Do I go around asking his marital status? Automatically my eyes wander to his left hand in search of a ring.

Nothing.

So single… Maybe. Unless he has a girlfriend. I doubt it. Doesn’t matter how hot he is. No one would put up with this attitude.

When I approach his stall, Red’s spine stiffens slightly, so I know he senses I’m behind him but his head never lifts as he thoroughly studies every part he removes from the engine.

I’ve spent my life around mechanics and right away I can tell Red is very different. One thing was glaringly evident. Red is probably good at anything that has to do with his hands. They’re beautiful; long fingers that are obviously strong, and I immediately imagine them gripping my hips and him making me scream his name. I’d scream it all right.

Lock it down, Lenny. Lock. It. Down.

I’m standing near his toolbox like an idiot, watching him work on the engine. His sleeves are snug, showcasing his tattooed arms and the muscles defining them. “Are you waiting for something?”

His voice startles me, and I look up to see he’s turned toward me, a look of impatience on his face. I can’t meet his eyes for some strange reason. His eyes scare me because of my own naughty thoughts about him when I look into them. Unfortunately, I’m a sucker for guys like him, the ones who hardly give you the time of day, and I hate myself for it.

“Anything else you need?”

He tosses a repair order at me. “Can you handle this?”

Standing tall, I answer without even looking at the order. “Yes.”

“Show me then.” His lips twist in amusement, his eyes lingering on mine for several intense moments. I try to convince myself that his stare is annoying, but my body betrays me as a warm shiver races through my body.

Is he for real?