Unsteady (The Torqued Trilogy Book 1) (17 page)

I’m pretty sure I have an oil leak now, thanks to him. But you know, judging by the hardness against my ass, he’s having the same reaction to me and you know, I wouldn’t mind checking the bore and stroke of his piston inside my cylinder.

All right, maybe working here wouldn’t be so bad?

I’m constantly having to find new and inventive ways of waking Nova up and getting her in a good mood first thing in the morning. She’s a lot like me in that way. I hate getting out of bed in the morning and if I could sleep until noon, I probably would. Much like my brother. That asshole hasn’t gotten in before noon in weeks.

Nova fell asleep on the couch last night, and I didn’t have the heart to move her to her bed. She has a thing about sleeping on the couch, which is better than her sleeping in my bed because that’s never an enjoyable experience. So I let her sleep out there at least once a week.

Dressed in a pair of shorts and no shirt, I crawl on all fours toward my sleeping daughter and rest my chin on the edge of the couch. She’s curled to the side; her tiny hands slipped underneath her cheek in an adorably prone position. I could sit here and watch her sleep forever but since we don’t have that kind of time, I decide to rip the Band-Aid off. She’s gonna be pissed one way or the other so I might as well have a laugh at the same time.

Taking my socks off, I put one on my right hand, one on my left and lay down on the floor and talk to her in a chipmunk voice.

After ten minutes, she peeks her head over the side of the couch and smiles. “You sound like Alvin.” And then she rolls landing on my chest with an umph. Ripping the socks off my hands, I tickle her sides as she squeals and tries to slap my ear.

I’m cackling so hard that I’m coughing, nearly brought to my knees by my daughter's own laughter.

Suddenly serious, she straightens up and places her tiny fist on her hip, her cheeks pink from sleep and the touch of sunburn she has. “I have to pee. That wasn’t fair.”

I flop back against the hardwood floor in the living room as she scampers down the hall and to the bathroom. “Get dressed too!”

“I don’t want to.”

I roll over to press my face to the floor and notice I should vacuum soon. “You don’t have a choice.”

“DO I GET to come to work with you on Friday?”

I nod, turning onto Elle’s street. “Yeah, but it’s only Thursday so tomorrow.”

Nova huffs out a breath. “Ugh! I hate Thursdays.” And then she’s quiet, looking out the window as we pass by the coffee stand. “Can I get a donut?”

“No, not today. I’ll get some tomorrow for the office, okay?”

She huffs out another long breath. “Fine.”

Guaranteed I piss this kid off at least ten times a day.

When we walk through the door, Elle literally has her left tit hanging out with her kid attached to it. I’m all for what’s best for the baby, but come on, the kid is nearly two and I’m positive she knows exactly what time I drop Nova off every day. It’s sadly obvious that she’s leaving her tit out on purpose.

Turning to leave, I shake my head. Some things you can’t un-see.

“Oh, hey, wait…” Elle stands up and straights out her top before rushing toward me as she practically drops the kid she was holding. “I was wondering if you had plans this weekend. Maybe we could get the kids together for dinner?”

Nova shoots me a glare. She does not like Elle’s kids but it’s a small town and the only daycare around. The last thing she’ll want is to have dinner with them. “Can’t. Nova is spending the weekend with her grandma.”

“Well then, if you’re gonna be on your own then maybe you and I could just grab some food on Saturday. Have some adult conversation.”

I don’t know why she’s constantly asking me this. She’s fucking married.

“Are you forgetting you’re married?” My eyes drop to her wedding ring. “Why would you ask me that?”

She stutters around words, her mouth opening and closing before she smiles softly. “We’re separated.” Her voice is hushed, like she doesn’t want the kids to know. “I thought you knew that seeing how he’s never here.”

No, I just figured he didn’t want to come home to you.

I look down at my feet and let out a sigh as I shake my head. When I look over to Nova, she’s staring at me with a look of disgust on her face. I can’t help but think back to the other night and how excited she was around Lenny, and then now how she’s reacting when Elle is close to me.

Maybe my kid is trying to tell me something.

I back up, reaching for the door. “I’m real busy this weekend. We’ve got a lot going on right now, and I don’t have a lot of time for going out. But thanks for asking.”

I turn to leave, hoping that answer will keep her off my back for a while.

Once I’m back in the car, my windshield wipers sweeping away the first sprinkles of rain, my thoughts immediately focus on work… and Lenny.

I think of those damn shorts again and have to sit in my car for a few minutes before I walk into the shop.

“WHY IS THIS shit playing?” I ask when I hear rap music blaring through the shop. It’s barely nine in the morning, and this is the last thing I want to be listening to.

Rawley smirks, running his hand through his dark hair and then watching over my shoulder at where I know she’s standing. “Daniel put it on.”

Yeah, I bet he did.

“And what are you doing here? It’s before noon.”

He points behind me. “Thought I’d make an early appearance for the show.”

I turn my head, and I wish I hadn’t. Lenny is dancing. Luckily, she’s wearing jeans today. Unluckily, they’re so fucking tight I can see the outline of her thong underwear and all I can imagine is walking up to her and slapping that ass while I pull on that G-string with my teeth.

And here’s to another day with a constant hard-on.

I’m tempted to tell her that she has to wear baggy overalls and outlaw music playing in the shop if this shit continues. I mean, fuck, look at those hips. After that little wrench incident the other day, believe me, those hips haunt me.

Behind Lenny, Daniel has an oil hose reel in hand positioned between his legs. As Lenny’s dancing around, he’s stroking the hose with a smile. I stand there, glaring at him, but he doesn’t stop what he’s doing.

When she bends over, still swaying her hips as she pops the hood of a Honda in her stall, Daniel hits the button on the oil as if he’s coming and throws his head back.

Completely inappropriate but I have to bite back a smile because it’s kinda funny. Colt slaps him on the shoulder just as Lenny catches on to what happened behind her. “Looks like you got a problem with premature ejaculation, kid,” Colt says, walking past him.

Daniel’s lame attempts at flirting with Lenny are really starting to get on my nerves. Mostly because I want her and if I can’t have her, well, no one will.

Psycho much, Red?

Fuckin’ right I am. Despite my behavior toward her, there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Lenny. She can handle her own, that’s for sure, but she’s so guarded, and that makes me think she’s running from something. For that reason, I don’t want these guys fuckin’ around with her.

Just to test her ability, I’ve thrown everything I can at her that I didn’t think she could handle from valve jobs, timing belts, fuel pump replacements, water pumps, hell, even a head gasket. And to my surprise, she had me eating my words because not only could she do all of it, she did it fucking quicker than most of the guys here.

Colt grins, bumping my shoulder with his and watching Lenny sway to the music. “Ah, don’t be mad. Kids just trying to bury his bone.”

“Don’t you have work to do? Stop talking to me.”

To my right, Daniel arches his eyebrow at Lenny when he walks by her again with a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

I don’t like it, not one bit, especially when she smiles and winks at him.

Truth is, I want it to be me. I want to be the one sparking a smile. All I’ve managed to do is spark the scowl, and I guess that’s for the better.

So I hang back and let them joke around with her.

For now.

Colt bounces on his heels, shaking his head in amusement. “Today just keeps getting better and better. I’m just waiting for you to take your pent-up anger out on the poor kid.”

Daniel, having heard that, looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, and he really has no idea how true that is. I can see the look of confusion on his face.

Colt nods to Daniel, leaning into my toolbox. “How’d that granny work out for you the other night?”

Lenny looks up, smiling at Colt and then Daniel, curious as to where this is going. “What are you talking about?”

“Well the way I see it, you’re trying to change her oil but ain’t she a little young for you? Last time I heard you were baggin’ grannies.”

We’re all lost now because Colt doesn’t make a lot of fucking sense, ever, and in the mornings, it’s worse. I think his brain is still shifting into gear until at least one. And then it’s a downhill slope after that. He’s got one good peak hour of the day. Usually lunch time.

Colt turns to me as if I’m paying attention. I’m staring at repair orders. When I don’t look up, he hits my shoulder. “I saw him last Saturday night practically titty fucking this old broad in his pit.”

“She wasn’t that old,” Daniel points out.

Colt levels me a serious look, his brow pinching together. “She could have been a grandma.”

“I don’t care how old she was as long as her mouth is still working.”

Yep. He said that.

Lenny’s expression turns from amusement to disgust. “Seriously Daniel? There is something seriously wrong with your logic.”

“Whatever. She wasn’t that old, just experienced,” Daniel barks, walking off into the parts room.

“Get back to work. All of you.”

“Your Lexus is back,” Lenny says with a smile, nodding to the parking lot and leaning back against my toolbox.

Fuck, not again. I rub my hands over my face trying to refocus my attention away from Lenny and back to where it should be, work. Shaking my head, I reach for my hat since it’s raining steadily now and I draw in a breath. Stepping outside the shop, Amber, the chick with the Lexus is huddled under a black umbrella with bright red lipstick on.

I know that lipstick is for me. I’m not trying to be a dick or anything, but I know that Amber is a married stay-at-home mom who has no reason to wear red lipstick around town unless she’s trying to put out an invitation.