“All right, let’s get this figured out,” I said. “You got other work to finish today?”
“Uh, yeah, we’ve got a couple of tune-ups waiting.”
I nodded. “Why don’t you go pull in the next car. Get started on that. I’ll finish this up.”
“You sure?” Flynn looked hesitant. “Holden’s right. This isn’t really your job anymore.”
“I’ll always be a mechanic,” I said as I reached for the brake line. “And this auto shop will always be my home, Flynn. I careabout this business, even if I’m not here all the time. It’s hard enough when Holden tells me not to do it. Please don’t jump on that bandwagon too.”
Flynn had a hard face, even with the covering of a full beard, the kind that looked like granite with edges sharp enough to cut. But it visibly softened now, his brown eyes warm. “Ah, kid, I’m sorry. This is your home. I get it. I’m a little jealous. I’ve never had a place like that.”
“Not a kid,” I said tightly.
He grimaced. “Right, no. You’re just…”
“An adult,” I said. “A man, like you.”
His lips twitched. Infuriatingly amused. Damn it. Why did everyone insist on seeing me as the little brother?
“Got it,” he said. “My bad.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Get out there, Flynn. If we work together, maybe we can get you home at a decent hour, huh? You look like you could use a nap.”
His face hardened right back up. “Thanks,” he said dryly. “We can’t all be glowing with the beauty of youth.”
“So, I’m beautiful. Is that what you’re saying?”
He huffed with annoyance and turned away. I laughed behind him. I’d forgotten how easy he was to fluster. I’d never been the greatest at flirting, but Flynn made me want to try.
I didn’t even know if the guy was into men. Probably not. But thoughts of him occupied a lot of space in my mind—and my pants—anyway. I couldn’t let go of the fantasy of that mountain of a man grabbing me hard enough to bruise.
Picking me up. Kissing me. Fucking me against the wall.
Never gonna happen, but damn, it would be hot.
CHAPTER 4
Flynn
I was watchingbad television and trying to convince myself to do laundry when my brother called. We’d been trying to meet up for a while now, but his med school schedule was insane. The man studied more than he slept.
“I can meet for a coffee today, if you can make it up here,” he said.
It was a Sunday, so I had the day off, but I had a Redemption Road meeting at four in the afternoon. I checked the clock. It was after eleven.
I’d have to drive up there, grab a coffee, then hightail it back.
Two hours there, half hour to chat, and two hours back. It would be tight, but my brother was so rarely available that it would be worth it.
“Let’s do it,” I said. “I’ll be there by 1:30.”
One perk to working at an auto shop was that my vehicle was tuned up and ready to make the trip, despite being older than me. My 1988 Buick Regal didn’t look like much on the outside, but it had a powerful engine and smooth handling.
Even Bailey had approved.
Not that I needed the kid’s approval. He was younger than Aiden, but sometimes I forgot because he was so confident in the auto shop. He’d swept in last weekend like a little king ready to retake the throne and restore order to his fiefdom.
And I’d been ready to bow and kiss his ring, because damn, he made mechanic work look so easy. For the first time in weeks, the weight had slipped from my shoulders.
