“Hand me that wrench – no. That’s not a wrench…to the left. Yep.” I smiled at Austen as he turned the tool over and got back to work on the car that had come in late in the afternoon.

Mom had asked if I’d mind letting him come over and help at the shop on Fridays and the weekends, trying to keep him out of trouble. I didn’t mind, per se, but he wanted a job. One that paid. And he knew jackshit about cars.

So far, he hadn’t been able to help with much except empty garbage and clean up my messes.

Of course, that was shit I hadn’t had to do, so maybe it would work out, and I could always teach him.

It wasn’t like I’d been born knowing one end of the engine from the other.

“Come over here and watch what I’m doing,” I told him, moving over so he’d have room on the ground next to me.

“You get filthy doing this,” Austen complained, but he sat down anyway.

“That’s why I told you to wear old clothes.”

We worked in companionable enough silence – or rather, I worked, and he watched, asking questions from time to time. I pointed things out that made sense to point out, and after a few more minutes, I turned over the wrench to him. “You do the last few, okay?”

He gave me a panicked look. “What if I mess it up?”

Rolling my eyes, I said, “That would be hard. Just do those four, right there.” I pointed and made sure he saw, then rose.

As I headed over to the work table to grab my water, I heard the buzzer in the back.

Frowning, I checked the time, then went to go look. I had a hope it was Raye, but I wasn’t really expecting it to be. After the way she’d run out, I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again. It wasn’t like I could call Jake and ask for her number, either. He’d punch my teeth out.

Running my tongue over said teeth, I peered through the small square of glass that served as a window and had to bite back a scowl at the sight of the woman on the other side.

Opening the door, I frowned down at Calie. “It’s not a good time, Calie. I’m busy.”

She touched her tongue to her lips. “We don’t need that much time. We can be fast, baby. Or I could wait until you’re free.”

She slid past me before I could shut the door and I turned, glaring at her.

“I said it wasn’t a good time. That doesn’t mean come inside.”

She shot me a flirtatious look over her shoulder as she sauntered over to one of the cars, then leaned against it. Despite the cold, she wore a denim skirt that barely covered her butt and boots that went up a few inches over her thighs. As she adjusted her stance against the car, it was pretty obvious she wasn’t wearing panties either.

Yet there was no interest for me. None at all.

“You’re all work and no play anymore, Kane,” she said with a heavy sigh. Shaking her head, she wagged a finger at me. “That’s not good for you. How about you come over here…” She spread her legs, forcing the short excuse for a skirt up. “And play with me for a little while? Burn off some of that stress?”

“I’m not stressed.” At least I hadn’t been until she showed up. Thinking of my kid brother on the other side of the car, I took a step toward her and jutted my chin toward the door. “I’m busy. You need to go.”

“Aw, Kane…you’re no fun.” She came toward me and hooked her arms around my neck.

I didn’t even want to think about what that did to the skirt.

Through her thin sweater, I could feel the weight of her breasts, but still, nothing even remotely interested stirred in me. As a matter of fact, I found myself thinking of Raye with her nervous eyes and sweet mouth. She was a far cry from Calie.

“Let’s have some fun together, you and me, Kane,” Calie whispered, going to press her lips to my mouth.

I jerked my head back, fisting my hand in her hair to keep her from trying to kiss me again.

“Ooohhh… you wanna play it rough?” Her eyes sparked. She grabbed my other hand and tried to shove it between her thighs. “Play rough. Make it hurt, sweetie. I love it.”

Pissed off now, I set her away from me and put a few inches between us – then made it a few feet. “I said no.”

Then I caught sight of my brother who had come out from behind the car we’d been working on. Swearing, I passed a hand over my eyes.

Calie caught sight of where I was looking at she turned. With one hand, she tugged at the hem of her skirt as she smoothed her hair back with the other. “Oh, hi there, honey. Kane, why didn’t you say you had company?” She gave Austen a blinding smile. “Oh, he must be one of your brothers. He looks like you. Aren’t you a cutie.”

She walked over to him, holding out a hand.

Austen took it out of courtesy, manners being something Mom had drilled into all of us.

“Hello,” he said. His voice hitched on the word, and I could tell he was having a hard time keeping his eyes on her face.

But I applauded the effort. Calie had dolled herself up to look like a walking advertisement for sex.

My seventeen-year-old brother was already under the thrall of teenage hormones. A beautiful woman in a crotch length skirt with her boobs straining against the tight fit of her sweater was probably enough to feed his dreams for weeks.

“Calie,” I said in a low voice.

She turned finally, and something she saw on my face must have cut through whatever fog she was in because her face sobered. “Fine,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Call me later?”

“No.”

She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but I just pointed at the door.

Once she was gone, Austen looked at me with a giant grin on his face. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“No.” I went over to the door and locked it. I doubted she’d come back, but I didn’t want to chance it either. “She’s trouble. Do me a favor, and if you see her again, go the other way.”

“Aw, come on, man.” He laughed. “How much trouble can a girl be if she wants to get in your pants?”

“You’d be surprised.”

We got back to work on the car, and I braced myself for more questions about Calie, but none came, thankfully.

I brooded as I showed Austen more about the car, half my mind on Calie and what had just happened.

What had I ever seen in her anyway?