Dirty Thoughts - Megan Erickson Page 0,92

if they hadn’t seen anyone yet, they probably wouldn’t. It’d always been a stellar make-out spot.

Jenna sat across from him, dropping blueberries in her mouth. Her lips were red and swollen from his kisses; her cheeks were flushed. He knew her inner thighs probably felt the remnants of his beard.

His cock gave a half-hearted jerk, but he knew he was done for now. He wasn’t eighteen anymore.

“So Asher is here to stay?” Jenna asked.

“Yeah, he said he wants to go to school here. He asked Jill, and she said okay. She went back to Virginia for now, but she’s making noises about moving up here again.” Jenna widened her eyes, and Cal chuckled. “Yeah, I know.” He leaned back on his hands. “Good news too. Dad agreed I can work on bikes.”

Jenna’s mouth dropped open, and she crawled across the blanket to kiss him. “That’s amazing! How did that happen?”

“It took Asher’s getting hurt for him to realize how badly this town needs a certified mechanic, which sucked that’s what it had to take, but there ya go.”

Her eyes shone. “I’m happy for you.”

“Me too.”

“Well, news on my side is that Dylan got fired.”

Cal nearly swallowed his tongue. “What?”

“My dad saw what was going on. He got Dylan a job with a friend out in Denver. So Dylan’s gone. Out of our lives.”

Cal looked to the water. “Huh.”

“I’m sorry that happened, Cal. I hope you know that.”

“I’m sorry too. But it’s done.”

Once they finished eating, Jenna lay with her head on Cal’s lap. He stroked her hair, knowing they needed to go before it got dark but neither wanting to leave.

“We’ll come back here, right?” Jenna asked quietly.

“ ’Course,” he answered. “This is our spot.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Now that I know you’re so good at communicating, I’ll hold you to a higher standard.”

“Shit,” he muttered.

She laughed. “It’s okay. Change is good.”

He smiled and bent over to give her a kiss. “I’ll deal with any change, as long as you’re there.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Two months later

CAL STARED AT the young woman sitting across from him in the back room of the garage. He’d interviewed ten mechanics. Nine men. One woman. And the woman Delilah knew had the best references and the best résumé.

But change was good. He could do this, welcome a woman into the inner workings of the testosterone-fueled Payton and Sons.

In fact, if anything, maybe she’d keep Brent in line.

Alex Dawn was short. Cal wondered if she even hit five feet. She was pretty, if not a little severe-looking, with a sharp nose and chin. Her eyes were strikingly blue, and she lined them heavily with black eyeliner, which made them stand out even more, like glittering sapphires in her pale face.

For this interview, she’d dressed casual, as he’d told her to on the phone. He didn’t need to interview someone all dressed up. This was a fucking garage.

So she wore a pair of oversized jeans, black boots, and a faded AC/DC shirt. She looked at him with her chin tilted. The chip on her shoulder probably weighed more than she did.

Cal liked her. A lot.

He reached across the table. “Congratulations, Alex, you’re the newest employee of Payton and Sons.”

A grin he hadn’t seen before cracked her face, splitting her red-painted lips. “Cool” was all she said in response. And then she cracked her gum.

“Come on out, and I’ll introduce you to everyone,” he said.

It was a Friday afternoon, so everyone was a little punchy and ready for the weekend.

He took one look at Brent and Jenna standing at the front of a bay and knew Brent was being a pain in the ass.

“Come on,” Brent was saying, “just, like, writhe around on the hood a little.”

Jenna stood with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her sandaled foot. Cal marveled that she hadn’t kicked his brother in the junk yet. “I’m not recreating a Whitesnake music video for you.”

Brent pressed his lips together. “I think you’re being a little uptight about this. All I’m asking is for a couple hip thrusts, a split or two, and maybe one hair flip.”

She glared at him.

Brent appeared unfazed. “I’m sure Cal would be with me on this.”

Cal guided the new hire forward and narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Will you shut up and behave yourself?”

Brent’s eyes immediately found the other vagina in the room, as expected, and his eyes widened as he took in Alex at Cal’s side. “Hey, honey. You’re a little short and, uh,