The Thing About Trouble (Crystal Lake 1)

“I just… Are you sure?” He sighed and scratched the back of his neck, a casual gesture, but one that emphasized his muscular shoulders, an impressive chest, and a hint of flesh above his low-slung jeans. He was a beautiful man. No way around it. A rare combination of pretty-boy looks, coupled with more than a fair share of testosterone that gave him an edge. He was the kind of man any smart woman avoided.

She took a step backward, and the look in his eyes told her he was very aware of her perusal. It was in the glint that lit up his eyes, and the soft curve to his lower lip.

“This is a last-minute kind of thing, Tawny, that is, and I had no one to watch her.”

“No. Absolutely.” Thankfully, the lump at the back of her throat dislodged, and she was able to speak like a normal human. “I have no plans for today. I mean, I was going to run some errands and stuff in town, but they can wait and…” She grimaced because she was babbling like an idiot. “I want to apologize for the way I behaved on the weekend.”

He stared at her for a long time without answering. So long that her cheeks grew hot and her hair stuck to the back of her neck on account of the fact she was sweating like a demon. She wiped a damp palm along the top of her thigh and felt her heart speed up when his eyes followed her movement.

“Apology accepted,” he replied, holding her gaze for several more moments before dropping to Tawny. “You behave and listen to Mrs. Barnes.”

“Who’s that?” Tawny asked, looking up at both adults.

“Blue is good.” Heart knocking at her chest, Blue stood back, avoiding Cam’s eyes.

“If she’s any trouble let me know.”

“I’ll be good, I promise,” Tawny shouted, jumping up and down. Blue closed the door behind Cam and stood there for a moment, peering out the side window as he headed out back.

“You look funny.”

Blue winced as she turned around. Her cheeks were still hot, and her heart was racing a mile a minute. She exhaled, took the girl by the hand, and decided to forget about Cam Booker. He was a man. She was a woman. It was normal to react to an attractive, half-naked man this way.

“Let’s get you some more strawberries.”

She followed the little girl into the kitchen, but found forgetting about Cam was harder than she thought. His situation with Tawny made her curious, but she couldn’t exactly interrogate a child—though, to her embarrassment, she tried.

“Where are you from, Tawny?”

“I don’t know.”

“How long have you known Cam?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you stay with him a lot?”

“Two days.”

“Where’s your mother?”

“Heaven.”

The last answer shut her down cold. She spent the rest of the afternoon doing her best to amuse a child who obviously was used to amusing herself. The girl had a vivid imagination, was easy to please, and, more importantly, won Giselle over almost immediately. The finicky cat followed Tawny around the house meowing for attention and was soon crowned prince of the princess castle. Blue kept quiet, not wanting to spoil the fun with the fact Giselle was a girl.

When Cam came for her, it was after five o’clock and Tawny was fast asleep, curled up on the sofa in the family room, Giselle tucked close against her. He scooped her up into his arms, and she immediately curled into him, her head resting on his chest. The movement was natural. Trusting. And the sight of Cam with the child in his arms did weird things to Blue.

“Thanks for watching her,” he said softly. “It really helped me out.”

Blue found herself nodding. “Are you bringing her back tomorrow?”

Cam shook his head. “No. My sister-in-law Honey is going to watch her.” He paused. “It’s a tough situation and…” He sighed and looked down at the sleeping child. “Well, she needs someone to make it right.”

He didn’t offer up an explanation, and Blue wasn’t about to ask. She followed him to the door and found herself talking when she probably should have shut up.

“I… That is, if you run into problems finding a sitter, I’m happy to have her back here.”

Cam turned back to Blue, his large hand cradling the back of Tawny’s head. His dark eyes were unreadable, and he seemed to be searching for words. “I’m good. Thanks.” He was silent for a few moments. “You okay with Edward Barnes? The guy’s an asshole. Always has been.”