The Summer He Came Home (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 1)

Tracy the nurse ran from the examination area, a copy of his CD in hand. He signed it as promised and posed for a few pictures with some of the other staff, several of them people he knew.

One question was asked over and over: “How long are you staying in Crystal Lake?”

Cain fingered his cell. It continued to vibrate every few minutes. Just listening to the device was tiring and made him edgy.

He thought of Jake and Mac. Of Raine and his mother. And of Maggie and her son. What did he have waiting in LA, except an empty house and a full bar? Before the phone vibrated again, he powered it down and shoved it into his pocket. Tension lay in wait, fingering out along his shoulders.

He needed a break. The last six months had been the most difficult of his life, both professionally and personally. He was, in effect, done for now—tapped out. The slow pace of Crystal Lake was exactly what he needed.

He glanced toward the exam room just as Maggie and Michael appeared. Her arm was around her son’s shoulders

, and she bent low, a smile on her mouth as her son said something. Something passed between the two of them. Something solid. And real.

He wanted that. He wanted her to look at him with the same easy grace that she gave her son. The thought was sobering and surprising, considering he barely knew her.

Michael pointed to him, and she straightened, her smile fading as their eyes met. A wary look crept into them and she stilled, like that deer caught in the headlights again. The woman was cloaked in invisible walls, and for whatever reason, he wanted to smash through them.

His decision was made before he stepped forward. How long was he going to stay in Crystal Lake?

His gaze locked onto Maggie and a slow smile curved his mouth. Cain thought that at the very least, he was going to stay a good long while.

Chapter 5

Maggie stared across the room at Cain and felt a jolt of something rush through her as their eyes met. It left her hot and flustered, and she hoped like hell she wasn’t blushing like a complete idiot, but by the feel of her cheeks, she was probably three shades past pink. Not very attractive, with her red hair.

The man was compelling; there was no denying the charisma that rolled off every inch of him, like water across silk. It wasn’t just his strong, masculine jaw; sensual mouth; or dark eyes. It wasn’t even the thick coffee-colored hair that framed his Hollywood-handsome face or his tall muscular frame.

It was the sum of all those things, and yet it was so much more. He had that extra bit of magic that placed him above the crowd, and it was that extra bit that made her nervous.

She’d heard all about him while in the emergency exam room. The nurse assisting Dr. Karkoff had been more than happy to fill her in. Apparently Cain, his buddy Mackenzie, and Jake and Jesse Edwards had been quite the hell-raisers back in the day. According to Nurse Tracy, everyone knew he’d eventually make it in music. He was way too hot not to.

Of course, Maggie could have pointed out the fact that it usually took a lot more than hotness to sustain a career in music, but she had to admit her curiosity was piqued. Tracy explained how Cain and one of the band members, a guy named Blake, were like Lennon and McCartney, or Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. That they’d written loads of songs for other artists, but now their own band was finally making it. Maggie had never heard of BlackRock, though Tracy had happily informed her they were the next big thing, in spite of what had happened in Barcelona.

Maggie would have asked for more information, but the doctor had frostily asked for quiet so he could finish his examination. He’d narrowed his eyes at the nurse. “BlackRock, is it? Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me.” He’d nodded as he probed Maggie’s neck gently. “Now, Hank Williams, he was a legend taken before his time.”

Nurse Tracy had looked annoyed with the doctor, and as soon as she could, she’d fled, eager for a chance to talk to Cain and get her picture taken with him.

“I told you so, Mom,” Michael had said with the greatest of pleasure. He’d held up his hands, with only his pinky and forefinger showing—like the points on a devil’s head—stuck out his tongue, and shouted, “Rock star.”

Uh, not quite, but she wasn’t about to burst her son’s bubble. He’d taken a weird kind of interest in the man, which made Maggie frown, because one thing was certain. Cain Black was someone she wanted to steer clear of.

Except that he was walking toward her, his eyes intense and focused. He moved like a predator, with the easy grace of a cat, and instantly her back was up.

“So, everything check out?” Was he asking out of concern or guilt?

“She has a confession,” Michael answered.

Cain’s mouth quirked in a quick smile. “You mean concussion?”

Michael nodded. “Yep, that’s what I meant. The doctor said she can’t go to sleep for too long, and if she pukes or her head still hurts in the morning, she needs to come back and see him.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Maggie gripped her son’s hands. “Thanks for bringing me to the hospital, Mr. Black.”

“Come on, Maggie…it’s Cain.” He stepped closer, and though she didn’t move, everything inside Maggie screamed retreat. He was too big, too male…and she was very much aware of the fact. “Mr. Black is cold, makes it sound like we’re not friends.”

“We’re not friends. I barely know you.”

Cain smiled down at her, and in that moment she caught the full, devastating effect of his charm. It curled inside her belly and flushed her skin there with a heat she’d never felt before.