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

Cain’s eyes were flat. He knew speculation had run rampant after the Barcelona incident—Blake had a drug problem, Cain had gone prima donna—but the plain truth was so much simpler.

“He crossed a line and was fired. Now he’s suing BlackRock—which, I have to say, the record label isn’t happy with. They want to pay him off and be done with it, but I’m not liking that train of thought.”

“Oh honey, I didn’t know.” Lauren’s brow furled. “But why would he sue you?”

“He’s not stupid.” He shrugged. “He knows the next album could put us over the top. Hell, everyone is expecting it. He’s hoping to cash in. Blake’s been there since the beginning. He’s co-written everything with me and will make money off those royalties for years. But now he wants royalties from any future recordings…songs he’ll have no hand in writing.”

“He’s blowing smoke. No judge would ever allow that to go through. He’s being an asshole, angling for more money.” She frowned. “Is Natasha putting him up to this? She still pissed that you broke it off with her?”

“I’m sure she’s enjoying the attention. Her publicity machine will work any angle they can. Honestly, I don’t give two shits about the money. I’ve never had buckets of the stuff, but have always managed to make a living. That’s not what I’m worried about…” His voice trailed off and his chest tightened.

“What is it?” His mother prodded.

“Nothing I want to talk about now.” He pushed aside his dark thoughts. He’d deal with them later.

“Okay.” Silence fell between the two of them, and then Lauren spoke softly. “How long are you staying here?”

He glanced down at his mother and felt a bit of the weight he carried leave him. “I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, if that’s all right.”

She looped her arms through his and rested her head against his shoulder. “That’s more than all right.”

***

“You catch anything?”

“Huh?” Cain turned to Mac and stretched out his long limbs in front of him. His feet were bare and he wriggled his toes, thinking that he hadn’t been this relaxed in forever. The sun was warm against his face and shirtless chest, and the silence on the lake soothed his soul.

“Our boy’s off in la-la land again.” Jake grabbed the spot beside him as the boat rolled against the gentle swell of the water. “What the hell’s got you so distracted?”

Long red hair, peaches-and-cream skin, and wicked blue eyes flashed before him.

“Nothing, I’m just enjoying the quiet.”

It was Sunday, late morning, and the three of them had been out on the water for several hours. They’d spent most of Saturday cleaning up Old Smoky—the name given to the twenty-foot power boat Mr. Edwards had given to his twin sons on their fifteenth birthday. It sported a forty-five horsepower outboard and back in the day had had just enough room for the four of them, a case of beer, their fishing gear, and a couple of girls. Many a weekend they’d spent entire Saturdays out on the water fishing, drinking, smoking whatever they could get their hands on, and just shooting the shit.

God, to be that young again.

The four of them had been kings, with nothing on their minds but scoring as much tail as they could, hitting the best parties in town, and playing football. There’d been no responsibility—no limitations—only the open road of possibility to roam.

Cain ran his fingers along the edge of the boat. The cream and navy colors had long faded, beaten down by the sun. The damn thing brought back a lot of memories. His gaze rested on Jake and then slid to the empty seat beside him.

Jesse’s spot. Yeah, a lot of memories.

“So, what’s with the little redhead?” Mac popped open a beer and took a long drink before wiping foam from the corner of his mouth. “What’s her story?”

Cain sighed. Here we go.

He glanced up. Mac’s dark blond hair was already a shade lighter, and it was good to see him out of Armani and decked out in plain old cotton. He was bare chested and had gained a considerable amount of muscle since Cain last saw him. Mac had been hitting the gym hard. Hell, put him in a marine uniform and he’d be as badass as Jake.

Jake grinned. “Maggie? Raine’s friend? The one with the kid?” Jake glanced at Mac. “Toss me one, will ya?” He settled back, his eyes boring into Cain. “So what the hell did I miss? You’re home less than twenty-four hours and already scored the cutest thing in town?”

Mac laughed. “Some things never change.”

Cain scowled at the two of them. “It’s not like that.”

Jake chuckled. “So tell me Cain…what it’s like, exactly?”

He caught the look Mac shot at Jake, and his scowl deepened. “Drop it.”