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

Her hands crept up to his neck. The touch was hesitant, unsure, and that alone drove him crazy. When was the last time he’d been with a woman who wasn’t the aggressor? He couldn’t remember.

Cain lifted her into the air, coaxed her legs around him, and leaned back against the desk as her arms encircled him fully. Holy Christ, but she was every fantasy he’d ever had and more.

He groaned into her mouth. This was going way too fast. He wanted her. Badly. But he wasn’t about to have sex with Maggie on a desk in his mother’s basement. She deserved more than that. He wanted to give her more than that.

“Hey,” he whispered against her lips. “Babe, we need to stop now, or I’m not gonna be able to.”

Maggie pulled away slowly but lowered her eyes. She trembled against him, and something about how she looked tugged at his heart in a way he couldn’t recall feeling before. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and rested his chin on her head as she tucked into his embrace just like she belonged there.

For several long minutes there was nothing but silence broken by their quick, jarring breaths and frantic beating hearts. Eventually she relaxed in his arms, and for the moment it was enough.

Cain exhaled a long, shuddering breath. “So,” he said, “I need to apologize for the other night.” Maggie squirmed in his arms, and reluctantly he let go, hissing softly as she slid along his body until she was standing.

Her long red hair had fallen loose from her ponytail and hung about her heart-shaped face like a curtain, the deep color a perfect foil for her creamy skin. Her eyes were luminous, like pools of liquid navy, but it was her full lips, bruised from his mouth, that drew his attention.

They were marked. By him. And there was something primal in that that he liked.

Her tongue slid along her lower lip, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. “You don’t need to…” She shook her head and looked up at him. “Michael had an amazing day, and I’m grateful you were able to give him that. If you could just…” She glanced away.

“If I could…” His hand reached for her, but she took another step back so that she was out of his reach.

“If you could just call him or something before you leave, I think he’d really appreciate it.” A small smile claimed her mouth. “He seems to think you’re a big deal or something.”

“Before I leave?” He looked confused and took a step toward her.

Maggie frowned and made a wild gesture with her hands. “To go home. Your stuff is gone. I thought you’d already left for LA, but obviously you’re heading off soon.”

Hell, no.

“Would you miss me?”

She looked surprised at his question. “I…” she stuttered and shook her head. “No, I just—”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Cain interrupted and took a step

forward until he was inches from her. She didn’t move away this time. “I’m not going anywhere. Mac and I have rented a cottage not far from Jake’s parents.”

“Mackenzie Draper?”

He nodded. “He’s the reason I bailed the other night. Some stuff happened, and Jake called. I don’t want to go into detail, but…” He needed her to understand. “He’s like family to me, and I had to leave.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“Yeah, I do, and technically I owe you more.”

“More?”

“I promised your son I’d show him how to clean the fish we caught, but since I had to do it right away, I’ll get around to teaching him next time. But I still owe you a meal, and the fish is on ice, so…”

Her scent teased his nostrils as he gazed down at her. Maggie opened her mouth, but his finger was there before she could speak. For a split second, an image of her lips encircling him—and he wasn’t thinking about his finger either—rushed through his mind. The bulge between his legs thickened even more, if that was possible.

Christ, but he had to be stronger.

“You can’t say no.”

She arched an eyebrow and removed his finger from her mouth. “If I want to say no, I will,” she challenged.

Little minx. Cain smiled wickedly and leaned toward her, his mouth close to her ear. “Here’s the thing, though, Maggie. You don’t want to.”