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

“Black,” Luke said.

Cain ignored him. No one called him Black. Not even Mac or Jake.

“You ready to get out of here, Maggie?”

Her eyes were wary, and for a second he thought she was going to protest. “I…” she began, but Luke cut in.

“She’ll be here for a while.”

Anger shifted beneath his skin, and Cain flexed his fingers before glancing toward the paramedic. “Really.” He gestured behind him. “Seems to me you’ve got a ton of help, and since Maggie was here before the crack of dawn setting up for this sale, I think she’s good on the volunteer front, don’t you?”

“What’s up?” Raine asked as she slid a marker behind her ear and tossed a toy into the reject bin.

“We’re heading back to the lake.” Cain flashed a grin. “You coming?”

“Is Jake going back?”

Her question surprised Cain. He shrugged. “I assume he’ll make his way over. He’s already left to go meet his father.”

Raine rolled her shoulders. “Okay, sounds good. I need a break.” A smile crept over her pale features. “Here comes Michael.”

Michael was running full tilt, his legs pumping hard as he raced toward them, his friend Tommy steps behind. “Cain!” He waved several large sheets of paper in the air. “I found them.”

Shit. Cain felt Maggie’s eyes on him but ignored her.

Michael was puffing hard as he slid to a stop and grinned at them all before handing over his precious cargo to Cain.

“Thanks, buddy. We’ll be leaving soon. Did Tommy clear it with his folks?”

The fair-haired boy with Michael nodded. “My dad said it was okay as long as Maggie is there, because then he’ll know that no shenan…” He scratched his head. “Shenanig…” The kid’s brow furled and he turned to Michael.

“Shenanigans.”

Tommy grinned. “Yeah, that’s the word. None of that will be happening.”

Cain hid a grin. “All right, then.” Nice to know his reputation as a hell-raiser was intact.

He chanced a glance at Maggie. The wariness had returned to her face—big-time—along with a hint of annoyance. That he sensed clear as day. “Can I talk to you?” It wasn’t a question. It was an order. Her lips were tight, her features even tighter.

Hell, yeah, she was annoyed and bordering on pissed, which meant that… Christ, he didn’t know what it meant. He just knew he liked it. This interaction with her, no matter if she was happy or angry. As long her gorgeous blue eyes were focused on him—he cracked a smile at Luke—and no one else.

He followed her until they stopped several feet away. “What’s up?” When in doubt, play dumb.

She opened her mouth and then closed it again, her gaze moving past him and then back. She spied the paper in his hand, arched her brow, and nailed him with a look that said What the hell?

“Why did Michael bring you my illustrations? Those were donated to raise funds for the sale.”

“They did.”

“They did what?”

“They raised funds for the sale.”

“Really.” Sarcasm touched her voice, and he grinned.

“Yes. They fetched a good price.”

“What’s considered good?”