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

He turned back to his mother. “I’m good.” His arms crept round her shoulders, and he kissed her solidly on the cheek, a grin softening his face. “Really good.”

Lauren stared up at him, a frown marring the perfectly arched eyebrows and darkening her eyes. “So this thing with Maggie…”

“Mom, let’s not go there. We’re both adults, and I think Maggie is a lot stronger than you give her credit for. I don’t know what this thing is, but I know what it’s not.” He stepped back and opened the car door for his mother. “It’s not casual, and it’s not easy or ordinary or simple. Its fire and excitement and a whole bunch of stuff I can’t even explain.”

His mother cocked her head, a slow smile on her lips. “You sound like a writer.”

“It’s what I do,” he snorted, and then paused. “I think I’m ready.”

“Ready?” Lauren prompted. He heard the concern, the worry, and wondered who it was for. Him or Maggie?

“To fill in the holes.” He shrugged. “To maybe live for something or someone other than me or the band.”

His mother looked surprised. Confused maybe.

“Okay.” Lauren slid inside the car and glanced up. “Okay,” she repeated. “Just be careful, Cain. You’re stepping into a complicated situation, one that involves a child and who knows what else.”

He clenched his jaw tightly, his thoughts darkening as he thought of what Michael had shared with him earlier. Complicated? Hell, yeah, but he was ready for it.

“Don’t worry about me.” He kissed her once more and patted the top of the car. “I get that you’re concerned, but you don’t have to be. I love you.”

Lauren put the car into gear. “I love you more.” She reversed out of the driveway, and he watched the glow of her taillights disappear around the bend.

Cain headed back to the fire, his steps light and sure.

“Hey.” Maggie glanced up at him. Her eyes were huge jewels that glistened in a face as smooth and creamy as ivory. The wind had messed with her hair so much that the long, tangled waves hung down her shoulders in crimson ropes. She looked delicate, hauntingly beautiful.

He wanted to talk to her about her situation, about her ex and what all of it meant, but he knew he needed to be careful. He didn’t want to spook her. Didn’t want to do anything that would send her packing.

Cain cleared his throat and glanced at Michael. The boy was out cold. A day of fresh air and water was nothing to be messed with. “I guess we should get him home…or you could stay if you want.” He nodded toward the cottage. “There’s room.”

“No,” she answered quickly. “No, we should go.” Maggie stood and shivered. It was damp, and the fire was nearly out. She was still in her tank top and shorts, and he knew she was cold. “Thanks for everything. It was really…” Her eyes widened as she stared at him, and he knew his desire was there for her to see. How could it not be? He felt it in every cell of his body. The need to hold her was that intense.

She licked her lips and he groaned inwardly. “It was really nice.”

She was whispers and smoke and sex.

Cain took two steps and grabbed her into his arms. He gave her no choice and held her close, though he couldn’t stop his hands from running along her frame until they rested in the hollow of her back. Her skin was bare there, cool to his touch, and he smiled when he felt a tremor rush beneath her flesh. She was rigid at first, but then relaxed against him. Her head rested just under his chin, and he was content to hold her. To breathe her in and keep some part of her inside him.

The night caressed them. It was filled with the scent of the outdoors as a soft breeze slid across their skin. Crickets chirped incessantly, and in the distance, lights twinkled across the water. Laughter echoed into the air, traveling miles along the lake.

Maggie shifted, her arms creeping up to his neck, and he groaned as his cock pulsed painfully between his legs. He’d had a hard-on for days now, and the ache wasn’t going away anytime soon.

He pulled her with him, away from the slumbering child and fire, into the darkness. There were no words, just a need that clawed at him. Did she feel it too? This insane urge to crawl inside someone’s skin? To feel their every thought, emotion, and desire?

Maggie shuddered against him and moaned softly as he cupped her chin. He looked into her liquid soft eyes and ran his finger along her jaw.

“I can’t believe it’s taken the entire day for me to get you alone.” Shit, it sounded like such a cliché, but it was true. It was as though the damn universe had conspired to keep them at arm’s length.

She swallowed, ran a nervous tongue over her lips. They shone under the moon’s glow, and he couldn’t take his eyes off them.

“We’re not really alone,” she whispered.

He had no idea what had just come out of her mouth. In fact, all he thought of was her lips on his body, trailing a line of fire down his stomach and even lower. Images of that perfect, plump mouth wrapped around the aching hardness between his legs and her long hair bundled in his hands left him weak.

Cain felt like he was coming apart, and he’d barely touched her.

“I want you, Maggie, so bad it hurts. If I could have you here, right now, I would.” His voice was rough, heavy with desire and need.