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

Cain nodded toward the window above her sink. Sunlight bathed the yard in a warm glow, and the vibrant blue of the sky was breathtaking. “It’s going to b

e another great day.” He moved around the table and it took everything in her to avoid staring at the perfection that was his abs. The hard, smooth flesh and the dusky covering of dark hair that pointed downward, toward his…

“We could go out on the boat. I could borrow Jake’s.” His hand slid behind her neck, and the familiar rush of heat along her skin began in earnest. “I know a place where we can skinny-dip—”

“Cain, some of us have to work. I can’t cancel another client in order to continue with this…this sex marathon.”

His eyebrow shot up at that.

“First off, it wouldn’t be right, and secondly, I have bills to pay. I don’t have a money tree growing in my backyard. I clean houses and my kid eats. I know it’s not your thing, but that is my reality.” Gone were the warm fuzzies as an unfamiliar feeling of anger filled her.

His face hardened for a second and then relaxed as he leaned against the table and stared down at her.

“I understand your reality just fine, Maggie. I sure as hell wasn’t born with a golden spoon in my mouth. I had a lot of lean years, played a lot of dives, slept in shit holes that weren’t fit for most animals, let alone the human kind. Hell, there were weeks we had no money for food. It was just us and our music.” He shrugged. “Sure, things are better now. The band’s doing well, and I’ve made a decent living for years writing songs for all kinds of artists. I don’t own a yacht or anything”—he flashed a grin—“yet. But I do all right.”

“It’s not the same thing, Cain.” Maggie rose from the table and began to clear the plates. “You only had to worry about yourself. I have a son.”

He was silent as he helped put away the leftovers and then grabbed a tea towel while she washed up their dishes. The lightness of their morning had vanished like water leaking from the tap. The intimate back-and-forth of lovers was no more. Cold reality had set in, and Maggie couldn’t lie, it was much too early for the bubble to burst.

She wanted the easiness of dawn. The comfort of his arms and body.

Cain leaned against the counter—his boxers lying dangerously low on his hips—with the damp towel draped across his shoulders. God. The man didn’t even have to try, and he looked like a walking commercial for Axe. She could picture it now. Hoards of women crashing through her door, slipping in through the windows, crawling over each other in an effort to get to him.

“Do you have family, Maggie?”

His question surprised her. “I…” She grabbed the towel off him and draped it over the drying rack. She wasn’t going there with him. With anyone, for that matter. Family. Her family was…

“Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He reached for her, but she sidestepped to avoid his touch. She knew the power that was in his hands, and at the moment she felt vulnerable. She’d be no match.

“I’m not upset.”

“I think you are.”

“You don’t know me well enough to know if I’m upset or not.”

“I think I do.”

“Jesus Christ, Cain.” She whirled around and pushed a large chunk of hair off her face. “That’s bull! You don’t know anything about me.”

“Well, you’re right about that Maggie.” He pushed away from the counter and took a step toward her. His face was no longer relaxed—his eyes were narrowed, his mouth tight. A muscle worked its way along his jaw, and she knew he was angry. “You have a habit of keeping people at arm’s length. I’ve known you for what, three weeks?” He shook his head. “And the only thing I know for sure is that you’ve raised one hell of a kid, that you’re independent, focused, and that the sight of you in that tank top is making me insane.”

“Cain, I don’t… There are things…”

“Maggie, its okay if you want to keep secrets or leave your past behind. Or run away from whatever the hell it is back there that’s got you so spooked that you’re afraid to trust. I get that.” He took a step toward her. “But don’t assume that this is casual for me. Don’t assume I don’t want to know every single detail about you. What makes you tick, where you come from, what your dreams are.”

“We had sex, Cain—”

“Ya think?”

She ignored his smile. “Lots of sex, but still, you can’t expect me to believe this isn’t something you don’t do all the time. You’re guitar singer guy. Apparently a pretty good one too, so I’m sure this kind of situation—”

“Situation?”

God, he isn’t making this easy. She blew out hot air. “Casual sex marathons.” She winced as she said the words. It made everything about the evening before cheap. And it wasn’t.

“Nothing about last night was casual…at least not for me.” His eyes flashed, and Maggie was uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation. “I’m not that guy, Maggie. If I was, I’d have hightailed it out of here last night after our third round, met the guys at the Coach House, and told them how you’re the best lay I’ve had in years.”

She bit her lip and looked away, more than a little shocked at his direct words. “There’s nothing spectacular about me, Cain. I’m just an average woman—”