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

They both glanced up as Jake walked into the kitchen. The tall soldier was dressed in running shorts and a T-shirt covered in sweat. His muscles bulged and his veins stood out in stark relief. He tossed an empty water bottle into the recycle bin beside the island and stared at them both.

“You guys gonna fill me in?”

Cain rubbed his eyes and glanced up at his friend.

“Never mind.” Jake crossed to the coffee

machine and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. “I’m thinking this has to do with Maggie?” He emptied the carafe and leaned against the counter.

Cain remained silent.

“You love her.”

Hearing Jake say the words so matter-of-factly pretty much cemented the entire notion. Cain nodded. “Hell, yeah. I think I might have fallen the moment I laid eyes on her at Jesse’s funeral reception.”

Jake lowered his eyes and stared into his cup. “That’s good. Jesse’d be happy for you.” Jake chuckled. “Hell, let’s be honest, he’d be riding your ass big-time. He always thought that you’d be the guy with a posse of women. Like Hef and his bunnies.” The soldier grinned. “Glad to see he was wrong.”

“Well, mates, I’d love to sit around and discuss Cain’s love life, but we’ve a show to put together, and time’s running out. So what’s the plan?” Dax looked at him expectantly, and for a second Cain blanked.

“Uh…” He frowned.

“Fundraiser. Music. Football?” Dax slid from his stool. “Ring a bell?”

Cain glanced toward the clock. It was nearly nine now, and they needed to finish a few things before they’d be ready for production setup, which was scheduled for noon.

Cain grabbed his mug and finished his coffee. “We should get going. There’s a lot left to do.”

Jake nodded. “All right. I’m going to run home, change, and I’ll meet you guys at the field.”

“On your way out, tell Mac we’ll be leaving in ten.” Cain caught the wince the Brit tried to hide as he placed his mug in the sink. “A little sore this morning?”

“Bloody hell, I didn’t expect to be getting my hands dirty. Dammit man, I hope I can play my bass tomorrow.”

“Nothing a good hot shower won’t cure.”

“Right.”

Mac entered the cottage and tossed his magazine onto the counter. “So, lover boy, we heading out soon?”

Cain grabbed the magazine along with the one Dax had been reading. He looked at Mac and frowned. “You got any more of these hiding around?”

“Nope. But I hate to tell you this. They’re everywhere.”

“No shit.” Cain’s lips thinned. He was in for it, and so was Maggie. He just hoped the people of Crystal Lake went easy on her.

“You going to see her today?”

Cain nodded to Mac. “Damn straight. As soon as we get everything organized for tomorrow, she’s my first stop.”

Mac’s expression changed—the joker was gone. “Good. That’s good.” He sighed and stretched out his long limbs. “We’re a sorry-ass bunch…the Bad Boys of Crystal Lake. Unlucky in love. It would be nice to see one of us get it right.”

Cain frowned. “Jesse got it right, from the get-go.”

“Maybe so, but that relationship left scars.” Mac’s eyes darkened and he shook his head. “I’m worried about Jake, and what the hell is Raine thinking? A baby? Personally, I think he’d be better off shipping back to Afghanistan.”

Cain was stunned. What kind of crazy-ass shit was this?

“Why the hell would you want him to go back there, to the place where he watched his brother die? Away from his friends and family? That doesn’t make sense.”