The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 2)

“Oh, I will, but with Lori making a beeline for this table, you can bet your sweet ass that by tomorrow, everyone in Crystal Lake will know the two of you are sleeping together.”

“Are you okay with this?” Jake pushed his chair slightly so that he faced her, his dark eyes intent, filled with concern. “We can move slow, if that’s what you need.”

She loved him for that. Jake was always looking out for everyone else and thinking of himself last.

“I can’t hide the way I feel, Jake.” Her hand crept to his face and she melted as he leaned into her touch. She thought of the package Lily had given her. Of what it meant. She also thought of the note from this Baker person.

Raine thought of the scars along Jake’s lower back, and even though he hadn’t talked about them, she knew they were from shrapnel, most likely from the attack that had taken Jesse.

There was still so much between them, so much noise and so many secrets.

“I love you, Jake,” she whispered, though the intensity of the moment was broken when Mac groaned. Loudly.

“Seriously? This is what I have to look forward to? The two of you guys pawing each other in public?” He shook his head and scowled. “Thank God Cain and Maggie are coming home for New Year’s Eve.”

“What?” Raine whipped her head around. “I didn’t know they were coming. The last I heard, Maggie wasn’t sure, because she didn’t know what Cain’s schedule was going to be like over the holidays.”

“Sucks to be out of the loop,” Mac teased, and then he winked. “It’s because she called your house, but you’ve been shacking up with Jake at Wyndham.”

Raine made a face, and the heaviness of the moment passed as the three of them sat back and caught up. Just like old times.

Luke Jansen and a few others from their football days stopped by, and there was also a steady stream of every single unattached woman in the place, all of them anxious to say hello to two of the infamous Bad Boys. Jake ignored them, while Mackenzie relished every bit of feminine attention thrown his way. The guy was a natural charmer, and his dial seemed to be set to eleven.

But as Raine watched Mackenzie closely, she felt his loneliness. His pain. And the underlying anger that was always just below the surface. To the world, Mackenzie Draper appeared to have it all. Looks. Talent. Ambition. Prestige.

But she knew that deep down he was still the sad little boy whose father’s love consisted of fists and beatings. The man was a bastard through and through, and no one understood why Mac’s mother stayed with him. They say love is blind, but that kind of love was nothing but destructive.

“Hey, don’t look so down.” Mac smiled through glassy eyes—he’d skipped the parade and come straight to the Coach House, so he’d been into the booze for hours. He was well on his way to tying one on as he moved Rachel DeGroote off his lap. The woman tottered on heels that were four inches too high and giggled as she bent low over the table, her generous rack about to fall out and give them all a treat.

“You wanna come back to my place?” she asked saucily.

Mac tilted his head back as if he was considering the offer, and Jake groaned into Raine’s ear. “Let’s get him out of here before he causes more shit. Didn’t she just split with her husband?”

Raine nodded, and whispered, “Yes, and he’s a nasty son of a bitch.”

“Okay, buddy. I’m going to get you home.” Jake got to his feet.

Mac surprised them both by getting to his feet and nodding. “Sounds like a plan. I’ve been up for hours and need to crash.” He swore. “That reminds me.”

Raine buttoned her coat and knew where this was headed. “You need a place to stay.”

“Yep. Ben is out of jail just in time for the holidays, and I’m not exactly welcome.”

“It’s okay.” Raine tugged on Jake’s hand. “You can stay at my place, you know, because I’m shacking up at the stone cottage with Jake.”

“Perfect.” Mac followed them out into the parking lot after they said good-bye to Salvatore. “Except I shouldn’t get behind the wheel. I skipped the parade, remember? Had a head start.”

“I’ll drive you over,” Jake said as he handed Raine his keys. “See you back at the cottage?”

She nodded, reached up to kiss him, and whispered, “I’ll get the fire going.”

When Jake’s hand snaked around to her butt, Raine giggled and squirmed against him.

“Babe, it’s already started.”

“Just make sure it doesn’t go out,” she warned, and then pulled away. “The house key is—”

“I know where it’s kept.” Jake smiled, saluted, and then walked across the parking lot with Mackenzie. They were almost to Mac’s car when she suddenly remembered something.