The Summer He Came Home

Chapter 12



Cain stared down at Maggie and struggled to keep it together. She was killing him. He’d never had such a need, such an insane desire, for a woman before. Ever. And Lord knows, over the past ten years he’d seen a hell of a lot of them in all shapes and sizes.

He swallowed thickly and nuzzled her neck, loving the warm scent of her, the soft feel of her.

He’d swung by the house to see his mother—had totally spaced and forgotten she volunteered on Fridays—and at the last moment decided to come inside on the off chance that he’d find Maggie.

Find her he did.

Bent over the desk in cutoff jean shorts, her toned legs and round ass shown off to perfection. He hadn’t seen anything that hot in ages—Daisy Duke had nothing on Maggie O’Rourke—and it had awakened a truckload of fantasies that had immediately gone south. Way south. Way hard south.

She whimpered beneath him, and he groaned at the sensation left behind as she rubbed along the length of him. His already-straining cock tightened until the exquisite pain threatened to erupt.

He cupped her chin and breathed into her mouth.

“I want…you.”

His lips grazed the softness of hers, teasing and coaxing until she opened beneath him. His mouth moved over hers, and he claimed what he’d wanted for the last week. The fragrant silk of her hair surrounded them, and his fingers tangled in their folds as he deepened the kiss. His tongue invaded and stroked, and the taste of her was intoxicating. His hands traveled the length of her body until he rested upon her sweet round ass.

She whimpered again, a soft feminine sound that went straight to his gut. He clenched everything and groaned into her mouth. Christ, he hadn’t been this horny since Shelli Gouthro had pulled him from the Coach House all those years ago. Back then it had been all about getting laid, but this…this was so much more.

Maggie kissed him back, a full-on surrender, and for the longest time he held her, his mouth drinking from hers, tasting, suckling, as his hands roved as much of her as he could reach. He couldn’t help himself. She felt way too damn good between his legs.

Her hands crept up to his neck. The touch was hesitant, unsure, and that alone drove him crazy. When was the last time he’d been with a woman who wasn’t the aggressor? He couldn’t remember.

Cain lifted her into the air, coaxed her legs around him, and leaned back against the desk as her arms encircled him fully. Holy Christ, but she was every fantasy he’d ever had and more.

He groaned into her mouth. This was going way too fast. He wanted her. Badly. But he wasn’t about to have sex with Maggie on a desk in his mother’s basement. She deserved more than that. He wanted to give her more than that.

“Hey,” he whispered against her lips. “Babe, we need to stop now, or I’m not gonna be able to.”

Maggie pulled away slowly but lowered her eyes. She trembled against him, and something about how she looked tugged at his heart in a way he couldn’t recall feeling before. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and rested his chin on her head as she tucked into his embrace just like she belonged there.

For several long minutes there was nothing but silence broken by their quick, jarring breaths and frantic beating hearts. Eventually she relaxed in his arms, and for the moment it was enough.

Cain exhaled a long, shuddering breath. “So,” he said, “I need to apologize for the other night.” Maggie squirmed in his arms, and reluctantly he let go, hissing softly as she slid along his body until she was standing.

Her long red hair had fallen loose from her ponytail and hung about her heart-shaped face like a curtain, the deep color a perfect foil for her creamy skin. Her eyes were luminous, like pools of liquid navy, but it was her full lips, bruised from his mouth, that drew his attention.

They were marked. By him. And there was something primal in that that he liked.

Her tongue slid along her lower lip, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. “You don’t need to…” She shook her head and looked up at him. “Michael had an amazing day, and I’m grateful you were able to give him that. If you could just…” She glanced away.

“If I could…” His hand reached for her, but she took another step back so that she was out of his reach.

“If you could just call him or something before you leave, I think he’d really appreciate it.” A small smile claimed her mouth. “He seems to think you’re a big deal or something.”

“Before I leave?” He looked confused and took a step toward her.

Maggie frowned and made a wild gesture with her hands. “To go home. Your stuff is gone. I thought you’d already left for LA, but obviously you’re heading off soon.”

Hell, no.

“Would you miss me?”

She looked surprised at his question. “I…” she stuttered and shook her head. “No, I just—”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Cain interrupted and took a step forward until he was inches from her. She didn’t move away this time. “I’m not going anywhere. Mac and I have rented a cottage not far from Jake’s parents.”

“Mackenzie Draper?”

He nodded. “He’s the reason I bailed the other night. Some stuff happened, and Jake called. I don’t want to go into detail, but…” He needed her to understand. “He’s like family to me, and I had to leave.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“Yeah, I do, and technically I owe you more.”

“More?”

“I promised your son I’d show him how to clean the fish we caught, but since I had to do it right away, I’ll get around to teaching him next time. But I still owe you a meal, and the fish is on ice, so…”

Her scent teased his nostrils as he gazed down at her. Maggie opened her mouth, but his finger was there before she could speak. For a split second, an image of her lips encircling him—and he wasn’t thinking about his finger either—rushed through his mind. The bulge between his legs thickened even more, if that was possible.

Christ, but he had to be stronger.

“You can’t say no.”

She arched an eyebrow and removed his finger from her mouth. “If I want to say no, I will,” she challenged.

Little minx. Cain smiled wickedly and leaned toward her, his mouth close to her ear. “Here’s the thing, though, Maggie. You don’t want to.”

“How do you know what’s in my head? What I want and don’t want.” She was annoyed now, but he was totally okay with that. He liked that she had spunk and didn’t roll over onto her back for him.

“Woman, I just kissed you. Trust me. You don’t want to say no any more than I want you to.”

Maggie stared at him for a moment, and then her chin jutted out. “I don’t make a habit of associating with felons.”

Okay, he hadn’t seen that one coming.

“You think I’m a felon?”

“Raine told me you and your friends were arrested. I’m not sure I want that kind of influence around my son.”

Cain swore under his breath. The woman was looking for an excuse to blow him off, and Raine had just handed her one.

“Are you saying Raine lied?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She looked surprised.

“We were arrested when we were seventeen.” Cain moved closer to her, loving the way her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. Lips that he wanted to taste and kiss and do all sorts of things to. “Me and the boys: Jake, Jesse, and Mac. It was quite the crime.”

“What did you do?” Her voice was hushed, her eyes wide.

He stared at her for several long moments until her eyes widened in trepidation and her breath held, waiting for his next words.

“You have to understand we didn’t mean for it to happen.” He shook his head, his expression serious, his tone somber. “Hell, we were just kids really.”

“Seventeen isn’t exactly a kid,” she said carefully.

“No, it’s not, and we should have known better.” He sighed. “And I suppose we should have known it wouldn’t have ended up any other way than it did.” He shrugged. “Not with Jake involved. Hell, he even lured Jesse to the dark side, and Jesse was always the guy who said no.”

She bit her lip and for a second, and he was mesmerized by an image of her tongue sliding along his skin.

“What happened?” she asked softly.

“I can’t lie or sugarcoat. It’s a matter of public record that we kidnapped him in Indiana—”

“Kidnapped! You can’t be serious.”

He continued on as if she hadn’t said a word. “Like I said, it wasn’t my idea, but shit happened, and we kidnapped the bastard in Indiana, which was our first mistake, because anyone who watches Law & Order knows you should never transport a body across state lines.”

“A body?” Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Sure, you didn’t think they called us the Bad Boys for kicks, did you?” He tried to look solemn, but it was hard because she looked so damn cute. “He had one hell of a trip, that’s for sure. We showed him things…things he’d never have seen down there in Indiana. We showed him Michigan the way it’s supposed to be done. We took him all over the county, out in the boat, and then, uh, attended a few parties where he met a lot of fine local girls. Hell, he was so damn popular, Seth Daniels used up at least two disposable cameras, ’cause everyone wanted their picture taken with him. Of course, that was before we buried him.”

“Buried.” Her brow couldn’t arch any higher.

He nodded.

“You buried him,” she said again.

“Yeah, Ronald.”

A small crease furrowed Maggie’s brow. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it. She waited a moment, shifted her weight.

“You’re bullshitting me.”

“No, I’m not. Of course, if he’d have just come with us nice and easy-like, I’m sure it wouldn’t have gotten so complicated. As it was, Jake used his powers of persuasion, and it was a piece of cake.”

“Powers of persuasion.”

Cain nodded. “Bolt cutters, to be exact.” He sighed, a long exaggerated noise. “Eventually the law caught up to us, or rather Jesse. Two detectives showed up at the Edwardses’ door and he led them to where we’d buried him.” Cain grimaced. “Jesse was willing to take the fall for the rest of us, but we couldn’t let that happen, especially since it was really Jake’s idea. So we all came forward.”

Maggie looked confused and then slightly horrified. He had her.

“It wasn’t pretty, and the story made headlines in all the local papers. We were legends.” He grinned. “They called us ‘the Hamburglars’ in Indiana.”

“What?” Her tone was slightly pissed off and nearing more than a little annoyed.

“Yep, we buried Ronald McDonald out by Varini’s garbage dump, but he looked pretty damn good when we dug him up, considering he’d been buried beneath a bunch of crap for eleven months.”

“You stole a Ronald McDonald and buried him for eleven months.”

“It was a high school prank, and sure we got into a lot of trouble, but it was worth it. Hell, they still talk about it.” He laughed. “The damn thing was so big, it’s head and feet stuck out the windows of Jake’s Civic all the way home. Can you imagine? Those big honking feet? That goofy smile?”

“Really?” she said drily, and he knew she was trying her hardest not to laugh. “Sounds like a blast, but you have a record, so I don’t think it was that smart.”

He shook his head. “Nope. I’m no criminal. The charges were thrown out and the arrests expunged from our records, so you don’t have to worry I’ll be a bad influence on Michael.”

His hand closed around her wrist, and her energy tingled along his flesh. It was a connection unlike any he’d had before, and the thought of exploring it was like a physical ache. “So, you coming?”

Maggie muttered something under her breath. He couldn’t quite catch it, but thought he heard the words arrogant and bastard and maybe dumbass.

She did however follow him from the office.

“I have to finish up your mom’s kitchen.” They’d just cleared the stairs and stood in the foyer of the house. Sunlight filtered into the large open space from the floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the door, and it haloed Maggie in a wash of light that took his breath away. Her hair was on fire, her skin luminous.

Maggie tapped her toe and nodded toward the kitchen. “I’m not done here, and honestly, I’ll be a while, so tonight is probably not good.”

“I’ll help you.”

“No!” She shook her head and moved away from him. “No.” She swore loudly several times and this time made no effort to mute her words. No longer annoyed, she was angry.

“I don’t need your help. I’m a maid, Cain. I clean houses to pay my bills. I clean your mother’s toilets, and I scrub her floors. I clean half of Crystal Lake, for God sake. That is what I do.” She threw her hands up in the air and took a few steps away from him. Her chest heaved and her cheeks were flushed with heat.

He had no idea why she was getting so worked up, but he sure as hell liked it. She was sexy when she was mad.

She turned, and he was surprised at the unshed tears that hovered behind her eyes. “I’m not a model or a movie star or a groupie or… I’m none of those things, Cain. I’m a maid and a mom, and I don’t get what this is. What you want.” She exhaled, and his insides twisted and melted at the look on her face. “What is this, Cain? What do you expect to happen between us?”

He knew she was confused. Hell, so was he.

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “But I think it could be something special and real. In my world, special doesn’t come around a whole hell of a lot. It’s hidden beneath layers of greed or ambition. So when it does…” His thoughts turned to Jesse and Raine and all that they’d lost. “When it does, you need to grab hold of it, or you’re a fool.”

Cain walked past her. “I’m helping you clean this kitchen, and then I’m going to drive you home. You’re going to sit outside with a glass of wine and relax while Michael and I prepare supper.” He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “That’s what this is, right now, at this moment.”

***

“That was cool, and good thing Mommy decided to stay on the deck, ’cause all those slimy dead fish would have totally grossed her out.”

Cain laughed. “Well, good to see you’ve got the stomach to be a fisherman.” He winked. “And next time I take you out, I promise I’ll teach you how to clean them.”

Maggie’s voice slid between them. “Michael, make sure you use lots of soap and scrub beneath your fingernails, please.”

The kid looked up at him, eyes wide. “See? She sees everything.”

Cain grinned and glanced back at Maggie. She sat in a chair on the deck, and as promised, a glass of wine had been provided. Cain had brought all the fixings, salad, and potatoes. Of course, the salad had been premade at the grocer, and the potatoes were in fact a container of store-bought potato salad, but hell, it would do.

Michael scurried off to wash his hands, and he followed suit. The fish had been cleaned and were ready to go on the grill.

“I made a lemon sauce for the fish.” Maggie handed him a cold beer and reached for her glass of wine. “It’s in the small container by the barbecue along with foil and tongs.”

“Thanks, lady.” He winked, loved the flush that stained her cheeks, and headed toward the barbecue.

Maggie’s yard was a small oasis that was a perfect example of “size doesn’t matter.” It was a space meant to hang out and relax in. A large oak tree provided shade to nearly a third of the space, and there was an oriental waterfall in the corner that provided a Zen-like touch. The honeysuckle that crept along the back wall was fragrant, the scent hanging heavy in the warm June air. A small vegetable garden was tucked away in the far corner of the yard, and colorful flower beds overrun by petunias and geraniums crept along the foundation of the house.

It was pretty much paradise as far as he was concerned, and Cain hummed to himself as Michael helped prepare the fish. They arranged the fillets neatly on the foil, doused them liberally with the marinade that Maggie had provided, and covered them so they’d cook.

It felt good to do this. To do something for someone else. For too long he’d been on his own, and for the first time he realized that the few years spent with Natasha had never brought out this need in him. The need to put someone else first.

Being back here in Crystal Lake was about as far away from the life he’d built as he could get. But he was okay with that. In fact, he was beginning to suspect he needed a shot of something real in order to survive the future.

He took a long drink from the cold beer in his hand and glanced back at Maggie. She was someone he wanted to worry about. Someone he wanted to do things for.

“This smells so good, it’s making my tummy rumble.” Michael laughed and rubbed his belly. Every single piece of anxiety that lived in Cain had left him. As if a leak had sprung inside his body, he was light and stress-free.

He felt like a damn king.

“Sure does buddy, and it’s gonna taste even better than it smells.”

The boy’s forehead creased into a frown. “Is it because we caught it? So it’s fresh? Cause I never smelled anything this yummy.”

He ruffled the top of Michael’s head. “This is gonna be the best fish you’ve ever had, and it’s because you worked for it. Anything worth having in life has to be earned.”

Michael nodded, and his little face screwed into a frown as he kicked at the ground. “Miss Lauren is your mom, right?”

That was a 360-degree change in conversation. Cain nodded. “Sure is.”

Michael glanced up, eyes wide, mouth set in a serious line. “Where’s your dad?”

He stared down at the boy. Good question.

“I don’t know, Michael.” Cain busied himself with the fish, rearranging the fillets in the foil before covering them again. They were almost ready. “My dad left when I was a little guy barely five years old and never came back. He could be anywhere, I suppose.” Or dead.

“Oh.” Michael shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked at the ground once more. “We’re the same, then.”

“Yeah?”

Michael shook his head and glanced toward his mother. “I don’t have a dad anymore either.”

Cain didn’t know what to say. The tone of their conversation had changed, and no longer were they two guys grilling some fish. Michael was sharing something pretty damn heavy. It was shadowed in his eyes and evidenced by the rigid set of his small shoulders.

Cain was curious. He’d assumed Maggie was divorced, a single mom. He hadn’t considered the possibility that she was a widow.

He knew nothing about Maggie or where she came from. Nothing about the man she’d had a child with. He pursed his lips and took another swig of beer. Something hot flashed through him, a sliver of jealousy he had no right to feel.

But it was there nonetheless. He didn’t like the fact that another man had tasted her, had held her, and created life with her.

What the hell was up with that?

“You guys ready yet? I’ve got the table set.” Her voice startled them both, and a frown slid over her face. Maggie had crept up on them and stood a few inches from her son, but her focus was on Cain. “What’s going on? Am I interrupting?”

Michael shook his head but didn’t answer.

Cain put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, flashed a smile at his mother. “We’re good, and your boy’s hungry, so…”

They ate on Maggie’s small deck. There was just enough room at the table for the three of them. The fish was tender and tasty, as were the sides. It was cozy, intimate, and the bottle of wine went down smooth as silk.

The sun set in a blaze of reds, oranges, and gold. Cain settled back and enjoyed the view. He’d seen the same sun set hundreds of times and had never given it another thought. But tonight, here with Maggie and her son, he thought that it was pretty much perfect.