The Summer He Came Home

Chapter 21



Sunlight filtered through her bedroom window, casting thin beams of gold against the drab gray walls. They mimicked the pattern of Maggie’s cheap window coverings, missing slats and all. The blinds were crap, but for the most part they did their job.

Cain was next to her, and she relished the warmth of his body. He was relaxed with one of his arms thrown over his head, legs sprawled wide. He appeared younger as he slept, softer. It was amazing, really, how his features aligned perfectly. God, she could spend hours just looking at him. He was simply beautiful.

Maggie’s back kinked and she moved slightly, a groan slipping from her lips as her body protested. Her muscles were stiff, and parts of her ached. A lot. Those parts of her. She giggled. It was a good pain, but nonetheless a glaring reminder of her lack of experience and the fact that she hadn’t been intimate in a very, very long time.

A blush stained her cheeks as her mind wandered. Oh, the things he’d done to her. The things she’d let him do to her. A smile crept along her mouth as she traced his chest, though it soon fled as reality set in.

She felt the weight of it, that reality, pressing on her chest. This wouldn’t last. How could it? He’d be leaving at some point this summer. The man lived in Los Angeles, and his career would call him back.

A single mom with a kid didn’t figure into that, but still…

Don’t go there, Maggie. Don’t fantasize about a future that doesn’t belong to you.

She sighed and relaxed in his embrace. Who was she kidding? The baggage she’d hidden away, the stuff from her past that she’d shared with no one…that wasn’t going anywhere, and besides, she wasn’t naive. Cain Black didn’t belong in her world any more than she did in his.

She’d done a bit of research, and she knew BlackRock was on its way up. Their last CD had garnered a lot of attention from the public and critics alike, and there was a lot of buzz about the next record. Cain would fly as high as he let himself and go where his career took him.

When he left—and he would leave—whatever this was between them would end. She needed to pull up her big girl pants and get with the times. But that nagging doubt remained. The one that said this wouldn’t end well for her.

Maggie gave herself a mental shakedown. She needed to be realistic. Modern women had affairs all the time and for a variety of reasons. They took what they needed and moved on with no guilt. No strings.

“Hey, why the frown?” Cain stretched and hugged her close, his hands roving her body, fingers seeking, caressing. He kissed her forehead. “No frowning allowed unless…” The lightness of the moment left as his voice trailed into silence. He cupped her face between his hands, his eyes intense as he studied her. “You don’t regret last night, do you?”

She shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

Cain leaned toward her and brushed his mouth across hers, then back again, this time parting her lips and kissing her with such tenderness that it brought tears to her eyes. When the kiss finally ended, she was sprawled across his chest, and she felt the hard length of him pulsing against her belly.

He traced her mouth and smiled. “Good, because I sure as hell don’t.” And then his mouth was on hers again, tasting, stroking, with an intensity that surprised her.

Maggie pulled herself up until she was perched above him, a sly smile falling across her face at the look of absolute need in his eyes. His hands claimed her breasts, and as his mouth closed around a turgid nipple, she closed her eyes and gave in. She would take this ride are far as she could, and she’d damn well enjoy every minute of it.

No regrets.

***

Her small kitchen table was laden with food. Scrambled eggs, home fries, toast and jam, fresh strawberries, and juice.

“Wow, you really are the king of breakfast.” Maggie grinned at Cain as she settled down across from him, a slight wince crossing her features.

“Problem?” he asked, a naughty smile on his face as he reached for the fruit and helped himself to a generous amount of eggs and toast. He knew exactly why her bottom was sore.

“Nope.”

Cain spread a liberal amount of jam on his toast and the smile never left his face.

They settled into an easy conversation, one that ebbed and flowed with laughter and wit. Cain was smart and funny and had a biting sense of humor that she liked. He was also damn sexy to look at first thing in the morning.

His jaw was shadowed with stubble, but it only emphasized his sensual mouth and classic cheekbones. His brown eyes glittered as he laughed, and his hair, that thick sexy head of hair, begged to be toyed with. He was dressed in boxers, which was something every girl should experience at least once in her lifetime.

“More coffee?” he asked.

Maggie nodded. This was foreign to her. Being waited on, looked after, coddled even…so not in her daily handbook.

“What you got planned today?”

She stretched, hissing softly at the aches and pains. “I have a client this afternoon.”

He poured her another cup of coffee. “Good job you didn’t have one this morning.”

Maggie inhaled the rich aroma and took a sip. “I canceled.”

A slow grin spread across Cain’s face. “Pretty confident, weren’t you?”

“I…” Once more her cheeks darkened, and she glanced down at the steaming cup of java in her hands.

He leaned over and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’m just teasing, though if you took the afternoon off, I’m sure we could find something to do.”

“I can’t.”

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 be 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—”

“You are not an average, everyday woman.” His fingers crept up to her cheeks, and he cradled her head between his large hands. “I don’t know what reality you’re living in Maggie, but it sure as hell isn’t mine.”

The dark of his eyes expanded, their lash-framed beauty intense as he stared down at her. “You leave me breathless.”

He pulled her into his embrace, and Maggie rested her head against his chest. She was too weak to protest, and why would she? Why would any woman in her right mind push away someone like Cain? Why was she trying so hard?

She inhaled his scent, reveled in the comfort and feel of him, and the moment would have been perfect, except Shelby, Luke’s dog, decided to exercise her right to bark. And bark. And bark.

“What was that?”

Cain looked down at her. “What?”

“Didn’t you hear that noise?”

He shook his head and glanced out the window into her backyard.

“No, it came from the…” Shit! Maggie slipped from Cain’s embrace and dashed to her front room. She peeked out the window and saw Tommy’s mother, Sharon, opening the passenger door of her Volvo. The top of Michael’s curly head bopped into view, as well as Tommy’s fair one.

Sharon was parked behind Cain’s big SUV, and Maggie ducked as the woman glanced toward her house. She felt like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Pretty damn ridiculous, considering she was an adult. In her own home. But still, this wasn’t good.

“Oh my God, Cain. Michael’s back. I wasn’t expecting him until tomorrow.” Her heart was in her throat. “You need to hide. He can’t know you’re here.” Oh God, this could not be happening.

The one time I decide to have someone stay over, I get busted by my own kid.

Cain peeked through the window and stood with his hands on his hips. She saw the smile and knew he wasn’t nearly as concerned as she. “He’s gonna know I’m here, Mags. That’s my truck in your driveway.”

The blood drained from her face. The hard reality of her night of sin stared right back at her, and the view left her sick to her stomach. Crap. She hadn’t thought of the fact that Luke, Mrs. Nichols across the street, and now Sharon would see Cain’s vehicle in her driveway.

In the morning.

Where it had sat all night. All night while she was having sex. With Cain. A sex marathon.

She groaned. If the entire town didn’t know what had transpired at 45 Linden Street the night before, they’d surely know about it soon. Superman himself would be jealous at the speed at which news like this would travel.

“You need to get dressed.” She pushed Cain toward her bedroom. “Hurry! And…” Her mind whirled in twenty-five different directions. “You just stopped by because—”

A knock sounded at the door, and Cain disappeared down the hall, but not before she caught sight of the wide grin he sported.

Maggie exhaled, smoothed the mess of long tangled hair that fell over her shoulders, and opened the door.

“Sharon,” she exclaimed as if totally surprised, “is everything all right? I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

“Mom! Is that Cain’s truck? Is he here?” Michael pushed past Tommy’s mother and dragged his buddy along with him.

“Michael John O’Rourke, don’t be rude. Stay where you are.” Please don’t go toward the bedrooms.

She turned back to Sharon, denial on her lips, but dropped any pretense of lying almost immediately. The woman was staring at her with an all-knowing look, her eyes doing a quick once-over from the top of Maggie’s disheveled hair to the bottom of her fancy painted toes.

“But is he here?” Michael asked.

“He stopped by to help me with something.”

Was that a snort?

She eyed Sharon closely.

“Help you with what?”

Oh God, was her own seven-year-old going to put her through the ringer?

“A plumbing issue.” Seriously? That’s the first thing that comes to mind? She cringed as the words escaped her mouth and glanced at Sharon. Okay, that was definitely a snort.

“Hey, Michael, I wasn’t expecting to see you, buddy.” Cain strode in the room fully dressed—thank God—though his attire was definitely dressy for an early-morning call. Of course Michael and his little friend would never know the difference, but Sharon sure as hell did.

Maggie may as well have taken out an ad or rented a billboard: Yes, I Had Sex with Cain Black Last Night.

Cain turned to Tommy’s mother and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sharon, isn’t it? I knew your husband from high school, but you’re not from around here, right?”

“Oh no.” Sharon giggled like a schoolgirl.

Maggie watched a host of emotions flicker across the woman’s face. Unbelievable. Give the man five seconds and he could turn anyone to mush.

“I met Roger in college. I’m originally from Detroit.” Her smile vanished and she turned to Maggie. “Which is why I’m here. We had to cut our camping excursion short. I got a phone call, and my father’s ill, so Roger and I are heading to Waterford, which is where he’s in the hospital. I was hoping maybe Tommy would be able to stay here with Michael. I don’t have any details about my father other than they rushed him in an hour ago.”

“Of course.” Maggie nodded. “I have a client this afternoon, but I’ll figure something out.”

“Thank you so much, Maggie.” The relief was evident in her voice. “I’ll call you later when I know what’s going on, but either Roger or I will be back for Tommy. I just don’t know when.”

Maggie followed Sharon out onto the porch. “Don’t worry about it. He’ll be fine.”

“Tommy, you be good for Maggie, all right?” Sharon yelled back into the house.

The boys disappeared, and Cain followed the women outside. He leaned against the porch railing, and she felt his gaze on her as she walked Sharon to her car. Luke was outside, ready to head out for the day, his burly frame draped in the dark colors that the EMT officers wore. He avoided looking in her direction even as he backed out of his driveway. And nearly ran into the ditch.

Luke’s tires squealed as he peeled down the street, and her brow furled in irritation.

She glanced back at Cain. His face was split wide in a grin, one that managed to increase her irritation while making her hot and fluttery at the same time.

Maggie sighed inwardly.

In the harsh light of day, her simple world had just ramped up to complicated.