Causing Havoc (34 page)

"We didn't start dating until high school, but we've always been friends, good friends. I know him

better than anyone else does. Even though he tries real y hard— sometimes too hard—to win Eve

over, I know she doesn't understand him, and so she doesn't like him." Cam sent a brief look at Jacki.

"And I know you're not fond of him, either, Jacki."

Dean waited for Jacki to deny it, but instead she ducked her head.

Cam didn't appear to mind. "So often I see a side of Roger that others don't see. He's so sweet to

me, and so gentle. He always wants to help in any way he can." She looked up at Dean. "He hasn't had an easy life. He's had to work extra hard for everything he has now. He's earned al his success,

and I'm very proud of him."

Jesus. Cam made him sound like a saint.

"But that's just it—Roger's done so much for me that it's hard to tel what's in my heart when I also feel grateful to him. And beholden. And . . . and obligated' |

Dean sat in awe. His sister was one smart cookie. "I see."

"I don't want to confuse my own feelings, and I definitely don't want to confuse his."

Maybe the discussion on other repairs should wait. "I understand."

"Do you?" She looked away at nothing in particular. "You're so independent."

But alone.

Dean hated that thought as soon as it hit him. To fend it off, he put a fist on the table. "You told me this house was partly mine."

Wariness brought Cam's gaze back to his. "It is."

"Then I don't want to sel it. And I don't want it to fal down around us. For years you've had the

upkeep. Now it's my turn."

Her mouth opened and closed twice before any words emerged. "Don't be ridiculous! I've lived here.

It's not at al the same thing."

"I might live here, too."
What the hell was he saying?
"Off and on that is. Around my .. . other schedule." Good God. Now he'd done it.

Jacki perked right up. "Real y? You're thinking of being here on a permanent basis?"

"Semipermanent. Maybe." And then, "Shit, I don't know."

Enjoying his obvious confusion, Jacki beamed at him. ' Cool. I'd love to have you around more

often."

Disgusted, Dean turned from Jacki back to Cam. "Since this is now my home, too. it means I have

every right to make any improvements that I want to make."

Confused, Cam said, "I suppose so."

He didn't like her beat-down attitude, but he'd fix that. Somehow. "Good. Then that's settled."

Gregor stuck his head in. He looked at Cam and only Cam. "Any chance I could get somethin' to

eat?"

Jacki turned away to present a deliberate cold shoulder.

Manners dictated that Cam try to make up for her sister's slight. "Of course. Gregor, I'm so sorry. I meant to have something ready, but I forgot. I guess I got a little absorbed in my discussion with

Jacki. But I can get you a sandwich. Wil that do?"

"It'l be fine." Gregor eased in another step. "So what were you two discussin'?"

"Before Dean came in, we were trying to decide how Jacki would get back and forth to work

tomorrow."

Gregor stepped the rest of the way in and closed the door behind him. Stil without looking at Jacki,

he said, "I'l drive her."

Jacki spun around to stab him with a lethal glare. "I'd rather walk," she hissed. "Or
crawl
. Or... or be
rolled
down the sidewalk."

Cam made a sound of impatience. "Jacki, for heaven's sake."

Dean couldn't help himself. He laughed. When Cam and Jacki both frowned at him, he rubbed the

grin off his mouth.

"You're not going to walk," Cam told Jacki calmly, as much to fil the awkward silence as for any other reason. "You'l take my car and I'l get a ride with Roger."

In for a penny, in for a pound, Dean thought. He cleared his throat.

Cam took one look at him, saw his apologetic smile, and groaned. "What now?"

"I bought her a car."

Cam and Jacki said at once, "Who?"

He nodded at Jacki. "You. I bought you a car." She blinked at him in disbelief. "Nothing al that fancy.

A Ford Escort."

Again in unison, the sisters said, "You did
what!
"

Again in unison, the sisters said, "You did
what!
"

Amazing, Dean thought, how their minds formed the same thought at the same time, and verbalized

it with such accuracy. Because Cam looked the most volatile, Dean addressed her first. "Jacki

needed transportation. I bought her a car. End of story."

"Oh. My. God." For once, Cam looked more inclined to smack him than hug him.

The opposite of her sister, Jacki bubbled right out of her seat with excitement. "What color is it?"

"Silver."

Cam sent Jacki a quel ing look before turning the ful force of her displeasure on Dean. "You cannot

buy her a car."

Jacki's hands landed on her hips. "Yes he can. He said he already did."

"No."
Cam yel ed at Jacki in an uncommon loss of control. "He cannot. Dean doesn't owe us anything, certainly not a car. If anything—"

Unwil ing to let her say it, Dean rose to his feet. "It's not about owing you." He put his hands on Cam's shoulders before she could retreat out of reach. "I can afford it. I want to do it." He squeezed her shoulders in apology, then added, "And it's got nothing to do with you, Cam."

Cam turned big, wounded eyes on him.

Dean held firm. She needed to learn that she wasn't responsible for her sister. Not anymore. "This

is between Jacki and me."

Jacki stepped forward in a massive about-face. "If Cam doesn't want me to take the car, I'm not

taking it."

Dean studied her, saw the resolution in her eyes, and felt so much pride at her loyalty toward Cam

that it nearly choked him. "Fair enough. But what the hel am I going to do with it, then? It's paid in ful .

The dealer won't let me return it."

Jacki glanced at Cam with hope.

Stil frozen and hurt. Cam shrugged a shoulder at her sister. "He's right. It's none of my business."

Dean gently shook her. ""I said it was between Jacki and me. But as her big sister, everything about her is your business."

A calculating gleam put golden lights in Cam's brown eyes. "And you're her big brother, so it's your

business as wel ?"

Thunderstruck, Dean dropped his hands and took a step back. He swal owed. Glanced at Jacki. Did

his best to ignore Gregor's hulking presence. "Something like that, yeah."

A smile slowly softened her mouth. "Okay then. Thank you."

Dean had the awful suspicion he'd just been out-manipulated.

Jacki put her hands in the air. "I should probably be offended that the two of you think I need so

damn much care, but I'm too curious about the car to mind that much." She grinned. "When do I get to see it?"

Relieved to have that settled, Dean glanced at his watch. "We can head over there now to pick it up.

Can you drive a stick?"

Her face fel . "No."

Gregor presented himself to the room. "I can. I'l teach you."

Jacki said, "No—"

"Damn it, Jacki," he burst out, making everyone except Dean jump in startled fright. "I believe you, al right?"

Jacki blanched. In a whisper, she said, "Shut up, Gregor."

He shoved his way further into the room, paying no attention when he almost knocked over Dean.

"Not until you forgive me."

"Believe her about what?" Cam wanted to know.

His gaze on Jacki, Gregor squared his massive shoulders. "Jacki explained to me that—"

"Gregor!"

He towered over Jacki. "Wel ? You gonna forgive or not?"

Impotent fury left Jacki trembling. "This is blackmail."

"Nah, it's desperation." Gregor's eyes narrowed. "With someone as stubborn as you, I'l do what it takes."

Through her teeth, Jacki said, "Fine. You're on probationary forgiveness."

He grinned hugely. "I'l take it."

"But if you so much as—"

"I won't." Gregor slung his arm around her shoulders. "Now let's go get your car."

* * *

interest burned her.

Gnashing her teeth together, she ground the gears and then exploded, "
Stop it!
Just... stop it. I can't concentrate when you're doing that."

He coasted his knuckles along her cheek. "I don't think I've ever had a virgin. God, I can hardly wait."

Molten excitement nearly melted her on the spot. She pushed in the clutch, shoved the gear shift into

park, and put on the brake.

That time of night, with the excessive heat wave, the park was nearly deserted. It would have been

the perfect place to practice driving, if Gregor weren't so intent on seducing her.

Realizing what she'd done, he looked around and frowned. "You're stil in the middle of the road."

Jacki opened the door, got out, and walked away.

"Jacki!"

She kept going, into the wooded lot beside the roadway, to a picnic table set in a clearing. Brushing

off the fal en leaves and dead bugs, she cleared a spot and sat down.

Thirty seconds later. Gregor lumbered through the brush and joined her. "Damn it, woman. I thought

you planned to walk al the way home or something asinine like that."

"No." A fuzzy caterpil ar made its way across the top of the picnic table. Using a leaf, Jacki captured the bug and set it safely on the ground.

Gregor sat beside her. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm not rushin' ya. If you thought I

was, wel , you were wrong."

"Real y?" Jacki felt too wilted in the heat to debate the point with him.

"Yeah, real y. I just. .. you're so cute. And sexy."

"Uh huh."

"And a virgin." He tensed al over. "God Almighty, that's a turn on."

Jacki couldn't help but laugh. "And natural y you've already decided you'l be my first?"

"Wel -. . . yeah. I mean, I hope so." He hesitated, and slowly his expression turned into a dark thundercloud. "Won't I?"

She wasn't the least bit intimidated. "I don't know, Gregor."

His muscles al bunched up in tension. In a raspy whisper, he asked, "You're seein' someone else?"

Jacki half-expected him to start beating his chest at any moment. "No."

"You're sure?"

Being drol , Jacki said, "Are you going to start cal ing me a liar again?"

"No." He relaxed a little. "No, course not. If you say I'm it, I'm it."

Oh, for the love of... "I didn't say you were it."

Smug, Gregor pointed out, "I'm the only one you're seein', sugar."

"But that doesn't mean I plan to end my virginity with you."

"Oh."

How a big hulking oaf could look so crestfal en, Jacki didn't know. "You're making me crazy, Gregor."

"Try sittin' where I'm at honey, then tel me about crazy."

On a deep sigh, Jacki swung a leg over the bench so that she could straddle it, facing Gregor.

"Look. What I'm saying is that I'm not ready yet. I know that now. And I don't like you pushing me."

A look of insult had him tucking in his chin. "I didn't. I wouldn't."

Jacki rol ed her eyes. "No? Then what do you cal those hot stares and easy touching and

outrageous compliments?"

He treated her to another easy touch, this one to the side of her throat. "That's your fault, darlin', not mine. If you weren't so irresistible ..."

She slapped his hand away. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"I'm levelin' with ya, damn it. I don't expect you to just shove down your pants or anythin'. ... Wel , unless you wanted to."

Jacki inhaled, but Gregor rushed on before she could vent.

"But you are sexy. So sexy, you're making me crazy. Good crazy. I can take it. I wanna take it. Hel , you need a month? Fine. I'l last a month." He caught both her hands and kissed her wrists. "But I can't not touch you or look at you. That's askin' too much."

His words rang with so much raw sincerity, Jacki believed him. And maybe that's why she blurted,

"I'm built like a boy."

One brow slowly lifting, Gregor glanced at her lap. "Come again?"

She jerked her hands free and slapped at him. "Not
there
, you ass. That's as average as any other woman." Jacki flattened her hands over her chest.
"Here."

Gregor looked at her hands, licked his lips, and looked some more. "There?"

Exasperated. Jacki grabbed one of his big hands and lifted it to her chest. She pressed his palm

against her less-than-A cup boob—and heard his ragged groan.

"Why the hel are you groaning?"

Mouth open to accommodate his fast, heavy breaths, Gregor dragged his gaze from where his hand

very gently cuddled her, up to her face. He swal owed audibly. Gaze smoky, face flushed, he rasped,

"You are so fucking soft."

"I'm flat."

"I can feel your nipple al puckered up and tight and I think I just might come in my pants."

Jacki stared at him. "You're serious?"

He swal owed again, but kept his gaze glued to hers. "You wouldn't wanna help to that end, would ya?

I mean, one little touch from you—
no
. No. you said you weren't ready, and by God, I'l wait."

"Gregor . . ."

He snatched back his hand and was gone from the bench seat in the blink of an eye.

Stunned, Jacki watched him storm away.

But he didn't go far. Just far enough to stand there with his back to her while he sucked air hard and

fast. "We should go."

"I was thinking of getting a boob job."

Gregor whirled around so fast, he nearly tripped himself. A variety of expressions went over his

face in rapid succession until determination landed and stuck there.

Somehow, in one big stride, he reached her again. Holding her by her upper arms, he lifted her off