Causing Havoc (23 page)

the hopes of seeing Jacki. Gregor was a real ladies' man. But Dean had never seen him have to

work at it before.

The bonus to having Gregor help him with the roof was getting a front-row seat to his pursuit. Dean

instinctively knew that Jacki wouldn't make it easy on him. She was a real pistol, with a few issues of

her own, so Gregor would have to go forward careful y.

At that moment, only Cam and Eve were available to keep Gregor company. Did that mean Jacki

was deliberately avoiding him or was she unaware of his presence? She liked him. Dean could tel .

So what held her back?

As Dean approached, he watched Gregor pouring on the charm, smiling down at both Eve and Cam.

His manner with them held no resemblance to the territorial, almost barbaric way he'd behaved with

Jacki. Because of their close relationship to Jacki, Gregor wanted to win them over.

It wasn't working.

Cam stared up at him in something akin to horror. As always, she tried to be polite, but she kept

blinking. And looking at Gregor's ears, fattened from too many solid punches during fights. And his

tattoos, meandering al over his upper torso.

And his bare chest, which most women would find intimidating.

Dean would have said something about Gregor's lack of a shirt, except that his attention strayed to

Eve, standing beside Cam.

She'd changed from her sexy dress to even sexier shorts and a halter top that left a strip of bare

soft skin exposed above her waistband. He could see her little bel y-button ring, and it entranced him.

Unlike Cam, Eve didn't appear nearly so distressed at Gregor's ponderous appearance.

Dean's armload of tools dropped to the ground with a clatter,

Gregor turned, saw it was Dean, and his charm turned to complaints. "Damn it, Havoc, your little

sister is dodging me."

"Can't say as I blame her." Dean looked at Cam. "Where is she?"

After two tries, Cam found her voice. "She, ah, volunteered to make a quick run to the grocery store

for me."

"For lunch," Eve explained to him. "We figured we'd gril some hamburgers and hot dogs. What do you think?" As she spoke, she approached Dean with a smile. "Are you hungry?"

"Always." And with her, that wasn't a stretch. He'd just been inside her a few hours ago, and already, his body turned taut and twitchy again, just because she stood within reach.

Gregor tugged on an earring. "So how long do you think little sis wil be?"

Looking hopeful, Cam said, "Jacki shouldn't be too long." And with the obvious desire to escape, she added, "I'l bring out some iced tea for everyone. How's that sound?"

"Awesome." With his giant mitt on Cam's slender back, Gregor started her toward the house. "I'l help you, and you can tel me more about Jacki."

Denying him wouldn't be polite, so her expression both dismayed and resigned, Cam went along.

As they disappeared into the house. Eve grinned. "Mighty colorful friends you keep, Havoc."

"He's more an anxious contender for the title than a friend. But he's al right. Just overzealous about things."

"Your sister being one of those things?"

Dean grinned. "She knocked him on his ass. I swear he was ready to spout poetry to her. The thing

is, Jacki doesn't seem to know it. She thinks he's using her to get to me."

"But you're sure he's not?"

"Gregor doesn't work that way." Dean thought about it and decided to put the question to Eve. "You got any idea why Jacki would second-guess his interest?"

"Nope. As far as I know, she's had a lot of boyfriends. You heard my brother. Jacki draws people,

male and female alike. With her caustic wit, she's very charismatic."

"Maybe." But Dean didn't buy the facade. He'd seen too many flashes of insecurity.

It was Eve's turn to study him. "You know, when you first met Jacki you sort of stomped on her one

obvious vulnerability."

Dean wasn't an idiot; he wel remembered the moment Jacki had walked out on him. "Her height and

thinness?"

"And what comes with it. Or rather, what doesn't."

"Ah." So that was it.
Women.
Why did they persist in thinking men judged them by the size of their boobs?

Shaking his head, Dean said, "So she's not stacked. That real y bothers her?"

Eve gave him an exasperated look. "It'd bother most women."

"Shouldn't. We males aren't nearly as shal ow—or one-dimensional—as women try to make us out

to be. Sex, in the nude, with the lights on. A few laughs. Lots of moaning. And no inhibitions." He

winked. "That's al we want."

Because he'd gotten exactly that with her, Eve blushed. Dean touched her chin, grinned again, and

kissed her quick and hard. "If Jacki would give Gregor a chance, I'm sure he'd show her how little her bra size matters to him." Now that he saw that Gregor was actual y interested, and not just out to

score, Dean wouldn't mind seeing him succeed. Jacki could use the boost.

Eve cleared her throat. "I'm dying to find out how he met Jacki already."

"It's a boring story."

"So bore me."

Shrugging, Dean said, "He was asking around town about me, and Jacki overheard him." He

couldn't help himself; he bent and kissed Eve again. "You're done with your appointment?"

"Mmmm." Eve licked her lips. "Free for the afternoon. I couldn't resist coming by to watch you sweat.

It's bound to be a spectacular sight." Her smile couldn't quite hide the worry in her eyes. "Are you sure you're up to hard work in this heat?"

Women had never looked at him with concern. From the fairer sex he got lust, manipulation, and in

the case of fans, blind admiration. Eve's worry both unmanned Dean and made him want to cuddle

her.

He blew off both sensations by teasing her. "By now you should know how up I can be."

She didn't laugh. She smoothed her fingertips over the braise on his cheekbone, brushed his hair

back to see the stitches on his forehead. Dean felt her gentle touch everywhere, in places he'd never

thought about before.

Like his heart.

Forcing a laugh, he stepped out of her reach and stripped off his shirt. "If you want to do some

stroking, I've got better places I can direct you to."

"You do have an awesome physique, no two ways about that." She locked her fingers together. "But if I start touching you, I won't want to stop. And now's not the time."

Damn. It was so easy for her to get to him. "Hold that thought til tonight then." After tossing his shirt on the back of a lawn chair, Dean gave Eve a more leisurely kiss, and then turned away to inspect

the tools he'd need for the job. Because they had to strip off the old shingles, he'd arranged the

delivery of a large Dumpster in the driveway. They'd toss the old shingles in there to make it easy to

haul them away.

Later that evening, the hardware store would deliver new shingles right atop the roof.

Eve fol owed close behind him, and Dean felt her gearing up for something. If she thought to back

out on him tonight, just because she'd lost the bet.. .

"My mom said you don't want to sel the house."

Dean relaxed. He could handle her nosiness. "That's right."

"So . .. what do you plan to do?"

"Talk to Cam first. I don't want to blindside her with this." He raised a brow. "You haven't mentioned it to her, have you?"

She shook her head. "I figured you could do that. It'l be a good chance for the two of you to talk

more, maybe get better acquainted."

"Right." Thinking of the job at hand, Dean walked a circle around the supplies, taking a mental

inventory to ensure he hadn't forgotten anything. Two shingle scrapers, rol s of tar paper, boxes of

galvanized nails, strips of roofing edge, aluminum flashing, and two hammer tackers.

So that he and Gregor could finish faster, hopeful y before more rain moved in, he'd gotten

duplicates of each tool. With any luck, they'd have the roof prepared by the end of the day.

"When are you going to tel Cam?"

Dean sent Eve a fleeting look. "You keep pushing for us to bond or something. But it's not going to

be like that, so get it out of your head."

Suspiciously agreeable, Eve said, "Of course it's not." She seated herself on the lawn and

pretended to examine a patch of clover. "But it won't hurt for you two to discuss a few ... things."

Placating him? Dean didn't like it. For some strange reason, Eve had relegated him to the role of

close and caring big brother, when she didn't know him wel enough to make that assessment.

He had no intention of al owing Eve to dictate to him. But at the same time, he didn't want to

disappoint her, either.

Standing over her, Dean crossed his arms and wil ed her to look at him. When she did, he almost

got distracted with how bright her blue eyes looked in the glaring afternoon light.

"Before I do anything, I need to see how many repairs the house needs in order to turn a profit."

"You're going to sel it?"

He didn't know for sure, so rather than lie, he just shrugged. "From what Roger told me, it's al but fal ing down."

"He exaggerated." Visibly distraught, Eve plucked a blade of grass and slid it between nervous

fingers. "But not by much."

"So it is that bad?"

Her bare shoulders lifted, drawing his eyes to her smooth skin and delicate bone structure.

"I'm not sure what the costs wil be, but the house has been neglected. Cam tried to keep up with

everything, but she has a tendency to take too much on herself. And Lorna never offers any help."

She looked away again. "It's stil home to them, though. Neither Jacki nor Cam wants to sel ."

Her insinuation was loud and clear. "No one should keep what he can't afford."

"But maybe with just a little help, they'l be able to afford it now. I heard that you convinced Jacki to get a job."

Eve had braided her dark hair. Thanks to the heat and humidity, smal , damp tendrils had escaped

around her ears and clung to her nape. Why that made him hot, Dean couldn't say.

Hel , everything about her, even her damn meddling, had a singular effect on him. "I had nothing to

do with that."'

"Cam has always encouraged Jacki to skip work in favor of concentrating on her studies. You said

she should be able to do both. And now she's taken the initiative and gotten herself employed." Pure

satisfaction sounded in Eve's statement. "I'd say you had everything to do with it."

To keep her from slapping a halo over his head. Dean decided to clue her in on a few facts. He

dropped down to sit beside her. "Before I get any credit or blame, you should know that Jacki wil be working at some sleazy bar. I think she said it's cal ed The Roadkil Bar."

Thick lashes lifted in surprise. "I've heard of it."

"But you've never been there?" Sitting so close beside her, Dean breathed in the scent of summer-warmed skin and flowery shampoo, a scent fast becoming familiar to his libido.

"It's not exactly my kind of place."

Dean couldn't keep his hands to himself when he was this close to her. He brushed the backs of his

fingers over her cheek. She was so damn soft.

When Eve turned her head and kissed his knuckles, Dean withdrew.

It was either that or advertise a boner to his sister and Gregor. "She'l have late hours, staying on til two in the morning."

"Ouch. That is late." Eve caught a blade of grass between her thumbs, cupped her hands, and lifted them to her mouth. Eyes twinkling at Dean, she blew hard into her hands.

An ear-splitting whistle sounded. Dean grinned with her. "Your talents abound."

"Dad taught me that when I was six." Drawing her knees up and resting her crossed arms there, Eve surveyed him. "What kind of stuff did your uncle teach you?"

By rote, Dean tried to deflect the personal question.

He'd spent a lifetime keeping people at a distance, wel out of his private business.

Looking toward the house, he said, "I wonder what the hel 's keeping Cam so long."

Almost on cue, Cam came out. She looked around until she spotted them and then waved. "I had to

make some more iced tea. I'l have it ready soon."

Animated cheerfulness had replaced Cam's skittish reserve, making Dean suspicious. "Everything

okay, Cam? Gregor's not getting on your nerves, is he?"

"No. Not at al ." Her smile should have warned him. "He's tel ing me al about your history in the SBC.

And he said he'd get me an official T-shirt with you on it, and some autographed pictures of the other

fighters. He's real y a very nice man. I like him." She turned and went back inside.

Bemused, Dean watched her go. "God only knows what he's saying."

Eve shoved his shoulder. "Who cares? It can't be bad or Cam would have tossed him out."

Her and what army? "Eve? Did you happen to notice how big Gregor is?"

Eve shot back, "Did you happen to notice how delighted Cam is to have you here? She's not going

to let anyone bad-mouth you."

No, Dean thought, she probably wouldn't. He scowled at the house. He didn't feel deserving of

Cam's defense.

But he liked it just the same.

"Now come on." Eve nudged him again. "Tel me about your uncle and your relationship with him.

Surely he taught you stuff."

Dean thought about it, then decided, why not? Stretching out in the warm, sweet grass, he crossed

his arms behind his head, closed his eyes, and let the sun soothe his stil -aching muscles. "Grover

taught me how to build things the right way."

"Like what?"

"Everything from putting on a simple addition to constructing an entire house. He told me too many

people take shortcuts these days, and he'd take it as a personal affront if I didn't do the work right. He put me with the crew as soon as he took me in. If I could hold a tool, he let me use it. Hammers and