Causing Havoc (7 page)

With Cam sitting there looking wounded and unsure of herself and her life? Eve shook her head.

"No. That's okay."

"I stil need your address."

Wel . That certainly distracted Cam. She watched them with keen interest, and Eve almost blushed.

"Right." As familiar in Cam's home as she was her own, Eve went to a drawer and pul ed out a pen and paper to scrawl down her information. "Here you go. I put my cel number down, too, in case you

need it." Maybe to cancel on her, if things smoothed out with his sisters.

Cam looked from one of them to the other. "You two are going out?"

"Yes," Dean said.

"No," Eve corrected. She walked over to the door and slipped her feet into a pair of thongs. "I mean, maybe, but not until later and not if it interferes with your plans. I know you and Dean have a lot of

catching up to do." She gave Dean a meaningful look. "I don't want to get in the way of that."

Dean stared right back at her. "I'm seeing her tonight. Isn't that right, Eve?"

"Not," she said, making her tone firm, "if Cam has other plans."

"Umm ..." Cam bit her lip. "I was hoping you'd have dinner with us. Dean. And Eve, of course you're invited if you want to—"

Eve shook her head. "I've already got dinner plans."

Final y Dean turned to Cam. "
I
need to get going, too. There are some things I have to take care of today. But I'd like to see a little more of the town, so why don't I take you out to dinner tonight? Jacki, too, of course. Can you suggest some place nice?"

Relief loosened Cam's shoulders. "That'd be great, if you don't mind eating early. I have to be at

work at seven."

He glanced at his watch. "I could pick you up at four-thirty."

"Perfect."

"Wil Jacki make it?"

Cam's eyes narrowed. "She'l be there."

"Wel ." Eve opened the patio doors. "I guess I'l be on my way."

Dean reached for her elbow. Eve noticed that, unlike Roger, his hold wasn't tight. But somehow she

was far more aware of Dean's touch than she'd ever been of Roger's.

"I'm walking you out," he said.

"No." She nodded toward Cam, hoping he'd get the message. "That's not necessary."

"Yeah, it is."

Eve tugged experimental y, but while Dean's hold wasn't abusive, it was unbreakable.

"I was ready to go anyway." He picked up his sunglasses and nodded at Cam. "Thanks for the drink.

I'l see you in a few hours."

Cam hesitated, uncertain, then she launched herself at Dean. He released Eve while being choked

with Cam's warm affections.

"I'm so glad you're here," she told him. "Somehow we'l work al this out."

Eve noted Dean's lack of participation; he didn't hug Cam back. No, he just suffered the embrace,

cold and distant. Not that Cam seemed to notice. She stepped back, smiling, happy, and hopeful.

"See you tonight."

Dean nodded, and as if grateful for a reason to escape, he said, "I don't want to make Eve late. See

you later."

* * *

Sounding very disgruntled, she said, "I can't believe you're just walking out on her like this."

"Who?"

She pul ed up short, rounded on him, and scowled with incredulous disbelief. "Your sister!"

Dean stil felt unsettled from Cam's warm welcome, not to mention her mind-blowing disclosures.

She hadn't known about him.

Before actual y seeing her and talking to her, he'd had some lame plan to rebuff her every gesture,

to let her know that he hadn't needed her then, and he sure as hel didn't need her now.

But everything was different: the situation, his sisters, and his own feelings toward them both.

"I'm coming back to see her tonight." And because he wasn't ready to think about that too much yet, he dismissed Eve's attempt to chastise him. "Don't worry about it."

Eve jerked free of his hold. "Don't worry? She's my best friend, as close as a sister. You could tel

that she didn't want you to go. She invited you here for a reason. You two could have talked. You

could have explained these theories of yours instead of leaving her to—"

Dean bent and kissed her. Even when bitching at him, Eve had the softest, sexiest mouth he'd ever

encountered.

She tilted out of reach, looked at him through heavy eyes, and without much conviction, whispered,

"Stop."

"No."

She didn't argue. Instead her eyes sank shut again in blatant invitation, and Dean settled his mouth

over hers.

Despite her earlier antagonistic attitude, her lips parted under his. He'd had easy women. He'd had

women with ulterior motives. He'd had interested women.

But he'd never had a woman melt for him like this.

While backing her up against her car door, Dean turned his head to find a better fit and sank his

tongue past her teeth.

Damn, she tasted good. She felt good, too, like the perfect counterbalance to the emotional

upheaval Cam's attention had caused him. When he touched Eve, he could almost obliterate

awareness of his sisters and everything that came with reacquainting himself with their lives.

Anticipating the evening—along with Eve—Dean opened his hands on her narrow back. He thought

about getting her alone, naked, under him.. ..

Gasping for breath, Eve turned her head away.

Dean took advantage of the moment to softly warn her away from overstepping herself. "Keep your

nose out of my business with my sisters, okay?"

Eve's mouth fel open. Stunned at his admonishment, her brows snapped down, she gathered

herself to give him hel —and Dean kissed her again before she could say a single word. Groaning,

she leaned into him.. ..

For about two seconds.

Then she exploded. Or tried to explode, but he had her snuggled in close and other than freeing her

mouth, she real y didn't accomplish much with her huffing attitude.

"Now, Eve," he whispered. "Don't get mad."

Straight-arming him, she said, "Back it up right now, mister."

Another unique trait. Far as he could recal , no other woman had ever given him hel .

Enjoying her, Dean held up his hands in surrender.

Once freed, Eve took a moment to draw in several calming breaths before meeting his gaze. Her

expression bordered on hostile. He kept his merely curious.

She drew one more needed breath. "Did you seriously just tel me to butt out?"

"Yeah." Damn, she was cute. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"A problem?" she sputtered. "Yes, it's a problem. You can't come into my best friend's life, only to walk right back out again."

"I said I was going back."

"And you used
me
as an excuse to walk out. How do you think that made Cam feel?"

Dean shrugged. "I wouldn't have hung around there al day anyway."

As if he hadn't spoken, she continued on her tirade. "And then you seriously expect me to keep quiet

and not have an opinion about it?" She ended al that on a high, shril note. "What is
wrong
with you?"

"I hope that's a rhetorical question, that you don't real y expect me to bare my soul."

Her eyes nearly crossed in confusion.
"What?"

Dean laughed. "I'm a flawed man, Eve. Accept it. I have. I'm here with a lot of doubts and misgivings.

I have no idea how much I want to know about my sisters or how much I want them to know about me.

Getting involved would be a mistake on your part. So I'm tel ing you nicely: Stay out of it."

"Good God." She dropped back against the car in flagrant shock. "I can't believe you said al that with a straight face."

"It's the truth."

She folded her arms under her breasts. "Oh, I believe you're flawed."

Unsure if he liked her agreement, Dean lifted a brow. "Is that so?"

"But I also saw you with your sisters."

He did
not
want her to go there. "Wel hel . You're not going to psychoanalyze me are you?"

His sarcasm didn't put a dent in her resolve. "You want to be a part of them, Dean. You are a part of them— whether you want to admit it or not. I saw it in your eyes."

What he admitted to himself and what he'd admit to her were two different things. "I barely spoke to

Jacki before she hightailed it out of there, so whatever you thought you saw—"

"You hid it better than Cam," she told him, stil undaunted, "but then. Cam doesn't try to hide it. She wears her heart on her sleeve, always has. From the moment she found out about you, she's cared.

You could have shown up as an ogre, and Cam would stil love you."

"Oh for God's sake," he complained. But he was half-afraid Eve was right.

"She might not like you, but you're her brother, and that means a lot to her." Eve touched his arm.

"Luckily you're a nice guy, not an ogre. And I think being her brother means something to you, too."

Knowing he couldn't stop her, not yet anyway, Dean stared up at the sky.

"So I know you don't mean to hurt her feelings. I know you'l do what you can to make it up to her."

Eve moved closer. "Right?"

Dean wasn't about to let Eve manipulate him, even if what she said made sense. Propping one

forearm on the roof behind her head, he diverted her off that particular topic and onto another. "Why did you blanch when I mentioned Roger groping you?"

Her gaze scuttled away. "He didn't
grope
me."

"He damn near squeezed bruises into your arm."

"It wasn't personal on his part."

"It was damn personal, and you know it."

Given the way she huffed, Eve didn't like being corrected. "Roger manhandles everyone. It's just his

way. Something about being a footbal player." She gave him a calculated look. "Most of the athletes I've met are a little dense that way."

Dean didn't take the bait. "There's dense, and then there's abusive, and neither has anything to do

with sports. The guys I know in the SBC are family men. They care for women, they treat them

careful y, and with respect."

"Even the groupies?"

He grinned at the snide way she said that. "It doesn't matter who the woman is. Only an insecure

jerk uses his size and strength against someone smal er or weaker." He propped his other arm on

the roof of her car so that he caged her in. "And for the record, the groupie who fol owed me home

didn't get what she came for."

Eve's mock surprise looked adorable. "Don't tel me your scruples got in the way?"

Her time under the warm summer sun had amplified her scent. A breeze teased it past his nostrils

and stirred his in-sides. "I'm not sure I have scruples where sex is concerned."

"At least you're honest."

"I'l always be honest with you." Her dark blue eyes real y were beautiful. But then so was her mouth.

And her body. "The truth is, I was too beat up to accommodate her. Then the next morning I got

Cam's note and. .." He shrugged. "I sent her home with the promise of free tickets to the next event."

Dean waited to see what she'd think of his sacrifice, but her reaction almost laid him low.

Shaking her head, Eve placed her fingertips on his chest and smiled with derisive pity. "And she

accepted that? What a fool. If you ask me, she got the short end of the stick."

Dean drew in a necessary breath. "You are such a tease."

"Not usual y." She slipped her hand up to his neck. "Now I real y do have to go. I think you've made me late."

"We're stil on for tonight?"

Her attention went to his mouth, and she nodded. "Yes. But you better be worth al this bother."

"Damn woman." He put his forehead to hers and laughed. "I do love a chal enge."

And with one last searing kiss, he let her go.

WHEN Cam opened the door to his knock, Dean knew right away that something was wrong. Her

apologetic smile told him so. The nervous twisting of her hands told him so. The negative energy in

the air had him looking past her—and he saw not only Jacki, but a prickly, rigid woman nearing sixty.

Tight faced with disapproval and, if he didn't miss his guess, barely disguised apprehension, the

older woman stared at him.

Bringing his gaze back to Cam, Dean asked, "Lorna?"

Cam's taut expression said better than words that she expected a scene. "Yes."

Regardless of al the lectures Dean had just given himself about keeping his emotional distance, he

didn't want to cause her worry. "She's going with us?"

"When she found out you were here, that is, when I told her Jacki and I were going to dinner with you

—"

Dean cupped her shoulder and moved her out of the doorway. "No worries. It's fine." He stepped

into the house past Cam, and she rushed into introductions.

"Aunt Lorna, this is Dean. Dean, our Aunt Lorna."

No one would miss the way Cam stressed
our
aunt. While Dean hoped to ensure a peaceful

evening, he did not intend to claim Lorna as a relative. Cam could forget any thoughts along those

lines.

Dean couldn't even bear to touch Lorna, not after what Cam had told him about her wiping him from

her memory. To keep her from offering her hand—if she'd intended to—Dean kept his distance and

nodded. "Lorna." He didn't bother with a smile. "So you're joining us for dinner."

A surprisingly firm chin elevated. "I feel very responsible for the girls, and we don't know anything about you. Of course I'm coming along."

"I already know quite a bit about him," Cam corrected. "After Dean and I talked, I looked him up on the Internet. He's famous."

Dean swal owed back his groan. "I'm known within a niche audience, but I'm hardly famous."

"Don't be modest, Dean. You're paid to endorse dozens of products. You have a big fan club. The