Ruining Mr. Perfect (The McCauley Brothers) (23 page)

“Me neither. But omission counts.”

“Yes, it does. I love you. I want to marry you and have this baby together. But part of me still worries that maybe you don’t get what I’m about. That you might reconsider what you’re getting yourself into.”

“As long as I’m diving into a pool of one cool, hot blond who’s sexy when she’s mean, sign me up.”

She smiled. “You know, we could always take our honeymoon before we get married. A trip to the Rockies would be terrific. We could run in the mountains.”

“And maybe mountain bike?”

She nodded, excited.

“Well, no. The baby. No biking.” He frowned. “When do you need to see your doctor again? Because I’d like to go with you.”

She leaned close to kiss him. “Have I told you how glad I am to be wrong?”

“About what, exactly? You’re wrong so often, you have to be more specific.”

She pinched him.

“Ow.”

“Wrong about not knowing how to love you. I am good for you.”

“Duh. Please, Vanessa. Anything but that.”

“What?”

“Don’t turn into a typical blond. Only someone phenomenally stupid might think we weren’t right for each other.”

“Don’t go there.” She narrowed her eyes, seeing his teasing glint but resolving herself against it.

He’d made a blond dig. He had to pay.

She exploited his vulnerability and had him pleading with her for forgiveness.

“I mean it. I’ll invite your father, not only to give me away at our wedding, but to stay with us in the condo until I feel comfortable with his son—the same man who got me pregnant and left me.”

“For two whole days. Jesus, would you let that go? I was emotionally wounded.”

“Nancy.”

“Okay, okay. No more blond jokes. Ever.”

“Hmmph.”

“Not even a number joke. Like why couldn’t the blond dial 911?”

“Cameron…”

“She couldn’t find the eleven.”

She laughed and made him pay all over again. First with slow kisses, then a massage that centered at his groin and grew more intense as her kisses deepened. She teased him until he begged for mercy. And then she teased him some more.

***

Cam spent the next afternoon floating in a sea of happiness. Vanessa had forgiven him. He’d forgiven her. And
hot
damn
, she said she’d marry him. They planned to go ring shopping this weekend.

“Cam, no offense. But are you on something?” Hope asked from the doorway to his office, staring at him with a frown.

He laughed. “Hope. I have hope.” He chuckled to himself. “Vanessa and I are getting married.”

She raced to hug him. “That’s so great! So she finally put you out of your misery, huh?”

“In another eight months, I’ll be a dad too.”

She gaped. “Married and a father. Boy, you McCauleys sure do grow up fast.”

He laughed. “I’m feeling like I can do anything today.”

As if on cue, his father walked into his office.

“Well, I’d say somebody got lucky.” James gave Hope a kiss on the cheek, then sat across from Cam.

Hope laughed at him as she left and closed the office door behind her.

“Dad. Even you can’t bring me down. Vanessa and I are getting married.” Cam had planned on telling his parents this coming weekend, together with Vanessa. But he figured to cut his dad off before the old man ruined his mood.

James laughed. “Congratulations, son. That’s terrific.”

“Vanessa said we have you to thank.”

“And Mike. Boy looks like crap. You did a halfway decent job on his face.”

“I live to make you proud.” Cam snorted.

His father didn’t laugh.

“Dad?”

“Cam, you always make me proud. Hell, you always have. You’re a chip off the old block, and I don’t mean your mother. It never sat right with me that we argued so much.”

“Ah, okay.” Would wonders never cease?

“I just thought you should know I respect you and what you do. Even if you are sometimes a Nancy,” he teased. “So we’ll see you Saturday at five. Barbecue.”

“First one this spring.” Cam smiled. “We’ll be seeing you at home. Your home.”

“Damn straight.” His father rose and left.

Cam whistled as he got back to work. At the end of the day, he went home to the love of his life. Vanessa.

Mike took in the old garage, impressed with the vintage muscle cars in the barricaded lot. He walked inside and found a small waiting space beyond the noise of the mechanics. Behind him, he could see a bunch of heavily muscled guys working on cars. Half of them sported earrings, gang symbols, and a few had prison tats. Nice place.

But the tools and the cars were cherry.

“Can I help you?” a bored kid with earrings asked from behind what might have passed for a reception desk.

“Yeah. I’m here to see Liam Webster,” Mike growled.
Not
Del. I didn’t come to see her. I came for the old man.

The kid’s interest sharpened and he pointed to a door on the far wall. “Go through there.”

“Thanks.” Mike had come straight from work. He wanted to get this over with so he could tell his mother he’d thanked her hero in person. That and he wanted a look at the guy his mother thought could do no wrong.

He stepped inside a neat but cramped office. A scarred wooden desk sat between two chairs, and a long bench covered in tools and instruction manuals took up space along the back wall.

An open door sat next to the bench, and it was through that entrance that a guy as large as Mike entered. He had a silver buzz cut, dark brown eyes, and a square jaw.

“Liam Webster?”

“Yeah?” the guy growled back.

“Mike McCauley. Beth’s son. Well, one of four.”

At the mention of her name, the man’s wary gaze softened into a warm smile. “Hell. It’s great to meet you, Mike. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Nah. I just came by to thank you for being so good to my mom. She’s had a hard time with my dad. Truth is the guy’s heart is always in the right place, but sometimes his mouth and instincts are off.”

“Sounds like a man for sure.” Liam grinned.

Mike grinned with him. “Anyway. My mom thinks the world of you. She was in a pretty vulnerable spot, and you could have taken advantage but you didn’t. I appreciate it.”

“Plus you came down here to get a look at me and warn me to stay far away. Message received.”

Mike laughed. “Nah. My dad can handle the ‘she’s my woman’ warnings. I just wanted to say thanks. From my mom, and from me.”

“No problem, Mike. Hey, you ever need any body work done, keep us in mind. I’ll cut you a good deal.”

“Will do. If you think about remodeling this place, let me know. Same goes.”

“That’s right. You guys are contractors, aren’t you?” Liam frowned. “Though if you work with your dad, I doubt he’d want to help.”

“He’ll do it. Hell, right now he’ll walk on hot coals to make Mom happy.”

“Good man.” Liam shook his head. “Lucky man. Your mother is one fine woman. She deserves to be happy. I know she loves your father.” He studied Mike. “She said you’re his spitting image. Must be a big guy then.”

“He tries. It’s getting harder for him to keep up with me since I sic my kid on him.”

Liam chuckled. “You know, speaking of remodels, I wouldn’t mind—”

“You,” Del spat from behind her dad in the doorway. “Get your ass out of my office. You’re not—”

Liam turned. “
Delilah
Webster.
What the fuck? Can’t you see I’m having a conversation here?”

“He—He’s not here to screw with me?”

“
What?
” Liam’s previously welcoming smile turned dark in a hurry.

Mike swallowed a groan. “Uh, not sure what you mean by screw with you. I came by to see your father.” Not to be intimidated, Mike scowled at her. “Unless you’ve been flirting with my kid again.”

“Flirting?” She gaped at him, looking so damn sexy he had a hard time not staring. For some reason, her tattoos and piercings turned him on, when Mike had never been into women who didn’t look soft or petite. Lea had been on the small side with curves in all the right places. No piercings anywhere, and definitely no ink.

“Del?” Her father stared from her to Mike and back again.

“Dad, please. The kid is six.”

“Robbing the damn cradle.” Mike shook his head, enjoying her father’s disbelief.

“I babysat him once. That’s it. We had fun, until killjoy here returned and jumped my ass.”

Not
the
way
I’d like to.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t think so. I merely pointed out that I didn’t want my son eating so much sugar. But your daughter tried shoving candy Kisses and chocolate down his throat.”

“Don’t forget the Coke.” She sneered.

“
What?
” Liam stared.

“Not that kind of coke. Jesus, Dad. I’m talking about soda.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Another mammoth-sized man, this one wearing a sleeveless tank and a huge tribal tattoo over his left shoulder, glared at Mike. He didn’t have hair, looked like he ate small children for breakfast, and glowered.

“Mike, meet my son, J.T. J.T., meet Mike. Apparently your sister is crushing on his son.”

“What?” J.T. stared from Mike to Del. “I know you’re hard up for a date lately, but how old can this kid be?”

“You two are a laugh riot.”

While she argued with her brother, Mike tried to see the family resemblance but couldn’t. Del had ash-blond hair and gray eyes. Her brother had light brown skin, no hair, and deep brown eyes. He looked a lot like that wrestler turned actor in all the racing movies. One of Colin’s favorite wrestlers, as a matter of fact.
Definitely
have
to
keep
the
boy
away
from
Del’s garage or he’ll never want to leave her side.

“Anyway, Liam. Thanks again,” Mike said loudly to be heard over the siblings now arguing like cats and dogs.

“Anytime, Mike. We’ll have to get a beer sometime.”

“That would be great.” He leaned over the desk and shook Liam’s hand.

When he turned to move, he found J.T. in his face.

“You fucking with my sister?”

Mike didn’t exorcise his inner demons often. He worked out on his heavy bag at home and occasionally hit the gym for rough boxing matches to rid himself of stress. But it had been a while since he’d had a decent opponent in the ring. Even his brothers didn’t know how often he needed to vent his aggressions.

“Buddy, you might want to back up a pace.”

“And if I don’t?” J.T. raised a brow.

“Then I’ll feed your head to your ass one bite at a time.” Mike leaned forward, more than ready to turn his lust for Del into an emotion he understood. Anger.

Apparently J.T. saw his threat as genuine, for he backed up and held up his hands in surrender. “Easy, guy. Just looking out for my little sister.”

“Your sister ain’t little. And she sure as hell doesn’t need saving from me.” He took a step forward and found it blocked by Del.

She didn’t back down as she poked him in the chest. “What does that mean?”

Tired of dealing with too many Websters, he leveled a threat of his own at the most dangerous of the bunch. He leaned closer to whisper, “It means, princess, that if you touch me again, I’ll give you the kiss you’ve been begging for since day one.”

Her gray eyes widened, and she took a hesitant step back.

Mike walked past her quickly, before he gave in to temptation and planted one on her. Then had his ass handed to him by her brother, father, and the now silent mechanics glaring at him through the doorway.

He’d made it outside, halfway to his truck, when she tracked him down.

“Hey. I’m not through with you.”

He swore to himself. “Fine. Where do you want it?”

“It? What it?”

“The kiss. In front of everyone, in my truck, your office. Where?”

She planted her hands on her trim hips. Damn, he liked the muscle tone in her arms. The woman had strength. And that funky way of keeping her hair back in braids, in a kind of retro goth look. Or punk. Hell, something different and sexy and wild. She made him want to toss her against a wall and fuck her silly. Nothing gentle or caring about it.

And that scared him.

“I don’t want anything from you,” she spat.

“Yeah? Then why are you following me?”

“I… I… You’re an ass, you know that?”

“Yep. Yet you still want a piece of me.”

“Fuck off, McCauley. And leave my dad alone.”

“Or what? You’ll sic your brother on me?” He got into his truck, started it, and rolled down the window. “Now leave my kid alone. He’s attached to you, and he doesn’t need to be.”

“Why? Afraid he might like me?”

“Yes,” he answered truthfully.

She frowned. “What?”

“Look. I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot before. Colin likes you a little too much. He’s attached and has no right to be. You did Abby a favor, and she likes you. Fine. But I don’t want Colin getting hurt when you decide to cut ties. So just keep your distance.”

She frowned as he pulled away.

That
went
well. So why do I feel like I only made things worse?

***

“You don’t want Colin getting hurt? What the hell does that mean?” Del watched him leave with a frown.

“Yo, D. You good?”

She turned to see her brother and father standing outside the garage, watching her. Oh boy. She sure hoped they weren’t taking that kiss nonsense to heart. Not that she was. Guys like Mike McCauley weren’t her type, for one. The build, the face, yeah. But the baggage… A dead wife, a kid, too many brothers, and a connection to her new friends, Abby and Maddie. And hell, Vanessa too.

Del didn’t do baggage. She had enough of her own to last a lifetime.

“I’m fine,” she informed her brother. “Now tell me again why you’re here badgering me when I have a job to do? And why you feel it necessary to bring up my dating life in front of complete strangers?”

“Strangers, huh? Seemed to me like you knew the guy.” J.T. crossed his arms over his chest.

So much sheer strength in her brother, yet Mike hadn’t blinked when he’d issued his threat.

Her heart raced and she clenched her fists. Nope. Mike McCauley definitely wasn’t her type. Mr. Wonder Bread and his cute kid belonged to a nice house and family in the suburbs. Not her scene. At all.

Even if she did wonder what a kiss from him might have been like. If he’d been her type. Which he so clearly wasn’t.

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in the McCauley Brothers series

What to Do with a Bad Boy

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