Caiden (A MacLaughlin Family Novella Book 2) Read online

  CAIDEN

  A MacLaughlin Family Novella

  By

  Krystal Shannan

  Caiden (A MacLaughlin Family Novella)

  Copyright © 2014 Krystal Shannan

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons –living or dead –or places, events, or locales is purely accidental. The characters are reproductions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. This book contains content that is not suitable for readers 17 and under.

  Cover design by Krystal Shannan

  All rights reserved.

  Please be aware that this book cannot be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission from the author, Krystal Shannan, at [email protected], or within the sharing guidelines at a legitimate library or bookseller. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction, sharing, or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) and is punishable by up to five years in a federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Dedication

  To my fans for falling in love with the first story and asking for the next.

  1

  The highway flew by. Mile by boring mile. Harvey was in Colorado and Trevor snagged a call for a contract in Florida. So, he was on his way out to Weatherford, Texas. Since it was only an hour away, he was driving. If only he’d picked up the phone first, he’d be on a plane to sunny Tampa instead of Trevor and Lorelei.

  He smiled. His brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law were inseparable since their engagement only a month ago. She always went with him to assess new contracts. Though she’d told him she usually just holed up in the hotel room and wrote on her novels.

  His brother was one lucky man. Engaged to the beautiful woman he’d been in love with for over a decade, who also wrote erotic romance novels on the side. That had to make for some fun conversations and bedroom antics.

  The blur of a black car in the shape of a… Shit! No way!

  He pulled over and looked behind him. Dual scoops on either side of the hood. Horizontal headlight configuration. Pristine chrome accents. She was a beauty, not to mention the sizzling hot female ass he’d seen bent into the trunk with legs that went on for miles.

  There wasn’t anything hotter than a sweet ride with a smok’n hot chick driving it.

  He opened the door of his rebuilt cherry red ’67 mustang and sucked in a quick breath. The icy January wind slid between the layers of his clothes, sending a chill down his back. He nudged the door closed and took several steps toward the gorgeous black GTO.

  The woman stepped from behind the trunk. She held a shotgun in her hand, pumped the barrel once, and aimed it at his chest.

  Caiden froze in place. Fuck. Hot car, hot chick, and armed.

  “Don’t move.”

  Mouth dry, he answered, “Wasn’t planning on it.” He glanced around the empty highway. Was she bait? A decoy? Were people going to jump out of the ditches and rob him and leave him for dead? “Just thought you might need help changing that tire.”

  Her brown eyes softened and her lips curved into a smile. “You know a girl can’t be too careful these days.”

  Tension rushed from his shoulders. Nothing had happened yet. Maybe she really was just changing a tire. He smiled back.

  “Would you like me to take a look?”

  She didn’t lower the shotgun, but she did take her finger off the trigger. “Yes, thank you.”

  He walked slowly to her trunk, leaned over, and picked up the jack in one hand and the spare tire in the other. Then walked back to the front passenger wheel well. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her and the gun. She never lowered it and still watched him like a hawk.

  A few minutes later he had the wheel off and the spare in it’s place. He tightened the lugs again just to be sure and released the pressure in the jack. The car settled back onto the asphalt evenly and he stood, pulling the jack out from under the car.

  “Anything else, ma’am?” He winked and walked slowly back to the trunk and repacked the jack and the flat tire into the bottom.

  “Thank you for your help.” She walked up next to him, emptied the shotgun and slid it into a net fastened to the truck lid.

  “Trust me now?”

  “You trust me. That’s good enough for me.”

  Caiden raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “You stopped looking for an ambush about ten minutes ago. I figured if you could relax, I could too.”

  She flashed a smile and something about it caught him off guard. Her long dark hair fluttered around her face and he had to consciously make an effort not to tuck one of the errant strands behind her ear. Her brown eyes were dark and full of life and her honey-colored skin begged to be tasted. If he had to guess, she was at least partially Native American.

  He held out a hand. “Caiden MacLaughlin.”

  She slipped hers into his and met his gaze. “Lina Mathews.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Lina.” Mathews? “You wouldn’t by chance be related to a Richard Mathews?”

  “You know my father?” Her eyes grew wide.

  “I’m on my way to give a bid for restoring an old garage building in Weatherford for him.”

  “That’s why your name sounded so familiar.” She flashed another award winning smile. “I’m so sorry I held you at gunpoint. I do hope you won’t hold it against me in the bid.”

  “Never think of it…wait. Against, you?”

  “I’m headed out to Weatherford to meet you. My father sent me ahead to get things started.”

  Of course she was the client’s daughter. Why wouldn’t the first girl he’d given half a glance to in the last two years be related to a potential client?

  “Well, isn’t that just fate tying things into a neat little bow. I guess I’ll see you in a bit up at the site.”

  She laughed. Not a girly giggle, but a heartfelt diaphragm supported laugh. It was music to his ears. He loved the sound of a woman laughing. Second only to a woman moaning in pleasure below him. Damn it. His mind went there. The vision of her stretched beneath him naked and panting had a hard-on growing inside his jeans quickly.

  “See you in a bit.” She winked and slid into the driver’s seat.

  The GTO roared to life and he gave her a half wave. She pulled out onto the highway. He watched the muscle car shrink as distance swallowed it from his sight.

  He jogged back to his car and was quickly right behind her. They drove another thirty miles and pulled into the parking lot of an old garage just outside the main area of Weatherford. It was a good spot for a big garage and repair shop. Not far from town and close enough to the highway for passersby to notice it.

  The damage from the fire was quite evident, even from his vantage point in the car. About a third of the building had been destroyed. At least that’s the impression the roof gave. Closer inspection would determine for sure.

  He got out of his car and walked to hers. She walked to the passenger door. She pulled a large black leather purse from the seat and pushed the door closed. Her puffy white vest hugged her form, showing off the curves it hid beneath. The dark hunter green thermal shirt beneath was a perfect contrast for the white vest and her caramel skin. Her long, wavy black hair hung just a little past her waist. Which led his eyes to the flare of her hips and her round heart-shaped bottom wrapped in ti
ght blue denim. Perfect amount of padding for a good spank now and again. The little rhinestones patterned in the shape of a heart on the pockets were cute, but distracting.

  “You’re staring at my ass.”

  Shit. How did she know? “I…No, I wasn’t.”

  “What shape is on the back pockets?”

  “A heart. Shit!” He tried to bite back a laugh. He’d walked right into that trap.

  “Told you. Girls always know. It’s a sixth sense.” She turned and gave him a sultry smirk before continuing to the entrance. An older gentleman appeared through the door and waved.

  So much for having her to myself for this bid.

  The older man waved him closer and he took a deep breath. Get a hold of yourself MacLaughlin. You don’t deserve her. She’s just hot and you haven’t gotten laid in two years. It’s starting to go to your head.

  He pulled a small notepad from his back pocket and a pen and began scribbling notes about the outside condition of the building. He stuffed it back in his pocket just as he approached Lina and the stranger.

  “Afternoon, Mr. MacLaughlin I presume?” The white-haired man held out his hand.

  Caiden nodded. “Please call me Caiden. Mr. MacLaughlin just sounds too much like my dad still.”

  The older man laughed. “I understand. Name’s Peter Ruthers. I work for the Mathews. Have worked for Lina’s dad for nearly 20 years now. I remember her when she was knee-high to a grasshopper.

  “Thanks Pete.” Lina rolled her eyes. “Let’s get this inspection rolling. I’ve got rounds to make and food to eat while I’m here. Texas makes some of the best barbeque ever.”

  “They don’t make barbeque in Arizona?”

  She shook her head as he followed her into the garage. Peter handed them both a hard hat and she turned to face him.

  “Not like Texas. Here it’s sweet as honey and melts in your mouth.”

  Caiden licked his lips and held his tongue. The only thought in his mind was how good she would taste. Forget the barbeque.

  The old man next to them laughed and shook his head.

  Caiden chuckled and followed Pete through the building.

  “Most of it’s in good shape, but here in the corner is where the fire got it the hardest.”

  “Yep, this entire section will need to be completely rebuilt to make sure it’s up to code. Structurally it wouldn’t make sense to just try and patch it,” Caiden added, pointing to some charred rafters.

  “Ok, that what my father thought, too. How quickly can you get started on the project?”

  “Let me take some pictures and jot down some notes. I can have a rough estimate put together for you by this evening.” He pulled out his phone and started snapping photos. “My crews are finishing up a job in the next week, so I can put them out here in say…two weeks.”

  “Good. Let’s meet for dinner,” she paused, “To go over the estimate. It’s the least I can do for you helping with my tire under duress.”

  She giggled, but her eyes darkened and Caiden took a breath. Was she flirting? Had she just asked him out on a date? I think she did.

  “That sounds nice.” Duress my ass. You aimed a fucking shotgun at my chest. And yet, I’m chomping at the bit for a date with you.

  “Good, can you meet me at that nice seafood place I saw off of I-20 coming into Weatherford? Say about 7:30pm?”

  “It’s a date.” He smiled and gave her a quick wink before turning to take a few more pictures. To his delight, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a faint pink blush rise in her cheeks. Good. Her eyes smoldered and he took another deep breath, willing his rising dick to go back down.

  A bell rings, breaking the moment. Lina excused herself and hurried off down the hallway.

  Surprised by the sound of a foreign language, Caiden glanced over at Pete. “What is she speaking?”

  Pete raised an eyebrow. “Navajo.”

  “Her last name is Mathews.”

  “It’s her mom’s side of the fam—”

  The thump of her boots on the floor drew both of their attention. “Everything, ok?”

  “Just dandy,” she answered, pain making her voice sound so defeated.

  It wasn’t his place to pry. He barely knew her, but everything inside said the woman in front of him was scared and hurt. The strong independent kickass woman he’d met earlier this afternoon had been stripped away by a mere phone call. Now the soft vulnerable side of Lina Mathews was open and exposed. He wanted to tear the head off of whomever she’d just spoken to.

  “Well I’ve seen enough of the building to give you an accurate estimate. I’ll get to work on it and see you at the restaurant.”

  She snapped her gaze up from the floor to meet his and nodded. “Yes, that will be perfect. I’ll see you there.”

  No smile. No sparkle in the eyes. Just a look of weariness. Damn it. I’m going to find out who is bothering her.

  He nodded to her and waved to Pete. Then made his way back to his car. There was a coffee shop in town where he could sit and work up the estimate. It wouldn’t take long and then he could coax some information out of her at dinner. Maybe there was something he could do.

  2

  Lina parked in front of Bob’s Seafood Bar & Grill. The clock on her dash said 7:39pm. Hopefully he wouldn’t hold those nine minutes against her. She liked Caiden MacLaughlin. She’d been so scared when he approached her car that afternoon on the highway. The shotgun was a reflex now, she didn’t go anywhere without it or the 45mm glock in her purse.

  She hated always looking over her shoulder and wondering if Luke was watching her or had sent someone else to harass her instead. He’d done all of that, but the police couldn’t hold him. Lack of evidence.

  Cole, one of her father’s managers and friend, had called during the building inspection and said they released Luke. Fucking hell. She thought they’d finally had him for something. Some stranger named Aaron Trent had admitted to following her for Luke, but according to Cole had been involved in a car accident and was now dead.

  Testimony from a dead man didn’t help.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  A cute young high school guy holding hands with a pretty blonde opened the front door for her. She told him thank you and slipped into the crowded restaurant. She could enjoy herself tonight. Luke didn’t know where she was and couldn’t have gotten here this fast anyway. Right? She was just a girl out on a date with a really hot guy, who was sweet enough to stop on the highway to help out a complete stranger. That didn’t happen often anymore. It wasn’t safe for anyone to be alone. There were too many crazy freaks out in the world. Like Luke Gellar.

  “How many?” The hostess asked.

  Lina looked up, took a deep breath, and gave the friendly young woman the best smile she could muster. “I’m meeting Caiden MacLaughlin, does he already have a table?”

  She waited while the hostess scanned a paper.

  “Yep, follow me,” the hostess chirped.

  She walked through the beautifully decorated restaurant. Slate floors, dark wood accents, white tablecloths, divider walls were elegantly carved wine racks or stone accents. Classy chandeliers hung above each table. It was not quite what she’d expected and made her feel a tad underdressed in her jeans, ropers, and black turtleneck sweater.

  A moment later she was face to face with Caiden. He was still wearing his jeans and a button-up casual blue dress shirt. Maybe her clothes were fine.

  His dark curls were a crazy tangle on his head and hung down a little past his ears. He reminded her of the sexy actor who played a demon hunter in a popular TV show. That’s exactly what I need —a personal demon hunter. I wonder if he’s available to hunt stalkers?

  “You look beautiful,” he paused, “sorry that wasn’t professional. But you do.” He flashed a grin and stood, waiting for her to sit in the booth opposite him.

  “Thank you.” The compliment warmed and relaxed her. He was interested in her, not just the job. But Luke would ruin this t
oo. He’d been ruining her life for the last two years. Any guy she showed even the slightest interest in was subtly harassed until they left her alone or disappeared altogether. But the police could do nothing.

  He slid into the booth across from her, his knees grazing hers as situated himself. “Glad you made it. I was worried you might have changed your mind.”

  “No, I’m so sorry I was late. I didn’t me—”

  He waved a hand to stop her apology. “You don’t owe me an apology, sugar. I’m the lucky one who gets to eat dinner with a beautiful woman.”

  Sugar? Sugar was what her dad called her. But, it took on a whole new meaning coming from Caiden MacLaughlin’s lips. With everything going on in her life right now, that label coming from him should feel invasive, but it didn’t. She liked it. She wanted to move to his side and sit next to him, tucked against his broad chest, and feel protected by his strong arms.

  Heat rushed to her cheeks and she glanced down at the table. It wasn’t fair. Not to her or to Caiden. She couldn’t get attached or lead him on. Luke would make his life miserable.

  “What’s bothering you? I can see the wheels turning in those big brown eyes.”

  She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just want to forget it and enjoy the evening with you.”

  He was out of his seat and sliding onto the bench next to her before she could open her mouth to object. He smelled so good. His aftershave was piney and clean. A moment later he’d wrapped an arm around her and was hugging her tightly. She stiffened in surprise, but relaxed quickly.

  “You looked like you needed a hug. I hope it was okay.” His voice rumbled up from his chest and she sighed as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

  “I did need one. Thank you,” she whispered into his chest.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Good evening, are you two love birds celebrating anything special?” An overly perky voice broke the moment and Lina quickly put a little space between herself and Caiden.