Flynn's In (Lexi Frost Series)

by Tori Brooks

  “More or less? What do you mean? What happened?”

  He gazed at her worried expression. This wasn’t the time, not with these particular witnesses. Good thing he had experience spinning news lately.

  “Bryan and Brenda eloped, I’m hazy on the details. Dev learned his lesson well about delaying information for the sake of disrupting our alone time. I didn’t mention we’re not alone. Nicholas was going to wait until morning. Also Kenny totaled his car, but he’s fine, only a few scrapes.”

  “That’s an afterthought?”

  “What you should be wondering about, is how you’re going to pitch it to your sixteen-year-old that he’s going to have a little sister. He’s still celebrating the departure of one and a half sisters and you’re bringing home another one.”

  That brought Teri up short.

  Flynn laughed. “Don’t worry, I speak teenage boy. You go speak pre-teen girl.”

  “I hate to be the voice of reason, but that child is a ward of the state,” Ms. McNally spoke up.

  Teri looked at her, momentarily shocked, then to Flynn who shooed her back to the bedroom.

  “Not to make light of your position, or the state’s,” Flynn said apologetically, “but I have great faith in good lawyers.”

  The doorbell chimed again and Flynn moved to answer it, praying it was Kyle. It was.

  “Flynn, I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”

  “Not at all, Kyle, come in, join the party.” Flynn let Kyle Mercer’s thin graying figure into the room and closed the door. “This is Ms. McNally of Child Services and Officer Waters.”

  “A pleasure.” Kyle nodded to each. “I’ll make this brief, it’s already late.” He looked around. “Where’s Sophie?”

  “She locked herself in the bathroom.”

  “Well that’s certainly one way of expressing herself. It won’t be necessary. Can you retrieve her? And I suppose Teri’s with her?”

  “I’ll get them both.” Flynn retreated once more to the bedroom. “Kyle’s here. I gather he has it figured out and wants both of you to join us,” he told Teri quietly.

  “Are you sure?” Sophie pressed.

  “Honey, high paid lawyers were put on earth for a reason, this is part of it. I trust Kyle. I’m pretty sure it’s okay.”

  “Go away then. I have to get dressed.”

  Flynn laughed and left.

  Kyle eyed him quizzically when he returned alone.

  “She has to get dressed, but she agreed to come. In lawyers she trusts,” Flynn added for Ms. McNally’s benefit.

  “Good for her,” Kyle nodded his approval.

  Sophie came out a few minutes later, being pulled along by Teri. Her fluffy yellow robe was big on her, and her blond hair a mess of dried tangles. Teri handed Flynn a brush.

  “Right. Come here, Sophie, let’s get the tangles out of your hair. You can’t sleep on it like that, you’ll get dreadlocks.”

  “Tommy has dreadlocks,” Sophie shrugged.

  “It’s not a good look for you.” Flynn sat and pulled Sophie onto his lap. “This is Mr. Mercer, he’s a very nice lawyer.”

  “Don’t you believe him, Sophie, I’m not a nice lawyer at all. I’m a good one.” Kyle smiled at her. Sophie giggled.

  “And this is Ms. McNally and Officer Waters,” Flynn continued. Sophie glanced at them, then curled up in Flynn’s lap and hid her face against his chest. He put his arms protectively around her for the moment, postponing the task of brushing out her hair.

  “Well, since all the relevant parties are here,” Kyle started, then noticed Teri hovering protectively behind where Flynn sat with Sophie. “Sit down, Teri, this shouldn’t take long.”

  Teri sat on the arm of the chair next to Flynn. She started to fiddle with the ring that was now back on her finger now that Sophie was out of the bathroom. Flynn noticed and took her hand in his, stopping her immediately.

  “I took the liberty of speaking to Judge Miller on your behalf, Teri. Since Sophie has previously been under the supervision of the state and decided to sever that relationship, successfully and at an early age, in preference for self reliance, Judge Miller sees no harm in allowing Teri to maintain temporary custody until sufficient information is gathered to support the petition for permanent custody I filed earlier. There will be an informal hearing in his chambers in no more than two weeks where he will review the situation further.”

  “That’s outrageous!” Ms. McNally protested.

  Kyle handed her a copy of the papers. “No, it’s simply more expedient than you’re accustomed to. The same decision would have been reached through the normal, slower, process but by then there was an excellent chance the subject matter would have run away again. It seemed in the child’s best interest to bend to her desire and keep her in a safe environment. You’re familiar with Judge Miller, he handles many of the cases for Social Services.”

  “You bought him off!”

  “Don’t be absurd. I’m not foolish enough to try to bribe a judge, I’d be disbarred. And I suggest you don’t level any accusations along those lines against him, he’d have your head on a platter. Miller is above reproach and you know it.

  “Now, you have the necessary paperwork. Go find something useful to do. Your work here is done.”

  Kyle stepped aside to allow Ms. McNally a clear path to the door. Officer Waters, taking the hint, stood and gently took Ms. McNally’s arm to assist her on her way. He turned at the door and nodded to Teri and Flynn.

  “Good luck to you both.” Then looking at Kyle, he smiled. “Well played.”

  “Thank you.”

  Officer Waters left with Ms. McNally and Kyle turned back to Teri. Flynn prodded Sophie to sit up and started gently brushing her hair.

  “Of course that was just a stalling tactic. Peter Miller and I belong to the same club and share drinks on occasion, although professionally we’ve never crossed paths. Separate realms. I laid the whole thing out for Peter and he seems amicable to letting Brandon Mayhew sign over paternal rights and letting you adopt Sophie, but we have to be careful. We can’t pay him or give him any sizable gifts or the promise of a reward. Nothing from the two of you, lest it be considered a transaction. Selling children is, of course, illegal.

  “Tim’s got a very good investigator on the payroll, well, actually he’s not on the payroll officially, which is what makes him particularly useful. We’ll handle Mayhew. I don’t want either of you trying to find him, clear?”

  “Leave it to the professionals. Check,” Flynn agreed.

  “And Sophie can’t leave New York until this is legally resolved. So even though you’ve got custody, Teri, you can’t take her back to Seattle.”

  “But the boys —”

  “I’ll go get them,” Flynn said.

  “I hope that ring means what I think,” Kyle gestured to Teri’s left hand.

  “Officially engaged. How soon do you want us officially married?” Flynn answered.

  Teri looked at him suspiciously.

  “That was in my pocket at dinner, you just sprung your surprise first. What’s the point of a long engagement if it’s an obstacle to getting Sophie back to Seattle?”

  Teri gave him an approving nod.

  “Peter’s old fashioned. I told him I was pretty sure you two were getting married, but I’d check on it. He would have felt better if you’d already been married a year, but we can’t have everything.”

  “Then aren’t elopements romantic? I’ll even argue it was my plan all along.” Flynn smiled.

  “All right then. I’ll let you two put Sophie to bed. She looks tired —”

  “I’m not,” Sophie protested, then unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn.

  Flynn handed Sophie off to Teri and walked Kyle to the door. By the time he thanked him and locked up, Teri already had Sophie tucked in and she was groggily incoherent. He kissed Sophie’s forehead and left to find something to keep him busy. He hadn’t planned on sleeping alone tonight and he was still
struggling with the concept.

  Teri’s bags were still against the wall in the living room. Flynn felt like they were mocking him, there was little doubt she planned on sleeping with Sophie tonight. It was reasonable, he admitted to himself. Sophie was a little girl who’d had a long day and was in an unfamiliar place. It’d be good for a night or two to have someone there if she woke up.

  Wandering into his bathroom, he tossed towels in the hamper and collected Sophie’s toothbrush and toothpaste. He took them and put them in the smaller bathroom that connected to the extra bedroom. Gathering her clothes, he quietly entered her room again and laid them on the dresser. Teri followed him out, leaving the bedside lamp on and a book on the nightstand.

  “You think she’s going to wake up in the night and want to read?” Flynn joked when she closed the bedroom door.

  “Hmm? No. Sophie and I met when I caught her shoplifting at a bookstore. The owner went over the top.”

  “She’s living on the street and stealing books? That’s unexpected to say the least.”

  “I know. The Jungle Book. She had several others in her backpack, Moby Dick, Oliver Twist, Pride and Prejudice.”

  Flynn frowned. “She’s not even ten yet. For starters, aren’t those a bit over her head? Also, aren’t they the kind of books sadistic English teachers assign? They’re not the kind kids choose to read.”

  “They’re classics,” Teri bristled.

  “The questions remain valid. Granted Oliver Twist might seem like Cinderella to a kid on the street. The story I mean, but the actual book?”

  “Sophie admitted to having trouble with some of it, but she’s trying to improve her mind. She’s reading them because they’re classics, Flynn.”

  “Okay, brownie points for the effort.” Flynn slowly walked over to Teri, backing her against the wall. “But she has to fit in with kids at school in the here and now. Tomorrow I’m getting her some teenage vampire drama or a book about a dragon or something.” He let his lips brush against her cheek as he spoke.

  “Flynn, I don’t . . .” Teri whispered. He pressed his mouth against hers, effectively stopping her protest. Letting his hands wander over her body, he pulled her hips close against his. Teri shuddered and let one foot trail up the back of his leg, opening her own legs for him.

  Pressing his hard-on against her, he lifted her other leg, wrapping both around him and holding her against the wall with the force of his body and hands under her thighs. Rubbing against her, Flynn felt like he was going to explode. What were the odds of Teri letting this happen? Not in the living room against the wall to Sophie’s room, he reasoned.

  Making sure he wasn’t going to drop her, Flynn pulled away from the wall and carried Teri across the apartment to his room, kicking the door shut behind him.

  “But Sophie —” Teri whispered when he laid her on the bed. He ground his groin against hers.

  “She won’t miss you for a while yet.”

  Flynn kissed her, desperately, passionately as he skillfully undressed her. Teri wanted this, she’d wanted it for a long time now. Her maternal instincts were at odds with her desire and he knew she was rationalizing that Sophie was asleep, they’d be quiet, quick, it was okay. He’d been through the same rationalization, but still knew it was a gamble. His hunger for her said it was worth it.

  He had Teri undressed and stood up to pull his polo shirt off over his head. As he looked down at her, Flynn hesitated. Teri’s round breasts displayed nipples as hard as he was. Her curves led his eyes to where her legs lay hanging off the edge of the bed, spread apart invitingly for him. She lifted one hand and gave him a beckoning come here motion with a single finger, a small smile playing on her lips.

  Flynn hastened to unbuckle his belt.

  A scream rang out across the apartment. Teri was on her feet before the second scream reached them. Flynn caught her before she opened the door, pulling his bathrobe from the hook behind the bedroom door and wrapping it around her. She tied the belt on the run and was gone.

  Flynn turned and lay down on the bed, the unreleased urgency almost painful. He sighed, trying to will the night to simply be over.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, Sophie woke snuggled up to Teri. She was sure last night had been a dream. Sort of. She already missed Tommy and his skateboard tricks, but Teri was nice and she was engaged to an actual rock star. Sophie eased off the bed carefully so she didn’t wake Teri and went to find Flynn.

  The apartment was silent and empty. She peeked in his room to find the bed empty and made. Frowning, she looked in the bathroom and walk-in closet, but he wasn’t there either. She glanced across the dining room to where it opened into the kitchen area. The living room was obviously empty, but on her way back through, she saw the opposite wall was made almost entirely of glass.

  Mesmerized, Sophie walked over to the window. A skyscraper blocked her view too far one direction, but she could look down at the rooftop gardens on buildings to the left, and watch the cars crawling through the streets below. The sky was gray and it was raining a little. As she watched, a rainbow appeared over the city.

  The sound of a key in the lock broke her fascination with the sight, and she turned as Flynn opened the door with a bag of groceries.

  “Good morning, rainbow,” he called. “Are you hungry?”

  Sophie nodded and followed Flynn into the kitchen. “I have cereal if you prefer, although I was planning on french toast and bacon.”

  “I like bacon.” Sophie grinned. It’d been awhile since she had eaten an actual breakfast.

  “Well that’s settled then. Teri’s still out, I imagine?”

  “Yeah, she’s sleeping late.”

  “Not really.” Flynn proceeded to explain about time zones. Then he had to back up and explain geography. By the time Teri woke, the coffee was brewed, the bacon was crisp, the french toast was mostly done, and Flynn was explaining about planetary movements and the phases of the moon.

  “Astronomy? Weren’t you the one who said Moby Dick was too old for her?” Teri asked.

  “That’s whaling, revenge, and obsession; this is science,” Flynn explained as if that settled it.

  Sophie giggled. It surprised her Flynn was cooking breakfast. She assumed he had people to do things like that for him. He seemed to know what he was doing too. It fascinated her that he knew so much about everything. Flynn didn’t mention music once.

  Sophie had been eating the bacon and french toast as Flynn cooked it. He made her experiment with three different types of syrup, plain sugar, and powdered sugar with lemon juice on her french toast.

  “Have a seat, love, Sophie hasn’t quite managed to eat us out of house and home yet.” Flynn gestured to a place at the bar.

  “Well this is better than one of those sugary cereals the kids eat all the time at home.” Teri looked over Sophie’s plate.

  “I picked one up at the store, we haven’t gotten that far yet. It has those little crunchy things they call marshmallows in it. I don’t understand that, marshmallows aren’t supposed to be crunchy.” Flynn frowned.

  Sophie laughed, but there was something wrong. There was tension between Flynn and Teri. He was joking and she was smiling, but it wasn’t like yesterday.

  “I’m going to get some real clothes on first.” Teri turned to leave.

  Sophie noticed that Teri was in just a T-shirt and underwear. Maybe Flynn was mad because Teri slept with her instead of with him last night. He didn’t seem mad though. Sophie watched him carefully.

  “No, stay as you are, it’s perfect breakfast attire,” Flynn protested with a shake of his head.

  “I wouldn’t wear this at home.”

  “You have a house full of teenage boys at home. When they leave, I hope to see more of this.” Flynn gestured to her bare legs.

  “That’ll give you something to look forward to then. For now I don’t want to encourage ideas.” Teri walked back into the bedroom and Sophie watched her go. Flynn sighed and she
turned her attention back to him.

  “I’m in the way, aren’t I?”

  Flynn faced her, evidently surprised. Then he smiled. “No, rainbow, you’re fine.”

  “Something’s wrong though.”

  “Your female intuition is kicking in a bit young, heaven help us. Listen, after you get to know Dev, he’s going to be your big brother, give him a hand, will you? He doesn’t pick up on women and relationships very well. But don’t tell him I told you,” Flynn winked.

  “Teri said she has two kids and then all their friends.”

  “From Teri you’ll officially have Cassie and Dev, unofficially you’ll get Tiff, Jess, Kenny and Bryan.” Flynn stopped. “From me you’ll get Saffron and Simone, but they won’t live with us. I have a stepdaughter, Mindy, but I doubt you’ll meet her. She’s not talking to me at the moment.”

  “But if you’re marrying Teri, how can Mindy be your stepdaughter if she’s not Teri’s daughter?”

  “Ex wife. We divorced on reasonably good terms. I raised Mindy as much or more than she did so, even though I’m not legally related any longer, I still see her as a daughter.”

  “So you have three girls?”

  “Yup. All three of them princesses. I can’t wait to see what you’re going to be.”

  “What?”

  “Some girls are princesses, some are tomboys. You’ve been a survivor so far, which almost certainly falls on the tomboy side, but you should have a choice.”

  “So how do I know?”

  Flynn smiled. “Go with what you like, rainbow. If you want a pink bedroom, fine. Play baseball, fine. Ballet, fine. Try out a few things and see what you enjoy. And it’s not set in stone, you can switch, or land somewhere in between.”

  “What would Teri want me to be?” Sophie whispered.

  Flynn looked over her shoulder to make sure Teri wasn’t coming yet and leaned forward. “Yourself,” he whispered back.

  • • •

  “Come sit.” Flynn pointed to the empty seat at the breakfast bar when Teri returned.

  As Teri sat, Sophie hopped down. “I’ll give you two some time alone. I’ll go get dressed.”