by Marie Harte
Maddie scooted back to brace herself against the cabinets. She heard barking and several male shouts as the others struggled to grab the dog.
“Okay, thanks. You can let go of me now.” Abby stopped speaking when she looked into Brody’s face.
Maddie wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it. The suave, joking Brody Singer looked dumbstruck as he stared at Abby. His gaze traced her friend’s features with something more than mere attraction.
Then he dropped her like a hot coal and joined the others trying to capture the dog.
“Wow.” Maddie would have teased her when Cujo returned, sliding over the tile with muddied paws.
The dog looked like he ate people for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As large as a wolfhound but with a mishmash of other breed traits, at best he could be called a mutt. At worst, a nightmare. And he headed straight for her.
She screamed. He stopped. The crowd behind him froze.
“Maddie, don’t move,” Flynn said quietly.
“Oh hell. This is my fault.” Brody ran a hand through his hair. “It’s okay, he’s friendly. I swear.”
The dog took a few steps closer and proved it by licking her face with a long, wet tongue.
“Ew. Get him off me.” Maddie tried to push him back, but the dog took her touching him as a sign of affection and tried to crawl into her lap.
Nice, except he stunk to high heaven and wasn’t a lap dog.
A few laughs and then everyone was talking and pointing and moving around at the same time.
Brody tugged the dog off her, bringing attention to the fact the thing had a collar.
“Is he yours, Uncle Brody? You have a dog? Really?” Colin jumped up and down. “Can I pet him? Can I ride him? Do you feed him squirrels?”
Where did the kid get his information?
Flynn helped her to her feet. He leaned close to kiss her then backed away. “You smell like dog.”
“Thank Brody.” She glared at the man doing his best to make nice with everyone while keeping the dog from slobbering on him.
Flynn steered her toward the door. “Come on, honey, let’s go clean you up.” Flynn said to his mother, “We’ll be back. Maddie’s going to grab some clean clothes.”
Vanessa appeared at the back door, standing safely outside. She opened the door wide for them. “Oh, and she needs you to help her?”
“Hey, where were you when I was being attacked?” Maddie asked her.
“You weren’t attacked,” Brody corrected in a loud voice. “Mutt’s friendly.”
“Mutt?” Abby eyed him and the dog like a disease. “That’s your dog’s name?”
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Flynn pulled her with him out the back door and past Vanessa, who watched them go with amusement.
Back at her house, Maddie hurried upstairs to change. She stripped out of her shirt and dirtied pants, then hustled to the bathroom to wipe off her face and neck, where a mess of dog spit had dried. So gross.
“I’ll be right down, Flynn,” she called as she walked down the hall to the bedroom. Only to stop and stare as he waited for her with a huge smile.
“Shut the door and turn around.”
Conditioned to that look in his eye, she melted. Her body readied for him in an instant.
“Bend over the dresser, baby. Watch me fuck you.”
That he wore all his clothes while she had on only her panties and bra made it naughty—hotter—and then he slipped his hand down her ass and nudged her thong aside.
He unzipped his pants and she felt him there, behind her. The rough denim scraped against her ass as his cock found her wet entrance.
“That’s it.” He slid inside her, thick and tight. “Fuck. I love this. You’re so good, baby.” He rocked into her, gripping her hips as he increased his pace. “I was hearing you laugh. Watching you with my family. And I wanted you. Wanted to be inside you right then.”
He drove harder inside her while she took it. In this position, he had such deep penetration.
“Flynn. You feel so good.”
“Touch yourself. Get off before I do, which won’t be long.”
She put her hand down her panties and stroked her clit, knowing Flynn loved when she touched herself while he fucked her.
“You’re wet, aren’t you? That clit hard, baby?”
His raspy voice made her moan. “Yeah. Hard for you.”
“That’s it. Oh fuck. Come on, Maddie. Come. I can’t last much longer.”
She plucked her nub and imagined them at the club again, where one of his friends might catch them in the act. The shock and arousal would be too much for the voyeur to bear, and he’d be helpless as he watched while they finished.
“Yes, oh yes.” She gritted her teeth and came around him, right before he swore and emptied into her.
He rotated and pushed, filling her until he shivered. Then he withdrew and buttoned himself up.
“You were thinking about the club, right?” He grinned, into her fantasy. He’d been the first to suggest it, that she liked the thought of being caught. Not actually having people see them have sex, but the possibility of it really aroused her.
“Maybe.” She took the towel he handed her, amused he’d prepared for their little tryst. “We need to get back before they know what we did.”
After she cleaned herself, he took the towel from her and tossed it to the ground, then hugged her back against him and kissed her neck. “I don’t care about them knowing.”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s hot as hell. You’re so sexy, and you’re mine. I like knowing they might want you, but they can’t have you.”
She blinked. “They wouldn’t want me.”
“Why not? You’re a beautiful woman. But my brothers would never make a move. Like I said, when we fall, we fall hard. You’re it for me. And only me,” he growled.
“I can barely handle you as it is,” she teased and stepped out of his arms to dress. Once more garbed in jeans and a sweater, she faced him. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”
The soft love in his eyes brought her to tears. How had she ever thought to throw this away?
“You can never tell me too many times.”
She wanted to confess what else she’d been thinking about. To see what he thought. “Flynn, I know we haven’t been together all that long. And we talked about marriage and maybe babies in the future.” She swallowed, nervous yet spurred by the hope on his face. “I don’t have any more refills for my pills. Just one more month and I need to go back in for a checkup.”
“Yeah?” The gritty tone made her smile. She could almost feel him willing her to say what came next.
“So I was wondering. Do you want me to stop taking them? I know it’s soon, but I can’t stop thinking about babies for some reason.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her. “I’m in. Forever. And I can’t wait to have kids with you. But you have to be sure. That you’d even ask me now… Maddie, we’re going to take this slow. How about we get married first? Six months, a year. Then we’ll try. We’re still young. We don’t have to rush this.”
Part relieved and a little frustrated he’d rejected her offer, she wanted to argue. But the relief was too powerful to deny. “You’re right,” she heard herself say.
“I know. I’m always right. See, that’s what you need to learn before you’ll be perfect. You’re close, but not quite there. You just need to learn and believe that last bit. Say it with me. Flynn is always right.”
She punched him in the gut, pleased when he whooshed out a breath. “Jerk.”
“But you love me.” He grinned.
She grinned back. “But I love you.”
“Maddie, when we have kids, there won’t be any doubt in your mind. Don’t do it for me, but for us.”
“I know. I just have so much love right now. I’m too emotional.”
“You’re just right.” He straightened and grabbed her hand. “Now I have a present f
or you. How would you like to pull a fast one on the family?”
***
Abby didn’t like the way Brody kept looking at her. He must have somehow found out she wrote for a living and had read one of her books. She just knew it.
Flynn and Maddie returned holding hands. The sparkle in her friend’s eyes told Abby in no uncertain terms what she and Flynn had been doing.
Lucky girl.
She wondered wistfully what it must be like to have someone accept you, flaws and all. With Flynn, Maddie could be herself. Slightly neurotic, obsessively organized, beautiful and confident enough—at least in her looks—to know it. Abby could do neurotic, and she had her office as neat as a pin, but confident in any way? Hell no.
Every other day she expected a rejection from one publisher or another. Her agent had so far stuck with her and seemed keen on making them both money. But Abby knew she was only as good as her last book. The minute her sales dropped, she could find herself ass-out of an agent, an editor, and the royalties she needed if she wanted to eat.
Though come to think of it, missing a meal or two couldn’t hurt.
So pleased for her best friend, she also couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit envious. Abby lived out her fantasies through her books and characters, but reminders of her solitude ate at her every time she stepped away from her computer.
“Hey, you okay?”
The others sat in the living room yelling at the television. She’d thought herself safely apart in the hallway, looking for Colin. How had Brody found her unless he’d been looking for her?
She cleared her throat. “Fine. Just looking for Colin.”
He arched a brow. “Really? ’Cause he’s sitting on Pop’s lap.”
Pop and Bitsy—what he called James and Beth McCauley, the people who’d raised him. She still wanted the full scoop on Brody Singer, but she couldn’t ask outright because then Maddie would think she was interested in him. And she wasn’t. Not really.
A woman would have to be a lesbian not to desire Brody. Yet even Robin had commented on how handsome and sexy he might be to a poor straight girl. Like Abby.
That dark blond hair—which she’d never liked, but on him looked right—those light brown eyes that reminded her of honey when he grew angry. And that body. She sighed. For someone who had issues with sweets and how they fell directly to her thighs, she shouldn’t have set her sights so high. But Abby had always been a sucker for trim, lean men. Brody had surpassed lean thirty pounds of muscle ago.
“Abby?”
She blinked and saw her stare centered on Brody’s chest. She sure hoped he hadn’t noticed… She blushed when she met his gaze, annoyed at the smirk he wore. “What?”
“Like what you see, honey?”
She snorted. “Honey? Please. I’m about as sweet as vinegar, and you know it.”
He leaned close, and she made the mistake of breathing him in. Her nipples stiffened, and she praised the weather for being cold enough to make a sweater necessary, hiding her reaction.
“I bet you’re sweet all over.” His eyes flashed with heat. “I’d be more than happy to indulge my sweet tooth. Any time you say the word.”
She burst into laughter. “Sweet tooth? Does that line ever work on anyone?”
He seemed annoyed but grinned too quickly to think he’d meant anything serious by the comment. “You’d be surprised.”
She snorted. “Probably not. Your type seems to go for the empty-headed bimbo.”
“Really? So I have a shot then?” The hopeful look on his face made her laugh.
“Good one. I’ll give you that.”
She could have sworn he said, “I’m hoping you’ll give me a lot more,” before Flynn dragged her away.
“Yeah?”
“Quit picking on Brody. You placed my money, right?”
She patted his arm. “I did. This means our sprinkler system is a done deal when the weather heats up in the spring, right? That is, after the wedding.”
He winked. All that McCauley charm bottled up for her best friend. Damn.
Flynn stepped away from Abby and motioned for Maddie to join him. Abby took a subtle step back and started when large hands pulled her into a hard frame.
Brody stood behind her and wouldn’t let her go. He whispered into her ear, “What did Flynn say to you just now?”
She barely controlled a shiver while her body flushed with heat. Annoyed by her reaction to him, she stepped on his foot. When he grunted and let her go, she took refuge next to Colin, who’d moved to be near his Uncle Brody.
“Good move, Abby.” Colin let her rest a hand on his shoulder. A big deal considering the kid never stood still.
“If I could have everyone’s attention.” Flynn said it again, louder, and the room quieted.
Abby noted the nods between Flynn’s brothers. A glance at Brody showed a smug smile.
Beth and James sat next to each other on the couch. Beth looked so happy, Abby almost felt bad for what was about to happen. Except she knew Flynn’s mom had bet on today as well.
Flynn took Maddie’s hand in his and held it up for everyone to see. “Maddie is the love of my life. She knows it, and it’s time everyone knew it.”
A bunch of “hear hears” and “It’s about times” scattered through the room. Vanessa joined in, looking satisfied. Probably taking credit for putting the pair together.
“I wanted to do this with friends and family to witness. It’s been almost five months, the best five of my life.” Flynn put on a burst of emotion that seemed fake to Abby, but everyone else seemed to buy it.
“Not enough tears,” Colin whispered.
“I know,” she whispered back. “Shush.” Figured the little con man would see through him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brody’s gaze narrow on her.
“And so, with all of you here to witness this special occasion, I’m just going to ask her.” Flynn bent down on one knee, his hand still holding Maddie’s. Despite knowing what was coming, Abby couldn’t help thinking how romantic the scene looked.
For some reason, her gaze met Brody’s. She couldn’t read his expression and quickly turned back to Flynn and Maddie.
“Madison Gardner,” Flynn boomed. “Will you do me the great honor”—he took something from his pocket—“the incredibly important role, of becoming my…”
Everyone stopped breathing.
“Girlfriend?” He opened his palm and on it sat two dazzling emerald earrings. “Will you, my sweet, wear these earbobs as a token of my extreme affection?”
The earbobs line had been Abby’s touch. She’d been reading a historical romance the other week and was stuck on how much she liked the word.
Beth looked heartbroken. The others mumbled unflattering comments while she, Flynn, and Maddie laughed.
“Pay up, suckers.” Abby collected money from everyone who’d bet Flynn would pop the question today. They’d been placing wagers for a month. Abby had mentioned it to Maddie, who’d told Flynn. In an effort to win some money, Flynn had planted some hints he might ask her at the family barbecue.
“Hey, does this seem rigged to anyone else?” Brody frowned as he dug in his wallet.
“Rigged is such an ugly word.” Maddie put on her earrings and smiled. “They’re beautiful, Flynn. I love them.”
“And I love you.” He kissed her.
Beth finally stopped frowning and smiled. “You’ll have such pretty babies.”
Colin gagged and pretended to have a seizure on the floor.
“Maybe a girl this time,” Beth said with a frown at him.
Mike nodded. “Yeah, a girl or two… to kiss cousin Colin!” He jumped on his son and tickled him until Colin cried uncle, to which three men answered, “Yes?”
Abby laughed and gave Maddie a hug, stunned when Vanessa willingly did the same.
“What?” the blond asked. “I can’t show some love?”
Abby waited.
Vanessa lowered her voice and admit
ted, “Well, Maddie cut me in on the take. I made twenty bucks off Cameron and James, enough for a few lattes next week. Nicely done, ladies.”
Abby grinned. “And this is where I’d type The End.”
***
Brody watched Abby with her friends. The sexy little liar. He shook his head.
Flynn went out back and returned scowling. “Hey, Brody. Go get that thing you call a dog before he breaks the leash and attacks the grill. And just so you know, it’s not the dog I’m afraid for. It’s the steak.”
“Dick,” he mumbled under his breath. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming, Mr. Romance. Earbobs? Extreme affection? What the hell, man?”
He met Abby’s gaze as he passed, and his pulse jumped the way it always did around her. Nope. Not The End, Abby Dunn. This is just the beginning.
Here’s a sneak peek at book 2 in the McCauley Brothers series,
How to Handle a Heartbreaker
They stared at each other, like dueling gunslingers waiting to see who would draw first. She’d be damned if she’d blink before he did. Despite his sheer size, drool-worthy body, and oh-my-God sex appeal, Abigail Dunn refused to budge on this issue. Her roommates might think she was one big pushover, but she knew better. It was time he did too.
After several tense moments in silence, Brody Singer rolled his eyes, then pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in defeat. “Okay. Jesus. You’re such a hard-ass. It’s not his fault, you know.”
“No. It’s yours.” She crossed her arms over her chest, doing her best not to turn pink when his gaze immediately followed the movement. And stayed there. After a moment, she cleared her throat. “My eyes are up here, Brody.” She pointed to her face.
He slowly lifted his gaze to her face but didn’t stop leering. Instead, the charming idiot wiggled his brows. “Beautiful. So…big. And so…brown.”
She wore a brown sweater today, so she couldn’t be sure if he referred to her breasts or her eyes. By the expression on his face, she was betting on the former. Anyone else talking to her like that would have received a kick in the teeth. But from Brody, she felt simultaneously irked and turned on. So not good.
“You know, you’re really very good looking.”