Flynn (The Love Family Series Book 3) (6 page)

“I’ll have to do that.” Flynn took her by the hand and led her into the living room to answer the door.

“Flynn, open up,” Reed yelled from the other side. “I’m not going to wait all damn day.”

Flynn yanked the door open to find Reed and five other guys on the doorstep.

“About time.” He pushed his way in and barked out orders to his entourage, a mix of nerdy guys to handymen wearing tool belts. “I need cameras on the outside and in. I want the command center set up in his office, and I want this shit sealed up tight. No one coming or going without him knowing what’s going on.” Reed grabbed one of the guys by the arm. “Inside and out. Got it? I’ll handle the tech side. You just get the stuff in place.”

They nodded.

“I always knew you were bossy, but this is a new side of you I don’t get to see often.” Flynn grinned and moved out of the way, tossing his arm around Mia.

“You’re more than due for an upgrade in your security, and now’s as good a time as any. So you two can relax, stay out of my way and let me do what I do best.” Reed met Mia’s gaze. “Your ex-boyfriend, the cop, is a real piece of work.”

“Finally.” Flynn’s grin grew bigger. “Someone agrees with me.”

“Declan is sending him packing.” He patted Flynn on the back. “This is going to take a while, so I’ve ordered pizzas from Tony’s if you want to pick them up.”

“Say no more. Let me grab some cash.” He glanced at Mia. “You can leave the hat. We’re taking the SUV.”

Chapter 8

Fifteen minutes later, they were out the door and away from the chaos going on inside Flynn’s house. Mia kept her gaze out the window on the passing trees and silently wondered if they were the ones from Flynn’s premonition. “Are there any other forests on the Island that you would normally be in?”

“I wouldn’t normally even be in those. On the off chance I go hiking, it’s on the other side of the Island, and the only other trees near where I would be are the ones on my property or at my parents’ cabin.”

“Do you go there a lot?”

He shook his head. “Not as much as we did when were little, although Skylar and Luke used it as their hideout two years ago when they were trying to figure out who was trying to kill them.”

She gave a slow shake of her head. “I remember that. I still can’t believe it was Luke’s assistant.”

“It’s always the last person you’d expect.” He glanced at her. “Speaking of which. What happened between Stan and you? You know he still has the hots for you.”

“We weren’t really going anywhere.” She glanced at Flynn, and her mind wondered if the same thing would happen with him. “I work
all the time
and he worked weird hours. We just never got to spend time together unless I was in a crises, and that doesn’t make for a good relationship. It didn’t make sense for us to stay together, so I broke it off.”

“And what about me? Do I make sense?”

Mia shook her head and glanced out the passenger window. “You make the least sense.” She smiled to herself. “I’m all work and serious; you’re all play and good times. We’re more like yin and yang.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Maybe one day she’d think so, but today wasn’t that day. With each new revelation about Flynn, she was figuring him out. Like in her experiments, she was collecting data to make an educated hypothesis, although she wasn’t sure yet she had all the pieces to put the puzzle together. She was starting to see what made him the way he was.

“That’s my point.” She turned her gaze back to him. “I’m the realist and you’re the dreamer. I’m not sure we’re suited for much more than a causal relationship.”

He gave a slow nod. “I’m good at casual.” He grinned.

“And I’m not.” She’d made a wrong assumption about Flynn when they’d first met. Yes, he was out for a roll in the sack, but she didn’t realize the reasoning behind why he acted like that. He was a good guy, only he shielded himself emotionally from people. His game was an act and not an accurate account of the man he was. He was caring; he loved his family, and he’d do anything for a stranger. He wasn’t the pompous asshole she’d first thought now that she was finally getting a glimpse of him under her microscope. Flynn had many more layers, deep emotional layers that no other woman had delved beneath. She kept her eyes on the dirt road, afraid if she looked at him he’d know exactly what she was thinking. Her heart clenched, not from his driving, but because of how lonely he must really be. She knew that feeling, and it sucked.

“Flynn, I like you,” she blurted out, catching him off guard.

He glanced at her and grinned. “I like you too.”

“I’ve just decided we shouldn’t have intercourse.”

“Have you now?” He lifted a brow. “Still trying to control everything?” 

“I want us to be friends, even after this is over. I think you need me in your life as much as I need you, and sex will ruin it.”

Flynn pulled off into a clearing underneath some trees and put the SUV in park, as if he needed a minute to ponder what she’d just said and let the reality sink in.

After a few seconds, he finally turned to her. “I think it’s fair to say that you’re attracted to me. Am I right?”

“Yes, but…”

He held up his finger, stopping her rebuttal. “Just give me a minute here. Are you not curious to see if I can rock your world?”

“Well, of course, but…”

He tsked and waved his finger, still in the air. “That’s all I needed to hear. No pressure.”

“Really?”

“Sure. You said we shouldn’t have intercourse. That leaves the rest of the playing field wide open.” He put the gear in drive, pulled back out onto the road, reached for her hand, and gave a gentle squeeze. “Relax, Mia. I know relaxing might be a foreign concept to you and hard under the circumstances, probably impossible, but you’re trying to control the outcome as if you were in a lab.” He glanced at her. “This is real life, honey, and sometimes, if we’re lucky, it can get messy, dirty, and orgasmic.” He winked. “I promise the latter.”  

“Flynn.”

“I promise not to have
intercourse
with you unless you beg me.” He shot her a hundred-watt smile, and the butterflies in her belly danced with delight.

“That should be easy enough.” She nodded, sure of herself.

“If you say so.”

She spun toward him, nailing him with her gaze. “You took that as a challenge, didn’t you?”

He chuckled. “You catch on pretty quick.”

“Even after everything I just said?”

“Especially after everything you just said.”

Flynn pulled up in front of the pizza place and killed the ignition but didn’t move to get out of the car. “Mia.”

“Yeah.”

He leaned across the seat and placed his lips to hers, taking until he made her moan. “I plan to kiss you again. Are you okay with that?”

She nodded; he righted himself in the seat and reached for the door handle, pausing before he pulled it. He looked at her once again. “I plan to kiss you everywhere,” he said in a seductive voice, showing no signs of relenting.

She stirred uneasily in her seat, aroused at just the thought and angry that her body warred with her declaration. She silently stepped out with no reply. What could she say to that? She wasn’t naïve. When he kissed her, and she knew he would, she might just let him make good on that promise. Damn him.

Flynn waited for her in front of the SUV, all the playfulness from his face gone as he gazed up and down the street with a serious expression. 

He opened the door and led her in with his hand against her lower back, guiding her to the counter. He gave his name and passed over his credit card as his phone rang. He stepped away from her and answered.

“Yeah.”

He listened intently for a matter of seconds.

“Yeah, text me the picture. I’ll show it to her and call you back.”

He hung up and returned to her side. When his phone vibrated again, he enlarged the picture and turned the phone to her. “Was this the guy at the pool?”

She studied it. The guy had on the same shirt, the same sunglass, and the same wrinkled dress pants. A shiver skirted down her spine. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“Declan is at the hotel and ready to haul him in for questioning. He just wanted to verify that was the guy.”

“Do we need to go down there?”

“Not yet.” Flynn sent a confirmation text to his brother. “Declan’s good at getting to the truth. So it’s a waiting game right now.”

“Human lie detector.”

Flynn grinned. “You’re learning.” He tossed his arm over her shoulder and waited for the pizza. “You’d be wise to remember that too. The best thing to do with my brother is to deflect his questions. Don’t ever answer him dishonestly. He’ll know it in a heartbeat, and trust me when I say that he’ll pry just to see what you say.”

“Sounds like my brother.”

“Here you go.” Tony placed five pizza boxes on the counter in one pile, and he walked around it, carrying the other five boxes. “I’ll help you carry them out if your girl wants to open the back.”

“Oh, I’m not his girl.”

Tony’s eyes lit up and he smiled. “If you say so, sugar.”

Flynn handed her the keys and tapped her ass to get her moving before grabbing the other boxes. “She’s my girl. She just hasn’t realized it yet.”

“This one looks pretty smart. I’m sure she’ll catch on,” Tony agreed.

Mia glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes but didn’t disagree. Flynn grinned as he followed her around the SUV where she raised the back window and lowered the tailgate.

****

Five hours later, with the moon high in the evening sky, Mia glanced at all the pizza boxes. The empty ones were stacked by the trashcan, and Flynn was trying to shove others in the fridge. “You’re going to be eating pizza for days.”

“We,” he corrected her. “We’re going to be eating pizza for days.”

Flynn walked up behind her, moved her hair out of the way, and placed a tiny kiss on her shoulder as he rested his hands on her waist. Against her better judgment, she tilted her head. “Flynn?”

“Hmm?” He kissed up her neck, stopping right below her ear.

“Fighting is futile, isn’t it?”

“I promised.” He turned her in his arms. “Not until you beg and you’re nowhere near the begging point. Now, if you want to give me an hour…I could change that.”

“No. I still stand by my decision.” She lifted on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”

She turned to leave, and he grabbed her arm and swung her back around. “That wasn’t a goodnight kiss. This is.”

He cupped her cheek and ran his fingers up into her hair. Anticipation had her licking her lips as she stared into his eyes, waiting and wondering what he would do next. He tilted her head as he lowered his lips slowly to hers with sheer finesse. His tongue danced with hers as he eased her back against the counter, pressing his hard body against hers. He inched his leg between hers and made a rubbing motion. She succumbed to his caress, her core heating, her cares forgotten. He swallowed her moans as he held her in place and moved from her lips, kissing a wet path down to the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder. Heat pooled in her belly as she held on to his waist, afraid if she let go she might just fall. Pleasure radiated, short-circuiting her senses, she felt nothing but the tingling in her body as he worked her with precision.

He slowed the caress of his knee against her heated core and kissed her once more. “Good night, Mia.” He stepped back, his lips tilted in a playful smile. “Sweet dreams.”

“That was just wrong.”

Flynn clasped his hands together. The angelic look wasn’t working for him. He knew he was playing with fire and damned if he didn’t know how to light the match. “I could continue, but that would lead me into taking you on the counter, and that would break my promise.”

She gave him a saucy smile and headed towards the stairs, pausing on the bottom step. “I can finish myself.” She winked and hurried upstairs. She walked into the room and shut the door, leaning against it, trying to find her composure and cool her heated skin, ignoring the crazy thumping of her heart and the burning desire of her body. “He won’t win.”

Chapter 9

Mia woke up after a fitful night’s sleep to someone rapping on her door.

“Mia,” Flynn called from the other side.

“Yeah.” Mia swallowed around her sticky throat. “Come in.”

Flynn opened the door while running a towel over his wet head and dripping swim shorts. “Declan is on his way over and wants to talk to you.”

Mia lifted to her elbows, and the comforter fell to her waist. The strap of her camisole hung down over one shoulder, giving Flynn a provocative view. His heated gaze lowered, and her heartbeat quickened. She knew exactly what he was thinking, because she was thinking it too.

She sat up the rest of the way and pulled the strap back up and into place. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” A smile split his lips as he turned to leave, only pausing to close the door. “Sleepy-eyed and half-dressed is a good look for you. I look forward to being the reason why.”

He chuckled as he closed her door. She could hear him whistling as he headed down the hall. She groaned, fell back against her pillow, and laid her hand over her forehead, trying hard to erase the erotic dream he’d starred in. He was slowly easing under her skin and skewing her thoughts. She needed to find a new place to live and soon. Otherwise, she might just be the one begging.

Mia got up and took a quick shower, emerging from her room put together, confident and ready for the day. She put on her brave face, feeling much more pulled together as she met Declan and Flynn in the kitchen, where she found them having easy brotherly banter. Declan was fixing a cup of coffee when Flynn handed her a cup already made. “Thank you.”

Declan glanced over his shoulder. “Just the woman I needed to see.” He finished doctoring up his coffee before he sat down at the table. “Why don’t you have a seat.”

She slid into the chair, every nerve fiber strung tight, not knowing what type of new information he might have. “Flynn said you picked up the guy from the pool?”

“We sure did.” Declan let out a long breath. “He wasn’t your brother, but it turns out you were somewhat right. The guy was watching you.”

“I don’t understand.” Mia cupped her warm mug, letting the warmth seep into her chilled body. “Who is he?”

“He’s a headhunter and hired muscle for McGregor.”

Mia took a sip of the hot liquid and savored it as it slid down her throat. “It’s no secret McGregor wants me on his team. He’s approached me before, and I kindly declined. He wants my research. Any reason to suspect that this headhunter is the guy behind my break-ins and mugging?” she asked, curious if maybe they were looking specifically for any research she had. The thought alone made her see red.

“He’s not. He has an alibi, and he’s telling the truth. He was here to try to convince you that McGregor would be a better option than working for Luke. He was here on the up and up.”

“And you’re sure?” she asked.

“I personally questioned him,” Declan answered, as if that was proof enough. “Stan went back to the mainland to check his alibi, but I already know that it’s solid.”

“Human lie detector,” she mumbled, and Declan shot his brother a glare.

“What? She needed to know.”

Declan’s brow rose, but he didn’t push for a further explanation.

“Any news on my brother? Have you talked to his case worker?”

“Stan told me this morning that he got that call last night. Garth is accounted for.”

Relief flooded her body and her shoulders relaxed. “That’s a relief.” She glanced between them both. “So there’s no reason to believe that anyone followed me. I can get back to life as normal.”

Declan hesitated with an answer.

“What? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Well, it’s too early to tell if it’s related, but we did find an abandoned boat on the other side of the Island. We’re running the registration and dusting for prints. It could be nothing.”

“But it could be something?” Flynn asked as he moved behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder.

“It’s probably unrelated, but we’re still going to run it down.”

“Thank you.” Mia reached across the table and placed her hand on Declan’s. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that Garth isn’t here and no one on the Island is out to get me.”

She slid her hand free and put it on top of Flynn’s which rested on her shoulder. She glanced up at him. “Just think, I’ll be out of your hair in no time now that I can get back to finding a place to live.” 

“Just keep your eyes open and you two stay alert for anyone suspicious.” Declan rose and took his cup to the sink. “I’ll be in touch when I have any information on the boat, and when I actually lay eyes on Garth’s records.”

Flynn walked his brother to the door and spun around with a big grin on his face. He rubbed his hands together, and his eyes sparkled with new life. “This calls for a celebration.”

“What do you have in mind?” she asked, feeling as though the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Dinner tonight at LaAmour on me.”

“Still trying to seduce me?”

“Good food, good wine, and even better company.” He shrugged. “What’s not to love about that?” He walked over to the sink and rinsed his brother’s mug out.

Mia rose with her coffee cup in hand. “I should go text my brother and let him know I’m okay.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ve got some work-related errands to run, so why don’t you relax for a while? Maybe enjoy the hot tub or take a dip in the lake now that you can breathe a sigh of relief.”

“I might just do that.” She grinned and spun on her heels, heading back to her room.

“I’ll leave my number on the fridge, in case you need something or just miss me,” Flynn called out after her.

Mia waved her hand in acknowledgment as she turned the corner to head upstairs. A relaxing day was sounding better by the moment, although she still had a lot to take care of. Finding her own place was at the top of her list.

Mia pulled out her laptop and did a quick search of local properties for rent and found a new listing on Main Street above Tony’s Pizzeria where Flynn and she had already visited. It was a two bedroom. Granted, there wouldn’t be a view of the beach, but she could make it work while she looked for something more permanent after the tourist season was over. She called the number on the ad and arranged to see it.

Hurrying out of her room, she caught Flynn before he left. “Can I borrow one of your cars? Trent texted me earlier that he’s having my car delivered in a day or two, but I need to run an errand later.”

“Sure.” He smiled as he pulled the front door open. “The keys are hanging up next to the fridge. I’m taking the Jeep, so you’re more than welcome to use the SUV unless you’d rather ride the motorcycle.”

“You have a motorcycle too?” She shook her head. “Never mind, of course, you do.” He was single and sexy, and of course, he’d have something to complete his bad-boy image. “Thanks.”

Flynn closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that left her hot and bothered. It firmed her resolve on why she needed to leave.

“Be careful while you’re out.”

“I’m always careful.”