The Troublemaker Next Door (17 page)

He checked his watch for the fourth time as he finished up this solo job while Brody did paperwork back at his place. After cleaning up behind him and checking again with the homeowner, he left with a smile. Doing his best to keep to the speed limit when anticipation had his foot heavy on the gas pedal, Flynn finally made his way back to the parking garage.

After a quick trip to his place, he showered, gave the apartment a good once-over, and waited for Maddie. A Wednesday night, middle-of-the-week get-together. Hopefully, the first of many. He wondered if the flowers on the counter were a bit much, but he’d seen her looking at them when they’d been to the market together. Maddie’s weaknesses, that he could see, were flowers, chocolates, and his interest in her.

Before he could finish that train of thought, the doorbell buzzed.

He nearly tripped over himself to answer it and forced himself to be cool. No need to let the woman know she had him wrapped around her finger already. Power and control were important in dealing with this particular redhead. He knew it; she knew it. Now he just needed to balance his desire, his affection, and his need for her company without scaring her away. He hoped distance would be the answer.

He opened the door and smiled. “Welcome.”

Maddie wore a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved brown sweater. Casual, comfortable clothes, but she managed to look like a model wearing them all the same. “Hi. Sorry I’m a little late.”

She had shadows under her eyes. “You look tired.”

“Thanks a lot.”

He shut the door behind her. “Sorry. Truth hurts.”

“Such a flatterer,” she grumbled and toed off her sandals before making a beeline for his couch.

“What’s up with the shoes?”

“Oh, Vanessa’s a tyrant. She doesn’t want us tracking mud in the house. It’s become a habit.” She sat on his couch and lifted her leg so he could see her foot over the back of the couch. Wiggling her toes, she said, “You have a problem with firehouse red?”

He’d never thought a woman’s foot could be so sexy. Yet he had to ignore his hard-on when he answered. “No problem. Now if it was
doctor
red, I’d have issues.”

She grinned before flopping down so he could no longer see anything of her but her foot hooked over the sofa. “What’s on the agenda tonight?”

Besides
ignoring
the
fact
I
want
to
fuck?
He cleared his throat. “I don’t know. Just thought we could hang out. TV or a movie.”

She sighed. “Sounds perfect. I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t been able to catch a breath.” She told him all about her day, her new collaboration with her friends Kim and Robin, Theo and his continued support, and how Linda might be harder to work with than she’d first thought.

Flynn joined her on the couch, surprised to find himself actually invested in the conversation. Man, everything about her resonated on his level. Maddie didn’t put him on a pedestal. She was better-looking than he was, in his opinion. She seemed to like him well enough, but she didn’t do whatever he wanted. Even better, she didn’t demand he wait on her. He’d had his share of women who wanted to be treated like queens all the time, and at his expense.

He sat close to Maddie but not close enough. He pulled her into his lap.

“Oh, that’s nice.”

He’d expected her to protest, so having her close and actually pleased about it made him smile. Then she snuggled deeper into his embrace, and his heart did that odd patter that concerned him.

“You’re so warm. And so built.” Maddie ran her hands over his chest, stroking the muscle as if petting something soft. “How are you this handsome and not married already?”

He had to take a breath before answering, worried his answer would come out shaky. “Never met the right woman, I guess. You’ve met my parents. They’ve been married more than thirty years. I don’t want anything less than what they have.”

“You’re so lucky. You have such a great family. Your dad seems nice.” He heard the question there.

“He is. Don’t get me wrong. He’s not that nice. A hard-ass who used to make me pay for stamps when I was eight and would stand next to a light switch until I turned it off, just to teach me a lesson. But he was there for us. Sports, school, camping, you name it. Dad was into family. But you ask me, he got lucky when he met Mom.”

“I like Beth.”

“Everyone does.” He nuzzled the top of her hair, wondering what kind of shampoo she used because she always felt so soft and smelled like wildflowers. “What about your mom?”

“I love her. I was happy growing up, but maybe a little lonely. And I always felt like we worked too hard for everything.”

We
, not
she
, he noticed. “Yeah?”

“I’ve been working since I was a kid. Cleaning houses with my mom, then odd jobs around the diner. I was a busboy, hostess, and waitress before I could drive a car. Then a bunch of other jobs to help pay the rent and maybe afford a pair of jeans my mom deemed too expensive.” She shrugged. “I’m not complaining. I know I’m a hard worker, and I’m really fortunate now that I’m doing what I love.”

She was. “Probably doesn’t mean much, but I’m proud of you. It couldn’t have been easy to deal with your boss and leave your job. But it sounds like it’s paying off.”

Her hands stopped stroking, and he felt her breath hot against his chest, even through his shirt. She sighed, and he was reminded of the shadows under her eyes. The woman looked beautiful, but exhausted.

He knew just how to put her to sleep. “You mind if I catch the scores from the games real quick?”

“Go ahead.”

He grabbed the remote from the table and turned to the sports channel. A few minutes later he noticed Maddie hadn’t moved. He pulled back and saw her head tucked against his chest, her hair obscuring her face.

“What am I going to do with you?” He moved on the couch slowly, so as not to wake her, and settled back into a sprawl. Maddie covered him like a human blanket. Warm, curvy, and so damn pretty.

He stroked her hair as he watched a replay of the day’s games and wondered why this bland, nothing date had been the highlight of his day. And why the idea of sex couldn’t make it any better than it already was.

Maddie woke when Flynn shook her.

“Time to go, honey. You have work tomorrow, right?”

She blinked and realized she’d fallen asleep. “What time is it?”

He groaned, and her mind immediately went to sex. That’s when she felt him under her. “Two in the morning.”

She’d come over to spend time with Flynn, talked his ear off, then fallen asleep on the man. How embarrassing.

In her haste to regain her dignity, she shoved her knee in a bad place.

He coughed and groaned. “Christ, hold on.” He quickly disengaged, and the two of them sat on the couch not looking at each other.

Worry about bad breath, bed-head, and how rumpled her clothes must be redirected Maddie’s thoughts from the fact she’d
fallen
asleep
on
Flynn.

He let out a loud yawn and she peeked at him. A hint of stubble covered his jaw, but other than that, he still looked sexy and a little bit dangerous. A man no woman in her right mind would ignore.

Not sure why she wanted to run and hide, Maddie resolved to walk out calm, in control, and at least presentable. “I’ll be right back.” She moved to his bathroom and made good use of her time. Now sporting brushed hair, an empty bladder, and minty fresh breath courtesy of his toothpaste and her finger, she returned to the living room and found him waiting for her by the door.

She didn’t know whether to feel insulted or glad that he had no intention of having sex with her. Then again, they weren’t dating or anything. She’d come over to spend time with him, friend to friend. No big deal. Yet she wanted him to make a move, to throw her against the wall and take her. Or maybe bend her over the couch, pull down her pants, and—

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” How disappointing. Flynn hadn’t made a move all night. At first she’d been hopeful when he’d tugged her into his lap. But he’d done nothing more than hold her.

She slipped on her shoes and followed him out the door and down into the attached garage, where she’d parked in his friend’s empty spot. The air had grown chilly, and she shivered, wishing she’d brought her jacket. Then again, she’d only planned to stay an hour or two, not half the night.

At her car, they paused. She fished her keys out of her pocket and unlocked her door. Before she could get in, Flynn stopped her.

He turned her to face him, then caged her between himself and the open door. “Thanks for coming over, Maddie.” His grin made her heart race. That affectionate expression on his face had never been there before that she’d noticed. “Believe it or not, I had a good time.”

Before she could apologize for sleeping all over him, he stuffed her into her car and shut the door.

Not even a kiss good-bye.

She wanted to be angry about it, but this platonic barrier was for the best. She kept reminding herself of that fact all the way home.

And the next day. And the next.

She saw his truck parked at Mike’s Friday night. Weekly poker night.

Flynn didn’t come over to say hello. He didn’t call or text her either. Just the way she’d wanted it. And his distance drove her
crazy
. On Monday, she tried to focus on work, on dealing with a demanding Linda. Linda pushed Maddie to work harder and smarter. To keep up with demand, Maddie hired more movers on a revolving schedule and now tackled two projects at once. Ideas for design came with greater frequency than they ever had when she’d been working for Fred. And she wondered if her newfound freedom stemmed from finally being allowed to set her own pace, her own way.

Which might have explained her fixation on Flynn. She’d found a man who didn’t jump when she snapped her fingers. He hadn’t taken advantage of her at his place. He bought her chocolates. A lovely card case. A frog. That stupid rose that she’d taken to a craft store to have pressed. Not for sentimental reasons, but to make a nice decoration she’d frame for her wall someday.

Oh bullshit. She liked the rose. She liked the damn frog. And she really, really liked Flynn.

Maddie huffed at her reflection as she stood over her dresser in her bedroom, wondering why Flynn’s earlier text had her in a lather. The man wanted to play cards later in the week.
Cards.
A whole two and a half weeks of no sex, and Flynn wanted to play a dumb game.

Damn him.

The rules she’d made about them being casual could be fudged. Didn’t he know that? Didn’t he care?

Annoyed, she decided to call
him
for a change.

He answered on the third ring. “Yo?”

“Hey, Flynn. It’s Maddie.” No reason for her to sound so breathy, or nervous.

“Hi, Maddie. What are you up to?”

Monday night. They both had work the next day. But she couldn’t think of anything but Flynn. “Not much. I was wondering if you wanted to play cards tonight instead of later in the week. That is, if you don’t have to get to bed early or anything. I’m bored.”

Stark raving loony.

“Well, I was going to turn in.”

It wasn’t even nine!

“But I wouldn’t mind a game. Why don’t I swing by and pick you up?”

“Sure. See you soon.” She ended the call and hustled to get ready. In ten minutes, she wore her best sexy underwear, a short skirt, and casual T-shirt with flip-flops. Slutty but comfy. She hoped she confused the hell out of him.

Abby yawned and walked out of her office wearing holey pajamas, her glasses perched on the end of her nose. “This book is friggin’ killing me.”

Maddie laughed at her. “You spent all day in jammies? You look like a little kid minus the blankie.”

Abby made a face. “So where are you going? I’d guess Flynn’s, but you two have been pretty cool lately.”

She wanted to pretend it didn’t matter, but she couldn’t fool Abby. “He’s driving me
nuts
. One minute he’s making me see stars, then he’s all huggy-feely and friendly. I slept all over him last week. And I do mean slept. The man didn’t even try to cop a feel.”

Abby bit her lip, but Maddie could see the grin.

“What the hell are you laughing at?”

“Maddie, you told the man you didn’t want a boyfriend. He’s giving you what you want. I don’t see the problem.”

Furious because Abby was right, Maddie didn’t know what to say. Then Flynn’s headlights shone through the front window. “I’m fixing the problem right now. See you in a few hours.”

Abby shook her head. “Dealing with you makes my head hurt. I need more coffee and characters who actually listen to me.”

Maddie left Abby still muttering to herself. She jumped in Flynn’s truck and smiled at him. She smelled a hint of cologne. He wore sexy jeans and a button-down shirt. Ha. She had him. Going to bed early, hmm? Then why did he suddenly look like a man out to impress his girlfriend? For once, the thought of being his girlfriend didn’t bother her. That Flynn wanted to look attractive satisfied her wounded heart.
Pride.
Wounded
pride
, she corrected herself in a hurry.

His gaze lingered on her legs. “Nice skirt.”

“Thanks.”

He pulled out of her driveway and drove them to his apartment in record time, telling her about his newest job. “So the guy thinks he’s Mr. Fix-It, and the wife is behind him shaking her head frantically, panicked the dude will actually try to take on the shower installation by himself. Brody talked him off the ledge while I started working.” He laughed. “But we had to let the guy help fit some pipes together, so he can later claim he worked on his home project.”

She loved his smile, the firm lips that curved when he grinned, the warmth in his gaze as he shared part of himself with her. Dopey reactions to a plumbing story, but she’d missed the guy.

“We’re here.” He parked and helped her out of the truck. “Nice flip-flops.”

She wouldn’t be caught dead in them in public, but she didn’t want Flynn to think she’d dressed up just for him. “They’re comfortable. So are the shirt and skirt. Feel.” She put his hand over her belly and rubbed.

He didn’t speak. His large palm curved around her abdomen and squeezed her side, and she thought she had him. Instead, he pulled away and cleared his throat. “Yeah, soft.”

She followed him out of the garage and up the stairs to his apartment, dying to see if he had an erection. Her panties already felt damp, and she knew her nipples showed through her thin T-shirt and bra.

Once inside his apartment, he closed and locked the door behind them. “Drink?”

“A beer if you have one.”

He looked surprised. “Yeah. Let me get it.”

A glance at his front showed him aroused before he turned.

Bingo.
More than pleased, she twirled a lock of hair around her finger, knowing she looked damn good. She joined him at his kitchen island. “Been busy?”
Is
that
why
you
haven
’
t picked up your phone to actually talk to me?

“Yeah.” He took a bottle from his refrigerator, opened it, and put it in front of her. “Last one.”

“We can share.”

His gaze moved from her eyes to her mouth, then lower to her breasts, where it settled. Until she put the bottle to her lips. She opened her mouth and took a swallow, watching him watch her drink.

His lips parted, and he licked them.

“Thirsty?” She offered him the beer.

“Hell yeah.” He downed half the bottle before putting it down. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

She played innocent and frowned. “Doing what?”

“Sucking that bottle like it’s my dick. Wearing that short little skirt, teasing me with that ass. And those breasts. I can see your bra through the shirt, Maddie. Fuck. I’m hard and hurting. You going to make it better before we
play
cards
?”

“Look. It’s been two weeks. I have needs, you know.” She walked around the counter and moved right into his personal space. She toyed with the button in the middle of his chest. “Would you rather I went somewhere else to satisfy them?”

His eyes narrowed. Before she could say another word, he turned her around and bent her over the counter of the island. His hands ran from her knees up her legs to her thighs. He paused and leaned over her to whisper in her ear, “You need a good fuck, don’t you?”

She had a hard time catching her breath, lost in her desire to feel him again. “Yes.”

“Shoot, Maddie. All you had to do was say so.”

“Right. You barely called me for two weeks.”

“So you called me.”

She should have been more suspicious of the satisfaction in his voice, but his hands continued their ascent. He lingered over her ass and explored her flesh.

“God. You’re wearing lace. Not for long.” He pushed up the skirt and pushed her panties down her legs. “Kick them off and spread your legs.”

She moaned, so wet and needy she thought about begging him to hurry. But did he need her as much? Or had he satisfied his lusts with someone else? The thought pissed the hell out of her.

“You don’t seem too eager to me,” she said, sounding out of breath. “Maybe you’re not ready to give me what I need, too busy giving it away to someone else.”

He smacked her ass and rubbed the sting away. Then he did it again, and she let out a small cry. “Oh, that’s nice. Don’t worry, Maddie. I’ve been too busy with work to fuck my way through the city.” He laughed, but the gritty chuckle sounded mean. “Not that I would, not with this waiting for me.”

He flipped her over, so that she lay with her back against the island, facing him. “Take off your shirt. Let me see those tits.”

When he talked like that, she saw his control erode, and it turned her on even more. She pulled her shirt over her head but paused when his lips tickled her navel.

“I said off. The bra too.”

She tossed the shirt but had trouble unfastening her bra. Flynn didn’t move to help.

She finally unfastened it, and he pounced.

Flynn yanked her bra away and latched on to her breast with a groan. He sucked and nipped, teasing with long draws of his lips.

On the verge of orgasm from his touch, she shifted under him, wanting more.

He let her go and stared down at her as he pinched both nipples. “Greedy girl. You hungry, Maddie? Want something more?”

So aroused, so incredibly moved by this man who looked at her with such intensity, she couldn’t speak. She’d never been so turned on her in life.

“Get on your knees and suck my cock. Get me nice and wet.” He stepped back and watched through hooded eyes as she sank to her knees on the cold, hard tile and unbuttoned the fly of his jeans. He pulled something out of his pocket and put it on the counter near him. A condom.

She smiled and watched as his long, hard shaft sprang free from his jeans. No underwear for Flynn tonight. Oh yeah, he’d been wanting her as well.

She settled her lips over him and gladly drew him deeper. His hands tangled in her hair, gripping not too hard, but with control. She moaned at the thought and sucked him, licking as she bobbed over him.

“Yeah. That’s it. Get me so hard, so I can fill you, Maddie. Yeah, just you. Two fucking weeks of waiting. Little witch.” His hoarse moans encouraged her to take him deeper into her throat. She scratched his thighs through his jeans and knew he felt it when he thrust faster.

Then he pulled out and let go of her hair. He yanked her to her feet and bent her over the island, belly down, while donning the condom. The cold granite under her breasts stimulated her anew, and she writhed, needing him inside her.

Flynn nudged her ankles, spreading her wider. He bunched her skirt up around her waist. Then he was there, shoving hard up inside her. So thick and hot as he fucked her without mercy, not stopping for anything.

“Oh God. Yes. Flynn,
yes
.” She didn’t need anything but him, bumping that spot deep inside her that sent shock waves through her body. She’d never come without stimulation to her clit, but she was on fire. He thrust deeper and swore, and she came, an explosive melding of heart and body she couldn’t describe.

His groans told her he’d reached his own orgasm, and knowing she’d brought him such pleasure only increased her own.