“With our sex lives,” his dad finished for her, practically barking the words.
“It’s embarrassing seeing you live with three women,” his mother said.
Flynn thought it probably wasn’t the time to explain there was nothing going on with the Babes. They’d needed somewhere to have fun; he’d needed the distraction and asked them to stay. There were no multiple girlfriends. No group sex. In fact, no sex at all. Being in pain all the time didn’t exactly put him in the mood. Not to mention he’d been in and out of hospital for months. He knew he had a reputation with the ladies, but seriously asking him to perform after orthopaedic surgery was pushing it a bit far. He opened his mouth to confess about the women, saw the glares coming at him and decided no one was really in a listening mood. They were leaning more towards a ranting mood. So he kept the information to himself.
Jena glared at him. “Then there are your visits to the pub. Dougal is losing business because no one wants to eat around your entourage. You’re noisy, rude and disruptive.”
“Not to mention the town is overrun by bimbos,” Magenta said. “Every week brings a new wave of bleach-blonde stick insects with inflatable boobs. We’re tripping over them. They’re all here to vie for the honour of getting into your pants, probably for the money in your pocket, because it sure as hell couldn’t be for anything else.”
Flynn scowled at her as his brother high-fived his fiancée. It was painful to think he was stuck with her in his family for the rest of his life. She’d been a pain in his backside when she was a kid. She’d only gotten worse with age.
“It isn’t just the women,” Aunty Heather said. “You leave a trail of destruction wherever you go. There’s rubbish from parties. Women’s clothing hanging on bushes by the stream. One of your friends got drunk and drove through three fields taking out the fences. Fences people had to fix. It’s costly, time consuming and downright annoying to clean up after you.”
“I want to talk about the noise,” Jena told him. “We live on the other side of the field and we can still hear the racket you make. People shouting at all hours. Loud music. Car horns. It isn’t only Abby you affect with your wild behaviour, it’s all of us. And you don’t listen when people complain. Abby has spoken to you time and again. Matt has been over to your place several times and yet you haven’t changed one thing.”
Matt’s lips thinned. “I’ve been cutting you some slack seeing as you’re family. But from now on I’m going to arrest your hairy backside for disturbing the peace, littering, being naked in public—whatever I can come up with. You can have your film crew sit with you in your jail cell. I’m sure it will make great TV.”
“Okay.” Flynn barely managed to keep a lid on his temper. “I think I’ve had enough of this intervention. Thanks for making my morning memorable, but I’m done here.”
“We’re not done.” Matt put a hand on Flynn’s shoulder.
“Nowhere near done,” Jena added.
“We need to talk about the state you’re in,” Harry said. “You look like crap.”
That was pretty offensive coming from a guy who thought an Einstein T-shirt was high fashion. He sneered at his brother. Harry ignored him.
“You drink too much.”
“I haven’t been drunk in ages.”
“Not since your last DUI.” His father frowned. “At least you don’t have your licence back yet. One less thing to worry about.”
Flynn just stared at him. Talk about an overreaction. One DUI and everybody freaks out.
“You don’t shower,” Harry carried on. “And you’ve stopped buttoning your shirts. What’s with that? We don’t live in the Mediterranean. We’re in Scotland. Sure, it’s summer, but it’s still bloody freezing. It’s like you think you’re Matthew McConaughey. Or maybe the Hef thing is spot on. Are you going to start wearing pyjamas next?”
“And cover this?” Flynn looked down at his bare chest. “Abs like these shouldn’t be hidden.”
He’d thought it was funny. He’d even hoped the mood would lighten. It didn’t. There were groans of frustration.
Jena threw up her hands in disgust. “You aren’t listening to a word we’re saying. You really don’t care how you’re affecting your family and friends, do you?”
It was plain no one was willing to listen to anything he said. Flynn pushed to his feet.
“Thanks for the chat,” he told them as he headed for the door. “It was a blast. Let’s not do it again sometime.”
“That’s it? That’s your reaction? You’re just going to run away?” his dad barked.
“Run? I’d be ecstatic if I could run. No, Da, I’m just going to hobble away. Feel free to continue the character assassination once I’m gone.”
His dad started to bluster as he rose from his seat.
“Let him go,” Matt said. “I knew this was a waste of time. Flynn only cares about Flynn. And right now he’s too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice anyone else. I just hope he can live with himself when they take Abby’s kid from her.”
Flynn clenched his jaw at Matt’s words. To hell with him. To hell with all of them.
He stalked down the hall, threw open the front door and barrelled straight into Abby.
“Sorry,” she said as he caught her around the waist to stop her from stumbling.
Her cheeks were flushed as though she’d been running. Flynn’s fingers curled into soft flesh as he fought the urge to bury his nose in the crook of her neck and breathe deeply. He knew Abby’s scent would wash away the hour he’d spent being attacked. He knew it would bring him peace.
Big chocolate eyes looked up into his. “Did I miss the meeting?”
He snorted. “You mean the character bashing? Aye, you missed it.”
The look of uncertainty she gave him made him want to hug her close. She licked her rose-coloured lips. “Did they tell you I need help?”
“Mainly they told me to grow up. Then they detailed my humiliating and annoying behaviour, just in case I missed any of it while it was happening.” He clenched his jaw as the words from earlier swam through his mind. “But aye, they told me about your sister’s visit.”
Abby let out the breath she’d been holding. He noticed she hadn’t moved from his hold. He wondered if she even realised she was still wrapped in his arms. It felt natural for her to be there. It felt right.
“Why didn’t you just talk to me yourself? Why the three-ring circus?” He nodded behind him to his parents’ house.
She let out a frustrated sigh. “Would you have listened? I’ve been traipsing over to your place for weeks asking you to turn down your music and you never paid any attention.”
“I didn’t think you were serious.”
The look she gave him was half incredulity and half anger. “Really? That’s what you thought?”
He relaxed slightly at the sight of her passion. “Okay, maybe I didn’t want to take you seriously. Plus, I liked watching you tell me off in that prissy tone of yours.”
“Now that sounds more like it.” She stuck her nose in the air. Pleased she was right. It was cute.
“But this is different, Abby. You think I’d just ignore you asking for help with your sister? You think I wouldn’t care about someone wanting to take the terrorist from you?”
“Flynn.” She patted his chest above his heart, and he was suddenly sad that this was one of the few days he’d buttoned his shirt. He would have killed to feel her touch on his skin. “I know you don’t understand this, but I don’t really know you at all. Of course I thought you’d ignore me. You ignored everything else.”
He frowned down at her.
She cocked an eyebrow and it made him grin.
“This situation is different. Of course I’ll help you keep your kid.” He’d already decided he would. Which he would have told his damn, interfering family if they’d shut up long enough to listen.
Abby’s lips trembled, and he realised just how much she was holding inside. For someone who normally didn
’t notice other people’s feelings, the sudden insight into Abby’s fragile emotional state almost knocked him off his feet.
“Really?” she said quietly. “No more parties, loud music, cars and rubbish? No more half-naked women?”
He noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She’d tried to cover them with makeup, but they were still sorely out of place on her creamy skin. The circles bothered Flynn more than they probably should have. He traced one with his fingertip.
“No more noise. No more parties. No more Ball Babes. It’s done. I’ll be good. I won’t screw things up further for you and the kid.” I hope.
His body trembled slightly as panic hit him. This was insane. How the hell was he supposed to keep his word? What was he thinking? He felt Abby’s fingers clench on his chest as she leaned into him. Her relief was so obvious it made Flynn heady with the knowledge he’d done something right—for once.
“Good,” she said. “That’s good.”
He took a deep breath and gave her the rest of it. She deserved honesty. Even he knew that much. “You need to know, I’m not sure I can pull this off. But I’ll try.”
Wide eyes stared up at him. She blinked solemnly. “Just remember I own a set of very sharp chef’s knives and I’m not afraid to use them. Think about those if you’re tempted to backslide into debauchery.”
Flynn burst out laughing. Although he had a slight suspicion she wasn’t joking.
He was about to pull Abby closer when his younger cousin Megan raced up.
“Damn it, I’m too late. Have they told you off yet?” She stared between Abby and Flynn. “They have, haven’t they?” She faced Flynn. “It’s not too late. You need to hear my point of view too before you make up your mind about turning over a new leaf. I just wanted to say, whatever you’re doing, keep it up. In fact, feel free to get worse. You’re making me look good. I haven’t had any hassle at all from the family since you came back.”
“Megan!” Aunty Heather shouted with outrage, and the three of them snapped around to see they had an audience peering at them from the living room window. Great. Just what Flynn needed—more family interference.
“What?” Megan shouted back. “He needs to hear all sides of the argument so he can make an informed decision.”
Aunty Heather pursed her lips at Megan. Flynn figured his cousin had an intervention of her own to get through in the near future.
The door opened behind them.
“I take it from the fact you’re wrapped around Abby that you plan to help her out,” Matt said.
Abby jerked in his arms as though suddenly realising where she was. She took a step back, dropping her hands from him and leaving him cold.
“Thanks a lot,” he said to Matt.
“Flynn’s turning over a new leaf,” Abby said.
“Thank the Lord,” his mother said. “This calls for cake. I’ve got a chocolate one in the fridge. Who’s making tea?”
At the mention of chocolate cake, everyone rushed for the kitchen.
“Don’t screw this up,” Matt warned him.
Flynn’s fingers tingled with the urge to make fists as he looked at his cousin. “Soon as my leg is better, you and me are going to spend some time in the ring.”
“Bring it on, ball-boy. I’ll wipe the floor with you. Again.” With a laugh, Matt headed into the house, leaving Flynn alone with Abby.
Flynn glared after him.
“Thank you,” Abby whispered, bringing his attention back to her pale face.
Flynn jerked at the words. They made him feel something he’d never felt before. It took a minute to recognise what it was and when he did, he wasn’t pleased.
It was responsibility.
He felt responsible for Abby.
And the thought terrified him.
8
“Playing against a defensive opponent is just as bad as making love to a tree."
Jorge Valdano, former general manager of Real Madrid
Abby was sitting politely sipping morning tea, while Victoria quizzed Katy about her life. What she really wanted to do was rip out her sister’s hair and send her running back to mummy.
“So you don’t attend school?” Victoria said.
“No, silly,” Katy said. “It’s summer holiday. I start school after the holiday. I’m going to be in Jonathan’s class. He’s my best friend. He doesn’t like slugs, but worms are okay.”
“Your best friend is a boy?” One of Victoria’s eyebrows twitched upwards, and Abby wondered if Katy’s choice of friend was going to be a black mark against her too.
“Uh-huh. We met in kindy. He wants to marry me, but I don’t know if I want to marry him. He’s funny and entertaining, so I probably will. If I wait too long to decide I might end up with a naughty boy, and I don’t want that.”
Victoria seemed a bit too stunned to ask anything more. Fortunately for her, Katy didn’t actually need any encouragement to talk.
“Muma says I don’t need to get married if I don’t want to. She says I can do what I like, that I shouldn’t let Jonathan force me to do something I don’t want to do. I told her not to worry. I beat Jonathan in fights all the time. If he won’t listen to me, I’ll just punch him.”
“Katy!” Abby wanted to sink through the floor. This was exactly what she was worried about. She had no way to control what came out of Katy’s mouth. “What did I say about punching?”
Katy stopped just short of rolling her eyes. “I shouldn’t hit anyone. Ever. Unless I’m in danger.” She thought about it. “Isn’t it dangerous if someone wants to make you marry them?”
“I told you this before. No boy can make you marry him.”
“Uncle Matt made Aunty Jena marry him.”
“He did not.”
“Did too.” Abby put her fists on her hips. “It’s the only way he could keep her in Scotland. If he didn’t marry her he had to arrest her and put her in jail for being an eagle in-the-grunt.”
Abby’s shoulders slumped. This was not going well at all. “Illegal immigrant,” she corrected automatically. “It means someone who doesn’t have permission to live in this country.”
“See!” Katy folded her arms in triumph. “That’s why he made her marry him. If he didn’t, she’d have to go to jail.”
Victoria’s complexion paled as the conversation progressed. Abby caught her sister’s eyes and smiled in a way she hoped conveyed that children were cute but not to be trusted.
“I thought your husband didn’t have any family,” Victoria said. “I thought he was orphaned and grew up in foster care.”
“Jena’s my best friend. Matt is a police officer. The only one stationed in town.”
“She was here illegally?” Victoria’s nose rose at the thought.
“Accidentally. She hadn’t realised her visa had expired.” Mostly. Kind of. Mainly Jena hadn’t bothered to look into what kind of visa she needed when she moved to Scotland from America. And Matt had kind of bullied her into marriage. “Matt and Jena are very much in love,” she felt the need to add.
“They kiss all the time,” Katy said in disgust. “Muma kissed Mr Boyle the other day. She said it was an accident, but Jonathan said it means they have to get married now. Do I have to kiss Jonathan if I marry him?”
Kill me now! Abby looked towards heaven.
She gave Victoria a weak smile. “She’s five.” She really hoped the explanation was enough to cover everything pouring from Katy’s mouth.
“You’re romantically involved with your neighbour? The soccer player? The one who lives in a bus? The one whose influence caught mother’s attention?” The icy nature of Victoria’s tone made Abby want to burst into the song from Frozen. Let it go…
“No. Of course we aren’t involved. Children don’t always understand what they see.” She stood up. “Right. Time for your bath, Katy.”
“But I always have a bath after dinner,” she whined.
“You’re having yours before lunch today. Now upstairs right this second
.”
Katy grumbled and dragged her feet, but she did as she was told. Abby turned to Victoria.
“Lawrence mentioned you wanted to spend the afternoon in town. I hope you enjoy your visit.” In other words, please get out of my house.
“Yes.” Victoria stood. Today’s designer shift was grey silk. “I’d like to talk to some of the locals. Get a feel for the place.”
Dig up information on me, you mean. Abby smiled politely. “I’m sure you’ll find they are absolutely charming.”
Without a backwards glance at Abby, Victoria headed for her car completely unaffected by the devastation she’d wrought in her wake.
Abby rested her forehead against the cool wood of her front door. This was so much worse than she’d thought it would be. There was no way she could keep Victoria away from Katy, and there was no way she could censor Katy’s conversation. It was hopeless. They were doomed.
Being good sucked. Flynn had only been doing it for a couple of hours and he could already tell it wasn’t nearly as much fun as being bad.
“I don’t understand,” one of the Ball Babes whined. “Why do we have to leave?”
He’d been having this same argument with the three women for half an hour and his head was beginning to hurt. It wasn’t that they were stupid—one of them was on summer break from uni, where she studied physics, of all things. He considered the three wide-eyed bleached-blondes and hoped to hell the one studying physics never got near anything nuclear.
“I explained this, honey.” Flynn was seriously losing his patience. “I’m through partying. It’s time to concentrate on my recovery, and to do that, I need quiet.”
“We can be quiet,” Mindy said. At least he thought she was Mindy. The three of them had names that rhymed. Something like Mindy, Sindy, Bindy. Who the hell knew? Whatever it was, they probably spelled it with an i and dotted the letter with a little heart.
Bad Boy (Invertary Book 5) Page 7
