Bad Boy (Invertary Book 5)

by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

  Flynn pulled the plastic container out of the fridge. He popped the lid and inhaled. “Fettuccini?”

  “Do you care?” She banged around in a cupboard. Smacking pots together as though they’d offended her.

  “Nope.” He popped it in the microwave and leaned back against the counter. The position left him staring at Abby’s back. It was a fine back, topped by luscious shoulders and a silky-smooth neck. But it all paled in comparison with her well-rounded backside. A well-rounded backside he wasn’t allowed to touch.

  “You know, I’m pretty sure she’d like other colours if you encouraged them. Maybe some blue to break up the pink.”

  “Will you stop talking about the décor in Katy’s room? I don’t care about it. You don’t care about it. You’re just trying to drive me mad.”

  “Is it working?”

  Although she didn’t turn around, he could have sworn she clenched her teeth. The microwave dinged. Flynn took the tub of pasta to the other side of the counter from Abby, pulled out a stool, grabbed a fork and dug in.

  “Don’t you want a plate?” she snapped.

  “Does my lack of table manners offend you, your majesty?” He made a production of forking some pasta into his mouth.

  Her strangled scream of annoyance made him smile. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. It was the smile of a man pleased that someone was suffering alongside him.

  He ate as he watched Abby bang around the kitchen. Barely contained rage radiated from the woman. Every move he made, every sound he uttered, had her head snapping in his direction, a frown on her face. It was a matter of minutes before they gave in to the tension and ended up shouting at each other about nothing at all.

  This was stupid.

  Flynn couldn’t take anymore.

  As Abby thrust her hands into a sink full of soapy water, Flynn left his seat and came up behind her.

  “This is insane,” he said.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her tone was snippy.

  Flynn wrapped an arm around her, splaying his palm flat across her stomach. She froze.

  “What are you doing? We agreed. No more touching. Now isn’t the time.”

  “Our agreement isn’t working for me.” He covered her back with his body, feeling his temper ease slightly as her warmth seeped into him.

  “Flynn.” Her tone was a warning.

  “It isn’t working for you, either.” He used his free hand to pull her hair off her neck. Baring it to him.

  “We agreed.” It was an accusation. Her body still tense in his arms.

  “It was a stupid agreement. We’re going nuts here, snapping at each other when what we really want is to touch.” He kissed the curve where her neck met her shoulder and felt her shudder. “We need a new agreement, a new plan.”

  She didn’t speak, but he felt her heartbeat speed up under his lips.

  “How about we touch, but we keep it a secret until your sister is gone?”

  She stilled. Thinking. “Explain?” Her demand made him smile against the sensitive skin behind her ear.

  “We’ll have a secret affair. One that won’t interfere with everything else you need to concentrate on. We’ll get together in times like this. Times when no one knows and you don’t have to deal with your sister.”

  He felt her relax slightly under his touch. “I don’t know.”

  “We can’t stay away from each other. It isn’t working.”

  “We’ve only been trying for a day. For goodness’ sake. We only kissed—”

  “It shouldn’t be this hard,” he said, finishing the thought for her. “I know.”

  She sank into him and he knew he’d won. “Secret?”

  “Promise.”

  Abby reached for the towel near her and dried her hands. Flynn took the opportunity to kiss his way down her neck and across her shoulder.

  Slowly, she turned in his arms. Her hands fisted in the front of his shirt. “I’m worried I can’t think rationally because I’m being swamped by hormones.”

  Flynn blinked at her. “Hormones?”

  She nodded, totally serious. “Jena says I’m sexually frustrated, and women in my condition do stupid things.”

  Ah, the penny dropped. Flynn fought a grin. “And you think I’m one of those stupid things?”

  She let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t think straight around you.”

  He was pleased to know he wasn’t the only one. “You shouldn’t say that sort of thing to a man. It gives him too much power over you.”

  The look she gave him was pure innocence, tempered by hunger. “What will you do with all that power?”

  “Whatever you want,” he said. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

  Gently he ran his nose down the soft skin of her neck to her shoulder and nipped at the muscle. The tension seeped from her body. Her hands snapped up to hold his shoulders. Her head swayed, falling backwards. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time a woman had responded to his touch like Abby did. If any woman ever had.

  He pulled her tighter to him, feeling her softness against his body. Wanting her closer still. He placed slow, lazy kisses along her collarbone. Her eyes were dazed with need. Her gaze dipped to his lips. The tip of her tongue popped out to run along her bottom lip. He waited a beat, wondering what she would do. Her teeth nibbled her full bottom lip, making him groan. Slowly, her fingers curled into his shirt.

  “Kiss me?” she whispered.

  “Always,” he whispered back.

  The last thought Abby had before Flynn’s lips met hers was that hormones had a lot to answer for.

  Oh, but the man could kiss. His lips were soft and warm, yet firm and demanding. He had a way of taking control that, along with the strength of this body, made her crumble. She’d never felt like this before. The desire to surrender was strong. She ached to give herself over to Flynn and let him take her to heights she could only imagine.

  Whether it was hormones, newly awakened needs she thought had died with her husband or just the reaction to everything Flynn, she couldn’t say. And honestly, at that moment, she didn’t care what made her want him so desperately. And it was desperation she felt. With his arms around her, his strength keeping her in place, his musky scent invading her senses and his touch stealing her reason, there was no space for thought. There was only need.

  His tongue swept past her lips, dancing with her tongue. Mastering her. Claiming her with a kiss brutal in its relentlessness. When he pulled away, she felt weak, dizzy and alive. So alive.

  “We’ll hear her if she wakes, right?” He nodded to the monitor on the counter.

  Abby wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Her fingertips kneaded his biceps. Her gaze ran over the breadth of his shoulders and she sighed. She wanted to go up on tiptoe and nip at his strong jaw, but she couldn’t move. Her legs were jelly. As her gaze met his mouth she licked her lips. He chuckled softly and her eyes flew to his. They were dark, full of desire. And amusement.

  “Abby, sugar, will Katy wake up?”

  She blinked a couple of times before his words sank in. “She doesn’t usually.”

  “Will we hear her on the baby monitor if she does?”

  She frowned her confusion. He chuckled again. Abby didn’t care. She moved her palms to his chest and ran them over his muscles. Oh yeah. This was what she needed.

  “What I mean is,” Flynn said, his voice husky and low, “if I sit you on the counter and put my face between your thighs, is there any chance the kid will walk in on us?”

  Heat raced through her. Her cheeks became unbearably hot. David never said things like that to her. Ever. She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

  “You can’t say things like that,” she whispered.

  Flynn grinned, leaned forward and put his lips to her ear. “Yes, I can. And I will. I want my mouth on you. Tell me we won’t be interrupted. Let me make you come, Abby. Let me make you feel good.”

  Oh my. Abby slumped against him. Talking was hard.
Thinking was hard. She was swimming in a sea of sensation. Floating on desire. Flynn’s hand caressed her back, his fingertips tracing the line of her spine until he trailed over her rear. He cupped her behind and pulled her up to him. His mouth on her neck, kissing, sucking, nipping.

  “I’ll make it simple,” he murmured against her skin. “Answer yes or no. Will we hear Katy before she comes downstairs?”

  He nipped her neck again. Her mind went fuzzy. What was he asking? Katy? Hearing Katy.

  “Will we hear her, Abby?”

  “Yes.” It was a breathless whisper, but he heard it. His muscles stiffened.

  “Do you want to take this further?”

  Did she? Oh my goodness, yes. Yes. Yes. He laughed, a low, deep rumble.

  “I need to hear the word, sugar.”

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  He practically vibrated against her. Good. Oh so good. His mouth moved back to her ear.

  “Do you want me to lick you and taste you and make you purr?”

  Her knees gave out. “Yes!” It was a gasp.

  His hands clasped her face. She wrapped her fingers around his arms. The heat of his skin seared her. She stared into Flynn’s eyes. The colour was gone, replaced by the blackness of heat and desire.

  His smile was soft and secret, just for her. “It will be my pleasure, Abby.”

  And he kissed her. A deep, forceful, mouth-watering kiss. A kiss that stole the rest of her reason and left her alone with the dizzying sensations of his touch. One of his hands caressed her neck, across her collarbone and down to the curve of her breast. Without thinking about it, Abby arched her back in a silent plea for him to touch her there. Her breasts felt heavy, achy and desperate for his touch. He didn’t make her wait. His palm skimmed over her nipple and she shuddered. He swallowed the tiny moan that escaped.

  His touch was perfect. Firm, confident. It sent spikes of need straight through her body.

  “Please,” she whispered.

  “I’ll please you. You can count on it.” His mouth trailed over her throat.

  He rose to his feet. His hands grasped her waist. She found herself being lifted up to perch on the edge of the counter behind her. One of his hands covered her breast while the other cupped the back of her head. Abby felt herself being lowered backwards. Her back hit the cold marble of the countertop. Flynn’s hands were everywhere. Nipping, caressing, kneading. She felt limp. Dizzy.

  His mouth found her nipples and he took turns biting each of them through her shirt, making her press up into his touch. Her fingers twisted in his hair, pulling him closer. Needing more.

  He kissed his way down her stomach as his strong hands slid over the curve of her hips and along her thighs. She felt his hands on the waistband of her skirt. Skilled fingers found the concealed zipper. He tugged it, then slowly pushed her skirt over her hips to let it crumple on the floor. He hooked his hands behind her knees, pulled her to the edge of the counter and widened her legs. All at once she felt exposed. Insecurity made the desire recede.

  Flynn cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her lower lip, sincerity in his eyes. “You’re beautiful. Don’t worry.”

  “I…” She wasn’t even sure what she meant to say. It didn’t matter anyway, because Flynn stole the words from her mouth with his talented lips.

  “Please,” she whispered against his lips.

  “Shh, it’s going to be okay.”

  She felt the cool air on the warm skin of her thighs and stomach as Flynn kissed down her body. He went to one knee in front of her. She felt a gentle kiss on her most private place, the heat of his mouth searing her through the satin of her underwear. Abby gasped. Her hands needed something to grasp. She wound her fingers through his unruly hair. She felt thumbs hook into the sides of her underwear and then it was sliding down her legs.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured.

  She felt his breath against her sensitive flesh. Followed by the warm pressure of his tongue. A gasp. A moan. Her world disappeared. Her head flew back. Her neck arched. Desperate pants filled the air as Flynn’s kisses intensified. Each stroke of his tongue was agony and ecstasy.

  “Please, please, please…” Her words were a whispered chant. She could have been saying anything. She didn’t care. All she cared about was Flynn and his touch. Her world had shrunk. There was only him.

  He sucked her hard, as his finger slipped inside her. Every muscle in her body clenched with tension. Desperate gasps were punctuated with throat-deep moans. And then it was too much. The sensations of his lips, tongue and touch melded together to push her over the edge. Her shoulders pressed into the hard counter as her hips flew up towards Flynn. Her fingers clenched in his hair. She saw stars burst. The coiling sensation building in her body snapped as her muscles spasmed and flexed. As her moans turned to gasps. As ecstasy took over.

  Flynn kissed her throbbing flesh gently as Abby’s muscles collapsed and the world started to return. She felt him nuzzle her stomach before he placed a soft kiss on her belly button. She couldn’t open her eyes. She couldn’t speak. She lay there, replete. Relaxed. Satisfied.

  She heard Flynn chuckle above her and opened her eyes a crack to find him looking down at her. A smile on his face. His weight rested on his hands, either side of her hips.

  “Hi,” Abby said on a sigh.

  His eyes sparkled. “Hi yourself.”

  Abby blinked up at him. “Would you like a slice of lemon cake and some coffee?”

  And Flynn burst out laughing.

  21

  "I was saying the other day, how often the most vulnerable area for goalies is between their legs."

  Andy Gray, former Scottish national player

  Abby served lemon cake for an amused Flynn, excused herself and headed for her bathroom. Where she was currently hiding. It wasn’t mature and she wasn’t proud of her behaviour. She also didn’t plan to leave the room until Flynn ate his cake and went home. Yes, she was that pathetic.

  She sat on the toilet seat with her head in her hands. She didn’t even know where to begin sorting out her evening. She’d let Flynn… She couldn’t even think the words. And worse than letting him was the fact she’d wanted him to do it. No. She’d been desperate for him to do it. And. It. Had. Been. Mind-blowing.

  She groaned at her own stupidity. What about focusing on Victoria’s visit? What about waiting? Where was her common sense? Heck, she’d settle for any kind of sense at all. Common or otherwise. But no, there had been no sense. No protest. No nothing. He’d touched her, she’d melted and minutes later she was screaming his name. In. Her. Kitchen. With her baby asleep upstairs. With her sister in town to assess her. What kind of mother did that make her?

  No. She couldn’t think like that. Just because she was a mother didn’t mean she didn’t have needs or desires. It didn’t mean she stopped being a woman. Right? Yes. That sounded good. But on her kitchen counter? She let out another groan.

  “Are you going to stay in there all night, sugar?” Flynn’s lazy drawl made Abby jerk up straight. “As flattering as it is to listen to you wail and groan after I rocked your world, it’d probably be more productive if we talked about whatever crazy thing is going on in your overactive head.”

  Her elbow hit the porcelain sink and she gasped. Could this get any more mortifying? Maybe if she was really quiet, he would think she was somewhere else? Maybe.

  “Abby, I know you’re in there. Pretending you’re invisible isn’t going to work.”

  It was as though he could read her mind. She stared at the door. Panic made her mouth dry.

  “Abby? This is putting a serious dent in my ego. Usually woman run to me, not away from me. Especially when there’s screaming in ecstasy involved.”

  She gaped at the door. Could his ego get any bigger? It was then she heard the chuckle. He was teasing her by making fun of himself. That was…kind of sweet. She cleared her throat.

  “I think you should go home.” Her voice was strong, confident, unwavering
. It would have been really impressive if it hadn’t come from within a locked bathroom.

  “And I think you should come out of the bathroom.” He sounded amused. “Do you think that’s going to happen anytime soon?”

  Abby thought about it for a good long minute. “No, I think I’ll stay in here, thank you very much.”

  “Afraid you can’t keep your hands off me? I get it. It’s the same reaction a lot of women have. Trust me, I can fend you off if I have to. It’s safe to come out.”

  She heard the grin in his voice. “Stop being nice to me. I can’t handle it right now. I’m trying to figure out how we managed to break our agreement in under twenty-four hours. I’m trying to figure out how you talked me into letting you kiss me. There’s no space in my head for anything else.”

  “You let me do a whole lot more than kiss you, sugar. Do you need me to remind you what we did?”

  “No!” Her cheeks began to heat at the thought. The last thing she needed was him saying naughty things in that deep, husky voice of his. His voice was partly to blame for her current mess in the first place.

  He chuckled. “Come out of the bathroom, Abby. This is crazy.”

  Great, his reasonable attitude made her feel even more foolish. But she still couldn’t face him. She hung her head and closed her eyes.

  “I need time, Flynn. You’re the first man I’ve been physical with since my husband died. I thought he would be the last man I kissed. The last man who made me scream. The last man who held me in his arms while I came back to earth. This is a lot for me to process—even without adding the whole let’s-have-a-secret-affair thing.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I know I’m being an idiot, but I need time to think. Can you give me some time?”

  “Aye, Abby, I can give you time.” His voice was soft, low and unbelievably understanding. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Abby sat on the toilet for a long time after she heard his footsteps fade into the distance. She wondered who the real Flynn was. The egomaniac who oozed confidence, or the sweet man who reassured her? The guy who teased her or the man who seduced her? Maybe he was all of them? Maybe she’d underestimated Flynn Boyle? Maybe everyone did. She rubbed her temples before heaving herself to her feet and exiting the bathroom.