by Marie Force
Still babying her injured hand, Maddie got Thomas fed, bathed and into his pajamas before she put him in his crib with some toys while she took a quick shower. Not that she was hoping anything would happen or anything, but she shaved her legs. Just in case. Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted something to happen!
When Mac pretended to be her husband and Thomas's father, he'd won over the last reluctant corner of her heart. She was sunk. How could she resist a guy who was not only capable of that kind of quick thinking but who also had a protective streak a mile wide? That didn't mean she wasn't still worried about a lot of things. But tonight she wasn't going to think about any of them. Tonight she was going to enjoy the first real date she'd had in years with a wonderful, sexy man who seemed to be wild about her.
Glancing down at the evil-looking scab and bruises on her leg, Maddie grimaced. Just what she needed on a night she was hoping for a little romance. She dried her hair until it fell thick and shiny to her shoulders. After smoothing fragrant lotion onto her entire body, she applied the barest bit of makeup and put on some of the new underwear she'd bought earlier. It was nice for once to wear a feminine bra, even if it didn't offer the same level of support. Tonight she didn't care. She cut the tags off a new white eyelet top cut lower than she normally wore and slid into a black miniskirt that came to mid-thigh. In the back of her closet, she found a pair of black high-heeled sandals.
She felt ready. She felt sexy. She felt nervous as hell. Placing a towel over her shoulder to protect her shirt, she lifted Thomas out of his crib and took him into the living room for a snuggle. If anything could calm her nerves, he could.
"We saw your father today, buddy."
His face scrunched into his adorably serious expression. Sometimes Maddie thought he could understand her every word. She couldn't wait to have a real conversation with him.
"I know you might think it's wrong that I didn't tell him about you, but he kept some important information from me, too. I don't think he's the kind of man we want in your life if he lies so easily, you know?"
Thomas reached for her hair and gave it a gentle tug.
"Does Mommy look pretty? I want to look pretty tonight. Let me ask you something—what do you think of Mac? Tell me the truth."
The baby let loose a gurgle and flashed a gummy smile full of new teeth.
"Figures. You guys all stick together." Maddie raised the baby so he could balance on his chubby legs. "He is pretty awesome, though, don't you think? He likes you a lot, too."
Thomas bounced up and down on his rubbery legs as a blob of drool ran down his chin.
Maddie blotted his face. "His sister Janey is coming over to play with you for a little while before bed. Will you be good for her so Mommy can have some fun tonight?"
More gurgling.
"Thanks, pal. I appreciate it."
When she heard Mac's motorcycle in the driveway, her heart skipped into overdrive. "Here he comes," she whispered.
Thomas let out an excited squeal, and Maddie was sure he recognized the sound of the bike by now. Her son was getting attached to their new friend, which pleased and scared her at the same time.
Mac came bounding up the stairs as if he couldn't wait to get to them. "Hey," he said as he came in the door. "Y'all ready for bed, big guy?" He leaned in to kiss the bouncing baby's wet cheek and then glanced at Maddie. His eyes widened. "Wow. You look gorgeous."
"Thanks," she said, her face heating.
He seemed to have trouble taking his eyes off her. "I just need to grab a quick shower. Janey will be here soon."
"I'm ready when you are." It was all so domestic, Maddie thought, as she watched him disappear into the bathroom. Her at home with the baby until Daddy gets home from work. A nice fantasy, that was for sure, and one she'd never pictured for herself until a sexy, thoughtful, decent guy knocked her off her bike. She wondered if that "accident" would turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to her.
"What do you think?" she asked Thomas.
"Does he talk back to you?" Janey asked from outside the screen door.
Maddie laughed and waved her in. "Not yet, but soon, I hope."
"Hey, little man," Janey said, reaching for the baby.
Thomas went to her but kept a wary eye on his mother.
"Look what I found on the way over." Janey produced a soft lamb and held him up for Thomas to see.
He studied the toy in his usual serious way.
Then Janey took hold of a loop attached to the lamb, and the baby smiled at the "Mary Had a Little Lamb" tune.
"That's adorable, Janey," Maddie said. "Where did you get it?"
"My friend owns Abby's Attic."
"Oh, I love that store!"
Mac emerged from the bathroom wearing a towel around his waist. "Forgot clothes," he said with a sheepish grin. "Hey, Janey."
His sister shielded her eyes. "Eww, put something on, will you?" To Maddie, she said, "See what I grew up with? It was like living in a freaking locker room."
Maddie's gaze roamed over Mac's muscular physique. "Mmm," she said, licking her lips. "Must've been a terrible hardship."
Gripping a handful of clean clothes, Mac flashed her that irrepressible grin and went back into the bathroom to get dressed.
"Damn," Janey said, laughing. "You two have a bad case of it, huh?"
"So it seems." Maddie sighed. "I'm probably cruising for disaster, but I can't seem to help myself."
"He's the best, Maddie. And I'm not just saying that because he's my big brother."
"So you wouldn't mind if we, you know…"
"I might've, before I got to know you, but now it seems you're just what he needs."
Touched, Maddie looked at Mac's sister with new appreciation. "Too bad your mother doesn't think so."
"Don't let her get to you. We just ignore her when she gets unreasonable."
Maddie smiled. For the second time that week, she felt like she might be making a new girlfriend, and both of them were thanks to Mac.
"Are you ladies talking about me?" Mac asked when he emerged from the bathroom wearing a navy blue polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts.
"Get over yourself," his sister said. "We have much better things to talk about than you."
Mac stuck his tongue out at her and reached for the baby. "I need a minute with my little buddy before we go." He swung him around in circles that had the baby squealing with delight.
"Don't get him all fired up for Janey," Maddie said. "While they're playing, let me show you where everything is."
"Sounds good."
As they were leaving a few minutes later, Thomas began to cry.
Mac put his arm around Maddie on the way down the stairs. "He'll be fine."
"What if he isn't? What if he gives her a hard time all night?"
"We'll call and check in a little while. If it's not going well, we'll come home."
Maddie looked up at him. "You wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not." He kissed her softly. "Whatever it takes to make sure you have a good time." He reached for the denim jacket he'd told her to bring and draped it around her shoulders. "You'll need that." Taking her hand, he led her to the bike and reached for the helmet.
"We're going on that?"
"Is that okay?"
Maddie eyed it with trepidation, thinking of her healing wounds.
"You'll be perfectly safe. I promise."
"I'm wearing a skirt."
"It's dark. No one will see a thing—except for maybe me, and that's more than fine with me."
Smiling at his irreverence, she said, "I've never been on a motorcycle."
"Then you're in for a treat." He helped her into the helmet. "You'll love it."
"I'm glad I bothered to do my hair," she said dryly.
"It'll bounce right back." Tipping his head, he pressed a kiss to her neck. "You look amazing, and you smell even better." He adjusted the strap under her chin and helped her onto the bike. Sliding on in front of her, he said, "Hold on
as tight as you can."
Maddie laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "I can see right through you, McCarthy."
"Tighter," he said with a chuckle.
As she flattened her hands against his taut abs, she discovered he didn't have an extra ounce on him. With her legs snug against his hips and her hands flat against his belly, Maddie wanted to purr with contentment.
He started the bike and headed down the driveway.
Going by Tiffany's deck, Maddie noticed the glow of a cigarette, which lit her sister's face and illuminated her disapproval. Maddie turned away, refusing to let anyone ruin this night for her.
Chapter 10
They took the long way around the south side of the island on their way to Dominic's, an Italian restaurant located off the main drag. Maddie loved being on the motorcycle and was impressed by the skillful way Mac operated it. They leaned into turns as if they'd been riding together for years, and when they finally parked, Maddie took off the helmet and shook out her hair.
"Well?" he asked. "What'd you think?"
"I loved it."
"I did, too."
She looked at him, perplexed. "You do it all the time."
"Not with you pressed against me. That was the best ride ever."
She couldn't believe the stuff he said to her!
Before they went any further, he called Janey and confirmed that Thomas was doing just fine.
"That's a relief," Maddie said. "Thanks for checking."
"No problem. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. Is it okay with you?"
"I've heard it's expensive."
"I don't care about that."
"You're not even working right now. How can you not care?"
"Honey, I'm a partner in the business. I get paid whether I work or not."
"That must be nice."
"It doesn't suck."
Maddie laughed, and he put his arm around her shoulders to lead her inside. "Does my hair look okay?"
"You're gorgeous. Every guy in there will be envious of me."
Could he be any more outrageous? "Right."
Inside, they were led to a table in the middle of the big busy dining room. Mac held her chair for her and then sat to her left rather than across the table. It pleased her that he wanted to sit so close to her, but Maddie felt the eyes of everyone in the room focused on her as heat crept up her neck to settle in her face.
"What's wrong?" Mac asked.
"Everyone is looking at us."
"They're wondering how I managed to get such a beautiful woman to have dinner with me."
Maddie shot him a withering look. "Sure they are." She took a drink from her glass of ice water. "Want to know what they're really thinking?"
He reached for her hand and linked his fingers with hers, sending a clear message to anyone who was watching. "I couldn't care less."
And just like that, he diffused her anxiety. Why did she care? "It must be nice to go through life not giving a thought to what anyone thinks of you."
"I've had it a bit easier on that front than you have."
When the waiter returned to the table, Mac perused the wine list and ordered a bottle of red. "Is there something else you'd rather have?" he asked Maddie.
"No, wine is fine. Thank you."
"Very good," the waiter said. "I'll be right back to take your order."
Maddie scanned the menu and didn't see a single entree for less than thirty dollars.
"What looks good to you, hon?" Mac asked.
"I'm not really that hungry. I'll probably just go with soup."
"Oh, come on. You can do better than that."
"Really, that's all I want."
He put down his menu and leaned in close to her. "What's the matter, Maddie?"
Her face once again heated with embarrassment. That had happened more since she'd known him than in her whole life before him. "The prices are ridiculous," she whispered.
"Maddie, honey, please. Have whatever you want."
"I could live for two weeks on what this one meal will cost."
"Would you rather go somewhere else?" He brought her hand to his lips. "I want you to have a good time tonight. I don't care where we go."
"I'm sorry. You're trying to do something nice, and I'm ruining it."
"You're being practical, and I'm being frivolous."
"I can't help it. I haven't had much of a chance to be frivolous."
"Would you mind letting me spoil you a bit? Just for tonight? Pick something fabulous that makes your mouth water just reading about it—and don't look at the cost."
"I don't know if I can do that."
"Then I'll do it for you." He flipped open the menu. "You've told me you love shrimp. How about the scampi?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Too garlicky."
"What if I have it, too? Then we'll both stink when we make out later."
Maddie laughed even as his words filled her with edgy anticipation. "What are my other options?"
"Seafood fra diavolo."
"What's in that?"
Mac read the description of the spicy pasta dish that included clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp.
"That does sound good. Is it under fifty dollars?"
When he raised a dark eyebrow, he went from sexy straight to rakish. "We're not looking at that, remember?"
He had a way of making everything fun, even her freak-outs about money. "I don't know how you do it," she said with a sigh.
"Do what?"
"Talk me down off the ledge without breaking a sweat."
"I just want you to be happy. I don't care what I have to do to make that happen."
"You really don't, do you?"
Without taking his eyes off hers, he shook his head. "Whatever you want. Whenever you want it."
"I still can't believe you feel that way about me. I'm finding it hard to get used to."
"Well, you need to get used to it. It's here to stay."
"How can you possibly know that after just a few days?"
"I told you. I knew after a few minutes."
Their waiter returned with the wine Mac had ordered and went through the ritual of uncorking it and giving him a sample. Maddie watched him as he tasted it, nodded his approval to the waiter, and ordered dinner for both of them. Clearly, he'd done this a few times.
"The food here is unreal," Mac said when their calamari appetizer was delivered.
"It should be for what it costs," she muttered.
Mac laughed and fed her a ring of fried squid. "So I was thinking…"
Maddie eyed him warily. "About?"
"Tom."
"What about him?"
"You said Thomas's father was a writer. You didn't say he was Tom Wilkinson, the bestselling author."
"Did I forget to mention that?"
"You know you did. But what I don't get is why you'd let him get away with what he did when he could make life so much easier for you and Thomas."
"Because I'd never want to risk him trying to take Thomas away from me. What if he decided he couldn't live without his son? How would I fight back when he has the kind of resources he does?"
"I don't know too much about being an author, but I can't imagine he'd want people to know that he lied to you about having a vasectomy and then left you alone and pregnant with a text message to say good-bye. If I heard that, I wouldn't buy any more of his books, that's for sure."
Did he have any idea how adorable he was when he got so indignant on her behalf?
"What?" he huffed. "What's so funny?"
"You are."
"I'm serious, Maddie! It's ridiculous that you're worried about money when he could be supporting his son in high style."
"We don't need high style. We're managing just fine."
"It's not right."
"Maybe not, but I'd never risk losing Thomas. Besides, now he thinks I'm a happily married mother. I won't hear from him again."
Mac toyed with the stem on his wineglass. "How did it
feel?" His eyes met hers. "To see him again?"
"All I could think about on the ferry was that he'd take one look at Thomas and know he was his son." This time she reached for his hand and enjoyed the surprised expression that lit up his face. "But because of what you did, I'll never have to worry about that again."
"You think he bought it?"
She squeezed his hand. "I know he did. You may not realize this, but you saved me from one of my biggest worries today. I used to be afraid all the time that he'd show up at my door someday, and the jig would be up. But because I met you—because you knocked me off my bike and insisted on inserting yourself into my life—"
"Hey! You like having me around!"
Maddie bit back a laugh. "Because of all that and because you were so quick today, you made it so I don't have to worry about that anymore. And I appreciate it. More than you could ever know. If I hadn't been with you, he would've shown up at my door, and who knows what might've happened?"
"I don't want you to have to worry about anything or be afraid." He glanced down at their joined hands and then back up at her. "So you didn't feel, you know, attracted to him?"
Smiling at his concern, she said, "Not one bit. I seem to be rather attracted to someone else at the moment." She loved the befuddled look that crossed his face.
"What's his name?" he asked, attempting a stern tone that failed miserably.
"You don't know him."
"Oh, man!" He clutched his chest, pretending she'd stabbed him. "She giveth and she taketh away!"
Watching him—playful, sexy, generous, solid—Maddie realized that despite all her best efforts to resist him, she'd fallen as hard for him as he seemed to have fallen for her. Now she had to decide if she was willing to risk everything to see where he could take her.
Mac and Maddie held hands as they left the restaurant. Sated after the meal, the wine, the conversation, he wanted to rush her home so they could be together. It was too soon. He knew that, yet he also now knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Unlike any woman he'd ever known, she made him breathless and anxious and edgy and nervous. He couldn't wait to get her back on the bike, to have her wrapped around him, to have her legs tight against his hips and her breasts flat against his back. Good thing she hadn't seen what having her close to him like that had done to him earlier. She'd never trust him to keep the bike on the road.
