overly large breasts. She wanted to die just thinking about it. Maddie wished she could either disappear or find a way to make Mac McCarthy and his big, hulking presence go away.
She opened her eyes. Still there. Still hovering. Still gorgeous. "You don't have to hang out," she said. "I can take it from here."
"I'll see you home."
"That's not necessary."
"It's my fault this happened—"
" I hit you ."
"Because I stepped in front of you."
"You got hit by the bike, Mac?" Libby asked, turning to him. "Let me see."
Mac turned his leg to show a huge bruise forming on his calf.
Both women gasped.
"It's nothing." Mac stood and put his backpack on. "If you're ready," he said to Maddie, "I'll take you home."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"I'll carry you."
"What if I live on the other side of the island?"
"I'll get a cab."
"I don't need you to take custody of me! I'll figure something out the same way I always do."
Mac leaned in so his face was inches from hers. "You're injured because of me, and I'm going to help you. Now, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. What's it going to be?"
The air crackled between them as they stared each other down.
"You've got a lot of your mother in you, huh?"
He glowered at her. "Now you're just being mean."
"I've, ah, got to get back to work," Libby said. "Come in for lunch while you're home, Mac."
"I will. Thanks for your help, Lib," Mac said without looking away from Maddie.
When they were alone, Maddie said, "You think just because you're a mighty McCarthy everyone has to do what you say, don't you?"
"I don't know what my family has done to piss you off, but since I haven't lived here in almost twenty years, I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with me."
She attempted to cross her arms in impatience and grimaced at the pain that radiated from her elbow. For a brief, sickening second, she wondered if she had broken it. Then it finally gave way and bent the way it was supposed to. All she could think about was how much money this lost day of work was going to cost her, if it didn't cost her the job itself.
"What's it going to be? I can stay right here all day." He leaned against the edge of Libby's desk. "I'm on vacation."
Oh! He's so sanctimonious and infuriating! "Fine! If you have some sort of macho need to see this through to the gruesome finish, you can take me home, but for the love of God, take me out the back door so I'm not any more of a public spectacle."
"Fine."
"Fine."
Mac scooped her up and gave her a moment to get her injured arm and leg settled. "Okay?"
"Yeah," she said, releasing a long deep breath.
While she once again hid her face against his faded yellow T-shirt, he carried her through the lobby and out the back door. He smelled of sporty deodorant and laundry detergent, and his steady heartbeat echoed in her ear. Too bad he was a McCarthy. Otherwise, she might be tempted to forget about her no-men-ever-again policy.
Maddie directed him through a series of pathways behind the buildings that made up downtown Gansett.
"I used to play cops and robbers with my brothers back here."
"I used to drag trash bags heavier than I was to the Dumpsters when my mother worked at these places." She let her gaze travel up over the strong column of his neck to focus on his jaw, which seemed tense. Maddie wondered what it would be like to trail her lips along his whisker-sprinkled jaw…
He glanced down to catch her studying him. "What?"
Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. "Nothing." After a long pause, she said, "Your leg has to be hurting. Why don't you put me down? I can walk." He surprised her when he did as she asked. The sudden weight on her injured knee sent pain shooting through her, and she cried out from the shock of it.
"Have we proven that you could use a lift?"
A surge of nausea took her breath away. "Yes," she whispered. "Please."
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, surprising her again with the tender gesture. "I'm really sorry
She opened her eyes. Still there. Still hovering. Still gorgeous. "You don't have to hang out," she said. "I can take it from here."
"I'll see you home."
"That's not necessary."
"It's my fault this happened—"
" I hit you ."
"Because I stepped in front of you."
"You got hit by the bike, Mac?" Libby asked, turning to him. "Let me see."
Mac turned his leg to show a huge bruise forming on his calf.
Both women gasped.
"It's nothing." Mac stood and put his backpack on. "If you're ready," he said to Maddie, "I'll take you home."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"I'll carry you."
"What if I live on the other side of the island?"
"I'll get a cab."
"I don't need you to take custody of me! I'll figure something out the same way I always do."
Mac leaned in so his face was inches from hers. "You're injured because of me, and I'm going to help you. Now, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. What's it going to be?"
The air crackled between them as they stared each other down.
"You've got a lot of your mother in you, huh?"
He glowered at her. "Now you're just being mean."
"I've, ah, got to get back to work," Libby said. "Come in for lunch while you're home, Mac."
"I will. Thanks for your help, Lib," Mac said without looking away from Maddie.
When they were alone, Maddie said, "You think just because you're a mighty McCarthy everyone has to do what you say, don't you?"
"I don't know what my family has done to piss you off, but since I haven't lived here in almost twenty years, I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with me."
She attempted to cross her arms in impatience and grimaced at the pain that radiated from her elbow. For a brief, sickening second, she wondered if she had broken it. Then it finally gave way and bent the way it was supposed to. All she could think about was how much money this lost day of work was going to cost her, if it didn't cost her the job itself.
"What's it going to be? I can stay right here all day." He leaned against the edge of Libby's desk. "I'm on vacation."
Oh! He's so sanctimonious and infuriating! "Fine! If you have some sort of macho need to see this through to the gruesome finish, you can take me home, but for the love of God, take me out the back door so I'm not any more of a public spectacle."
"Fine."
"Fine."
Mac scooped her up and gave her a moment to get her injured arm and leg settled. "Okay?"
"Yeah," she said, releasing a long deep breath.
While she once again hid her face against his faded yellow T-shirt, he carried her through the lobby and out the back door. He smelled of sporty deodorant and laundry detergent, and his steady heartbeat echoed in her ear. Too bad he was a McCarthy. Otherwise, she might be tempted to forget about her no-men-ever-again policy.
Maddie directed him through a series of pathways behind the buildings that made up downtown Gansett.
"I used to play cops and robbers with my brothers back here."
"I used to drag trash bags heavier than I was to the Dumpsters when my mother worked at these places." She let her gaze travel up over the strong column of his neck to focus on his jaw, which seemed tense. Maddie wondered what it would be like to trail her lips along his whisker-sprinkled jaw…
He glanced down to catch her studying him. "What?"
Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. "Nothing." After a long pause, she said, "Your leg has to be hurting. Why don't you put me down? I can walk." He surprised her when he did as she asked. The sudden weight on her injured knee sent pain shooting through her, and she cried out from the shock of it.
"Have we proven that you could use a lift?"
A surge of nausea took her breath away. "Yes," she whispered. "Please."
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, surprising her again with the tender gesture. "I'm really sorry
Similar Books
Taken by the Enemy
Jennifer Bene
Posh and Prejudice
Grace Dent
The Journal: Cracked Earth
Deborah D. Moore
Owned by the Badman (Russian Bratva #1)
Hayley Faiman
On His Terms
Rachel Masters
Playing the Game
Stephanie Queen
Special Forces Savior
Janie Crouch
Corruption (Grumpy Old Wizards Book 2)
John O'Riley
The Left Behind Collection: All 12 Books
Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins
The Last of the Wise Lovers
Amnon Jackont