Flynn (The Love Family Series Book 3) (3 page)

Chapter 4

Flynn offered to drive Mia back to the hotel so she could pack her things and they could get her situated before that evening. She’d been hesitant getting in the car, but she lifted her chin and slid inside. Almost as if she was proving something to herself. The air between them was charged in a way he couldn’t pinpoint. A way that no other woman had ever made him feel.

He followed her up to her room and lounged on the patio, out of her way, looking down at the pool while she gathered her things and repacked her suitcase.

Flynn leaned against the railing, watching the surf roll onto the shore. “I don’t blame you for wanting to stay here,” he called out over his shoulder. “I would hate giving up this view, too, but trust me when I tell you that mine is just as great.”

He turned to find her leaning against the sliding glass door, her packed suitcase at her feet, fiddling with the necklace hanging around her neck. “I’ll just be glad to get settled somewhere.” She stepped out on the balcony. “You’re a smart guy. You do realize this is a terrible idea, right?”

“Don’t worry, Mia. I’m not going to sneak into your room. You’ve made it clear that I’m not your type.” The smile grew on his face. “Your brother warned me that you only date assholes.”

“Did he?” Mia spun around and picked up her suitcase. “Well, that would put you on the top of the list.”

Oh, she was going to be fun to play with. She gave as good as she got, and he’d just begun testing her limits and her resolve. Flynn moved to the door, holding it open, and took the suitcase from her hands. Winning her over would be a piece of cake, if she didn’t kill him in his sleep. This woman would be putty in his proverbial hands, and what better way to watch out for her than to watch her every move? 

****

Mia’s hair whipped around her face and into her mouth on the ride in Flynn’s Jeep. She didn’t have enough hands or a hat to keep it from attacking her head.  Flynn drove without a care in the world. By the time she got to his place, her hair would be one big hornet’s nest of tangles and she’d be in deep need of a shower to get rid of the dirt residue and salty air clinging to every pore in her skin.

“How far out do you live?” she hollered into the wind, unsure if he’d heard her.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

A few minutes turned out to be more like twenty. With each bend in the dirt road they were on, she worried if her little car could even make the trip up and down these roads or if she’d get stuck.

Flynn pulled into a long driveway that led to a two-story house and killed the ignition. “Home sweet home.”

He jumped out of the Jeep and grabbed her bag as she slid out of the passenger side. Her mouth parted as she stood and stared.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he approached her from behind.

“It’s beautiful.” She smiled and drew in a deep breath of fresh air. The landscape wasn’t anything she’d ever seen. The house was a hidden oasis, complete with a crystal blue lake in the backyard. There were in their own private jungle with wildflowers and nature surrounding them.

“I bet you were expecting something small and in town next to the action.” He jogged up the steps to the front door.  

“I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.” She paused on the porch. “Didn’t they say you have an efficiency apartment above the garage?”

Flynn grinned. “What they didn’t tell you is that I’m using it for storage since the plumbing doesn’t work.” He slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open, letting her walk in first. “The house is plenty big for the both of us. We’re even sleeping on different floors. My room is on the first floor, and the guest rooms are upstairs, so you’ll have all the privacy you need.”

“Flynn…I couldn’t possibly…”

“We’ll call it my penance for being a jackass.”

Flynn ignored her further protests and jogged up the stairs, leaving her words to fall on deaf ears. She was helpless to do anything but follow. She found him waiting outside one of the rooms on the backside of the house with the door open.

“I’m putting you in the upstairs master. I think you’ll be comfortable in here.”

She stepped into a room that was bigger than her apartment back on the mainland. It wasn’t the size that had her mouth dropping open; it was the floor-to-ceiling windows and doors that ran along the back wall. The blinds were open and she had a full view of the sun as it was dipping behind the horizon.

“Why isn’t this your bedroom?” She opened the sliding glass doors and stepped out onto the balcony. “If I lived here, I’d never leave.”

Flynn set her bag down and walked out on the balcony with her. He leaned over the railing and pointed below. “My room is beneath this one. I get antsy at night, and it’s just easier for me to step outside being down there. When I can’t sleep, I go for a swim. It helps me to relax.” He turned and leaned against the railing to look at her. “It’s just easier that way.”

She bit her lip when reality and common sense hit her. “I’m going to have to find another place. My car won’t be here for a week, and even then, I don’t think it will make it down that road. I think I’m better off at the hotel.” She held his gaze. “Maybe you should take me back.”

“Your car will be fine, trust me,” he said as he walked back into the room. “Let me give you the rest of the tour, and then you can get settled in. Come on…”

She followed him as he pointed out some of the things in her room. The master suite had a master bath with floor-to-ceiling tile. There was a separate shower that had several overhead sprays and a Jacuzzi bath tub that could host a party of four. Hell, he’d probably had orgies in that room.

Downstairs, he pointed out the kitchen and did a quick tour of where he kept the dishes.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but isn’t my presence going to throw a wrench in the whole bachelor angle you’re working? “

He chuckled without reply.

“My room is a replica of yours. But this is my favorite spot,” he said as he opened a door off the living room and stepped outside into a screened-in area. A hot tub sat in a darkened corner with candles around the rim.

“I’m sure it is.” She walked over and ran her hands through the warm water. “I bet you entertain a lot.”

“Are you basing that off of assumptions or your findings?”

“It’s a luxurious home.” She turned to find him watching her. “You have all the luxuries of a bachelor, and why wouldn’t you show it off? I’m sure you worked hard for this lifestyle.”

He gave a slow nod. “For a scientist, I would have pegged you for more of a person looking to discover the truth instead of using your imagination.” He frowned. “Why don’t you go get settled, and I’ll see if I can find my spare key.”

“Do cabs come out this far? I still have a week before my car is brought over.”

“You worry too much.”

“And you don’t worry enough,” she called out to his retreating back.   

****

Mia woke refreshed as the morning sunlight rose over the pond and caressed her cheek. She slid out of the bed, opened the balcony door, and stepped outside, resting her arms on the railing. She’d thought seeing the lake and surrounding forest was amazing at night. She was mesmerized by the sun-drenched colors around her. A smile formed on her lips as she scanned the area and noticed Flynn already out for a morning swim. He was like a piece of the ambiance, fitting in as if nature itself had invited him to play. He belonged here…and in another world, another setting, this would be her ideal place. She sighed and watched as he stepped out of the lake, grabbing his towel from the shore. He ran the cotton over his head and face and wiped it down his abs. He lifted his gaze to meet hers and a smile splayed across his lips.

“Good morning,” he called out.

“Do you always swim in the morning?”

“Morning, noon, or night. There’s nothing better. Take your shower and come down. I’ll fix you some coffee and breakfast and then tell you what I have planned for the day. Before you protest, which I know you were about to do,  I won’t take no for an answer.”

She hesitated briefly before giving in and watched him disappear back into his room. Stranded on an Island, with no transportation in the middle of paradise with Flynn, wasn’t a hardship. He was beautiful in the way that made a scientist want to study his body and face proportions. Mia took her time getting dressed and then headed downstairs. He’d said he had plans for them, yet her only goal was finding a place of her own, so she could finally get settled. She had only one week left before she had to show up at work, and she would need all that time to find a place and get her stuff shipped over. Time was ticking like a bomb.

She bounced off the last stair while sliding her phone into her back pocket before turning the corner into the kitchen, following the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Flynn stood in front of the stove, shoeless and shirtless, wearing nothing more than a pair of gym shorts as he cooked. Heat pooled in her belly as she watched the play of his muscles while he worked. She bit her lip and leaned against the doorway, taking a minute to allow herself this guilty pleasure of admiring him without his big mouth getting in the way.

“You like what you see?” he asked without turning around.

The moment fled when the first syllable left his delicious lips.

“I’ve seen better,” she lied and pushed off the doorframe, stepping into the kitchen. She started rooting around in the cabinets, looking for coffee cups.

He reached around her, opened up another door, pulled one out, and handed it to her, never missing a stride in what he’d been doing.

She made her coffee and leaned her hip against the counter, watching as he finished making scrambled eggs and bacon. “You know, this really is unnecessary. If you can just take me back to town, I can rent a car and get back to the hunt for my own place.”

“Why would you do that?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her for the first time. “Free room and board plus you get the added pleasure of seeing me every day.”

She grabbed a piece of bacon and walked over to the table. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re full of yourself?”

“All the time.” He grinned and slid the food onto two waiting plates and handed her one. “Mainly my family though. The women I date don’t seem to mind.”

“That says a lot about them and you.”

He smiled, sat down opposite her, and took a bite of his eggs. She watched, mesmerized, as he slid the tines of the fork out of his mouth. No man had ever had this effect on her. She was losing her mind, or more likely, more of her brain cells were evaporating the longer she stayed in his presence. Her IQ was dropping with every second that passed. It was official. She couldn’t stay.

“What’s the matter? You don’t like eggs?”

She shook the haze from her mind as her cheeks heated. “Eggs are fine.” She picked up her fork and stabbed some. “You must secrete an extra dose of pheromones. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

“Excuse me?” he asked as his lips tilted at the corners.

“The way you”—she waved her fork in the air toward him—“draw women in and hold their attention. That’s the only answer I can come up with. You should get that tested,” she mentioned nonchalantly, as if she’d been discussing his blood pressure.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

She swallowed her bite of eggs. “It is.”

“I haven’t had any complaints.” He bit into his bacon. “So…you find me irresistible, do ya? I can work with that. Maybe you aren’t as immune to my charms as you claim to be.”

“Oh, I am. Your charm takes a nose dive when you open your mouth and turn pompous.”

“Ouch.” He held his hand to his chest as if she’d stabbed him in the heart.

“Oh, don’t take it the wrong way. Some women are attracted to self-centered men who ooze sex appeal. It’s fascinating really. I’m sure I could pull up a hundred studies done on the phenomena.”

“But you’re not one?”

She shook her head and took another bite.

“And what if I told you I had brains to match the brawn?”

She tossed her head back and laughed, only stopping when she met his unamused gaze. “You’re serious?”

“Why do you have such a low opinion of me?”

Mia rested her fork on her plate, picked up her coffee, and took a sip while she pondered his question. “I guess because not only did you lose a bet with my brother, but you were also such an easy target at the bar. Men have a one-track mind when it comes to sex, and you might as well have had a sign on your forehead that flashed ‘one-night stand wanted’ in bright neon lights. I guess I expected my brother to pick someone more suited to my needs while I’m here.”

Flynn sat back in his chair and held her gaze. She could see the wheels turning in his head, yet he remained quiet for several seconds, which seemed like an eternity. For once since meeting him, she was hoping he’d get agitated and spit out another insult so they’d be even.

“And just what’s wrong with enjoying sex?”