Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-16 (Gansett Island Series) Read online

  She released a contented sigh and burrowed in closer, until her lips were pressed to his bare chest.

  Mac had never been happier in his life.

  In her dream, Maddie was falling. From where or what she didn’t know, but the falling sensation had her flailing for traction. She woke up suddenly to find her face pressed to a hard male chest. His now-familiar scent found its way through the sleepy fog in her brain.

  Mac.

  Where had he come from? She studied his strong, handsome face, slack with sleep, and wanted to kiss him all over. Had she ever felt that way about any man before? No. Never. He was so big and strong, and he held her just right. She couldn’t even think about the pain radiating from her arm and leg when she was so wrapped up in his embrace. But then she remembered all the reasons why this was a bad idea and began to work her way free of him.

  His arms tightened around her. “Stay,” he muttered, his voice groggy and sexy with sleep.

  “I can’t.”

  “Shh.” He kept his eyes closed as he combed his fingers through her hair. God, she loved when he did that. “Stay with me. I need you.”

  All the fight went out of her when he said those words. No one had ever needed her before. Only Thomas, and as wonderful as that was, it wasn’t the same as being needed by Mac McCarthy.

  Maddie didn’t exactly relax, but she stopped trying to get away from him.

  After a long period of silence during which she reveled in the feel of his fingers spooling through her hair, she said, “How was it today?”

  “Enlightening.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I see now why you think they’re bastards.”

  Maddie winced. “Mac, when I said that, I didn’t know—”

  “S’okay, honey. They treat you like crap, but that’s going to change.”

  “What’s going to change?” she asked, nervous about what he’d done.

  “You won’t get the worst rooms anymore.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Had a little talk with my mother. It’s all taken care of.”

  “You’re going to get me fired.”

  “They wouldn’t dare. Don’t worry about that.”

  “Libby mentioned a job today.” Maddie hadn’t even allowed herself to think about the possibility...

  Mac drew back so he could see her face. “What kind of job?”

  “Head of housekeeping at the Beachcomber.”

  “Really? That’s awesome, honey!”

  She wanted to remind him once again that she wasn’t his honey, but as they were lying in a bed together, it didn’t seem like the right time to mention it. “The woman who does the job now is retiring after this season. When Libby found out I’d worked at McCarthy’s for eight years, she offered me the job. It’s full-time, year-round, with benefits.”

  “Wow. What did you say?”

  “I told her I had to think about it.”

  “What’s there to think about? It would take care of a lot of your worries.”

  “She only offered it to me because of you.”

  “No way. Libby’s totally turned that place around. Remember how it was on the brink of bankruptcy ten or so years ago?”

  Maddie nodded.

  “Libby brought it back to life. In fact, not too many people know this, but the owners made her a partner two years ago.”

  “Good for her.”

  Mac linked his fingers through hers, careful as always not to touch her sore palm. “And good for you. If she offered you a job, it’s because you’re right for it.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Of course I do. I got a good idea of how hard you work today. Wouldn’t it be nice to make more money and not have to work that hard?”

  “It’d be different, that’s for sure.”

  “So you’ll do it?”

  “I have friends at McCarthy’s. People I’ve worked with for years.”

  “Nothing says you couldn’t hire them away to work at the Beachcomber.”

  Maddie smiled. “Then your mother would hate me even more.”

  “She doesn’t hate you.” He released her hand and looped a strand of her hair around his finger. “She just doesn’t know you very well. Yet.”

  “You aren’t really going to make me go there for dinner, are you?”

  “It’ll be fun.”

  “It’ll be torture.”

  “I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

  “Promise?”

  She couldn’t get over the way he looked at her, as if she was everything he’d ever wanted. How was that possible? The warmth she saw in his cool blue eyes made her heart flutter with desire. If this was one of her crazy dreams, she hoped she never woke up.

  “I promise.” He caressed her face for a long moment before he leaned in to touch a tentative kiss to her lips.

  Even knowing she could be making the biggest mistake of her life, Maddie reached for him. Even knowing if he left her the way the others had, she might never recover, she kissed him. Even knowing he had a power over her that she’d never given anyone before him, she caressed his tongue with hers and loved the groan that rumbled through him.

  Mac rolled them so he was on top of her and then froze, tearing his lips free of hers. “Oh, man. I’m sorry. I got so carried away I forgot for a second about your cuts.”

  “It’s okay.” She sank her fingers into his hair and brought his mouth back to hers. Suddenly, she was starving for more of the way he made her feel. She slid her good leg free of the sheet and hooked it around his much-longer leg.

  “Maddie,” he whispered, his lips hovering just above hers. “God, you make me so crazy.” Rocking against her, he drew a gasp from her and recaptured her mouth for the most carnal, sensuous kiss of her life. He used everything in his arsenal—tongue, lips and teeth—to devour her. She clung to him, certain that if she let go she’d be hurtled into space. Just when she thought she couldn’t bear the intensity of the desire he’d stirred in her for another second, he softened the kiss and destroyed her with tenderness.

  His lips sank into hers before moving over her face, her nose, her eyelids and then down to her neck.

  Maddie shuddered as sensation after sensation zipped through her, settling into a throb of desire between her legs. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her, but still the fear outweighed the desire.

  “I could kiss you forever,” he whispered, “and never get enough.”

  “You frighten me,” she replied in the same soft tone.

  His entire body tensed. The mouth that had been toying so deliciously with her ear went still. He raised his head to meet her eyes. “I do?”

  As she stopped him from shifting off her, she realized he thought she meant physically. If only it was that simple. “You make me want things I decided a long time ago weren’t in the cards for me.”

  Awareness dawned on him, and he relaxed a bit. “Maybe life has dealt you a new hand. A better hand. Isn’t that possible?”

  “I’ve learned not to gamble. It doesn’t work out well for me.”

  “I wish there was something I could say or do to convince you that you can trust me.”

  “I wish there was, too.”

  “You’re making me pay for things other people did to you.”

  “I know that.”

  “It’s not fair.”

  Unable to resist the urge to touch him, she brushed the hair off his forehead, delighting in the silky feel of it. “I know that, too.”

  “I’m going to show you.” He shifted off her to lie on his back next to her but kept a firm grip on her hand.

  Glancing down, she noticed his still-impressive erection and quickly brought her eyes back to his face. She had to acknowledge that unlike most men she’d known in the past, he didn’t seem to be driven solely by the whims of his little brain. “Show me what?”

  “That I’m different. That you can trust me.”

  “I don’t want you to th
ink I don’t appreciate—”

  “I have no interest in your appreciation.” He turned his head so he could see her. “I want so much more than that from you.”

  She studied the face she’d grown so fond of so quickly. Already he was more familiar to her than people she’d known all her life. “Why me?”

  His mouth quirked at the corners. “Because.”

  “That’s all you’ve got?”

  Shrugging, he said, “If I told you all the reasons, you’d run screaming for your life.”

  “Try me. Give me one good reason.”

  Mac rubbed at the stubble on his chin as he gave that some thought. Then he turned those formidable blue eyes on her, and the blood heated in her veins. “Promise you won’t run screaming?”

  Maddie gestured to the bandage on her leg. “I promise.”

  He brought their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Being around you makes me breathless and needy and horny as hell, but that’s only the start of it. You make me want to be a better man so I’ll deserve you and Thomas.”

  Maddie stared at him. No one had ever said such things to her.

  “How was that?” he asked after a long period of silence.

  She wished she had words to match what he’d given her, but her brain had turned to mush along with the rest of her. Clearing her throat, she said, “Pretty good.”

  Mac winced. “Only pretty good? Well, at least you didn’t run off screaming.” He glanced at his watch and groaned. “We need to get going or we’ll be late.”

  Maddie desperately wanted to convince him to stay right here where everything felt safe and a tad bit magical. She feared their bubble would burst the minute they let others inside. “You must be so tired.”

  “I’ll sleep well tonight unless you decide to talk my ear off again.”

  Maddie laughed as she play-punched his shoulder. “I can’t believe you said that!” She sat up slowly and painfully.

  “We should see to those wounds.”

  “Libby did it earlier after I took a shower. She said the one on my elbow looked like it might be infected.”

  “I want to see it.”

  “Later. I need to go get Thomas up, or he’ll be awake all night.”

  Mac bounded off the bed and headed for Thomas’s room. “I’ll do it. You take it easy.”

  Maddie sat there for a long time after he left the room, thinking about what he’d said and wishing she had it in her to believe they really had a chance.

  Chapter 8

  She didn’t say a word on the ride to North Harbor. With Thomas in his car seat between them, Mac tried to engage her in conversation that went nowhere. Instead, she stared out the passenger-side window, and he wondered if he’d made a huge mistake insisting she join him for dinner at his parents’ house. She’d fretted for half an hour over what to wear and had finally settled on a pale pink T-shirt and a denim miniskirt that showed off her long, toned legs. Libby must’ve painted her toes, because Mac didn’t recall seeing the sexy hot pink polish the day before—and he was fairly certain he’d noticed everything about her.

  Half a mile from his parents’ house, Mac pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

  “What’re you doing?”

  “Do you really not want to go? We can go back to your place, get a pizza from Mario’s, rent a movie—”

  She startled and amused him when she reached over to squish his lips shut. “After I went through all that to figure out what to wear, we’re going to your mother’s. Now drive.”

  Mac smiled at her show of bravado. He had no doubt she’d much prefer the pizza and movie. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Her bravado had faded again by the time they pulled up to the big white house. Mac freed Thomas from his car seat and carried him around to the other side of the car to help Maddie. “Take your time,” he said, moved by the flash of pain that crossed her face as she slid down from the cab.

  She clutched his arm. “Stay close, okay?”

  “I will.” Before they stepped into the light, he stopped her, tilted her chin up and kissed her. “You’re here because I want them to know you’re important to me. If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, we’ll leave, okay?”

  “I don’t want to cause trouble between you and your family.”

  “You won’t.”

  “If you say so,” she said as they stepped through the gate into the light.

  “I say so.”

  Big Mac met them at the door. “Come in, come in.”

  He greeted Maddie with a kiss to her cheek and tickled the bottom of Thomas’s foot, drawing a deep chortle from the baby.

  “Looks good on you, son,” Big Mac said with a nod to the baby on Mac’s hip.

  “He’s a cool little dude.” Mac felt a surge of pride as he showed off the baby. “Always happy.”

  “I didn’t know what you liked to drink, Maddie.” Big Mac ushered them into the formal living room Linda reserved for company. Mac and Maddie sat together on the sofa. “So I got three kinds of wine and three kinds of beer.” He ticked them off on his fingers.

  Mac could tell Maddie was touched by his father’s attentiveness. And while it was odd to be treated as a guest in the house where he grew up, he appreciated the warm welcome his father had given her.

  She turned those big caramel eyes on him, and his belly fluttered with awareness. “What’re you having?”

  “A light beer.”

  “That sounds good to me, too.”

  “Two light beers, coming right up,” Big Mac said. “Is the baby all set?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Thank you.”

  When they were alone, Mac squeezed her hand. “So far so good?”

  “Your father is very sweet. I haven’t really talked to him before. He’s never here when I clean.”

  “He’s the best guy I know.”

  Janey came bursting through the front door. “Hey! Sorry I’m late.” She stopped short when she saw Mac, Maddie and Thomas on the sofa. “Oh well. You’re front-room company now, big brother?”

  “Apparently.” Mac rose to kiss his sister. “This is Thomas.”

  “Wow, what a doll!” Janey extended a finger, and Thomas wrapped his hand around it while studying her with the serious expression he used to size up new people.

  “I don’t think you know Maddie,” Mac said.

  “We knew each other years ago in school,” Janey said. “Nice to see you.”

  “You, too. Congratulations on your engagement.”

  Janey flashed a grin. “Thanks. It’s the longest engagement in the history of the world.”

  “The big day will be here before you know it, brat,” Mac said.

  “Until then, I have to be satisfied with a monthly booty call,” she said with a long-suffering sigh.

  Mac cringed. “I don’t know why you have to say that stuff to me.”

  “Because it makes you nuts,” Janey said, laughing.

  Mac glanced at Maddie, who sent him a sympathetic smile. “My baby sister,” he grumbled as he rejoined her on the sofa. “Horrifying.”

  Big Mac came back into the room with three bottles of beer and handed two of them to Mac and Maddie. “Hi, honey,” he said, kissing Janey. “I suppose you’ll want my beer.”

  She plucked it out of his hand. “But of course.”

  Big Mac shook his head and glanced at Maddie. “See what I put up with?”

  Maddie responded with a girlish giggle, and Mac could tell his father had already won her over.

  Big Mac left the room muttering about a man not being able to get a beer in his own house and returned a minute later with Linda, who he seemed to propel ahead of him into the room.

  “There you are,” Linda said, swooping in to kiss Mac. “And Maddie, hello, how’re you feeling?”

  “A little better, Mrs. McCarthy. Thank you for having me.”

  Linda’s smile was brittle, but Mac was certain only her family would know it as less than genuine. “It’s
my pleasure. This must be Thomas, who I’ve heard so much about.”

  As he thrust the baby up and into his mother’s arms, Mac hoped she wasn’t referring to the speculation around town about the baby’s father.

  “Oh,” Linda sputtered. “My. Well. You’re a cute little fella, aren’t you?”

  Thomas picked that moment to loudly fill his diaper.

  Janey howled with laughter.

  Maddie gasped, tried to get up quickly and grimaced when her injured limbs refused to cooperate.

  Mac eased her back down. “I’ve got it.”

  “You don’t want to deal with that.”

  “Believe me, it’s the least of what I’ve dealt with today.” He took the baby from his mother and grabbed the diaper bag. “Come on, pal. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Before he left the room, he noticed his father and sister watching him with nothing but amusement while his mother fumed. Mac was torn between needing to tend to the baby and not wanting to leave Maddie.

  “We’ll take good care of Maddie,” Big Mac said.

  “Thanks, Dad.” On the way up the stairs, Mac caught Maddie’s eye and winked at her. “I’ll be quick.”

  She sent him a grateful smile that warmed him all the way through.

  Over the pot roast dinner Mac had requested, Maddie stayed quiet and listened to their banter. Mac clearly adored his father and sister, as well as his three brothers. Maddie found it interesting that he tended to give Linda one-word answers but engaged more naturally with his father and sister. He kept Thomas on his lap and managed to eat with one hand in a manner that was more common after months—rather than days—of practice.

  Maddie wondered if anyone else noticed that Linda completely ignored her as she managed to work a list of the island’s most eligible women into the conversation. Maddie could definitely see Mac with someone like Doro Chase or one of the other prominent women Linda mentioned. At least with Doro he’d be on an equal social footing and wouldn’t be fodder for the gossip mill the way he would with her. The idea of him with someone else saddened her, which was ridiculous, really. It wasn’t like he belonged to her or anything. What was she even doing here, eating at this table in the house where she was hired help?