Flynn (The Love Family Series Book 3) (4 page)

“Nothing.” She shrugged. “If that’s what you’re looking for in a relationship, you’ll be just fine.”

He placed his elbows on the table, laced his fingers together, and met her gaze as if he was seeing clear down to her soul, and knowing him, he probably was. “Why are you here on the Island?”

“What?”

“You seem to think you know all my secrets. I think it’s only fair that I know yours, and seeing as I’m too uneducated to figure them out, you might as well go ahead and tell me.” He tilted his head. “What are you running from?”

Her mouth parted before she snapped it closed. “I’m not running from anything.”

Flynn’s jaw ticked, and he narrowed his eyes. “You know, I may not be a human lie detector like my brother, but I’m smart enough to be able to tell that you, my dear Mia, are lying through your pretty little lips.” He sat back and sipped his coffee.

“Your brother is a human lie detector?” she asked, choosing to ignore the additional assumptions he’d made.

“He has his moments,” Flynn answered, deflecting again, and he switched gears. “People come to the Island to escape their lives, and don’t tell me it’s because of your job. We both know that Luke offered his employees the choice of working on the mainland or coming here. So again, I ask…why are you here?”

“I don’t know what it is that you think you know, but I can assure you that you’re wrong.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Flynn picked up his fork and took another bite of his eggs. “You’re right. What do I know? I’m just some jock with a hot body and a mouth that turns you off.” He raised a brow and pointed to her plate with his fork. “You should eat before it gets cold. You’re going to need the energy for what I have planned for the day.”

Mia took a bite of her bacon. Relief flooded her body when he dropped his line of questioning. He was asking things she wasn’t ready to answer. No one but the police and her brother knew why she had moved to the Island. No one knew about her past or about the break-ins and mugging. She was here to start a new life. One that didn’t include filing a police report every month.

Chapter 5

Flynn covertly watched Mia in the passenger seat, and his lips tilted in an amused smile. With her hair up in a ponytail and a baseball cap perched on her head, she was prepared for the wind, or whatever might play havoc in her life. Her hair was just the tip of the iceberg.

“You should let your hair down and live a little,” he said while trying to keep a straight face.

She turned her glare on him, and his amused smile widened.

He had her pegged. She liked order and being in control, and in his Jeep, she didn’t have that and it aggravated the piss out of her. Pushing her buttons was easy enough. Keeping her off kilter seemed to be a piece of cake, not that he wasn’t intentionally playing games with her, but the girl needed some excitement in her life. He wasn’t blind to their chemistry, and she’d soon find out he wasn’t stupid either.

He remained quiet and slowed the Jeep when he saw her pull out her cell phone and press it to her ear while using her palm to cover her other ear.

“Trent,” she yelled. “I’ll have to call you back. I can’t hear you.”

Her nose squinted as if she was straining to listen before she shrugged and disconnected the call.

“We’ll be there in a minute and you can call back,” Flynn hollered as he took the last curve, and within minutes, they were pulling into a parking place on Main Street.

“This isn’t the car rental,” she said as she unbuckled her belt and stepped out of the Jeep.

“I told you, you don’t need one. I’ll drive you around until your car shows up.”

With her lips pressed together, she was hesitant stepping out of the Jeep. He waited for her on the sidewalk and was quick to toss his arm over her shoulder.

“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to roll from beneath his hold.

“Giving you a tour.”

She removed his palm from her shoulder. “I’m not your date. I’m your platonic roommate, and even that is temporary.”

Platonic, ha, not for long
. He kept the comment to himself. “I made a promise to your brother to keep the sleaze bags away.” He rested his palm on her shoulder again. “And this is how I work.”

“Yeah? I don’t think he realized who he was asking.”

“Oh, he knew.” Flynn grinned while steering her across the street, leading her to Tidal Waves, the boutique Olivia and his sister owned. “This is Skylar and Olivia’s place. If you need something girly, this is the place to come.”

The bell above the door chimed.

“I don’t need anything.” She gave him a sideways glance.

“I do,” he whispered in her ear. “If you haven’t noticed, my sister-in-law is pregnant; Sky and my mom are giving her a shower soon.”

“Do you expect Olivia to pick out her own present?”

“Of course not.” He led her down the aisle toward the office area. “That’s what Sky is for.”

“So who’s picking out Skylar’s present then? Olivia?”

Flynn veered off course and ushered her into an aisle between some tall cases. “What are you talking about? Sky isn’t pregnant.”

Mia gave him a knowing smile, as if she held the answers to the universe. “I’m a trained observer, Flynn. She has
the glow
. Not only that, did you not notice how Luke was touching her stomach? How he kept putting food on her plate? Not to mention the fact, that, while everyone else was drinking wine or beer, Sky and Olivia drank water or juice.” Mia patted his shoulder. “Open your eyes, Flynn, and start paying attention. I’ll bet you five bucks that Olivia isn’t the only one expecting in your family; your sister is too.”

“No way. She’d tell me.”

Mia held out her hand. “Five dollars. Is it a bet?”

He was quick to shake her hand.

“There’s a sucker born every day. No wonder my brother bets with you.”  Mia stepped out of the aisle, heading for the door that led to the back office, and Flynn hurried to her side.

“You can’t come out and ask her. What if she isn’t? She’s going to be offended.”

“I’m not going to ask her. We’ll wait for the announcement.” Mia grinned. “She won’t be able to contain her excitement much longer.”

Mia waited for Flynn to open the employee door and followed him into an office. Olivia was at her desk, and Skylar was leaning against it. Their discussion was halted when Olivia nodded toward them, and Sky glanced over her shoulder.

“I wasn’t expecting you until later.” Sky managed a smile and pulled her brother in for a hug. “He’s not still being an ass, is he?” she asked Mia.

“He has his moments.” Mia smiled. “We weren’t interrupting, were we?”

“Of course not.” Skylar met Olivia’s gaze. “We were just talking about how Reed needs to get out from behind his computer and out of the house more.”

“I can help with that.” Flynn grinned. “I know just how to make that happen.” And he did. Nothing that a little R&R Flynn-style couldn’t fix.

Skylar pulled a bag out of her desk and handed it to Flynn. “Can you also get Landon to bring his ass back home?”

Flynn’s smile fell. His baby brother, Landon, was going through issues. With his heightened senses, his choice of a military career should have been the last job he picked.

“Landon is your other brother?” Mia asked as she glanced between them all.

“Yep, he’s currently on assignment God-knows-where, but he hasn’t been home in a couple years.”

Mia chewed her bottom lip. Flynn knew that sign. The wheels in her over-crowded head were turning again, and there was no telling what was about to pop out of her mouth.

“Did he return for your wedding?” she asked.

“No, the best I got was a congratulatory phone call.”

Mia narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “What was his attitude?”

“Preoccupied, as if he was having a hard time focusing on our conversation and was trying his best to keep something from me. I could hear it in his voice.”

She gave a slow nod. “He’s withdrawn.” She glanced between the siblings. “Look at your data. Has he acted like this before, and if so, what were the circumstances? You guys would know him better than anyone. You figure out what was going on back in previous years, and it should lend credence to what is happening now with him or at least something comparable.”

Mia gave a sad smile, as if she’d already figured it out in her mind. 

“You’re right.” Olivia rose and placed her hand on her belly. “He’s done this before.” She stepped forward. “Don’t you remember during his freshman year of college? He acted the same way when he dropped out and joined the military. He avoided everyone’s calls for months because he didn’t want to come clean.”

“So he’s hiding something?” Skylar asked, glancing around the room.

“It would explain his absence and reluctance to coming home,” Mia suggested.

“But what? What wouldn’t he tell us?”

“If you figure that out, you’ll get him home.”

“What if he was injured? He’d keep that from us.” Skylar covered her mouth with her hand. “We need to get him home.”

If Landon were injured, it would take an army to bring him back home. His thick head and pride would stand in the way, and with his heightened senses… Flynn and his brothers needed to come up with a plan.

“Find the right triggers to get him home, and don’t give him an excuse to back out.”

“You sound like a shrink,” Olivia added.

She smiled and glanced at Flynn. “I have a dual doctorate in chemistry and psychology.”

“Fascinating. Two completely separate fields,” Skylar chimed in.

“I like to be well-rounded,” Mia answered.

“Of course you do.” Flynn wrapped his arm around her shoulder and steered her toward the door. “Come on, Doc. Let’s let these two ladies get back to plotting and planning. We’ve got some tourist things to take care of.”

“Great.” The word was long and drawn-out with about as much enthusiasm as when she’d agreed to move in with him.

Flynn tossed his arm over her shoulder when they hit the street. His mind was on his brothers as they walked toward the park where he liked to jog, when he didn’t swim. Mia didn’t push his arm from her shoulder this time. She clutched the locket around her neck as if she, too, was lost in thought. He felt her body stiffen beneath his palm, and her breath hitched, which drew him out of his own thoughts.

He followed her gaze across the street to where a man was standing inside the coffee shop, drinking. Instantly, he was overcome with a vision. She was standing inside talking to him. A tear dripped down her cheek as he watched from outside. His eyes flew open, and he pulled her into the alleyway. “Who is he?”

“Who is who?” she asked innocently.

“The man in the coffee shop.” He searched her gaze for answers he wasn’t sure he’d get. It was times like this that he wished he had his brother’s abilities. Ones that could do more than give him a faint glimpse of what was about to happen.

“I, uh…” She peered out of the alleyway back toward the coffee shop. “I need to talk to him. He’s an old friend.” She hurried out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk. He quickly followed her across the street, and just like his vision, he waited patiently outside where he could see them talking.

Chapter 6

Mia’s body seized up the moment she spotted Detective Stan Richards in the coffee shop. He was watching her from inside. The fact that he was on the Island told her as much as she needed to know. He wasn’t here in a social capacity. He wasn’t here trying to win her back. He was here on official business. She could read it in his face without even asking. She’d seen that look countless times when they had dated. He was all about the job, and it appeared today, the job was her. Her stomach rolled as desperation seeped into her bones; she hoped if she just blinked he’d be gone, nothing more than a figment of her imagination. She hurried across the street and yanked the door open. His normally stoic face softened as she approached.

“How did you find me?” she asked as she neared.

“That doesn’t matter.” He glanced around, and she felt the first tear escape her eyes. This wasn’t happening. Not again. Not here. “Is there someplace private we can talk?”

“I…” She glanced out the window at Flynn waiting. His arms crossed over his chest, and his brow lifted when she met his gaze. “Sure.” She turned back to Stan. “How about the park down the street. It’s secluded enough to give us some privacy.”

He grabbed a file off the table and gestured to the door.

Flynn met them outside. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“Not even close,” Stan corrected as he held out his hand. “I’m Detective Richards, and you are?”

“Flynn Love.” They shook hands before walking toward the park.

“Boyfriend?” Stan asked Mia.

“Yes,” he answered.

“No,” she corrected. “Temporary roommate.”

Richard’s brows dipped, but he questioned no further. Mia held her hand to her stomach as they approached one of the benches.

“Mia, I hope you don’t mind my intruding on you, but this couldn’t wait. Your brother told me where to find you, but when I stopped by the hotel, they told me you’d checked out.”

“I forgot to tell Trent that I’m staying with Flynn.”

He gestured for them all to sit at the picnic table, and he slid his file across to her. “We got a hit on your attacker.”

Flynn remained silent. Thank God. She couldn’t deal with all of this and his questions. Not yet. “What did you find?”

“We tracked your cell phone from when you were mugged. We expected some little punk to have taken it since it didn’t happen at your house where the break-ins had occurred. We didn’t have any indication that the two were connected.”

“But you do now?” Flynn asked trying to get a handle on the situation.

“You can say that,” Richards answered as Mia opened the file. Her fingers shook as she reached inside to pull out the contents. She spread out the pictures, and her breath caught in her throat.

The photo in the file taken by the police was a shrine of some sort. The shrine was covered with pictures of her, pictures she never realized were being taken. Some were close-ups, and others were obviously from across the street. A few of them were of her entering her work building, getting in her car, at the gate to her brother’s house and even one of her getting on the ferry and hugging her brother goodbye. She could feel her throat closing. Her body visibly trembled as she clenched her fist.

Flynn’s palm landed on her back. The familiarity and comfort of his touch, as if lending her the strength she’d need to deal with the evidence. She pushed the thought away to deal with later.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “He followed me.” She opened her eyes and met Richard’s gaze. “He knows I’m here.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Who?” Flynn asked.

“We’re still trying to figure that out,” Richards answered. “All the evidence indicates that he was squatting in this house.” Stan pointed to one of the pictures. “We traced the property back to McGregor Pharmaceuticals, but they are claiming that it’s been vacant for a while and currently on the market.”

“Wait…did you say, McGregor?” Flynn asked.

“Yeah, why?” Richards asked.

“McGregor is my brother-in-law, Luke’s, chief competitor, and Luke is her boss. Not to mention the fact that his daughter was killed on the Island last year. Do you think this might be work related?”

Mia shook her head. “No one knows what I’m working on, and we don’t discuss it outside the office.”

“If it’s not work, then it’s personal?” Flynn asked, and all Mia could do was shrug. She had no idea who was doing this to her or the motivation behind it. 

Stan leaned across the table and laid his hand on top of hers. Flynn’s hand paused in its rubbing motion. “We’re going to find him, Mia. I promise.”

She nodded. He’d said the same thing after the break-in. And she had about as much confidence in the police finding the guy as she did when things first started happening. There was no logic behind why she was being stalked or whatever the hell was going on. She couldn’t rationalize it any more today than she could that day.  “Thanks for coming, Stan.”

“I wish it was under better circumstances, Mia. Do you want me to stay with you? I can take some time off if you need me.”

“I’ll be fine.” She gave him a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she slid her hand free. She stood and pulled out her cell phone. “Excuse me, please. I have to call Trent.”

They both nodded as she walked off. She could feel their eyes on her retreating back as she called Trent and held the phone up to her ear. The call went to voice mail. “Trent. He knows I’m on the Island, but don’t worry. I’m staying with Flynn, and his place is out in the middle of nowhere. He won’t find me there. Stan showed up with new information. They found my phone, and when they did, they found a freakin’ shrine. This guy had pictures of me, including one at your gate. Please call me back.”

She disconnected the call and turned to find Stan and Flynn in a hushed conversation. The contention between the two was evident. She could feel it from where she stood.

****

“So you’re the wannabe boyfriend?” Stan asked.

“And you’re the ex,” Flynn answered.

“Is she going to be safe with you?”

“Safer than she was on the mainland with you apparently.” Flynn crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Why did you come? You could have told her over the phone.”

Stan’s jaw ticked, and in that minute, Flynn knew that Mia was the one who’d broken things off between the two.

“I wanted to check on her and make sure she was okay.”

Flynn gave a knowing nod. He could read between the lines. “I’ll take good care of her. Don’t you worry about a thing. You should get back and do your job. The sooner you catch this creep, the better it will be for her peace of mind.”

Stan’s eyes narrowed. “You just want me out of the way, don’t ya, Romeo? Worried Mia still might have feelings for me? We do have a past, which is more than I can say for you.”

“You might be her past, but I’m her present. There’s no competition.” Flynn rose, making Stan stand too. “My brother is the local sheriff. I’ll update him on what’s going on and make sure he gets these pictures.”

“Don’t bother yourself. I’m heading there next.” Stan took the pictures, and they both turned to find Mia stomping over to them.

“I could feel the testosterone from over there. Are you two done with your pissing match?”

Flynn grinned. Mia was a smart cookie. More than book smart, she had street smarts that were showing. “There’s no pissing match. Isn’t that right, Detective?”

Stan pulled Mia into his arms and looked down into her worried eyes. “I’ll be in touch. You know how to reach me.”

She nodded, and he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “You remember everything I taught you?”

She pushed against his chest. “Stan, I’m not that same scared woman. I can take care of myself, but thanks for caring.”

“Always.”

He kissed her forehead before releasing her. Stan eyed Flynn with a smirk on his lips as he walked off with the file in hand. Flynn’s blood boiled. This guy was an arrogant little prick.

“Let’s get out of here.” Flynn spoke with a deceptive calm as he tossed his arm over her shoulder again. This time, it wasn’t in play or in gest to push her buttons. After seeing those pictures, he was genuinely concerned. He leaned down and whispered, “You should have told me.”

“I know,” she whispered under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear.

Lost in thought, she waited to speak until they were back at his house. He locked the door behind them and leaned against the wood.

“Flynn, I don’t want to put your family and you in danger. I called Trent and left a message. When he calls back, I’ll make plans to get back to the mainland.”

Flynn shook his head. As if letting her out of his sight was an option. It wasn’t. “Mia. I told your brother I’d watch out for you.” He pushed off the door and headed in her direction. “I never welch on a bet.”

“That bet was made before all this crap started happening. Neither he nor I are holding you to it. This is more than just showing me around the Island and helping me find a house. This guy is dangerous.”

“So I gathered.” Flynn walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge in one hand, grabbed her hand with his other hand, and led her out the back door down to the lake.

He sat down on the embankment and waited for her to sit with him before he popped the top, handed her that beer, and then opened his own. They sat in silence and watched the sun dance on the water.

“Do you know why I swim in the lake every morning?”

“To stay fit?” she asked as she lifted the bottle to her lips.

“That’s just a bonus.” He glanced at her. “Some people meditate to calm their mind. I swim. It helps me forget.”

“Forget what?”

Flynn took another long swig of his beer. “It doesn’t matter,” he said as he swiped the dribbles from his chin. “That’s not the point. Swimming is my outlet. It’s my own personal sanctuary, where no one can touch me. It’s just the water and me.” He glanced at her. “What’s your place? Where do you go?”

She took another swig of her beer. “I work.”

He nodded a couple times, stood, and held out his hand.

“Where are we going?”

“The lab. So you can blow off some steam and find your zone.”

She glanced back out at the crystal blue water.

“I’m not your enemy, Mia. Quit fighting me and just trust me. You need to relax.”

Her gaze searched his before her whole demeanor softened as she stared up at him. “You aren’t going to make me swim?”

He smiled. “Not unless you want to.”

She took his hand and let him pull her up. “I think that’s exactly what I need to do.”

She set her beer down, reached for the hem of her shirt, and lifted it over her head. Her shoes and socks were next. When she reached for the button of her shorts, Flynn sputtered around his beer bottle, choking on the amber liquid.

She slowly lowered them and kicked them to the side, standing in nothing more than black panties and a lace bra.

“What?” she asked as she smiled. “You’ve seen women in less than this.” Mia stepped into the water, leaving him on the shore.

“They weren’t you,” he whispered to himself and undressed, leaving only his boxers on before he joined her.

She ducked under water, soaking her head. Coming up, she wiped the water from her face and looked up to the sun. She closed her eyes. “I came here to experience the Island, and this is living.”

Flynn walked in up to his thighs and dived in the rest of the way, resurfacing where she was treading water. “You’re just full of surprises, Doc.”

He stood in front of her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

“My time here is limited.” She visibly swallowed. “I don’t want to die tomorrow and have any regrets.”

Flynn rested his palms on her waist and tried to tamp down his libido. “You aren’t going to die tomorrow, but I’m all for you having no regrets.”

Her gaze washed over his face and landed on his lips, and he knew what she was thinking. What she wanted. She was on the verge of giving in to their chemistry.

“You don’t know that,” she whispered a second before she pressed her soft lips to his.

He took what she so freely gave and deepened the kiss. Stroking his tongue against hers. Tasting and savoring the moment, unsure when it might happen again. She strained against him, pulling him closer, and it took all of his resolve to not just take her, here in the water where it was just the two of them.

His cock hardened in response as she ground against him.

“Mia.” He broke the kiss and held her gaze. “Why now?”

Her brows dipped at his question.

“Not that I don’t want to or that we won’t. I just need to know where your head is. If you’re doing this because you’re scared, you don’t need to be.”

She stiffened in his arms.

“You need to feel in control, don’t you? Your life is spiraling out of control, and this is one place where you have the say.”