Free The Troublemaker Next Door by Marie Harte Page B

out.”
    “I actually never thought of my ass as big, but thanks.” Maddie shook her head, amused and not sure why. Her gaze caught the flowers that looked as fresh as they had when she’d put them in water.
    “Hmm, more quiet thoughts about Flynn. I wonder how you’ll react to your studly plumber this weekend.” Vanessa carried her plate to the sink and washed the dishes. The woman would have a coronary if a dish remained dirty longer than five minutes.
    “Oh shut up. He’s not my studly plumber. I mean, he is studly, but he’s not mine.”
    “She who doth protest too much, doth—”
    Maddie scowled. “Doth this.” She held up a finger and left the kitchen—and her cousin’s laughter—behind. Instead of heading back upstairs, she sat down in the living room and opened her laptop, looking once again at the competition. Staging prices, services, realtors… She made more notes and forced herself to stop thinking about Flynn McCauley.
    So of course later that night she dreamed about him wearing nothing but those damn boxer briefs and a smile.

Chapter 5
    Thankfully, the weather held through to the weekend. Saturday afternoon, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, Flynn tossed around the football with his brothers. He loved their get-togethers, when his parents grilled outside while he, his brothers, and Brody taunted and played ball with one another in the backyard. Suckers. As if any of them could out-throw him—the star quarterback.
    He glanced at the back door again, wondering when the hell Maddie would show. It was five after two already. The ball knocked him in the head.
    “Shit.” When one of the older neighbors raised a brow at him, he lowered his voice. “I mean, heck. That hurt.” He picked up the pigskin and moved to beam it back at Cam when his younger brother pointed at Brody. Flynn changed direction, aimed, and threw. Hard.
    The ball hit Brody’s chest with an audible thump .
    Brody wheezed. “Bastard.”
    “Watch your mouth, Brody,” Flynn warned, playing the good son. “We have guests present.”
    “Brody,” Beth McCauley warned in a loud voice. His mother was standing next to his father, clear across the yard. He’d always said she had ears like a bat.
    Brody scowled. Flynn and his brothers laughed.
    His mother joined them, waving at Brody to pitch her the ball. “Over here, Brody.”
    Her kid in name if not blood. Brody winced. “You sure, Bitsy? I don’t wanna hurt you.”
    Flynn jeered him. “Like you could. You throw like a girl.” He shot his mother an innocent look. “No offense, Ma.”
    “None taken, you big oaf.”
    Cam snickered.
    Brody threw the ball with a gentle push, and she caught it with no problem. She threw it to Flynn with some oomph, and he pretended to have a hard time catching it.
    “Don’t bobble it, son. Two hands, bring it in tight.”
    He frowned when the guys shook their heads at him. Could they not see he’d been teasing? “I know how to catch a ball, Ma. Gimme a break. High school, college. I started varsity for three years, woman.”
    “I’m sorry, what did you call me?”
    Only their father could get away with calling her that. “Ah, nothing, Ma.”
    Colin raced out the back door and missed bumping into Flynn by inches. Behind him followed one of the neighborhood kids. “They’re here!” He grabbed the ball from Flynn and took off.
    Maddie, Vanessa, and Abby walked out the back door into the yard. Feeling like Pavlov’s dog but unable to stop himself, Flynn took a few steps toward her before he realized what he’d done. He deliberately shoved his hands in his pockets and walked to his dad, hoping he hadn’t looked like a lovesick fool. Not that he was lovesick. Far from it. But hell, a man would have to be a eunuch not to look at Maddie Gardner.
    Then Maddie caught his gaze and blushed.
    Fuck if he could forget yesterday’s short peck on the cheek. A little kiss, and he’d thought of nothing more than her soft lips when he’d jacked off