Maddie had dozed off with Thomas in her arms. The sight of them tugged at his heart and made him forget for a second that he was on his way to the door. A second louder knock got his attention.
"Mr. McCarthy?"
"Right. Come in." Mac swung open the door to admit the delivery guy from the Beachcomber who'd brought the dinner he ordered before his shower. "Just put it on the table." Mac found his wallet, grabbed four twenties, and handed over the cash. "Keep the change."
"Wow, thanks."
Mac saw him take a measuring look at Maddie and Thomas on the sofa and then at him in a towel before he headed out the door.
"Did you seriously just answer my door wearing nothing but a towel?" Maddie asked in a sleep-roughened voice.
"Yeah, so?"
"Oh my God." She struggled to sit up while accommodating the sleeping baby. "It'll be all over town in less than an hour that I'm doing Mac McCarthy. That's just what I need."
Mac wanted to shoot himself for being so stupid. Needing a second to figure out how to handle this latest challenge, he leaned down and took Thomas from her. Even though he was careful, his fingers still brushed against her breasts, causing her to pull back from him.
"Sorry." He walked Thomas into his crib and settled a light blanket over him. Before he left the room, he combed his fingers through the baby's hair. "Don't be in any rush to grow up, buddy. It's not all it's cracked up to be."
Steeling for a fight, he returned to the living room and stopped short in his tracks. "I'm sorry," he said, moved by her tears. "I wasn't thinking."
"Why would you? No one in this town has ever thought anything less than the best of you."
"I'll make sure people know exactly what's going on here."
Her uneven burst of laughter surprised him. "Gee, thanks. That'll make it all better."
He sat next to her on the sofa. "I'm really sorry. It never occurred to me—"
"What's done is done. You'd think I'd be used to it by now."
Mac had no idea what to say to that, so he thought it best to keep quiet.
"Someone told you, didn't they?"
The soft, weary tone to her voice went straight to his heart. "I don't believe it."
When she looked up at him with caramel eyes still damp with tears, the need to offer comfort overtook his better judgment. He slipped an arm around her and brought her head to rest on his shoulder.
At first she resisted, but he resisted right back. "I don't believe a word of it," he said more forcefully this time as he buried his fingers in her soft, thick hair to keep her head right where he wanted it.
"Why? Because I didn't fall at the feet of the almighty Mac McCarthy at the first opportunity and beg him to have sex with me?"
"For one thing."
The teasing comment earned him a genuine burst of husky laughter, the sound of which was so sexy and so appealing that the breath seemed to get stuck in his throat on its way to his lungs.
"So I've dented your ego, then, huh?"
"Very badly," he replied in a grave tone as he combed his fingers through her hair. He kept waiting for her to tell him to stop, but she didn't.
"I'd apologize if I didn't think the dose of humility was good for you."
So the bitter, world-weary Madeline Chester could also be quite witty. The discovery, on top of all the others, made his heart race. "I'd say the least you could do to make it up to me is to have dinner with me." He gestured to the bags on the table. "What do you say?"
"What's on the menu?"
"I was jonesing for a lobster, so I asked Libby to send over a couple."
Maddie stiffened against him.
"What?"
"It's ripping through town right now that Mac McCarthy is half-naked in my apartment and buying me lobster. They'll be speculating about what he's getting in return."
"Maddie…"
"Let's just eat." The laughter of a moment ago was replaced by sorrow. "They'll say what they're going to say no matter what I do. The truth is never a consideration where I'm concerned."
With his finger on her chin, he urged her to look at him. "I never meant to
"Mr. McCarthy?"
"Right. Come in." Mac swung open the door to admit the delivery guy from the Beachcomber who'd brought the dinner he ordered before his shower. "Just put it on the table." Mac found his wallet, grabbed four twenties, and handed over the cash. "Keep the change."
"Wow, thanks."
Mac saw him take a measuring look at Maddie and Thomas on the sofa and then at him in a towel before he headed out the door.
"Did you seriously just answer my door wearing nothing but a towel?" Maddie asked in a sleep-roughened voice.
"Yeah, so?"
"Oh my God." She struggled to sit up while accommodating the sleeping baby. "It'll be all over town in less than an hour that I'm doing Mac McCarthy. That's just what I need."
Mac wanted to shoot himself for being so stupid. Needing a second to figure out how to handle this latest challenge, he leaned down and took Thomas from her. Even though he was careful, his fingers still brushed against her breasts, causing her to pull back from him.
"Sorry." He walked Thomas into his crib and settled a light blanket over him. Before he left the room, he combed his fingers through the baby's hair. "Don't be in any rush to grow up, buddy. It's not all it's cracked up to be."
Steeling for a fight, he returned to the living room and stopped short in his tracks. "I'm sorry," he said, moved by her tears. "I wasn't thinking."
"Why would you? No one in this town has ever thought anything less than the best of you."
"I'll make sure people know exactly what's going on here."
Her uneven burst of laughter surprised him. "Gee, thanks. That'll make it all better."
He sat next to her on the sofa. "I'm really sorry. It never occurred to me—"
"What's done is done. You'd think I'd be used to it by now."
Mac had no idea what to say to that, so he thought it best to keep quiet.
"Someone told you, didn't they?"
The soft, weary tone to her voice went straight to his heart. "I don't believe it."
When she looked up at him with caramel eyes still damp with tears, the need to offer comfort overtook his better judgment. He slipped an arm around her and brought her head to rest on his shoulder.
At first she resisted, but he resisted right back. "I don't believe a word of it," he said more forcefully this time as he buried his fingers in her soft, thick hair to keep her head right where he wanted it.
"Why? Because I didn't fall at the feet of the almighty Mac McCarthy at the first opportunity and beg him to have sex with me?"
"For one thing."
The teasing comment earned him a genuine burst of husky laughter, the sound of which was so sexy and so appealing that the breath seemed to get stuck in his throat on its way to his lungs.
"So I've dented your ego, then, huh?"
"Very badly," he replied in a grave tone as he combed his fingers through her hair. He kept waiting for her to tell him to stop, but she didn't.
"I'd apologize if I didn't think the dose of humility was good for you."
So the bitter, world-weary Madeline Chester could also be quite witty. The discovery, on top of all the others, made his heart race. "I'd say the least you could do to make it up to me is to have dinner with me." He gestured to the bags on the table. "What do you say?"
"What's on the menu?"
"I was jonesing for a lobster, so I asked Libby to send over a couple."
Maddie stiffened against him.
"What?"
"It's ripping through town right now that Mac McCarthy is half-naked in my apartment and buying me lobster. They'll be speculating about what he's getting in return."
"Maddie…"
"Let's just eat." The laughter of a moment ago was replaced by sorrow. "They'll say what they're going to say no matter what I do. The truth is never a consideration where I'm concerned."
With his finger on her chin, he urged her to look at him. "I never meant to
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