“You’re really good for my ego, you know that? I’ve never had a woman so anxious to be rid of me.”

“A little dose of humility might be just what you need.”

He flashed her the smile that had no doubt convinced many a woman to part with her panties. The bolt of heat that chased through her surprised and angered her. Maddie had no desire to be another notch on his belt, so why was she wondering what it would be like to be kissed by him, to be held in those strong arms when he was offering more than comfort?

“See you later,” he said.

Watching him go, all broad shoulders, cocky arrogance and sure-of-himself-and-who-he-was-in-the-world elegance, she should’ve hated him. She’d spent most of her life envying—and hating—the McCarthys.

He had grown up with everything she’d ever wanted—a safe, secure home, a large boisterous family, and two parents who seemed utterly devoted to each other and their gaggle of kids. After working for his parents for the last eight years, Maddie had discovered that Big Mac and Linda saved their love and affection for their family, sparing very little on their employees, especially grunt workers like her.

Maddie sat there for a long time, thinking about how it was possible that she could actually be somewhat attracted to a McCarthy, of all people. The thought disgusted her. “I refuse to be like every other female alive who falls swooning at the feet of the mighty McCarthy brothers,” she said out loud, as if saying the words might bolster her flagging resistance.

When he’d sat so close to her on the sofa that she could feel the heat of his skin, she’d wanted to run as far from him as she could get. Only a man like him, who thought he could get away with anything, would sit that close a woman he’d just met. That she’d felt so safe and cared for in his presence was yet another reason to be disgusted with herself. He didn’t give a damn about her, and she’d do well to remember that lest she be swayed by his irresistible appeal.

As she gritted her teeth and tried to move into a more comfortable position on the sofa, she decided that road rash hurt way worse than broken bones. Even the ankle she’d broken in sixth grade hadn’t hurt like this.

Turning onto her uninjured side, she finally found relief from the pulsing pain in her arm and leg. She also discovered that Mac had left his backpack in her kitchen. Much to her dismay, that, too, brought relief.

Mac jogged the short distance from Maddie’s place to the town’s main drag, looking for a cab. When he saw a beat-up woody station wagon heading his way, he smiled and flagged it down.