Chaos. Maddie's least favorite word. One she hadn't associated with Pheramour until now. Despite putting her utmost into her work, she hadn't expected it to be this successful. She'd thought it might work on a small percentage of the population, and perhaps only marginally increase the wearer's attractiveness to the opposite sex, but it had turned out to be incredibly powerful stuff.
BioDerma and Fleur Elise were about to unleash a monster on an innocent public.
"I think I need to talk to Miles," she said weakly.
Pete lurched through the kitchen door, gulping in air, his face redder than an outback sunset. He wore a T-shirt with dark sweat stains back and front, running shorts a size too small, and running shoes with matching holes at the big toes. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water then drank the lot in one gulp.
"Hey Maddie," he wheezed, "how's things?"
"Oh, fine, except I'm about to create total sexual chaos."
Emily and David, who'd come in behind their father, sniggered behind their hands.
"Yeah? Cool. Give me a few days warning so I can stock up on c-o-n-d-o-m-s." He bent to kiss Linda on her forehead but she smacked him in the arm. "I was kidding!"
"Yeah, well it's not funny. And you're all sweaty. Where's...?" Linda glanced at Maddie then at her husband, eyebrows raised.
"Sam? He's coming. He wanted to do an extra lap of the street."
"Sam's coming here?" Oh great, now they tell her, when it's too late to run home to change into something sexier than a grungy old pair of jeans. "Linda, why didn't you say something?"
"I thought it would be a nice surprise. He rang Pete this morning and asked him to go for a run." Her gaze shifted to her husband, sagging against the kitchen sink. "Don't worry," she said in a voice low enough that only Maddie and Ronan could hear. "It looks like it was a tough run. Probably Sam'll look awful too."
Pete looked beat. Trickles of sweat lined his ruddy face and he sucked in air like there wasn't enough of it going round. Hopefully Sam would look just as unattractive.
"Hey, Mad," Pete said between wheezes, "Sam couldn't stop talking about you. He said he had a good time yesterday, but you went cold on him after you fell in the water." He dragged in two breaths before continuing. "He wants to know what the problem is."
"And what did you say?" Linda asked.
"That she probably had PMS."
"Pete!" both women cried.
"What? What's wrong with that? Besides, what other explanation is there? It's Sam Hennessy for crying out loud. Why else would you give him the cold shoulder?"
Maddie groaned. She loved Pete, in a sister-in-law way, but he could be a real pain in the ass sometimes. He and Linda were made for each other. "I have to go." She stood.
The kitchen door swung open and Sam stopped dead. "Maddie!"
He looked amazing. Not like Pete at all. He didn't wheeze, his face was its usual tanned color, and there wasn't a single sweat stain on his sleeveless T-shirt. A few beads collected around his hair line and his hair was a little damp but that just made him look sexy. His naked, powerful thighs made him look sexier. He was all masculinity with energy oozing from every pore, vibrating across the air and smacking Maddie between her thighs.
"I didn't think you were going to be here," he said, coming further into the kitchen. He accepted a glass of water from Pete.
She managed to tear her gaze from his legs. He had great calves—a perfect arch of granite-hard muscle. "And I didn't know you were coming. If I had..." She glanced around at their audience and closed her mouth. "Anyway, I was just leaving."
"No you weren't," said Linda. "You were staying for lunch, remember." She gave Maddie a glare. Maddie knew that look. It was the look Linda used to give her when she was telling their parents a lie and warned Maddie that she'd better shut up or she'd get a Chinese burn later. Maddie always shut up.
She sat back heavily in her seat. "Yeah, I'm staying."
"Great." Linda stood and handed Ronan to her. "Sam, go take a shower. Pete, take the kids outside to play until Sam gets out and then it's your turn. Maddie, you can change Ronan while I prepare lunch."
Maddie made a face at her nephew. "I thought I smelled something."
When everyone had done as they were told, they ate sandwiches outside on the porch. Emily and David found playing in the garden more fun than eating their crusts and Emily found falling over easier than walking. The four adults took it in turns picking her up, dusting her down and sending her on her way again.
"Pete, help me with the dishes," said Linda, standing. "Maddie, will you watch Ronan?"