Beaver Blunder

By Gwyn McNamee

One brief mistake. A world of hurt.No panties. No problem.

At least until I slip on the wet floor and go heels over head in front of my colleagues and half the courthouse. Returning to consciousness can't be more awkward, until I find out who my sexy, argumentative, and bossy knight in shining armor really is. My career may not survive my beaver blunder, and my heart might not survive Owen Grant.

Madeleine Ryan tumbles into my life on a wave of perfume and public embarrassment. She falls and exposes herself in front of me, and I find myself falling for her despite the fact she fights me every chance she gets. Being a woman in a good ol’ boy profession demands a certain brashness, but it definitely has me thinking, maybe litigators shouldn't be lovers. With stressful jobs and big attitudes, going commando has never been so freeing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Publishing
• Release date: May 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781094458397

Gwyn McNamee

Gwyn McNamee is an attorney, writer, wife, and mother (to one human baby and two fur babies). Originally from the Midwest, Gwyn relocated to her husband’s home town of Las Vegas in 2015 and is enjoying her respite from the cold and snow. Gwyn has been writing down her crazy stories and ideas for years and finally decided to share them with the world. She loves to write stories with a bit of suspense and action mingled with romance and heat. When she isn’t either writing or voraciously devouring any books she can get her hands on, Gwyn is busy adding to her tattoo collection, golfing, and stirring up trouble with her perfect mix of sweetness and sarcasm (usually while wearing heels). Gwyn is the author of The Hawke Family series, The Slip Series, The Deadliest Sin Series, The Inland Seas Series, The Supernatural Love Stories in the Absurd (written as her alter-ego, DP Payne), and several stand-alone novels.

Book preview

1

MADDIE

Of all the days to run out of clean underwear…

It's only the biggest trial of my career.

Double homicide.

And the state’s case is weak. Very. I can’t even believe they charged him. Sometimes, being in the wrong place at the wrong time is all it takes to end up behind bars.

His life is in my hands now. And I’m ready. Sort of.

It would be a lot better if my pussy lips weren’t flapping in the breeze with every damn step I take.

These types of cases don't just fall into your lap. I worked my ass off for this, and now, I'm rushing through the courthouse with no goddamn panties on.

I can't remember the last time I went sans panties into court. Actually, I probably never have, but today was an emergency. I’ve been so deep in trial prep, I’ve neglected the laundry a little too long, and I absolutely refuse to go digging through that pile of dirty clothes and sniffing to find a pair that aren’t too bad.

Fucking gross.

I’ll take my chances. At least my pleated skirt is knee-length and appropriately hides all my lady bits.

Just keep your legs crossed, Madeline.

Keep ‘em crossed.

The elevator dings, announcing the third floor, and I race out down the hallway. The click, click, click, of my heels echoes off the marble floors and walls as I dive and weave around people littering the hallways.

Of course, it has to be the last courtroom. The farthest away.

The rain outside today really slowed me down. I didn't expect traffic to be so bad. So now, instead of sitting and having time to organize myself and my client at counsel table, I’ll barely make it in time for the court to call the case.

Michael is probably already in there, but there’s no way he can handle this case himself. He’s my second in command and in no way prepared to start without me.

My breath comes out in pants. My legs burn. And my feet hurt every time they slam into the hard floor.

Shit. When did I get in such bad shape?

Only fifty feet to the door. I glance down at my watch.

I might make it. Or not.

But my feet are suddenly gone from under me, and instead of looking ahead, I'm staring at the ceiling before there’s a sharp crack of pain and the world goes black…

Murmuring voices.

Slipped.

Fell.

Skirt up.

No underwear.

Vagina.

So embarrassing.

Is she okay?

Should we call an ambulance?

What the hell is going on?

What just happened?

Pain stabs at my head and my lower back. A groan slips from my lips.

Ma’am? Ma’am? Can you hear me? The deep, soothing voice comes from right above me, and a large, warm palm cups my face. Can you open your eyes?

I don't want to open my eyes. In fact, if what I think just happened actually happened, I want to crawl into a cave and never come out.

Fuck.

My hands fumble trying to locate my skirt and make sure it's down.

A warm hand stops mine, and hot breath flutters against my ear. Don't worry. I pulled it back down.

Great, add this stranger to the list of people who got an eyeful of putang. Just great.

A tiny bit of relief floods my system, knowing I’m no longer exposed to the world, but the fact that everyone in the hallway just saw my vagina, including the judges and other lawyers I ran past, has me wishing I was still unconscious.

Yeah, unconscious sounds pretty good right now.

I try to push myself up, but a strong hand on my chest as well as the throbbing in my head keeps me down. Sweetheart, you need to keep that beautiful ass down until the paramedics get here.

Sweetheart? Beautiful ass?

Who is this jerk?

I finally open my eyes to see who is ordering me around and calling me pet names.

The ass.

I’ve worked too hard to establish myself to let some misogynist go around calling me demeaning names in front of my colleagues.

At first, the light is so bright, I can't see anything. I blink against it and the blurriness at the corners of my vision until my eyes finally focus on a set of baby blue ones staring down at me with concern.

Nice eyes.

But shit! The case!

I swallow, fighting my dry throat, and try to ignore the pounding in my head. I can’t let this little mishap derail my day, no matter how shitty I may feel. I need to defend my client and my reputation as a badass super lawyer. Women like me aren’t allowed to show weakness.

Push through it, Maddie.

I have a case. I try to shift up again, only to be met with that damn strong hand keeping me down on the hard, cold floor.

The man attached to the baby blues smiles, flashing a set of perfectly straight, white teeth, and his sandy blonde hair falls forward. Don't worry. It looked like you were headed to Judge Wagner’s. I sent word to the courtroom that you had an accident.

Oh God…I am so fucked.

It doesn't matter that I had an accident. This case can't be rescheduled. The court set aside six weeks for this trial. I need to be in there.

Can’t reschedule. That’s all I can manage amidst the pain lacing through my temples.

Christ, why does it hurt so much?

Even attempting to lift my head makes the world spin.

He shakes his head and continues to press on my chest, keeping me prone. You're not going anywhere, honey.

Honey?

Who is this ruggedly handsome jerk?

With his sandy blonde hair, strong jaw, high cheekbones, and blue eyes, he looks more like he belongs on a surfboard than in a courthouse.

My eyes track down slightly. He's in a suit and tie so he's either an attorney or defendant.

No, not a defendant. That suit is way too nice to be a defendant.

He looks vaguely familiar, but with the fuzziness in my vision and head, I can’t quite place him.

Who are you?

He doesn't get to answer. A commotion to our left draws the attention of the crowd, and they part to allow the paramedics through.

The handsome stranger stands and steps back, permitting them access to me. He says something to one of the paramedics and glances at