His Best Friend's sister: The Cohan Billionaire Brothers Book Six

by Layla Holt

  “He’s paying his bill,” Nancy said, an urgent tone in her voice. She placed her hand on his.

  Max sighed and played along. He tried to imagine the woman he loved was seated opposite him. Megan took Nancy’s place. It shocked him at how easy it was to look at her lovingly.

  Nancy kept her hand on his even as he sipped his coffee. She ran a finger over his in feather light movements. It was distracting and not in a good way.

  “Can you stop doing that? It’s irritating,” Max said.

  Nancy’s eyebrow shot up. “This? I thought men loved it. Don’t you guys love physical stuff? It’s romantic.”

  Max pulled his hand away. “Yeah, but we also like space. Romance transcends the physical.”

  Nancy giggled. “You still like big words. Speak in English Maxie.”

  “Romance is about connecting with another person and not just through touch. Talking and getting to know the other person is a big part of it. Do you understand what I mean? Say this was real. I’d enjoy hearing about your day or just stuff about you.”

  Nancy nodded. “Okay.” Her eyes moved beyond him and the gleam returned to them. “He’s coming this way.” She grabbed his hand again.

  Michael stopped by their table to glare at Max. It didn’t have the desired effect. Max held his glance and a second later, he left.

  “You can do better than that Nancy. I promise,” Max said.

  It was as if he hadn’t spoken. “That was perfect. He’s probably rethinking his decision to end our relationship. I bet he’ll come begging me to take him back. You’re the best Max.”

  Max shook his head. He seriously doubted whether he could help Nancy. She wasn’t even listening to anything he was saying. He drained the last of his coffee and left. He went back to his office and went to the parking area at the back of the building and got into his car.

  He was looking forward to getting Megan’s painting.

  Downtown, parking was a nightmare and it took him going around the block several times to get a parking space. It seemed that going to the gallery at lunch time was popular with many people.

  He entered the gallery and was immediately surrounded by a stillness which he had noticed in most art galleries. There were quite a number of people and they all spoke in hushed tones as though there was a ‘Do not disturb’ sign.

  He walked around staring at the paintings, trying to figure out which one to get. He had come to appreciate art ever since the time Lance had convinced, or rather coerced, him into taking an art class. The only trouble was that he understood very little of the art trends. He just knew what he liked, which was landscapes.

  Frustration welled up in him when he couldn’t decide which piece to get for Megan’s cottage. In a lightbulb moment, her remembered Corrine’s eccentric aunt was Lance’s wife and her aunt was the resident artist in the gallery.

  Max left the main floor of the gallery and made his way to the studio on the first floor. He knocked on the slightly open door and entered. Corrine and her Aunt Maureen were standing in front of an easel. They turned to him and both their eyes widened in surprise.

  “Max Foster,” Maureen said and beckoned him to enter. “What a lovely surprise. Give me a hug, it’s been too long.”

  Max grinned and took her into his arms. she felt so fragile and small. “It has been too long.”

  “Hey Max,” Corrine, Lance’s red-haired wife said and hugged him.

  They exchanged pleasantries and asked after each other’s families. Maureen had been around America first and then the world with her partner, a man named Sam. She told him about the places they had seen.

  “It’s nice of you to drop in and say hello, I know how busy you young people get. I haven’t seen Corrine here in two weeks and we live in the same town.”

  “Actually, there’s another reason I wanted to see you. I’m buying a painting for a lady and I was hoping you could help me choose,” Max said feeling foolish and out of his element.

  If they were talking about guarding and security, he would have been right at home but talking about gifts and women left him feeling as if he’d lost his footing.

  Maureen smiled. “I’ll help but on one condition.” She waited for his nod before continuing. “I have to meet the lucky young woman.”

  He was about to explain that she was just a friend when he thought better of it. “Sure.”

  They all went downstairs together and Corrine joined them in looking for the piece of art he wanted to buy.

  “Do you still love landscapes?” Aunt Maureen asked.

  “Oh yes. That’s the trouble. My tastes are simple but I’m not sure what ladies like,” Max said.

  “Some like simple too. Is this a special lady to you?” Aunt Maureen said.

  “Very much so. I’ve loved her for many years.”

  “That is so romantic. I’m surprised and impressed by you Max,” she said.

  He didn’t pursue why that surprised her. All he cared about was getting the right piece for Megan.

  “Look at that,” Corrine said stopping in front of an acrylic landscape.

  She had been so quiet, Max had forgotten she was with them. He moved to her side and looked at the painting. It was beautiful. It was an autumn landscape featuring trees draped in red and gold leaves.

  “It’s perfect,” Max said in an awed tone.

  Chapter 11

  “Welcome to Candin Inc, we’ve been looking forward to your arrival,” Lillian said and turned to Megan for confirmation.

  Megan smiled and nodded enthusiastically to the twenty or so children from a nearby elementary school.

  “Thank you for having us,” a woman in glasses who had introduced herself as their teacher said.

  Megan followed the group as Lillian led them to the factory floor and introduced them to one of the supervisors who would be giving them a tour of Candin Inc. She had been so wrong to think that working reception would be dull.

  She had done a rapid turnaround in her views after spending three hours with Lillian. She could rival the CEO of the company on how busy she was. Megan hadn’t realized how much everyone in Candin Inc interreacted with the receptionist.

  When she wasn’t dealing with various issues from the staff or welcoming visitors, she was constantly on the phone. By the end of the day, Megan had a healthy respect for the amount of work that Lillian did and a little skeptical about handling the reception desk alone for the next several days.

  “You’ll be fine,” Lillian said when Megan voiced her concerns. “You’re a natural with people. That’s all it is. Interacting with people.”

  “I can do that,” Megan said.

  As usual, Max was waiting for her in the parking lot at five. Megan fought down the smile pulling at her lips. Why did seeing him make her feel light enough to fly?

  He got out of the car when he saw her and she quickened her step.

  “Hi,” Megan said, stupidly happy.

  “Hi,” Max said, smiling in that boyish smile of his that transformed his face from intimidating to entirely approachable. He moved to open the door.

  She slipped in and fastened her safety belt. An inappropriate image of her and Max arose and she quickly shot it down. Shakiness came over her limbs. She couldn’t allow it to happen again. She had fallen for Luca as quickly as she was falling for Max.

  Megan squared her shoulders. She was different now and even though her feelings for Max were increasing, she was never going to act on them. With Luca, she had dived in head first but thank God for experience and maturity.

  “How was your day?” Max said as he drove out of Candin Inc.

  “Pretty good,” Megan said. “I was wrong about reception. Time just zipped by.”

  “I’m not the kind of person who says ‘I told you so’,” he said.

  “Of course not,” she said. “How was yours?”

  “Good, I had an interesting errand at lunch time and I can’t wait to show you what I got.”

  She turned to look a
t him and it struck her again how handsomely defined his face was. Looking at him made her want to trace a finger along his jaw. “Tell me.”

  “I said show you, not tell you,” he said firmly.

  “Come on Max. I really hate surprises,” Megan said, wracking her brain for what it could be. She needed more information to make a guess. “Give me a clue.”

  He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re like a dog with a bone. You just won’t leave it.”

  “Nope,” she said.

  He stopped the car for a red light and turned to look at her. Megan’s heart hammered in her chest.

  “Okay. It’s quite large but not heavy and it’s beautiful to look at.” Max caressed her face with his words.

  Her brain went blank. She followed his gaze to her lips. Desire burned a hot spot in the pit of her belly, catching her by surprise. Unconsciously, she parted her lips. Max’s eyes flared and then darkened.

  Megan jumped when a sharp jarring noise filled the air, jolting her back to the present. The light had turned green. Her cheeks burned with shame. Max stepped on the accelerator and the car jerked forward in a manner that was not his usual driving style.

  It hadn’t just been her feeling it then. Megan shivered. This was crazy. What was going on between them? Light attraction had always simmered between them but now, it was as if a match had been lit and the fire of attraction had exploded into an uncontrollable flame.

  The rest of the ride home was filled with an uncomfortable silence. When Max stopped the car in front of her cottage, he killed the engine and got out of the car. Thinking he was going to open the door for her, Megan quickly opened it and got out.

  Max moved to the back door and removed what looked like a painting. He handed it to her with the front of it turned away.

  “This is for you to make the cottage feel homier,” he said in a gruff tone.

  Megan took the painting and turned it around. She gasped and was immediately transported to that path paved with gold and red leaves, and trees forming a canopy above her. It was so vivid that Megan could feel the crunch of her feet on the leaves below.

  “Do you like it?”

  Max’s voice sounded as if it came from a distance.

  “It’s beautiful,” Megan said. She couldn’t take her eyes of it. “I feel as if I’m walking on that path and I can’t wait to see what is beyond the cluster of trees.”

  Max chuckled. “I felt it too when I first looked at it.”

  “Where did you get it?” she said, all sorts of emotions flooding her. Tears filled her eyes. Max had gone to the trouble of getting her a thoughtful gift because her cottage didn’t feel homey. She couldn’t remember any man being that thoughtful and sweet to her.

  In all the years she had been married, Luca had never given her a gift. Not once. She was the one who did the giving.

  “A gallery downtown. Corrine’s aunt is the resident artist there.”

  “Can you take me?” she said, pushing the past to the back of her mind.

  Max laughed. “I’d love to take you. How about tomorrow lunch time?”

  “Perfect. Come on in and help me hang it,” she said and led the way into the cottage. Inside, Megan surveyed the walls and it struck her anew how bare the living room was.

  “Where do you want it?” Max said.

  Megan moved to the wall opposite the front door. There were already brackets on the wall for hanging the painting. “Here would be perfect. It would be the first thing everyone sees when they walk in.”

  Max came and took the painting from her. Awareness shot through her at his nearness. God, he smelled good. She had missed masculine scents since leaving Italy. She could have moved away but she didn’t. She stood in the same spot and watched as he hung the landscape.

  “That’s perfect,” Megan said.

  “Perfect,” Max said, except he was looking at her. He seemed to realize how close to him Megan was standing but instead of moving away, he took one step that brought him close enough that she could hear his rugged breathing.

  It was becoming weird. The sensible thing to do was to step back but she was tired of being sensible. Max’s chest was honed with muscle and Megan allowed her gaze to linger over it before she raised her eyes to his face. Her breath hitched at the depth of emotion in his eyes.

  His hand left his side to cup her cheek and Megan leaned into it. Trembling slightly, she palmed his chest in a gesture that crossed the boundaries of friendship. As if Max had been waiting for that, he lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers.

  Heat sizzled over her skin and a whimper escaped her lips. Max drew back and stared into her eyes. A primal need came over Megan. She needed Max. She needed to feel his firm lips against hers again.

  She draped her hands around his neck and pulled him to her. This time, there was nothing gentle or cautious about the kiss. Max slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her to him, his body hard against her soft one.

  Max did not kiss gently and neither did he coax. There was no hesitation and no doubt that she was in the hands of a man who knew what he was doing. With his mouth and his tongue, Max converted Megan into a puddle of mush. She forgot her left and right.

  All she knew was that she had never felt as alive as she did at that moment. Neither had she ever felt as connected to another human being as she did. Max kissed as if he wanted to memorized every crevice in her mouth. She matched his movements, giving as much as she was getting.

  Then Max went still and broke the kiss, leaving Megan feeling as if a bucket of icy cold water had been poured on her. She stared at him in confusion as he took a step back. She was breathing so hard, she couldn’t speak.

  He met her stare and she saw the regret in his eyes. Shame came over her. The events prior to the kiss played in her mind. She had convinced herself that Max wanted to kiss her and she had more or less coerced him into kissing her.

  Megan wanted to cover her face with shame.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” Max said.

  “It’s me,” Megan quickly interjected. “I don’t know why I did it but it won’t happen again.” She folded her arms across her chest. Because of her stupid, impulsive actions, she had made things awkward between them. “We don’t need to continue with the bodyguard arrangement. I’m sure you’ve also seen that Luca is not a threat from all the way in Italy.”

  “This has nothing to do with that,” he growled.

  Goosebumps clothed the bare skin of her arms. Relief surged through her. It wasn’t fair or right, but she didn’t want to lose Max. His friendship was one of the few things that kept her going when it all became too much.

  Her attraction for him was getting in the way of that but this time she was going to curb it.

  “And we’re still going to the gallery tomorrow. You don’t work on Saturdays, do you?” he smiled and her heart did a couple of somersaults in her chest.

  Her lips curved into a smile of her own. “Only half the day.”

  “Me too,” Max said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She expected him to turn and walk to the door. Instead, he closed the distance between them and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger a little longer than necessary.

  Megan fought the urge to clasp him to her. It was just a friendly goodbye kiss but her brain was getting all the signals mixed up. He touched her cheek and then with a smile, he left.

  She waited for the front door to shut, then hurried to the window. Max walked with long, strong strides to his car. Just looking at him was enough to make her body feel weak and burning hot at the same time. Before he entered his car, he turned to stare at the cottage.

  Megan shrunk away from the window even though he couldn’t see her because of the sheers. A minute later, his car roared and the sound of the tires on the gravel filled the air, growing fainter, until it became silent.

  She let out a breath she hadn’t known she had been holding. That kiss. She had never been kissed like that
. As if he had waited all his life to kiss her. Megan laughed softly to herself. What a ridiculous thought. A man like Max had to have women throwing themselves at him.

  He had probably forgotten about it as soon as he stepped out of the cottage. If only she could do the same. A longing had been awakened and she didn’t know how to put it back to sleep.

  Chapter 12

  Megan had been in the tasting room before but it was different being there as a taster. She was part of the twelve-person team that comprised the company’s professional tasters. They had been trained over the years to judge the quality of raw materials as well as the end product.

  Unlike the factory floor, the quality room was quiet with an air of seriousness. Built-in shelves on one side of the room carried the replicas of all the chocolate and gums that Candin Inc manufactured.

  A card was placed in front of Megan and one of the ladies explained the rating process they used. Then bowls of cocoa beans were placed in front of each of them.

  “We want to verify the level of fermentation in each sample of the beans,” she continued.

  As she spoke, Megan found her thoughts drifting to the previous morning. She had been dreading Max, expecting their time together to be awkward but it hadn’t been. Max had acted as if the previous day’s kiss hadn’t happened and she had taken his cue and done the same.

  “We use all our senses to taste it,” the woman said and Megan roused herself from her thoughts and forced herself to concentrate on the work in front of her.

  As important as the tasting room was to the company, it turned out to be her least favorite department to work in. She couldn’t grasp the concept of tasting the chocolate with all her senses and frustration welled up inside of her. Megan hated failing and it was clear to everyone, including herself, that tasting was not one of her talents.

  At lunch time, she was the first one to leave and for the first time, it was Max who found her waiting outside the building.