by Jamie Begley
“Let me get this right; you’re inviting me to bring dinner to your house?”
“Kind of,” Max admitted. “I burned dinner and”—he lowered his voice—“I’m scared of my kids when they’re hungry. It’s a dangerous situation.”
A gurgle of laughter brought an unwilling smile to his face.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can. If you have to lock yourself in the bathroom until I get there, I’ll rescue you.”
“Thanks, Casey, and don’t forget dessert.”
“For the kids or you?”
“Get the kids the chocolate cake. I already know what I’m having for dessert.”
Chapter 15
“Can I have another leg?” Randy asked.
Casey leaned forward, handing him the bucket. “Help yourself.”
The little boy gave her a gap-toothed smile as he took the bucket from her.
“Don’t make yourself sick,” Max warned.
Casey wiped her fingers on a napkin, handing one to Maxim who was wiping his hand on his pant leg.
“This is good. Can we do it again next weekend?” Maxton asked.
“I don’t know if my ass can handle sitting on the floor two weekends in a row.” Max adjusted himself on the floor, straightening his legs to the side.
When she had suggested setting a blanket on the floor so they could all sit together and eat, the children had jumped at the suggestion. Max had looked at her doubtfully while Randy had jumped up and down in glee, and Maxie had gone into the bedroom to bring back a large blanket.
The children had loved the adventure of scooting the furniture back and laying the blanket down on the carpet. Setting the food down, they had turned the takeout dinner into a picnic.
Casey ate her food, watching as Max talked to his kids about their week. He asked questions about their activities and friends, all the while letting them have his undivided attention. He was friendly, but the underlying sternness was there if they told him something he wasn’t happy with.
“Can I go to a movie next Saturday? Mom said I had to ask you for permission,” Maxie asked.
“Who with?” Max asked with a chicken leg in his large hand.
“With my friend Abbey.” The girl looked away from Max’s sharp gaze.
“Anyone else?”
“Her brother,” Maxie admitted.
“How old is this brother?”
“Sixteen.” A light blush filled her face.
“No. If you two girls want to go to the movie, I’ll take you and drop you off then pick you up when it’s over.”
Maxie made a face. “That won’t be any fun!”
“If you were just going to watch the movie, what difference does it make if I take you? If you want to go, I’ll take you. If you don’t want me to, then you can sit your ass at home.”
“Then I’ll stay home!” Maxie jumped up from the blanket and ran from the room. The loud slam of the bedroom door had Casey wincing in sympathy for the girl. Max, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned as he cut the small Bundt cake into pieces for the rest of his kids.
Casey took the piece he offered her.
“You think I’m wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, but I think you could have put it nicer or asked if her mother could take her, instead. She could have been worried that you would intimidate her friends.”
“She’s worried I’ll hit the punk who thinks he’s got a clear path to my thirteen-year-old daughter.”
“That, too,” Casey agreed.
“Can I have another piece of cake?” Randy’s face was covered in chocolate.
“Why don’t you finish that piece on your face?” Max handed him a napkin.
Casey stood when she finished her cake, helping Max to clean up. The boys were playing a video game when she went into the kitchen to put the leftovers away. When she turned back, Max was leaning against the counter.
“Thanks for bringing dinner. The kids liked it, even Maxie.”
“I did, too. Cole and I used to do it sometimes when we were kids.” Casey couldn’t keep the sadness out of her voice.
“You and Cole are tight, aren’t you?”
“Not only is he my brother, he’s my best friend.”
Max turned to the stove, dumping the remains of the dinner he had cooked into the trash.
“What was it?” Casey asked curiously.
“SpaghettiOs. I got off work late and didn’t have time to run by the grocery store before I picked the kids up.”
“You work?”
Max threw the pot into the sink. “I work fifty hours a week at the furniture factory.”
“I just asked. I didn’t know.” Casey regretted that she kept saying the wrong things to him. His masculine pride was like a minefield. She never knew it was too late until she stepped on them.
“Now you do,” Max snapped.
“It’s getting late; I should go.”
Max’s hand on her arm had her pausing.
“Sorry, I guess you thinking I was too lazy to hold a job down was getting to me.”
“I don’t think you’re lazy, Max. You never talk about your work. I—”
“There’s not a lot to talk about. I load and unload furniture onto a truck all day.”
“Now I understand why you’re so big, lifting heavy furniture every day,” Casey teased. “Saves you money with gym memberships.”
“I get a discount, too. If you come by the store, you can get a new mattress.”
“I may take you up on that Monday.”
“Want to stay and play some video games?”
Casey nodded, and they went back into the other room, sinking down into the couch. Max handed her a controller.
“You play video games?” Maxton scooted over to make more room for her.
“Occasionally. My brother loves video games,” Casey said, recognizing the game that Maxton restarted from the beginning. The challenge was to find and collect enough items to fill a treasure chest.
Max groaned out loud when Casey began earning enough points to take items from his chest.
“Take some things from Randy’s chest. His is almost full,” he suggested.
“I don’t want to steal from a child.” Casey’s hair fell across her cheek as she concentrated on taking a treasure map from him. When he brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear, she shivered at the feel of his fingers on her skin.
Max’s chest was empty by her next turn. He tossed the controller down, leaning back against his chair. With him out of the game, Randy and Maxton became her targets.
“I thought you didn’t steal from kids?” Max asked when she took a large ruby from Randy.
“That was before he stole my emerald,” Casey stated, winking at Randy.
Both boys were staring at her in consternation an hour later as the pirate was dancing in glee around the treasure chest.
“She beat us. Adults are supposed to let kids win.” Maxton shook his head at her.
“I prefer you to take a learning experience from the game. It builds character to lose occasionally.”
“I’d rather win.”
Max stood. “Me, too. Losing sucks. Bedtime, boys.”
The boys all wanted to stay up, but Max lifted Randy to his shoulders, and Maxton and Maxim both chased after their father up the stairs.
Casey folded the large blanket, placing it on the couch. Then she went to the kitchen and did the dishes that had been left in the sink before wiping off the counters.
She was going back into the living room as Max was coming down the steps. The front of his T-shirt was wet.
“Did you take a bath with the boys?”
“Very funny. I need to put Randy in swimming classes. That boy would live in the bathtub if I let him. The other two act like I’m torturing them when I make them take a shower.”
“All your children get along well together,” Casey commented on the closeness of the half-siblings.
Max dropped down onto the couch. �
�Did you get along with your stepbrothers and sisters?”
“Not really. By the time we would usually begin to get used to each other, the relationship would end. None of my stepfathers made an attempt to let us see each other afterward, so we gradually grew apart.”
“Did you get along with your stepfathers?” His curious question had her avoiding his eyes.
“For the most part.” Casey went to the coffee table and picked up her purse. “I better be going.”
As she walked toward the door, she passed Max, who put an arm around her waist, sweeping her into his arms.
“Stay the night with me.”
Casey broke away from him. “I don’t feel right about staying with your kids here.”
“I’ll wake you up before they do.” He stepped forward, but Casey took a step back, afraid if he touched her, she would give in to him.
“What’s going on, Max?”
“What do you mean?” He stopped, his green eyes narrowing on her.
“I mean, are you trying to get even with me, or are we into each other? Are you wanting us to be fuck buddies, or am I your next cookie of the month?”
“Cookie of the month?”
Casey tried to explain. “You’re like a restaurant that changes its menu every six months. While it’s on special, you eat yourself sick. By the time the six months is over, you’re sick of it and move on to another special.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Casey raised her hand, holding up four fingers. “Your kids’ mothers lasted an average of six months, Sherri lasted six months, Angie—Kaden’s stylist—lasted six months, CeCe lasted six months.” She had seven fingers up now. “Would you like me to go on?”
“No. I told you they broke up with me. I didn’t break up with them.”
“None of your women wanted to let you go. That’s why each of your children are named after you, even Randy, though you refuse to call him Maximilian. Sherri, Angie, and CeCe all wanted you but were tired of playing second fiddle to the Predators.”
“How do you know?”
“They would complain during all the family dinners.” Casey shrugged. “It became real uncomfortable after the third one. I really liked them all. You have good taste in women.”
“Yes, I do.” Max’s hand slipped around her neck, tugging her closer to his body. Her breasts pressed against his chest. “I have excellent taste.” His mouth pressed down on hers, his sexual magnetism flooding her senses.
Her arms curled around his shoulders, making her want more of him than he was willing to give. She wanted to take it, anyway. His tongue traced her bottom lip before he nipped it with his teeth then licked it again.
“Your mouth makes my dick hard as a rock.” His forehead dropped to hers. “To answer your question…”
A small smile tugged on her lips as she tilted her head to the side, giving him greater access to the tender flesh of her neck. “What question?”
“The one about us.”
“Oh.”
“How about we take it as it comes? How can I know where it’s going before we even begin going down that road together?”
“I can deal with that—one day at a time.”
“One day at a time.” Casey shivered when Max repeated her words.
Her eyes lifted to his, hearing something in his voice that made her uneasy; however, his smiling gaze reassured her she had been mistaken. She didn’t want to think too hard about what was happening between them, either. For once, she was going to try to be as reckless as Max. What had all her careful planning and caution gotten her so far?
It would be temporary as all of Max’s relationships were, but his lightheartedness was what she needed right now. She was going to take his advice and see where the road ahead took them.
“Don’t go. Listen, let me get Gert to watch the kids, and we’ll go for a ride.”
“I should go home, Max.”
“It’ll be a short ride. Come on…” he said persuasively.
“All right.”
As soon as she gave in, he called Gert to come over to keep an eye on the kids while they were sleeping. Max had found his house for sale when he had visited Gert at home. It had been large enough with the four bedrooms, and Gert was always nearby if he needed a babysitter when the Predators called him out during their visits.
Gert was there within a few minutes, giving Casey a cool look as she came inside.
Max rushed Casey outside. “Thanks Gert,” he said, closing the door on her frown.
“She knows what happened?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Max wasn’t going to lie about the other members being angry with her. Casey could have brought the law down not only the brothers but all the members who shared in the profits from the club, and Gert was one of those members.
“Where are we going?” Casey asked as she climbed on behind him.
“I thought we’d just see where the road took us.” Max gave her a devilish smile, he always liked to keep his options open. It kept the women off his back until it was to late for them to do anything about his actions.
He drove steadily out of the neighborhood toward town. They rode through several streets for over twenty minutes before Max felt her shudder against him. He then turned down one street, coming to a stop in front of a bar. Max eyed the lone bike he had parked next to on the street.
He stood, reaching down to help her off the bike.
“Why are we here?”
“Because you’re cold, and like a dumbass, I didn’t grab either of us a jacket. Come on, let’s get a drink.”
“I don’t want to go in there. It’s a strip joint,” Casey protested.
“Don’t worry, there are plenty of women in there.”
“On the stage or in the audience?”
“Both.” Max took her hand, giving her no choice other than to follow.
The strip club was busy tonight, and looking toward the stage, Max could see why. Sherri was on the stage, doing a new routine.
Max found them a table at the back of the club and pulled a chair out for Casey before taking one for himself.
“Couple of beers,” Max yelled to one of the girls working the floor.
Max turned toward the stage, watching Casey stare impassively as Sherri pulled her top off while she gyrated toward the front of the stage.
“It doesn’t bother Sherri for you to come in here since you broke up?”
“Why would it? I watched when we were together. Besides, she’s with Henry now. He owns the club.”
“Thanks, angel.” The sexy waitress set their beers down on the table. Max took out a twenty, handing it to her.
“Thanks, Max.” She gave him a wink before moving away to another table.
Max turned his attention back to the stage.
“I’m ready to leave,” Casey said quietly.
“We haven’t finished our beers.” Max lifted the beer to his lips, taking a long drink.
“Why are we pretending, Max? We both know you brought me here to punish me. I would rather you just do it than these jabs you keep taking at me.”
Fury that he had been keeping suppressed flared out of control. Standing, he took her hand and jerked her up before walking toward the staircase that was across the room. He led her upstairs, keying a number into the keypad on the large door at the top. He pushed her inside to the private bar that only exclusive members could enter. Going to the bar, he took out a couple of hundreds, slamming them down.
“Any of the rooms open?” Max asked angrily.
The bartender eyed him thoughtfully before reaching under the counter for a key and handing it to him.
“Thanks.” Max glanced at the red key before leading Casey to the door on the side of the wall. Unlocking the door, he pushed her inside then slammed the door.
Casey gasped, staring around the gaudy room.
“You bastard!” She started to go around him, only to find herself pinned against the door.
“I brought you u
p here to talk. I don’t plan to fuck you. At least not yet.” Max buried his mouth in her neck, knowing it was overly sensitive. She shivered when his tongue traced to the tip of her ear.
“What are you doing?”
“What you suggested—punishing you. Isn’t that what you wanted me to do? This is certainly the room for it, don’t you think?”
“I think you’ve lost your mind!” Casey struggled against him as his hand slid up her thigh.
“I lost my mind over you a long time ago, Casey. I can remember the first time I tasted that mouth of yours. You remember that night, Casey?”
“Yes.” She tried to turn her head to the side. “I remember.”
“You were seventeen; my tongue was in your mouth; and my dick was hard as a rock. If Ginger hadn’t walked in that door, I would have fucked you with my fingers next.”
“I wouldn’t have let you,” Casey denied.
Max brought his hand to the waistband of her jeans, unbuttoning them. “Sweet thing, you wouldn’t have stopped me. You would have begged me.”
“No,” Casey whimpered.
“Oh, yes, you would have. We both know it, don’t we?” Max’s hand slid inside the jeans he had loosened, finding her moist and warm.
“Yes,” Casey finally admitted when his fingers began rubbing against her clit.
“That’s it, sweet thing.” Max groaned when he felt her thighs tightening on his hand to hold his fingers against her clit.
“Max.” Casey’s hands clutched his biceps.
Max hid his triumphant smile as he bent down to nuzzle the cleft between her breasts, leaving the shirt she was wearing covering them.
“When Mugg married Renee, I knew we would be around each other, but I planned on being a good stepbrother by kind of trying to protect you and watch out for you when I could. Fuck that! You want me, and I sure as hell want you.” Max’s fingers began moving on her faster, teasing the opening to her pussy without entering her.
Casey’s hands dropped to his waist, holding on to his belt like a lifeline.
“Sweet thing, there’s a lot of things I want to do with you, but punishing you isn’t one of them. I’ve regretted not taking that sweet cherry of yours for years when you were older. Then, when I finally got you in my bed, you were more interested in what was in Ice’s office.” Max’s wounded pride was determined to wring every ounce of revenge out of the body withering on his hand.