Kobo Indecent Arrangement Part II

by apple desk

  Minutes later in the car, Max continued to try to rein in his libido. Or at least level out his breathing. Christ, he felt like a fucking teenager.

  Shouldn’t’ve kissed her.

  Now he wouldn’t be able to think of anything else all night. Except maybe the fact that, if she agreed to come home with them tonight, she wouldn’t be leaving until tomorrow morning.

  And there were a lot of hours between now and then.

  “So what did your busy day include?” she asked.

  They’d been driving in silence for a few minutes, Max trying to settle on a topic of conversation. This definitely wasn’t what he’d wanted to talk about, but he wasn’t going to ignore her. He also didn’t want to scare her away by telling her the truth.

  Bad idea.

  “We had several site visits and two meetings this afternoon. And your day?”

  “Oh, just a few phone calls from family.” Sarcasm oozed from her voice. “That always manages to make my day a little more interesting.”

  He shot her a glance. “Interesting doesn’t sound very good.”

  “Not today, no.”

  When she didn’t continue, he pressed forward, wanting more from her.

  “What did they want?”

  He had a feeling he knew, but he wanted her to talk to him about it. Wanted her to feel like she could open up to him.

  “I told them we were dating.”

  His back stiffened though he immediately forced himself to relax. “I take it that didn’t go over well.”

  “Actually, it went better than I thought it would.”

  He couldn’t hide his surprise. “Who did you talk to?”

  “My mom and my brother Jason. The cop.”

  Shit. “And neither of them tried to talk you out of dating…me?”

  “Oh, they did. I got them to change their minds.”

  He was sure that had taken a miracle. “And how did you do that?’

  She sat a little straighter. “By telling them I was a grown woman who could make her own decisions and that you wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Was that a subtle warning? Or had she given him the gift of her trust? He wanted to believe it was the latter.

  “Should I expect a visit from your father or your brothers? And will I need medical attention afterward?”

  She laughed, which was what he’d wanted. God, she had a great laugh. It made his dick hard.

  “No, I don’t think so but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to be on guard.”

  He was always on guard so that wouldn’t be a problem. “What about you, Mally?”

  Her head cocked to the side, her eyes on his profile. “Are you asking me if I trust you?”

  Do you really want to know? “Do you?”

  She didn’t answer right away and he refused to believe he was holding his breath.

  Finally, the corners of her mouth curved up. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

  He felt her gaze like a physical caress. “Why?”

  Her shrug held a slight haughtiness. “Because I believe in my ability to read people. And I trust you not to hurt me.”

  No, he didn’t want to hurt her. He only wanted to give her pleasure. It was a primal need he couldn’t explain. And one he didn’t want to examine too closely.

  He’d never had such an overwhelming desire before, at least not one that wasn’t fueled by rage or frustration. What he felt for her was a constant ache, one he couldn’t explain. And yes, that made his teeth grind. But he wasn’t about to give her up because of it. Not now that he’d had his cock lodged inside her and felt her come around him.

  Shit. Probably shouldn’t think about that too much. He wouldn’t be able to walk into the restaurant without embarrassing himself.

  “I definitely don’t want to hurt you, Mally.” But he couldn’t tell her with any certainty that she wouldn’t get hurt. But he could make damn sure she knew that he and Jesse would stand between her and anything that came near her.

  As long as she allows you to.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Mally’s question made him realize his expression had hardened into a scowl, and he relaxed it immediately.

  “Nothing.” Relief flooded through him as he pulled into the parking lot. Thank God Jesse would be here because Max didn’t want to fuck up the conversation all night. At least with Jesse as a buffer, he had a fighting chance of not saying something stupid.

  “So why this restaurant?”

  He’d helped her out of the car but released her as they started to walk. He wanted to put his hand on her arm, on her back, somewhere to show any other man that she was his, but he restrained himself.

  Except… She slipped her hand around his bicep and kept it there as they walked. Maybe she didn’t want to risk falling on those heels, though she looked pretty steady in them.

  And maybe she actually isn’t embarrassed to be seen with you.

  That would be nice. Could also be wishful thinking.

  They walked into Fond on Passyunk Avenue and were immediately taken to a table. Max wasn’t surprised to see Jesse. He’d stood as they walked to the table, his gaze connecting with Max’s for a brief second before switching to Mally. Max figured he’d had the same look on his face when he’d seen her.

  Jesse, however, let his smile linger as he pulled out the chair next to him for her. Which meant Max would sit across from her and get to stare at her all night. And Jesse would get to sit close enough to her to touch.

  He didn’t know which of them had the better seat.

  Max couldn’t help but hope they’d all be winners by the end of the night.

  Jesse thought he managed to hide it well, but he felt like someone had smacked him with a two-by-four.

  Christ, she was fucking beautiful. With her hair up and that damn dress plastered to her body… Fuck, just shoot him now. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and head for the nearest exit. Instead, he’d be forced to sit next to her for at least an hour and a half before they could leave. By then, he’d be so damn turned on, he wouldn’t be able to make small talk much less do more than stare at her.

  When they’d all been seated, Jesse looked across the table to find Max grinning at him. Probably because he hadn’t been able to hide his reaction. And probably because Max had had the same reaction when he’d first seen her.

  Bastard.

  “So how was your day, Jesse?”

  The waitress had just left after taking their drink orders and leaving them with menus, and a short silence had fallen.

  “Busy.”

  It was the first thing that came to mind that didn’t hint at their problems. He figured short and sweet was the way then he’d turn the conversation back to her and let her talk.

  But when she started to laugh, he frowned at her.

  “Why is that funny?”

  “Because it’s exactly what Max said.” Shaking her head, she glanced first at Max over the top of her menu and then sideways at him. “Do you two coordinate your answers ahead of time? Or do you really communicate telepathically?”

  Jesse glanced up to find a half-assed smile on Max’s face, amazing considering the way they’d spent their day. The tension in Jesse’s shoulders eased, made the hot anger seething in his stomach fade.

  Until that moment, he hadn’t been sure he was going to be decent company tonight. At least, not decent enough for Mally’s company. Now, the night was looking up.

  “I can tell you exactly what Jesse’s thinking right now.” Max’s deadpan delivery drew Mally’s attention back to him.

  Her smile widened. “And what’s that?”

  Max looked up from the menu. “Exactly what I’m thinking.”

  Her head cocked to the side, her smile never wavering. “Are you going to let me in on the secret?”

  Max exchanged another glance with Jesse, who knew exactly what Max was thinking.

  “I don’t think it’s much of a secret how we feel about you. Neither of us can wait to get you
home.”

  Jesse knew there was more Max could’ve said. Like, “and get you out of that dress and spread out on a bed.”

  Luckily, Max didn’t add that. And Mally continued to smile.

  “Then I guess we’d better order fast. Because that’s exactly what I’m expecting for dessert.”

  Neither Jesse nor Max said anything in response. Frankly, Jesse wasn’t sure what the hell to say.

  Mally continued to confuse him. She seemed comfortable saying whatever came into her mind. Not that he didn’t appreciate her candor, but he was surprised that it included her attraction to them.

  She didn’t seem at all embarrassed to be seen in public with them. Other women they’d had relationships with had made it clear they’d be happy to spend time between them in bed. But if they were ever together outside of the bedroom, then they didn’t want anyone else to know the three of them shared a bed.

  Usually that meant Max was her official date. Jesse faded into the background as Max’s bodyguard.

  And maybe that’s how those other women had viewed him, simply as a third body and not a second man in the relationship. Then again, they really hadn’t had any relationships with those women.

  Fuck.

  “We could get dinner to go.”

  Max had finally answered, and good thing too, because Jesse wasn’t sure he could’ve responded to her flirty response with anything other than a caveman-like grunt of approval.

  She pouted at Max, and Jesse’s cock throbbed with lust. Tonight was going to be absolute torture. Until they got back to their place.

  “Then why did I bother to get all dressed up? I don’t get to wear this dress often and I like it.”

  “Most of the men in this room like it a little too much,” Jesse muttered and was rewarded with another bright smile.

  “Trust me, the women are looking at you the same way.” She picked up her menu and transferred her gaze to it. “We call it suit porn.”

  Max set his menu aside and Jesse figured the guy had seen chicken and stopped there because nothing said steak.

  “Seriously?” Max sounded genuinely shocked. “That’s actually a thing?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Mary Alice nodded. “And trust me, you two qualify for a few fantasies tonight.”

  Christ, he hoped so. He hoped like hell those fantasies were all hers.

  Since Max seemed to be having a hard time coming up with a response to that, Jesse changed the subject to something much more boring. He asked about her day and for the next hour, while they ate food he could barely pronounce and drank a bottle of decent wine, they managed to hold a conversation that didn’t make him want to throw a couple hundred dollars on the table and drag her back to their place.

  Mally fascinated both of them so he and Max kept the spotlight on her. It helped that she could talk about anything and everything. And he didn’t mean that in a bad way. He only meant she had no problem keeping a conversation going.

  Jesse let Max do most of the heavy conversational lifting, though Jesse was careful to contribute occasionally. Didn’t want her to think he wasn’t listening.

  Truth was, he could listen to her talk all night. The sound of her voice mesmerized. Which meant he had to keep reminding himself not to fall too deeply under her spell. He hadn’t forgotten that someone was trying to sabotage their livelihood.

  And Jesse wasn’t convinced he and Max weren’t in danger as well. Which meant Mally potentially could be.

  By the time dessert rolled around, Jesse had started seeing threats everywhere, and Max and Mally had noticed. They keep sneaking glances at him whenever his attention would veer away to check out the room.

  So he was the first one to see the older woman approach across the room. Her tentative smile and the way her eyes kept flashing between him and Mary Alice and Max made his back stiffen.

  He tried to hide it but Max’s gaze narrowed on him and it wasn’t long before Mary Alice turned to him as well.

  He didn’t have a chance to say anything because the woman stepped up to their table.

  “Mary Alice, sweetheart. I thought that was you. How are you?”

  Mally stiffened for a millisecond before turning a bright smile on the woman and rising, prompting Jesse and Max to do the same.

  “Hi, Aunt Viv. I’m fine. And you?”

  “Oh, as well as can be expected these days. We’re celebrating your uncle’s birthday with friends so I can’t stay but I just wanted to see…if you were all right.”

  Now, Jesse could be completely off base here but he didn’t think he was. He was pretty sure Mally’s aunt was asking if she felt right in the head because clearly she couldn’t be if she was having dinner with him and Max.

  Jesse shot a quick glance at Max, who had a charming smile on his face. Max could do charming when he wanted to. Jesse had to work much harder at it. The best he could hope for was slightly warmer than stone face.

  “I’m doing well. Work’s been busy but that’s better than not. Aunt Viv, these are my friends Jesse Kanatawa and Max Burdanov.”

  He and Max nodded and tried not to appear like they were looming over the women. Though that proved hard to do when they both had at least half a foot on them.

  Mally’s aunt barely held her smile, though she didn’t outright dismiss or ignore them. She didn’t offer her hand either.

  “Nice to meet you both.”

  The woman turned back to Mally immediately. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt your…evening. If you get a chance, stop by and say hello on your way out. I’m sure your uncle would love to see you.”

  “I will, Aunt Viv.” Mally smiled brightly and gave the older woman a hug, which her aunt returned. “Thanks for letting me know you’re here.”

  The older woman nodded and walked away, though Jesse saw her glance back at them from the other side of the room, worry plain on her face.

  When Jesse sat, he turned to find Mary Alice shaking her head. “Sorry about that. Aunt Viv’s…kind of…”

  Surprisingly, Max said exactly what Jesse was thinking.

  “Prejudiced?”

  Mary Alice’s head popped up immediately. “No. No, it’s not that. I think it…probably has to do with your history. Aunt Viv’s married to a city judge. I think she or Uncle Simon recognized you. I’m sorry. She was rude and—”

  “Actually, no. She wasn’t. She was more polite than some people we’ve met.”

  Unfortunately, that was true. Some people looked straight through them like they weren’t there. Jesse had learned to ignore it better than Max, who’d sometimes deliberately antagonize them for kicks.

  “Seriously?” Mally shook her head. “You deal with that a lot?”

  Max shrugged, like it was no big deal, but Jesse saw the coldness brewing beneath his calm expression. “More than you’d imagine. You’d think if people believe you’re criminals, they’d be more careful how they treat you. Hell, we could pull out a semiautomatic and blow away the entire room.”

  Damn it. Max was gearing up for a full-blown sarcasm attack, something Mally hadn’t seen from him yet. Her gaze narrowed and her lips pursed, as if trying to figure out Max’s mood.

  Then she shook her head and the look she flashed both of them was pure exasperation. Which was a hell of a lot better than anger or fear.

  “I can’t imagine either of you own a semiautomatic.”

  Jesse had to bite his tongue because, yeah, he did own a semiautomatic. Had for years. As well as five other legally registered firearms. And two not as legal. Max had his own legal pieces. Which meant they had ten weapons in various places throughout the city. And Jesse hadn’t included the blades.

  “Do you want me to respond to that truthfully?”

  Max’s quiet question took Mally and Jesse off guard, and they both turned their full attention on Max, who caught and held Mally’s gaze.

  “Of course I do.” Mally huffed out a sigh, shaking her head, never breaking Max’s gaze. “I’m not stupid and I’m definitely
not unaware of the life you’ve led. I know who you worked for. I know what you did—”

  “No, you don’t.” Max’s voice had dropped another level in volume but the intensity had ratcheted up. “You might think you do but I can assure you, you don’t know the half of it. And you don’t want to.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Isn’t it a little late to try to scare me away? Maybe you should’ve tried that before we had sex.”

  And there was the Mally Jesse knew lurked under that sweet exterior. The woman who didn’t hesitate to say what was on her mind.

  Jesse wondered if Max realized how close he was to getting reamed out by a very pissed-off woman. Sometimes the guy could be a little dense, particularly when it came to females.

  “I’m not trying to scare you away but I’m starting to think you don’t have a clue what you’re getting into with us.”

  Jesus Christ. Jesse wanted to smack Max on the back of the head, but he’d never draw attention to them like that. Max was being a dick, and if he didn’t watch it, Mally would soon tell him to stuff his attitude and storm away. That’s not how he wanted this night to end. And he knew that’s not what Max wanted either.

  But Mally’s aunt’s visit had triggered something in Max.

  “I knew exactly what I was getting into when I made this arrangement, Max. Don’t patronize me. I get enough of that from my older brothers.”

  Max opened his mouth to say something, probably something stupid, and Jesse kicked him in the shin before he got the words out.

  Max’s mouth shut and his gaze snapped to Jesse’s for one brief, furious second before Max took a breath and dialed back his attitude.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. Would you like dessert?”

  Mally shook her head. “No. I think… I’m finished.”

  Jesse was pretty sure that meant she was finished with them for the night, as well.

  “Are we going back to your place?” she asked. “I think we need to talk.”

  Shocked, Jesse answered before Max could stick his foot in his mouth again. “We can if that’s what you want.”

  She turned to give him a rueful smile. “It is.”

  “Then let’s go.” Max managed not to sound too pissed off as he said it.