by Steph's Mac
His expression never changed. “So dating is the word we’re using?”
Okay, fine. “Would you rather I say sleeping with?”
He shrugged, his expression slightly mocking. “If you can’t talk the talk, chickie, how’re you gonna walk the walk?”
“I’m not going to be doing any walking or talking for a while.” She sighed, trying not to allow tears to well up. Again. “We broke up.”
“I take it that wasn’t your decision.”
“You would guess right.”
Tommy snorted and shook his head, shaggy brownish-red waves falling around a face she’d heard women describe as dreamy. John Matthew had been rugged. Jason was classically handsome. Finn was adorable.
Tommy… When Tommy smiled, women did double takes. Problem was, he didn’t smile often.
“Guess you don’t really want them. How the hell’d you get wrapped up with lowlife criminals anyway?”
Her mouth dropped open as her blood began to boil. Until she caught the challenge in her brother’s eyes.
Now, she did stick her tongue out at him. “You suck.”
He shrugged. “Nah, I just don’t treat you like a twelve-year-old in a convent.”
She laughed, startled to find she could, and watched his lips curve in one of his rare smiles. Good thing there weren’t any women around or she’d have to help fend them off.
“So you think I shouldn’t give them up?”
“You know what I think. You should do what you want. I’ve always told you that. But they hurt you. I can see it in your eyes. They do it again and I’ll make sure they can’t walk for weeks. So, what else can I do for you?”
Tears welled in her eyes. She adored her brothers. Even when she wanted to kill them. “Love you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, love you too. Now, what else do you want?”
“I’m meeting a couple of friends. We’re gonna hang out in one of the booths in the back. Okay?”
“You wanna drink fruity wine all night or you gonna man up and I should get you a bottle of Jack?”
Only Tommy would ever say that to her. Her other brothers preferred to believe she had no idea what alcohol was. Or sex.
“How about we start with a pitcher of Flying Fish and we’ll see how it goes from there?”
“You know where the pitchers are. Knock yourself out.”
She’d just finished tapping the pitcher when the front door opened and Kat walked through with a short brunette at her side.
Kat caught sight of her and waved then headed in her direction.
After hellos and introductions, Mally led them to the small room in the back. It was empty, which Mally had been counting on.
“So, Mally.” Jules smiled at her. “Welcome to the club. Hope you’re ready to be more frustrated than you’ve ever been in your life…when you’re not pissed off at them. Or blissfully happy because there’s nothing like having two men at your beck and call.”
Mally’s lips had started to curve, and by the time Jules had finished, she wore a full-blown grin for the first time all day. Even Kat looked amused.
“Well, I’m extremely frustrated and pissed off at the same time so I guess I’m the lucky one.”
“Yep, that happens a lot, too.” Jules shot a quick glance at Kat, who nodded once. “Kat tells me there are…extenuating circumstances with your relationship.”
“You could say that.” It was Mally’s turn to exchange a glance with Kat. Mally knew Kat wouldn’t have brought Jules to talk if she didn’t trust her. And Kat didn’t trust many people.
After a second, Mally had made up her mind. “Max and Jesse used to work for a Russian crime family. They’re taking their businesses legitimate. Last night, someone broke into their home and—”
Her throat seized up as she thought about what’d happened last night. Taking a deep breath, she blinked back sudden tears. And clasped Kat’s hand when the other woman reached for hers.
“Jesse was hurt. It could’ve been a lot worse but…it was bad. Max didn’t handle it well. We had a fight. I knew he was deliberately goading me. I knew it and I still ended up walking away. I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I left and I’m afraid they’ll never come after me.”
Jules’s eyes had widened until Mally didn’t think they could get any bigger.
“Wow. You’re seriously dating Russian mobsters. It’s like the plot of a TV show.”
Mally smiled again. Couldn’t help herself. “Former mobsters, actually. And only Max is Russian. Jesse’s parents were multi-ethnic. But he and Max are dedicated to each other. Have been since they were kids.”
“Ah.” Jules’s grin was bittersweet. “And you’re worried they don’t really need you in their lives. That you aren’t as important to them as they are to each other.”
Mally blinked. “Holy crap. Did you just read my mind?”
Jules and Kat exchanged a look as Mally shook her head.
“Actually,” Kat spoke this time, “it’s a pretty common worry for people in our situation.”
“So how do you deal with it?”
“That’s not the question you should be asking.” Jules leaned forward, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “The question you should be asking is, how do you make them realize how wrong they are?”
*
By Wednesday morning, Jesse was driving Max crazy.
Max had suggested Jesse take a few more days to recuperate before throwing himself back into work, but Jesse had told him to go fuck himself.
“I’m fucking sick of lying in this damn bed, thinking of all the things I could be doing. If we’re ever— I just need to get back to work.”
Max knew exactly what Jesse had left unsaid. They hadn’t mentioned her name since Sunday, but Mally was between them everywhere. And they couldn’t do a damn thing to get her back until they knew she’d be safe with them.
The problem was, neither of them knew exactly how to do that.
So Jesse was going to Ivy Brown’s, where he planned to examine surveillance footage. They needed to beef up security at all of their properties and, since that was Jesse’s domain, he planned to make damn sure no one could fuck with them again.
“I’ll be sitting on my ass all day anyway,” Jesse continued when Max didn’t say anything. “Might as well do something constructive.”
Max had tried to keep his mouth shut. Jesse was a grown man who could make his own decisions. But when Jesse had said he planned to check out the other two clubs as well, and go to the brewery, Max couldn’t help himself.
“Don’t you think you’re going to overdo it?”
Jesse had glared at him until Max had had to look away or be forced to growl at him in frustration.
“I’ll see you tonight.” Jesse had grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. “You have those meetings today, right? The ones with the city council members? Let me know how they go.”
Then he’d left, making sure the door shut firmly behind him.
Yes, Max had meetings scheduled with city councilmen and their staff. He’d been maneuvering to get them set up for months and had considered it a huge victory when he’d finally gotten them nailed down.
Now, he couldn’t give a shit about them.
His head wasn’t in the game and it needed to be if he was going to show these assholes, several of whom were worse criminals than the men Max and Jesse had worked for, that he and Jesse were a force to be reckoned with.
Max figured he’d come up against a few pricks. But, damn it, the Wharton School of Business master’s degree he’d worked so fucking hard to get had to be good for something. At the very least, it’d confuse the old bastards who expected him to be brainless street scum.
Christ, he hoped Jesse was okay. And goddamn it all to hell, he wanted to call Mally. Wanted to make sure no one had— What? Contacted her? Called her? Touched her?
Adam and Tristan wouldn’t let anyone near her.
But it’s not the same, is it?
Not even close.
By eight o’clock that night, Max wanted to crawl inside a bottle and not come out until the next morning.
His meetings had left him feeling like he needed a chemical bath and possibly a lobotomy. Hell, he’d underestimated the politicians. They could teach the damn criminals a thing or two. Max had known most of them had business dealings with the city crime organizations. He just hadn’t realized how deep those ties went. And how ingrained they were.
Luckily for him, that would work in his favor if he needed to do things off the books.
But he wanted out of the underworld. Wanted to leave that behind so he and Jesse wouldn’t have to constantly look over their shoulders. Wanted Mally back in their lives.
But first, they needed to make sure she’d be safe.
So now he sat in the office at Shivers, going over the books. Again.
They needed to unload the third club and sink the money from the sale into Shivers and Ivy Brown’s. They needed the brewery to start pulling its weight. They needed—
A knock at the door made his head pop up. “Come.”
The backdoor guard, a six-foot-five mountain of dark skin and bulging muscles, stuck his head inside. His expression showed a curious mix of apology and appreciation.
Max frowned at him. “What’s wrong, Dwayne?”
“Someone here to see you. Says she’s a friend.”
And that was probably the source of Dwayne’s confusion. Max didn’t have friends except for Jesse.
“Did she give you a name?”
The guy actually winced. “Said if you asked to tell you you should know who it is.”
Mally.
He tried not to let the rush of excitement make him stupid. He had no idea why she was here. He’d been brutal to her the other night and he hadn’t been able to stop replaying the scene in his head since. He should’ve done it differently. Should’ve done something differently.
But now she was here.
Probably just wanted to check on Jesse.
Then why hadn’t she called Jesse?
“You want me to send her away?”
Fuck no. “Send her back. Thank you.”
Dwayne nodded and disappeared. And Max leaned back into his chair, trying to squash the instinct to grab her the second she walked into his office.
What the hell was she doing here?
The door opened and his gaze snapped up, latching on to her. Christ, he’d missed her. It’d only been a couple of days since he’d seen her but he was starved for her.
And damn, she looked amazing. Short black skirt. Sleeveless emerald-green top that clung to her curves. High-heeled ankle boots that made her legs look a mile long. Her hair hung in long waves around her face in a way that reminded him of her waking up in their bed between him and Jesse.
Fuck.
“Hello, Max.”
He stood, trying not to devour her with his eyes. Even though that’s exactly what he wanted to do.
“Mary Alice. Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“I’m fine.” She strolled over to the chair in front of his desk and sat down. “I was in the area and I wanted to know how Jesse’s doing. Since no one took the time to call me.”
His jaw locked against his immediate response—that he was sorry. That they should’ve called. That they’d been wrong to send her away.
Instead, he sat behind his desk, more to hide his body’s immediate reaction to her than anything else. What the fuck was wrong with him that he got an erection just by being in the same room with her?
“We did call.”
She rolled her eyes. “You took the coward’s way out and called my office phone when you knew I wouldn’t be there.”
Max refused to blush, even though she was absolutely right.
“I thought it’d be better for you if you didn’t have to speak to me.”
Her short laugh held no amusement. “Okay, sure, Max. You can tell yourself that if it makes you feel better.”
Damn her, it didn’t make him feel better. And he hated that she’d called him on his bullshit.
Christ almighty, she was turning him on.
You really are a prick.
“What do you want, Mally? Did something happen? Did someone contact you?”
He’d kill whoever thought they could hurt her.
Then why did you send her away?
She shrugged, her expression totally dismissive of the menace she heard in his voice. “No one’s contacted me. Adam and Tristan have been glued to my side at work. One of them probably followed me here tonight. And if I find out they did, I’m going to ream them. But you asked them to keep an eye on me, didn’t you?”
He didn’t respond. She knew the answer anyway.
“What are you doing here?”
He had to get her out of here. Because if she stayed much longer, he was going to break the vow he’d made to himself. The one not to touch her until he and Jesse had made their life safe for her. And he would. He just had to keep his hands off her until then.
But here she was, looking so damn beautiful. He wanted to shove that skirt up around her hips, tear off her panties, and fuck her on the desk.
“I told you. I came to find out how Jesse’s doing.”
“Then why didn’t you call Jesse?”
She snagged his gaze with hers and refused to release him. “I did. He didn’t answer. And when I went by the house earlier, no one was there.”
She’d tried to track them down. That shouldn’t make him harder than he already was.
“Jesse’s healing well. He decided he was going back to work today.”
Her lips actually softened into a sweet smile. “He was probably bored out of his mind doing nothing for three whole days.”
Max’s smile surprised him. “You could say that.”
“And no one’s tried to kill you since I left?”
He sighed. “You would’ve been told if you were in danger.”
“Do you honestly think that’s the only reason I’m here?”
From her raised eyebrow, he’d probably be safe in saying the answer to that question was no.
“Why are you here, Mally?”
Her right shoulder lifted and fell and his gaze followed it the entire way. “I guess if you need to ask that question, you really don’t have a clue, do you?”
No, he didn’t. “A clue about what?”
With a sigh, she rose and walked around his desk until she stood right next to him. Close enough to touch. Close enough to smell the scented lotion she used on her soft skin. A scent that drove his blood pressure sky-high.
She stared into his eyes and he saw heat there. Even after the way he’d sent her home Sunday, she still wanted him.
The rush of emotion that blew through him stole his breath. Made his heart pound out a furious rhythm.
And when she cocked her hip against the side of his desk and crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them practically out of her shirt, he thought he might actually need to suck in air before he went light-headed.
“How can you be so smart and still be so clueless?”
He figured that question didn’t need an answer so he kept his mouth shut. Or maybe he kept his mouth shut because he wasn’t sure what would come out if he didn’t.
The lust firing through his body made him believe he had to touch her. Just the stroke of his finger down her cheek. Or his hands sliding up her naked thighs.
His cock thrusting inside her tight body.
Fuck.
“Why don’t you enlighten me?” Max said.
The way she rolled her eyes made his lips quirk but he fought to hide it.
Nothing’s changed, asshole.
But right now, he didn’t care. He only wanted her to follow through on the promise he saw in her eyes.
She leaned down, close enough that he felt her breath against his lips, yet still far enough away that he could see her eyes clearly.
“I guess I’ll have to, won�
��t I? Are you sure you want—”
He reached up and cupped her face in his hands, yanked her close and kissed her. He tasted his own desperation and kissed her harder, sliding his tongue between her lips to tangle with hers. She didn’t play hard to get and he had a second to wonder if this was exactly what she’d wanted.
Then it didn’t matter. He didn’t care. All he cared about was that she was in his arms. After the way he’d treated her, he’d wondered if he’d ever have her here again.
And then all that mattered was making her burn as much as he was.
He ate at her lips like he couldn’t get enough of her. Turned her head so he could kiss her deeper, harder.
She let him. Braced her hands on his shoulders so she didn’t fall too far forward but let him control the kiss. It wasn’t enough. He needed more. Was afraid he’d always need more of her.
Lust gripped him hard, an obsession he couldn’t kick. Didn’t want to kick.
He wanted her and she’d offered herself up on a plate. No way would he pass up her offer because, well…why the hell would he?
Standing, he grabbed her hips and sat her on top of his desk. She gasped into his mouth but he didn’t break the seal of their kiss. Instead, he pressed their lips together even harder and let his hands slide from her hips to her breasts. Molding them in his palms, he squeezed, rubbing his thumbs over her tight nipples, poking through the thin material of her shirt.
Jesus, was she even wearing a bra? And she’d walked into his club looking like this?
The thought that another man might put his hands on her made his blood boil. She was theirs. His and Jesse’s.
You were the one who told her to walk, asshole. Is she supposed to wait for you to make up your goddamn mind?
Yes. Goddammit, that’s exactly what he wanted. And he’d show her exactly why she should.
He cupped the back of her head. The instinct to hold her in place made him grip her tighter. He realized what he was doing almost immediately and tried to relax, but then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and drew him even closer.
The need to have her hit him like a two-by-four across the back of his head. His cock went from half-hard to rock-solid in seconds. He wanted her so badly, he hurt all the way to his bones.
Hell, they both had way too many clothes on for what he wanted to do. What he needed to do.