Then, as Baldino and Mickelson talked quietly between them, Mandy looked at Max. Anger and irritation flashed in her eyes. So, she wasn’t acquiescing so easily. He would hear about this later. For some reason, she was determined not to rock the boat in front of Mickelson and Baldino.
Jax, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?
He needed to find his brother. He didn’t understand what was happening but even he could tell this was a bad situation. If by some chance Jax was actually thinking of working with these assholes, Max would just drag his ass back from the brink of insanity and smack him around until he came to his senses. And if that didn’t work, Max would tell the rest of the family. He’d love to see that—their mother, father, brother and, God, their sisters would rip into Jackson so badly he’d be limping but he’d be walking the straight and narrow.
“I really appreciate you giving me this chance,” she said with a smile. “I need the work…and you need someone who can take up where my father left off.” He tried to listen to what she was saying to understand the subtext beneath her words but damn, all he could hear was her voice, low and husky and wrapping around his dick like a fist.
Made no sense. He liked his women tall, lanky and wild—not repressed and efficient. Still the idea made him want to debauch Mandy just a little. He almost groaned when he thought about it. Mandy, stretched out on his bed, her hands tied above her head, her legs bound open. Her pretty lips begging for his cock.
If she tasted half as sweet as she smelled, he’d spend hours between her legs, sampling every bit of the pussy juice dripping from her cunt.
Her fingers tapped the back of his hand and he opened his eyes, unaware he’d closed them to better enjoy the fantasy. He looked to where his fingers were nestled so comfortably between her legs, mere inches from her sex, her skirt scrunched up, revealing soft rounded thighs.
“We have to go, Jackson,” she said through clenched teeth. He dragged his gaze away from her legs and met her stare. With a smile he knew would infuriate her, he let his fingers trail away, but before he completely freed her, he tugged down the hem of her skirt. That part of her belonged to him.
Jackson. Your brother. Remember him?
The mental slap back to reality helped a bit and he pushed his chair back, following Mandy toward the door.
She belongs to Jackson. There will be no stretching out, no tying her up and watching her tits shimmy as she begs to be fucked.
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The wolf howl rattled his brain, weakening his resolve that she didn’t belong to him. He needed to get away. Needed a little space…before he bent her over the closest table and fucked her in front of the entire restaurant.
They reached the front counter and stopped. He didn’t know the etiquette for something like this. Was the thug or the sleazy accountant supposed to pay? Hell, he didn’t want to owe these guys anything.
“I’ll just go pay the bill.”
“Fine.” Baldino said, putting his hand on Mandy’s arm. Max’s lips trembled. The urge to rip them back from his teeth and snarl at the asshole touching his woman was almost too strong to resist. “Can we walk you to your car?”
“Of course.” Again, the precise words should have chilled his soul but instead he just got harder. She blinked and looked up at him. “I’ll see you later?”
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He was too keyed up, too ready to pounce. He grabbed hold of the howling wolf inside him and yanked him back from the edge, forcing the animal into his mental cage.
“Good to meet you, Jackson,” Mickelson said.
Liar. But considering he felt the same way, he lied right back.
“You too. Have a good night.” He could do insincerity as well.
Mickelson and Baldino followed Mandy out the door. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He didn’t like those guys. They hadn’t done anything overtly criminal but something about them made his teeth ache. And Mandy was going to work for them.
Max walked to the doorway, tracking the three of them across the parking lot. With a casual wave, Mandy climbed into a silver SUV and pulled out of her parking space.
Mickelson and Baldino stood in the shadows and watched, their heads drawn together in discussion. They didn’t follow her but Max didn’t like they way they looked at her.
He didn’t want her anywhere near those two.
Her car turned onto the main drag and picked up speed. A vague dissatisfaction rumbled in his stomach as her taillights disappeared. Not with the strange meeting. The discontent surrounded Mandy. He licked his lips. Kiss her. That was it. He hadn’t kissed her goodnight. It left the evening unfinished. He wanted her flavor imprinted on his lips.
But she hadn’t offered her mouth, hadn’t hovered near him with the intent of one more kiss before she went home. Did she expect Jackson to follow her home? It was clear from the masculine state of Jax’s place that she wasn’t living there.
If she belonged to me, she’d never sleep alone. His cock jerked at the idea and Max knew that if she belonged to him, she wouldn’t sleep much at all for the first few nights. He had a short attention span when it came to women so after a few nights of hard fucking, he’d probably work her out of his system.
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Yeah, a few long nights of hard fucking. And maybe a few afternoons. The wolf inside his head leapt like he was trying break free and chase after the disappearing taillights.
What are you thinking? She’s Jackson’s girlfriend. His fiancée. No more thinking about fucking.
Right.
He looked up, his eyes tracking across the restaurant’s entryway to the back hall.
Gideon stood in the shadows watching him. He tipped his head to the side then disappeared into an open door, expecting Max to follow.
Better see what this is about.
He confirmed the hallway was empty and started down the dark passage. The sounds of the kitchen rattled through the wall on his left. At the end of the hall, an office door stood to the right. Max pushed it open and stepped inside.
The door snapped shut behind him and Gideon was there, up against his body, his mouth on Max’s, his hand on Max’s hip.
He froze, expecting the rage, the panic—the instinctive reaction of a heterosexual man when another male kissed him.
Instead that spicy masculine scent filled his head, demanding a response. Gideon’s lips moved, warm and soft across Max’s. He wasn’t going to react. Hell, this was another guy kissing him. But then Gideon licked his tongue out, flicking across Max’s upper lip, a subtle invitation for Max to let him inside.
Telling himself he was only responding because he was playing the part of Jackson and for all he knew, Gideon and Jackson were lovers.
And if he was supposed to be Jackson, Gideon expected a response…Max opened his mouth. Gideon pressed inside, hard and fast.
The strong thrust into his mouth snapped Max out of his frozen silence. He groaned and his tongue met the invading presence, twining around it. He turned his head to better meld their mouths together, his eyes drooping shut, spots forming behind the lids. Fuck, what was happening?
The wolf’s growl echoed through his head, the animal making its hunger known. It wanted more of the powerful taste and texture, the sexual touch of this male.
Max dragged his head back, needing a breath, needing a moment to think. He didn’t understand any of this. His wolf had never reacted to a male before but there was no mistaking the animal’s desire. He inhaled. Gideon distinctive scent filled his head, intriguing, compelling.
Gideon didn’t let Max go for long. He cupped one hand to the back of Max’s neck and pulled him close, realigning their lips. This time there was no hesitation on Max’s part. He opened his mouth and kissed the other man, sinking his tongue into Gideon’s mouth, commanding a response.
Heat surrounded his cock and the barely coherent corner of his mind realized that Gideon was touc
hing him, rubbing him. The erection that had remained while sitting 27
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next to Mandy swelled under the hard caresses. He couldn’t stop his hips from rolling forward, moving into the powerful cock massage. God, that feels good.
Finally the panicked, slightly homophobic side of him came to the surface and Max backed away, pushing against Gideon’s chest to break the contact. Gideon released him easily and took a step backward, leaning his hip against the desk.
Max inhaled through his nose, trying to calm his pounding heart and slow his racing mind. The two most incredible kisses of his life had occurred on one night—one from a woman, one from a man.
What the fuck is going on?
He didn’t have a chance to answer his own question. Gideon folded his arms across his chest and smiled, looking smug and too damn confident.
“So,” he said. “I know you’re not Jackson. You must be the twin brother, Max.”
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Chapter Three
Max hid his surprise. Gideon had been able to tell the difference when even Jackson’s fiancée hadn’t noticed. Did that mean Gideon knew where Jax was? Knew that he wasn’t able to keep the meeting with Mandy and the petty criminals she seemed to be courting? Or did Gideon just know his brother better than Mandy?
Max shook his head. What was going on with Jax? First, he’s associating with crooks and now, he’s fucking a guy? These were things a twin brother needed to know. Still, Max decided to play it cool, at least until he figured out what else to do.
“Why would you say I’m not Jackson?”
Gideon laughed. “Well, while I’ve teased Jackson for the last year about his questionable sexual orientation, he’s never once let me put my tongue in his mouth.
And he sure as hell wouldn’t let me touch his dick.”
Max felt himself blush. That was as good an explanation as any. Now if Max could only forget how it felt to have Gideon’s hand rubbing his cock.
“I only went along with it because I didn’t know what your relationship with Jax was.”
“Right. Didn’t enjoy it in the least.”
The gentle mocking in Gideon’s reply told him the other man knew the truth. The blush grew worse until Max was sure his cheeks were on fire. What the fuck? He hadn’t blushed since he was fifteen years old and his mother found him the bathroom with a Playboy magazine—a situation that had mortified them both for months.
“What gave it away?” he asked ignoring the thoughts in his head.
“Red wine gives Jackson headaches.”
Max sighed. “I know, but gin makes me throw up so I went with blowing my cover instead of puking my guts out all night.”
“Probably best. No one else seemed to notice.” Gideon fiddled with the stapler on his desk before looking up. “Seems kind of ‘high school’ for you two to be switching places.” Max shrugged. They hadn’t even done that in high school. Fear of their mother’s wrath had been enough to keep them from even attempting it. “Where is Jackson tonight?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.”
Gideon seemed to catch the seriousness in his voice and straightened. “What’s that mean?”
He considered the other man. Jax had talked about Gideon—had said he was a good guy and a great cook. But really, what kind of judge of character was Jax when his 29
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fiancée was setting him up with white-collar criminals? But Max needed to trust someone. Needed to talk to someone.
“I can’t get a hold of him. His house has been searched—”
“What? What were they looking for?”
“Don’t know. He hasn’t been around and he left his cell at the house.”
“You don’t really think something’s happened, do you?” Gideon’s voice held the kind of concern Max appreciated—the “I’ll stay logical and believe the best while still trying to find the truth” kind of concern.
“Probably not. You know Jax. He flies around Alaska.”
“Yeah but doesn’t he usually call you?”
Max nodded and then looked at his phone. Fuck, there was a message.
“It didn’t ring.”
Gideon grimaced. “It’s Alaska. Weird cell coverage, even here in town. Check it.”
Max called his voicemail, hit the appropriate buttons. Jackson’s voice—healthy and well—rang through the line.
“Max, where are you at? Listen, I left my cell at home and I’m, uh out of town so I’ll have to call you. Step away from the woman and pick up the phone next time.” The teasing washed over him like a cool breeze. His eyes burned and damn if he didn’t feel like he was going to cry. The knot in his chest unraveled and he let out a long breath.
“Talk to you later, Brother.”
“Him?” Gideon asked.
“Yeah. He’s okay. Says he’s out of town.”
Gideon put his hand on Max’s shoulder, a comforting squeeze. Max had the most ridiculous urge to turn into the touch, put his body against Gideon’s. The wolf paced inside his mind, wanting to be released, wanting to rub against the male beside him.
He shook his head and tried not to acknowledge the disappointment when Gideon took his hand away. It had to be the stress of worrying about Jax. Had to be. His wolf snarled his irritation but Max shut down the animal, slamming him behind an invisible door. He didn’t need the added distraction.
“Great. Glad to hear it.” He waved to the phone on his desk. “You’re welcome to call Mandy. She must be worried as well, yeah?”
Max winced. “I don’t think she knows he’s out of town.”
“But what about…” Gideon choked. “She doesn’t know you’re not Jackson?”
“Uh, no.”
“And the fact that you had your hand under her skirt all night was just part of the act?” Max felt the heat rising in his face again. He hadn’t meant the caresses to go that far but damn, she’d smelled so good and her pussy was so tempting that his hand on her thigh had been a better choice then dropping to the floor and burying his face between her legs.
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“I was acting like an engaged man.”
Gideon grinned. “Right. Jackson isn’t quite that open with his affections. In fact—”
Confusion screwed up Gideon’s face. “I was shocked as hell when she introduced you, uh, him, as her fiancé. I didn’t even know they were a couple.” He shrugged. “Guess you can’t tell, huh?”
“She’s the kind of woman he usually goes for.”
Gideon sighed—and Max couldn’t tell if that was because he was upset that Jax was dating a woman like Mandy or that Jax was dating a woman at all.
It did give Max comfort to know that Gideon and Jackson weren’t lovers. Not that he would have minded his brother being gay. But he’d have been pissed that Jax hadn’t told him about it.
Of course, Max hadn’t known about Mandy either. Casual women, he couldn’t care less about, but this was the woman Jax was going to marry. He would have at least liked to know his brother was dating someone. Max had told Jax about Dani and gotten his advice before they’d gotten engaged. Of course, he hadn’t yet told Jax they’d broken up, but that might not be permanent so no need to reinforce the family’s image of him as a “do ‘em and dump ‘em” kind of guy just yet. Besides, it was Dani who’d dumped him—or suggested they go on a break.
“Here.” He flinched, Gideon’s voice invading his thoughts. Gideon held out a business card. “If you need anything while you’re here, call me.” He winked. “Or if you find yourself alone…”
Max shook his head. “Don’t go there.” But he didn’t say it with any heat. Possibly because his cock was still hard from the press of Gideon’s fingers and damn, the way his wolf was reacting to the male, there was always the chance he could end up in bed with him and wouldn’t that freak out his family? Suddenly the breakup with Dani didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Not
if he had to reveal he was sleeping with a man.
His parents would collapse at the thought.
Gideon just chuckled and Max decided he liked the sound—it was deep and personal, resonating in Max’s chest.
“I’m just teasing. Seriously, if you decide to hang around until Jackson gets back, call me. I belong to a great gym you can use and I know where the best restaurants are.
Hate to think of Jackson’s brother sitting all alone in his house.”
Max nodded, understanding why Jax considered Gideon one of his best friends. He could almost forget that moments before Gideon had had his tongue in his mouth.
Except for the lingering taste of spice on his lips.
“Thanks, I might take you up on that.” He tapped his fingers on his thigh.
“Want to give me your number, in case I hear from Jackson?”
“Yes.” He pulled out his own card and handed it to Gideon. “If he does call you, have him call me. Again.” He looked around the room, his mind clouded by Gideon’s 31
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scent, the lingering taste of his lips and the memory that moments ago he’d been stroking the inside of Mandy’s thighs. Fuck. Mandy.
“You going to tell Mandy?”
Max shrugged. There was really no reason. He could explain it to Jax and he could tell Mandy. It wasn’t like they’d had sex. It was just a kiss and okay a few caresses but he hadn’t actually touched her pussy.
“Don’t know if it’s necessary.”
“What if Jax calls her?”
“Fuck.” Max closed his eyes and moaned. He didn’t want to screw up Jax’s life like he had his own.
“And it wouldn’t be a bad idea considering that kiss in the hallway,” Gideon added. “She might expect that same response the next time she sees Jackson and I’ve never seen those kinds of sparks between them.”
Max’s wolf, smug beast that he was, chuckled in the way of a wolf.
Max the human had to admit he found that information fascinating as well. She’d been hesitant at first but then she’d responded to him deliciously, melting in his arms.
The memory of her taste and the wolf’s screams in his brain blurred his world into pure sensation. He shook his head trying to clear it.
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