AllFreeNovel
Share Us
News to me, but even if it was true, how sad that Max’s parents had cut off their child for his sexual orientation. It made me angry to think they’d be so narrow-minded.
I jerked my arm away. “I’m not sure why you think I’d care.”
“Because you’re practically in heat around him.”
“You’re a pig. So glad you turned into a psycho on the highway, so I could find out earlier rather than later. By the way, don’t you have some work to do for your office? You know, the work you should’ve finished before leaving town?”
Direct hit judging by the way his face turned red. He returned fire. “You know, Kate had some interesting things to say about why you and your ex broke up.”
Whoosh. Blood rushed to my ears in a roar. No. She wouldn’t have betrayed me by telling Shawn about the video. But his next words proved I was wrong.
“That’s right. I know all about your sex video. The only reason I put up with our bullshit dates and waiting to sleep together was the hope of getting my own little souvenir.”
I stepped back as if he’d struck me, my stomach turning and the bile rising to my throat. The sharp impact of my best friend’s betrayal in telling him made it tough to breathe.
“No one would want a video with you in it, Scott.”
The sound of Max’s voice and his footsteps moving closer caused goose bumps on my arms. A possessive hand landed on my hip.
Shawn’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, anger flashing in his eyes when Max deliberately slipped up on his name.
I started to shake, but Max’s arm pulled me into him, and the heat of his body warmed me up from the chill running through me.
“You know, a real man understands what a woman needs. But you were never that man, were you, Steve?”
Emboldened by Max’s words, I took it a step further. “Thank goodness you left me on the side of the road so I could find one. Ready to go upstairs, Max?”
I was feeling brave until he spun me around to face him. Much to my relief, Max didn’t mind the ruse I’d implicitly proposed. His gaze heated as it collided with mine. I swallowed hard, needing to remember for a moment this wasn’t real. My body wasn’t getting the memo, however.
“Does Kate know about you slumming it with her brother?” Shawn asked, snapping me out of it.
He could tell the world as far as I was concerned. But Max wasn’t having it. “Does your boss at Marquis Investments know he has a prick for an employee? Small world, Shawny boy. I know the owner, Edward Lincoln, very well.”
Shawn’s entire face blanched.
“So what I said earlier about you staying the fuck away from Oakley comes with an addendum: keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, not only do your college friends, including the groom, find out what an asshole you are, but your boss gets an earful too. Hard to keep up a lease payment on a new BMW without a job.”
Damn. Max definitely had his number. Shawn opened and closed his mouth before stomping away.
“Well, then,” I quipped, amusement lacing my words. “Keeping that little tidbit of leverage under wraps, huh? Do you really know the owner?”
He chuckled. “I do. The lease on the car was a lucky guess.”
I grinned in triumph. “Thanks for the assist once again.” It was almost enough to make me forget about the sex video.
He cupped my chin, looking for a moment as if he’d lean down and kiss me.
My heart threatened to beat out of my chest. Was it possible to find a man who didn’t think my video made me a whore? Who didn’t judge me for it? But just as my hopes started to rise, they dropped sharply along with his hand.
“I need to check in with work.”
Disappointment lanced through me, but I forced a smile. Maybe Max was gay. Or perhaps he simply wasn’t into me. “I’ll let you get to it. Thanks again. Have a good night.”
I went straight up to the room. Once there, I changed into shorts and a T-shirt, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and grabbed an extra blanket and pillow from the closet. I’d settled onto the most uncomfortable love seat in the world when the distinct sound of Max’s keycard sounded in the door. In an attempt to make sharing a room less awkward than the earlier portion of the evening, I feigned sleep, breathing a sigh of relief when he went straight into the bathroom, closed the door, and ran the water.
The door opened, the light turned off, and the bedspread rustled, causing my heart to beat faster. Once his footsteps came toward me, I squeezed my eyes shut harder, but to no avail.
“I know you’re awake, Oakley.”
