Chapter One
Max Savage glanced across the lush green lawn of Gabriel and Isabelle Dare’s Bedford, New York, home, his gaze focused on the sexy brunette he couldn’t get out of his head. Lucy Dare, dressed in a conservative pants suit, her luxurious dark hair pulled into a bun, stood beside her date, a Hollywood director who was a douchebag of the first order.
The last time Max had seen Lucy, she’d been her wild and free self. Then she’d hooked up with that guy and she’d changed. And not in a good way. He wanted fun, sexy Lucy back.
“How badly do you want to punch that guy’s teeth in?”
“So badly,” Max muttered, then glanced over, realizing the question came from Lucy’s brother, Decklan Dare.
Max shook his head and changed his answer, because it would do no good to let his best friend know he was obsessing over the guy’s little sister. He’d kept it to himself for years, partially as an excuse to deny what he really wanted, but regardless, this wasn’t the right time to bring up the issue.
“Who do you mean?” Max asked.
Decklan rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. I know you hate that Spielberg wannabe as much as we do.”
“Can’t say he’d be my first choice for your sister.”
“That’s rich considering it’s your fault she’s with him to begin with.” Decklan eyed Max with distinct annoyance in his gaze.
“How the hell do you figure that?” Max asked.
Decklan’s older brother, Gabe, joined them, and from the look on his face, he’d clearly caught the tail end of the conversation.
“Face it, Savage. We know you have a thing for Lucy,” Gabe said.
Just how the brothers had gleaned that bit of knowledge was beyond Max. Nobody had a better poker face than him.
Decklan merely nodded in agreement.
“You didn’t take your chance last time she was in town, and now she’s with that asshole,” Gabe added, angling his head toward where his sister stood with Lucas Kellan.
“Well, fuck.” Max wasn’t about to deny what had clearly been more obvious than he’d intended.
Both Dare brothers narrowed their gazes on him, waiting for an explanation.
“What? I didn’t think you’d approve, and I wasn’t about to mess up years’ worth of friendship if you didn’t.” He was sticking to the tried-and-true excuse he’d told himself for years. In reality, Max had his reasons for staying away from Lucy for so long and for fucking up more than just his life in the process. But they were his, and he wouldn’t be sharing them.
“The only way you’d compromise friendships would be if you used or hurt my sister. If your intentions are honorable, I have no issue,” said Gabe, the man who’d raised Lucy after their parents died in a car accident.
Max glanced at Decklan. They both knew Max’s recent past. He’d married young, lost his wife, Cindy, in a car accident, and had a subsequent lack of serious relationships since. What Decklan didn’t know was the guilt Max harbored over the emotions he hadn’t been able to give his wife, due to the feelings he’d always had for Lucy. Hell, he’d married Cindy because he didn’t have those intense feelings, and everyone had paid a price.
Max shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat and glanced at Decklan, who, like Gabe, was extremely protective of his sister. “You too? You’re okay with this?” he asked.
His best friend shrugged. “Well, you’re an asshole but you’re our asshole.” He slapped Max on the back, his expression sobering. “Look, Cindy died four years ago, and you haven’t been with anyone seriously since.”
Neither one of them mentioned Max’s penchant for sex clubs on the weekends. It had been a way to fill the emptiness inside him, nothing more.
“But Gabe is right,” Decklan said. “I see how you look at Lucy. You should do something about it if your intentions are solid.”
They finally were. For years Max had denied his need for Lucy and the emotional bond he knew they would share if they took things to the next level. Fear had driven him. Now Max was finally ready to go after the woman he’d always wanted.
“Just don’t blow it or we will have an issue,” Decklan cheerfully added.
Max didn’t need to be told twice. He made his way across the lawn and veered between guests, coming up to where Lucy and her date stood by the bar. Before he could interrupt, he caught their conversation.
“I hope we don’t need to stay much longer.” Lucas glanced at the ostentatious gold watch on his wrist, his impatience obvious. “I have calls to make, so I’d like to get back to the hotel soon.”
Lucy’s eyes opened wide. “It’s my brother’s engagement party! I’m staying until the end. Longer, even, so I can spend time with my family.”
Lucas ran a hand over the top of his stylishly cut blond hair. Looked like Lucy had a type, too. Not that Max thought he had anything more in common with the director than hair color.
“Come on, babe. You live in L.A., and your brothers are way across the country here in New York, so how much do you really want to spend time with them? We’ve been here an hour. I say we’re good to go,” Lucas said, cementing Max’s gut feeling. The man was an uncaring ass.
What kind of asshole got between a woman and her family? Max wondered, curling his hands into tight fists. And how could Lucy be with the bastard if he didn’t understand what her brothers meant to her and why?
Her pretty eyes filled with angry, frustrated tears. “You leave then. I want to be here.”
Lucas studied her face for a beat, clearly assessing whether she was serious. “Fine, we’ll stay.” He didn’t sound gracious about the concession. “But I’m going to need to make a few calls from the car. Okay?” Before she could answer, he nodded. “Okay.” He had the gall to wink at her, then leaned over and placed a quick peck on her lips.
Max’s fists grew tighter. Part of him was disgusted by the other man’s mouth on hers; another knew a woman like Lucy deserved more than that pathetic excuse for a kiss. If she belonged to him, he’d seal his lips over hers and thoroughly devour her luscious mouth. He’d make sure his tongue swiped through the deep recesses of her mouth so his taste lingered inside her long after they parted. And he’d damn well ensure that he left her lips puffy and well-kissed, so no other man would try to make a move on his female.
Caveman mentality? Maybe. But those were the feelings Lucy Dare stirred inside him.
Instead of waiting until lover boy walked away, Max strode over and slid an arm around her waist. “Hey, princess.” He’d been calling her that since she’d turned sixteen and spent the day wearing a crown. As she’d grown up, the nickname had stuck.
“Max! I didn’t see you arrive,” she said, startled.
“Business meeting. I ran late,” he explained.
“And I want to hear all about the newest restaurant you’re planning and which chef you’ve managed to lure away and from which pissed off restaurateur.”
Max grinned, excited to share the details with her. Very few knew about his plans. He was waiting to do a press release and promo op with his choice.
“You know me well.” Since her boyfriend was busy glancing at his phone, Max cleared his throat and said, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Lucy blushed. “Max Savage, this is—”
“Lucas Kellan,” the other man said, shaking Max’s hand in a limp grip. “I’m a director out in Hollywood.”
“Oh? I thought you were Lucy’s boyfriend. Seems to me that’s what’s important here.”
“Max,” Lucy chided, clearly not wanting him to cause trouble.
Lucas frowned at Max. “I’m both. I just thought you might have seen my movies—”
Max turned to Lucy. “We need to talk.”
“But—” She glanced at her boyfriend.
“Go on,” Lucas said. “He’ll keep you busy while I’m working. Hell, he can take my place with your family for a little while.” He dismissed Max, and his focus returned to his cell phone.
Either he wasn’t smart enough to realize Max was a threat or he just didn’t care, because he strode off, heading for the yard exit.
“What the hell are you doing with a dickhead like that?” Max couldn’t help but ask her.
Lucy spun around to face him, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “He’s in the middle of a big deal that’s stressful and—”
“Don’t make excuses for him.”
She folded her arms across her chest, and though she showed no cleavage, the movement pulled the silk material across her full breasts, revealing tight, perky nipples. Max’s cock shot to attention, and he shifted his stance to alleviate the sudden discomfort.
She caught his gaze and frowned. “Quit staring at my breasts, you pervert.” She followed that statement with a roll of her eyes.
He shook his head at her reaction. If he were at Paradis, the BDSM club he attended in Manhattan, he’d pull her over his knee and give her a good spanking. Another reason he’d stayed away from Lucy recently. In the years since his marriage, he’d discovered his tastes weren’t always purely vanilla. But as he’d watched Lucy mature, he’d sensed she’d suit him fine. Outside the bedroom, she gave him hell, but his gut told him that once he showed her how good they could be together, she’d submit nicely in the bedroom. Hell, if he had Lucy, he wouldn’t care about domination or submission. Those things had let him control something when the rest of his life felt out of control. All he really needed with Lucy was really good, hot sex.
He reached out and placed his hand beneath her chin, tipping her face until she met his gaze. “Admit it. You like the way I’m looking at you.”
She blinked in stunned surprise because he was changing the game. They’d always sparred… and steered clear of the underlying sexual tension that surrounded them, which often led to arguing over nothing. Not this time. He intended to confront that sexual tension head on.
“Come with me.” He grasped her wrist and tugged.
She resisted, then finally gave in, following him across the lawn and around the corner of the colonial-style house, where they could be alone. He stopped at a large cypress tree that probably predated construction and pulled her behind the trunk.
“Max, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
He spun her around until her back was against the trunk and stepped in close. Her delicious scent surrounded him, a mixture of peaches and something else. His gut twisted while his cock swelled even more.
For the first time, he wasn’t fighting what he felt for her, what he needed.
“I think this is the very best idea.”
Her cheeks flushed a healthy pink, her eyes bright with confusion. “I don’t understand.”
He reached up and sunk his hands into her hair, dislodging the staid up-do she wouldn’t be wearing if not for her asshole boyfriend, and tugged his fingers through the long strands.
“Max!”
She reached up to fix herself, but he caught her wrists in his hands and backed her farther into the tree, his body firmly nestled against her softness. His erection settled between her thighs, hot and hard, begging for relief and release. No way could she miss how much he wanted her.
She met his gaze, her eyes wide with surprise and darkening with desire.
“Answer my question, Lucy. What are you doing with that guy?”
“Oh my God. Lucas!” she said. Obviously she’d forgotten all about the man, and now she shifted in an attempt to get free.
Max held her firmly in place.
“I shouldn’t be here with you,” she said, but the heat in her eyes didn’t match her words.
“You should definitely be here with me. So you can feel us, then take a good look at that so-called relationship you’re in and do something about it.”
Lucy heard his words and tried to fight her body’s opposing response. Panicking, she tried once more to wriggle out of his grasp, but Max’s strong, hard body held her in place.
His sandalwood scent enveloped her and softened places in her body she barely acknowledged these days. Her nipples were tight and hard, poking through her silk blouse, and her sex pulsed with unaccustomed need. This was Max. And yes, she’d had a crush on him for years, but that was a long time ago, and she’d been forced to accept that he didn’t see her that way.
Hell, he’d married someone else when she was twenty-three and so available she’d have done anything to make him her own. His engagement had been a blow, one that had hit her already-bruised heart harder than she ever could have imagined. She’d lost her parents and built stupid forever dreams around Max Savage. He may not have known, but when he’d married someone else, Lucy had been devastated.
She’d grasped on to another dream, being in charge of décor for the family clubs, and headed to California. Not only hadn’t she come home for Max’s wedding but, on seeing the invitation, she’d decided to remain in L.A. for good. She’d suffered enough loss and pain to last a lifetime. With her brothers moving forward, finding good women to love, Lucy knew she wasn’t needed here.
Losing Max—though she’d never really had him—had forced her to toughen up. She chose men she didn’t have a chance of falling head over heels in love with, men whose loss wouldn’t gut her. She had forced herself to return home for Max’s wife’s funeral, understanding all too well what grief and loss were like.
That was four long years ago. They’d since returned to their sibling-like bickering whenever they were together. Her last trip home, she’d actually wondered if the arguing was a way to cover sexual tension, but she’d pushed the idea deep down and far away, telling herself she was crazy. He’d never really given any indication he thought of her that way.
Until now.
When his chiseled, muscled body held her prisoner against the tree and her body thrummed with such intense need, she was seconds away from wriggling her hips and moving shamelessly against him. From grinding herself into his thick, hard erection and taking what she needed until she came—screaming—and the party guests surrounded them to find out what the ruckus was about.
She couldn’t cross that line with Max. They shared a complicated relationship as it was, with a depth of emotion and caring she’d never felt for another man. And that made him dangerous to her mental and emotional well-being.
She gathered her strength and met his gaze. “What’s going on, Max? You see me with another man and you decide to get jealous all of a sudden?”
His dirty-blond hair fell over his forehead, and she curled her hands into fists, resisting the urge to brush it back. Heck, it wasn’t just his hair she was dying to touch.
“Am I jealous?” He shrugged. “Only that you’re here with him. I’m not particularly worried you’re going to stay with him though.”
The cords of his neck protruded, tight and tense, and she wasn’t buying the attempt at nonchalance. “That’s a cocky statement.”
He let out a low, rumbling laugh she felt everywhere. “He doesn’t appreciate you for who you are, princess.”
“How would you know that?” she asked indignantly. Though a part of her knew he was right, Max was in no position to judge her or her choice in men.
“Let’s begin with this.” He slid a finger down her silk shirt, causing her already tight nipples to make their presence known even more. “While the soft material suits you fine, you like your clothes brighter, tighter, and showing more of that beautiful body.”
He undid her blouse, button by tiny button, until she could breathe more freely and her cleavage was exposed. Her breath hitched, and she couldn’t summon an argument, merely watched his big hands so close to her skin.
“You prefer a big piece of statement jewelry around your neck or letting that sexy tanned skin show. Mr. Uptight probably has his own requirements, though damned if I understand why he’d want to hide your light,” he said as his roughened fingertips glided over her skin.
Her knees buckled, but Max’s body weight supported her.
Still, she held on to rational thought. “Don’t judge Lucas. He needs to project a certain image when he’s approaching people to give money to his films.”
“Then let him find a woman just like him. Not someone he needs to change. I wouldn’t ask you to change for me.” He cupped her neck in his hands, and a soft, needy moan escaped her lips.
“Max,” she whispered.
“What?”
Don’t do this. The words stuck in her throat because her body and a traitorous emotionally needy part of her wanted it. Wanted his mouth devouring hers, his talented hands gliding over her breasts, her nipples, and inside her sex. She desired him and had for years.
“Why now?” she asked in a feeble attempt to halt the inevitable.
“Because it’s long past time.” He brushed his thumb over her damp lips before covering her mouth with his.
She met him with a moan of acceptance. His lips were firm, moving with determination and a grace she wouldn’t have expected, and his tongue glided back and forth, urging her to open and let him inside. One more swipe and she parted for him. He swept in, starting slow, learning his way, growing ever bolder.
Every lick, taste, touch resonated inside her, her body alive and tingling in ways she’d never experienced before. His hands slid behind her neck and his fingers thrust into her hair, pulling out the bun she’d painstakingly created earlier. Her hair fell down her back, and he groaned, threaded his hands through and tugged the strands, causing a sudden, delicious throbbing between her legs. A needy moan escaped from the back of her throat.
“You like that?” he asked, pulling harder on her hair.
She rocked her hips into his, the equivalent of a nod or a yes.
“Fuck.” He tilted her head for better, deeper access and kissed her long and hard, a low groan of appreciation rumbling from deep in his chest.
He conquered her mouth, and she allowed him to take what he wanted, mutual desire flaring between them, the kiss now out of control. She’d given up the fight the minute his mouth had touched hers, and now she slid her hands through his silky hair and held on as he devoured her. Teeth clashed, tongues twined, and her breasts rubbed against his shirt, her aching nipples seeking what little relief she could find.
Every fantasy Lucy had had over the years didn’t hold up to reality. This was so much better. No man had ever kissed her this way, as if he couldn’t live without her taste, without her.
She was so lost in his taste and desire she wasn’t prepared when he broke the kiss, and she gasped for air. Somehow she’d been breathing through him, with him. He still held her up, more gently than before, his torso supporting her weight, his arms braced on either side of her head.
His eyes gleamed bright with desire and, if she wasn’t mistaken, more than a hint of satisfaction… and that made her nervous.
“Now tell me, has anyone else made you feel like this?” he asked.
His words brought her back to reality, and horror set in. She’d succumbed to Max so easily, as if Lucas meant nothing to her at all. Which wasn’t true.
She and Lucas had a comfortable relationship. He was someone to talk to, to have dinner with, and occasionally, when they were in the mood, sex was actually good. That was all she wanted. After all, if she didn’t become emotionally invested, she couldn’t be devastated when the relationship ended. And they all ended eventually.
“Is that what this was about, Max? Proving a point? That we have chemistry? Bravo. You proved you could seduce me if you wanted to.” She braced her hands on his shoulders and shoved him away.
“This wasn’t about some damned point. This was to show you what we could have. You weren’t about to listen to words. I had to act.”
“Well, you put me in an awful situation.”
“I just want you to think. If you’re honest, there’s only one conclusion you can come to—give us a real chance.”
She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe she’d lost her hearing. “Are you crazy? Where were you years ago?” she asked, horror setting in when she realized what she’d admitted to.
Shaking, she turned away and ran for the house, adjusting her pants suit as she made her way there. She was a mess, her hair tangled around her face, her lips swollen and clothes undone. She’d have to sneak inside if she really wanted to fix herself and hide the evidence of her betrayal. Isabelle wouldn’t mind if Lucy used her things, so she’d head to the master bedroom and lock herself inside. Hopefully nobody would see her if she went in through the front and avoided the partygoers in the back.
She slipped into the main entrance and darted for the stairs, then enclosed herself in the master bath. Alone, she sighed and gripped the marble countertop hard. Max Savage had just kissed her. Hell, he’d ravaged her in broad daylight, and she’d let him. And he’d been the one to break the kiss, not her.
Lucy had never considered herself a cheater, so what had she been thinking? She shook her head, knowing the answer. She hadn’t been. There’d been a time when she would have been ready for Max. When she’d still held on to fantasies of older, sexy Max Savage turning those amber eyes on her and claiming her as his own. Then he’d fallen in love and gotten married, shattering any foolish dreams of Max protecting her from the harsh outside world of loss.
Instead he’d handed her more.
So she’d grown up and found safety in independence and distance. She’d graduated college, moved to California, helped decorate the family clubs her brother, Gabe ran. Living on the West Coast, she could keep up with, and care about, Gabe and Decklan from afar. Protect herself and her heart… should something tragic happen to them like it had to her parents. Being isolated had also prepared her for the day when her brothers found their own families… and they had. She could love from a distance. It was safer.
Lucas was a safe choice. She knew her brothers didn’t like him, but they didn’t understand him either. He was busy and usually preoccupied with whatever film he was working on at any given time, which made him come off as abrupt and uncaring. But weren’t her brothers busy too? Gabe ran a nightclub empire, and Decklan had been promoted to police detective… but their women took priority. For Lucy, it had taken a lot of pleading to get Lucas to come to New York with her for her brother’s engagement, and he still hadn’t committed to joining her in Eden for the wedding. Still, he was here now.
And he wouldn’t approve of this messy version of herself. In Hollywood, appearances were important, and she told herself she didn’t mind playing a role, dressing the way he preferred. Not the way her family was used to. As she smoothed her blouse with shaking hands, she realized how well Max knew what she liked, how he preferred the real Lucy Dare.
She bit down on her lower lip, reminding herself it didn’t matter what Max liked. She and Lucas were compatible. And if she didn’t see fireworks when Lucas kissed her, so what? They clicked. Neither gave the other a hard time if they had to work late or couldn’t see each other for long stretches. Unlike her brothers, who barely let Amanda and Isabelle out of their sight whenever possible. And the way they looked at their women… Max had looked at her that way, she thought with a full-body shiver, right before his lips had descended on hers.
She trembled, her entire body still singing from that nearly public, sizzling-hot, tongue-tangling, soul-touching kiss. She still hadn’t recovered from the emotional assault on her senses, nor had she begun to figure out how she felt about it. Well, she knew how her body felt—her blood ran hot, her skin still tingled, and the kiss kept replaying on an endless loop in her brain. She had to refrain from running her fingers over her still-sensitive lips.
In the course of ten short minutes, Max Savage had ripped away any shred of safety and sanity she’d possessed, leaving her raw and fragile. If she ever were to get involved with Max, she’d fall hard, and if she lost him, she didn’t know if she’d find her way back from the pain.
Somehow she refreshed her makeup, a swipe of blush on her cheeks and gloss on her well-kissed lips. She worked on her hair next, but each pass of the brush led to instant recall of Max’s fingers pulling at the long strands and the way her sex had pulsed in reaction. She didn’t understand the tug of desire that action had evoked, but she knew she’d never experienced such intense longing before. Even now, her panties were still damp, her body aching and needy. In the end, she didn’t put her hair back up, unable to replicate the up-do she’d had before.
She made her way down the stairs and headed back outside, finding Lucas at their rental car, which he was using as his makeshift office. “Lucas.”
He held up one finger, indicating she should wait, and continued his phone call.
She glanced into the bright blue sky. Her brother and Amanda had lucked out with the weather, she thought as Lucas droned on. Finally, he disconnected the call.
“Ready to leave?” he asked hopefully.
She shook her head and groaned. He really wasn’t interested in her family, her life, or the things and people that mattered to her. But she wasn’t ready to give up on him yet.
He sat in the backseat, car door open, facing outside into the sun, jotting down notes.
“Lucas? What are we doing?”
“Going back to the hotel, where I can work in comfort, I hope.”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m staying, Lucas. If you keep complaining about being here and sitting in the car doing work, I’d rather you just went back to L.A.” She folded her arms across her aching chest. “But if you care about me, you’ll stay here and try to get to know my family.” Her voice quivered along with her insides.
No matter what, she hadn’t traveled out here planning to end her relationship. She hadn’t even considered the reasons she should. But now they were flittering around the edges of her mind… and she blamed Max. Max, who still might mess up everything she had in L.A. Because if Lucas chose to stay and try to make things work, she’d have to tell him about that kiss and face the consequences. If he didn’t choose to stick around, well, he was stating he didn’t care enough to bother. In which case, she had no reason to hurt him with the knowledge. If he even cared enough to be hurt.
She met his gaze and waited.
He narrowed his gaze. “I don’t understand. I thought we complemented each other. No muss, no fuss, no hassle.” He sounded genuinely confused about why she was suddenly questioning things.
Though she’d thought about their relationship in much the same stark terms, hearing him phrase things so blandly hurt. Didn’t she want to mean more to someone than that? Damn Max for stirring up all these feelings and realizations.
“I thought that was enough for me, but coming here and seeing my family again, realizing how happy my brothers are… I’m not sure it is.”
He glanced at her through his dark sunglasses. “Wait one minute. What happened to your hair?” he asked, narrowing his gaze as he obviously really looked at her for the first time.
She ran a hand down the long strands, no longer pinned back tight the way he preferred. “I—”
“And your blouse is unbuttoned.” His jaw clenched. “You know I don’t like you looking like… like a tramp.”
She flinched. “Something happened… with Max.” She swallowed hard and forced herself to continue despite the cruel sting of his words. “I was going to tell you. I didn’t initiate it, but he kissed me. I’m sorry, but—”
Lucas rose and stood too close, anger vibrating off his body. “You didn’t suddenly look at your brothers’ relationships and decide that what we shared wasn’t enough for you. Jesus Christ. You fucking kissed that guy, and now you’re giving me an ultimatum you know damn well I won’t accept.”
“Lucas—”
She reached out for him, but he flung off her touch and attempt to calm him.
“It didn’t mean anything,” she assured him, even as her pounding heart and memories of Max’s sexy mouth and hot body declared her words a lie. But she couldn’t let inconvenient feelings mess up her well-ordered life. She wanted the safe and easy relationship she and Lucas shared.
“I took precious time off from work, traveled all the way out here, and you cheated on me like a common whore.” He slammed the back door hard.
She jumped at the sound, shocked at his crude words. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that.” Max stepped between them while Lucy stood stunned. His words had hit too close to home, and he’d never spoken to her like that before.
Lucas glared at Max, clearly assessing his angry competition. Max boxed for sport and fitness. Lucas didn’t. From the tight clench of Max’s fists to the muscles bulging in his forearms, he was damned close to taking a swing.
“I don’t have time for this bullshit or for you,” Lucas finally muttered. He stalked past her, brushing his shoulder against hers as he headed for the driver’s seat.
“Touch her again and you’ll be picking your teeth off the floor one by one,” Max muttered.
“Screw you.” Lucas closed himself inside the Lincoln Town Car, started the engine, floored the gas, and drove away without looking back.
Lucy closed her eyes, hating how things had turned out between them. She’d rather have ended things the right way, but Max had forced the issue.
And she hadn’t pushed him away.