The hour following one of the best orgasms Grady had experienced in months had been damn near as close to heaven as he’d ever been. Max had taken care to clean them both up and managed to make small talk that wasn’t tedious. For his part, Grady spent most of the time eye-fucking Max, making it very obvious that this little interlude was only a precursor to more fun.
It had been hunger that pulled them from the room back out to the house. Justin was hovering, casting glares his way whenever they passed, but strangely keeping his distance. So while he clearly wasn’t on board with the whole engagement, Grady didn’t think Justin would cause them any grief.
Small miracles.
Maybe things wouldn’t be too bad this time. Lincoln and Serena had his back, and Serena seemed to like Max. Even the staff seemed to be happy to see him and smiled brightly at Max. The next two weeks might fly by without much in the way of incident, and then he could get back to the joys of his life and Max would return to his bar and gym.
“Where the hell is my asshole son?”
And, just like that, Grady’s peace exploded.
His father marched down the long hallway, the sound of his shoes clicking against the wood floor in a rhythm that would have made a drill sergeant proud. Grady’s stomach churned and the muscles in his neck tensed at the long-familiar noise. He didn’t need to see his father to know that his ever-present scowl would be deep and immediately directed his way.
They’d been playing pool in the entertainment room. Max had been taking a shot—one that missed wide—the moment his father bellowed. Looking up from the table to Grady, Max cocked an eyebrow. “Your father?”
“I’m the asshole son. Lincoln is the idiot son. It’s an important distinction so you know who he’s yelling at.” He tossed the pool cue on top of the table. “Best if I’m not holding a weapon. I might be tempted to use it.”
Max moved the cue and took another shot. “I’ll defend you, dear.” The sarcasm dripped from each word.
Grady had a nasty habit of losing his temper around his father. It was the last thing he wanted Max to witness. “I recommend staying quiet. He’ll hate you on principle, so it’s best not to antagonize. Besides, that’s my job.” He grinned.
The scent of cigar smoke and strong cologne wafted into the room a heartbeat before his father entered. The old man stopped at the door, his gaze narrowing on Grady without so much as a glance at Max. It had been months since he’d been in his father’s company, as he’d made it a point to not be where his father was. His father looked older than Grady remembered, the lines around his eyes and mouth more pronounced and the gray in his hair more bountiful. It was strange to think of his father—blustery, controlling—getting older. The hardness was still there, the undercurrent of steel that comprised his soul, but so was something else. He was actually starting to look his fifty-seven years.
More than a little disconcerting.
His father’s scowl deepened. “What are you doing?”
Max knocked a ball into a pocket, but his father’s attention didn’t waver.
“Hello, Father. Nice to see you.”
“Bullshit. You hate seeing me and you hate being here. You also didn’t answer my question. What are you doing?”
He shouldn’t push, he knew from experience that things never went well when he pushed his father. And yet . . .
“We were playing pool. You know how much I love sticks and balls.”
Max snorted and took another shot.
His father glared. “Don’t be an ass. Who is this man, and why did you bring him to my house? I did not give you permission.”
Okay, he could do this. Act like a grown-up and make proper introductions. “Father, this is Max Tremblay. My fiancé. Max, this is my father, Theo Barnes. CEO, mastermind, control freak.”
His father’s gaze snapped to Max, who put the cue back into the rack. Max crossed the room to stand in front of his father. Max was taller by several inches, but his father was large enough to hold his own in a fight. While his father worked constantly, he never missed an opportunity to hit the gym to keep in the best shape he could. Grady knew that his father liked to intimidate people on as many levels as possible.
If Max was put off by his father’s size or attitude, he didn’t show it. Face-to-face, Max gave his father the once-over before holding his hand out. “Nice to finally meet you, sir.”
His father looked down at Max’s hand briefly, before stepping into Grady’s space. “You brought a stranger into my house.”
“He’s not a stranger. He’s my fiancé.”
“Bullshit. The only person you love is yourself.” His father moved past him toward the bar. “You better not do anything to ruin your brother’s wedding. If you think I’m angry now, you’ll be in for an awakening.”
Interesting that he hadn’t mentioned anything about Les Bouchard or his son. “I got Lincoln and Serena’s blessing before I brought Max along. I wouldn’t have brought him at all, but Justin found out my secret. After Justin didn’t give me much of a choice about coming home, we decided it was better to bring Max here to meet everyone.”
His father paused, before pulling out two glasses and a bottle of Scotch. “We’ll discuss matters later. Tonight, I have a meeting, matters to wrap up before the China deal happens. Tomorrow you and I will have a discussion about—” he looked at Max and snorted “—your development.”
Deep-seated anger that had taken root years ago bloomed bright in Grady’s chest. “I’m only here for Lincoln and Serena. The moment the wedding is over and they’re off for their honeymoon, Max and I will be on our way back to Toronto.” It didn’t matter that their engagement was fake, his father had no business treating Max, or anyone else for that matter, with such disregard. He’d done much the same to Serena the first few times Lincoln had brought her over, but it was impossible for anyone to be standoffish with that woman. She was a gem.
On the other hand, Max looked ready to jump on his father and beat him to a pulp.
Not wanting to make a bad situation worse, Grady stood beside Max and pressed his hand to the small of Max’s back. He wasn’t used to being the rational, in-control person in any relationship, but he was more than practiced when it came to dealing with his father’s attitude. That simple contact helped to calm Max’s anger. The muscles relaxed under his touch, and Grady was able to follow suit.
His father looked between them, his gaze narrowing once more. “I need you available to the media this week.”
“Why? I’m sure whatever it is can wait until after the wedding.”
His father stiffened, eyes flashing with the Barnes temper. “You seem to forget that you work for my company.”
“I do? Funny, I never seem to go to the office. What’s my role again? I seem to remember quitting and walking away from the office after I was clearly a disappointment to you.”
“You gave up too easily, like you always do. There was nothing in that job that you couldn’t handle.”
How quickly his father forgot. Grady soaked in Max’s presence, using the mental reinforcement to help calm himself down. “The media?”
“Justin will give you your schedule, and you will do as you’re told, or losing your condo will be the least of your concerns.” And with that he turned and marched from the room.
Max let out a breath. “Oil and water, you two.”
“More like water on a grease fire.” That had gone about as well as Grady had expected. Terribly.
“You do like to push each other’s buttons.”
A pain behind his eyes began to pound, ensuring that the rest of his day would be miserable. “Justin had told me already that Father wanted me to speak to the press, but never said why. They like to keep me in the dark as long as possible. They don’t want to give me time to plot against them and screw up their precious plans.”
Max turned even as Grady kept his hand in place. Instead of the small of his back, his fingers now cupped Max’s side. It was a far more intimate gesture than Grady would normally partake in with another man, representing a closeness that he’d never felt toward a lover.
It was strangely comforting to be in this position with Max.
And really weird.
“I’m sure it’s nothing you won’t be able to handle.” The smile Max gave made his eyes light up in a way that was nothing less than mischievous. “If I can be of any assistance causing grief, let me know.”
“Better to keep you out of things as much as possible. I don’t want you getting into Father’s sights any more than you have to be.”
His father was many things, primarily a shrewd businessman. If Max caused him any obvious problems, then his father would see it as open season on Max. That wasn’t something a small business owner would survive.
Grady pushed away the twinge of guilt. “Serena will be looking for us soon. We better get ready to go out. Actually, I’ll go find her to figure out some details.”
When he looked over at Max, the other man was regarding him oddly. “Sure. I’ll head up to the room for a few minutes, give you some time to get things sorted without an audience.”
Grady didn’t wait for him to depart, instead leaving first. Emotions he couldn’t name waged a war he didn’t understand inside him. It no doubt had to do with being under his father’s thumb once more.
Max had proved to be an insightful and kind man. Shit, Grady hadn’t fully realized that he’d needed space until Max had offered. Combine that with the sex they’d had earlier—something Grady had wanted, but hadn’t fully expected—and Max was fast becoming Man of the Year in Grady’s eyes. They’d fallen into an easy back and forth, communicating with glances as much as words. He’d been with many men over the years, but this was the first time he’d ever experienced this sort of thing before. And with a complete stranger.
It bothered the hell out of him.
The house was far busier than normal, with people making preparations for the wedding. He understood why they’d chosen to get married here rather than at a church; it was a far more controlled and private venue than anything they would find in the city. But the constant coming and going of strangers for an extended period of time was disconcerting to Grady. He’d always hated this aspect of his family and their lives. He’d been thrust onto the public stage more than once from an early age, and rarely had he enjoyed it. For once in his life he’d like to have a place that was his, quiet.
If it wasn’t for his irrational desire to annoy the hell out of his father with public displays of chaos, he might have disappeared into the background.
Another choice in another life.
Turning the corner to the kitchen, he ran into Justin rather than Serena. Wonderful. “Have you seen Serena?”
Justin startled as he turned, a small smile slipping into place. “Hello.”
That was odd. Justin was normally the one sneaking around and causing other people to jump. To see him that distracted . . . Well, Grady never had. “Are you okay?”
Justin blushed. “Was engrossed in an email.” He shoved his phone into his pocket. “Serena?”
“Was looking for her to confirm our supper plans.”
“She was in the garden with the florist reviewing potential arrangements. That was less than twenty minutes ago.”
For all the time he’d known Justin, the man had a way of looking at him that made him feel as though he were under a microscope. For a while, Lincoln had teased him that Justin was infatuated with him. So far from possible that it had always made Grady laugh like a fool.
Not something Grady had the mental capacity to deal with now. “Thanks. I’ll look for her there.”
Another problem for another day.