Max might be drunk. Well, maybe not drunk, but at least feeling less pain than he had earlier. His head was fuzzy and this muscles relaxed as he leaned back, wineglass in hand, and laughed at the ridiculous face Serena was making at Lincoln.
“And then he ate it! Can you imagine? I mean, the smell alone had me gagging, and this idiot goes and takes a great big bite.” She made another face for emphasis. “He didn’t understand why I wouldn’t kiss him for like three hours after.”
Grady snorted and finished his beer. “You wondered why I questioned your sanity for so long when I found out you agreed to marry him.”
When they’d first come out for dinner, Grady had been stiff, nearly night and day from the man who’d come into his office back in Toronto. Max understood completely why after having spent a few hours in that house.
Having seen Theo Barnes interviewed on television, Max had thought he knew what to expect from the business maverick. Boy, had he been naive. There was no way the television could project the way the air changed when the elder Barnes entered a room. Or the way every single person tensed as though they were waiting for something catastrophic to happen.
Maybe something had.
Grady had been far less charming and way angrier since the confrontation in the pool room. Max thought his relationship with his own dad had been rocky; it didn’t hold a candle to the resentment that simmered between Grady and his father. That could have been a reality show in itself.
Lincoln finished his beer—a Belgium strong dark ale that Max wanted desperately for Frantic but knew the club crowd wouldn’t care—and stood. “Another round? I have to hit the head so I’ll let the waitress know.”
Max held up his mostly empty bottle. “Thanks.”
Serena watched her man disappear toward the bar, a smile plastered on her face. “He’s so freaked out right now it’s hilarious.”
“Lincoln?” Grady snorted. “I’m seriously impressed that he hasn’t taken my teasing about eloping seriously.”
“We actually talked about it.” Serena shook her head. “Justin intervened though. Something about owing it to your father to have the social event, media exposure, blah, blah, blah. By the time he was done, we were ready to agree to anything just to get him to stop talking.”
“Your boy Justin wields quite a bit of power in your family. Is he related?” Max hadn’t met a man like Justin before, and the whole situation was more than a little weird.
Grady rolled his eyes. “He’s been around since I was fifteen. I’ve grown used to him sticking his nose into everything. He usually leaves Lincoln alone though.”
Serena leaned in, her black hair sweeping forward. “I think he has a crush on you.”
If Grady had been shocked by the revelations, he didn’t show it. “Everyone wants me. I’m a prize.”
“You’re an ass.” Though the more Max thought about it, the more he could see some of what Serena must have. “He does like to stare after you when you leave. And when I kissed you back in Toronto, I thought he was going to leap across the sidewalk to yank us apart.”
“He’s Father’s attack dog, and I’ve been the thorn in his side since he started working for Father. He’s probably so used to fixing my fuckups that he didn’t know how to react.”
Maybe that was it. Max could relate. He didn’t have a clue how to react to his parents anymore. All he wanted was to look after them, except they no longer wanted his assistance. Perhaps he should have a chat with Justin about learning how to deal; they might both have some tips to share.
“Still, he’s been off since you’ve gotten back from Toronto.” Serena sat back in her chair as the waitress brought their drinks. “He’s even been after me about wedding details. Like I’m going to forget something.”
Max took a drink. “Because you’re the bride?”
“Because I’m a project manager. Organizing shit is my life. I’ve had my wedding planned since I was twelve and wanted to marry Omar Adamson.” She winked at them both. “I’ll happily plan your wedding as well. Grady, what color do you want your dress to be?”
Grady turned to face Max. “See what I have to put up with.” Leaned in and placed a kiss on Max’s cheek.
They’d agreed on the ride over that they’d play the part of engaged couple whenever they were in public. Grady was too well-known and his father had too many contacts in the community for them to do otherwise. Max’s body reacted to the brief contact; his breathing hitched as a tingle vibrated through him, ending up somewhere near his cock. He’d had the afternoon’s events playing on a loop in his mind: Grady stretched out on the bed, naked, sweat on his flushed skin. It had been some of the hottest, most intense sex he’d had in years.
As much as he wanted to do it again, it was probably best for both of them if Max kept his distance.
Max’s cheeks ached from smiling. “I’m not much for planning things. I’m more of a doer. Need something fixed? I’m your guy. Just point and I’ll get it done.”
Grady draped his arm over Max’s shoulders. “You sure do.”
Serena clapped her hands and laughed as Lincoln fell back into his chair. “Lincoln! I think Max might do bodily harm to your brother. Want to watch?”
He grinned. “If you do, you’ll have to answer to me. I need to make sure that your intentions toward Grady are respectable.”
It was the teasing that Max had come to expect between the brothers, but there was something a little more weighted to Lincoln’s words. Max had no doubt that Lincoln had spent a large part of his life defending his little brother from the world. Being an only child himself didn’t mean he couldn’t relate to that protective instinct. He, Zack, and Eli had been as close as brothers for years, and on more than one occasion they’d stood up for one another.
Holding up his hands, Max leaned back. “I would never think of doing anything to him. Besides, I don’t want you to mess up my good looks.”
Lincoln snorted. “Like I could do anything to you. You’re built like a fucking brick shit-house.”
“He’s a boxer.” Grady bumped his shoulder against Max. “I’m engaged to an athlete.”
“I haven’t been in the ring for years. My recent boxing experience involves ducking punches from drunks.”
“Is that how the two of you met?” Serena was sweet, but there was no missing the curiosity. “You never told us the real story.”
They hadn’t told them any story as far as Max knew. Turning to Grady, he cocked an eyebrow. If Grady wanted them to know the unsightly truth, then he’d have to be the one to spill it. No way Max was going down that road.
Grady’s gaze dropped to the table even as his smile brightened. “You know me. I was at his bar. My gaze landed on this handsome guy, and one thing led to another.”
Okay, so that was the game plan. “He annoyed me to no end until I agreed to go back to his hotel room. It was all history from that point on.”
If Serena and Lincoln didn’t believe them, then they didn’t say.
Supper came and went, and the conversation continued to flow as they drank. Before long Max had to use the bathroom himself. Excusing himself from the table, he strode toward the back of the restaurant. The evening had been far less awkward than he’d first assumed it would be. Grady took the lead whenever the conversation led toward a topic that Max had no knowledge of, and for his part, he teased Grady whenever he got obnoxious.
It had been fun.
The first bit of fun he’d had in a very long time.
There’d been no expectations on him, no one needing him to take control or to make a decision, like they did at the bar. He’d been able to simply be himself—not a business owner, or entrepreneur—simply Max. And tonight with Grady, even if it was pretend, had given him a glimpse into what it could be like to have that sort of relationship. To have something like Zack and Nolan did.
It brought joy to his life knowing that another person out there chose him and not someone else. That Max meant something more to them than being a big body to lift things, to reach things off the top self.
That someone truly loved him.
Not that Grady was that person either. But he could have been.
He zipped up and walked over to the sink from the urinal to wash his hands, when his phone rang. “Hello?”
“Max.” His dad’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Bad time?”
“I’m at a restaurant, but in the bathroom. It’s good.” When his dad didn’t say anything else, Max caught himself frowning. “Everything okay?”
For a moment, Max thought his dad wouldn’t say anything. “Yeah. Just had a bad day.”
He shouldn’t be excited to hear that his dad was struggling, but the fact that he’d called Max, that he’d reached out, was something that he hadn’t done in ages. “What happened?”
“Was just using that damned walker when my leg gave out on me. Scared the hell out of your mother.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Then a sigh. “No. I hate this.”
“I know, Dad.”
“I feel like I’m . . . It doesn’t matter.”
God, Max wanted him to finish that sentence desperately. “It matters. Can I help with anything?”
“No. Just wanted to hear your voice. Go back to your friends.”
“Hey, it’s fine if you want to keep—” But his father had already hung up.
Max let his hand fall to his side and gave himself a second to calm down before shoving his phone back into his pocket. He’d been trying to make things right between them for a few years now, but it was hard when his dad continued to keep things from him. He loved his father, needed him in his life, but this push-pull made things hard.
Max was reaching for the door when it opened. Grady grinned and leaned against the doorjamb. “Hey, sexy.”
“Hey, smart-ass.” Something in his chest warmed. “Finally had to break the seal?”
“Nope. Was wondering where you’d gone off to.”
“Had to take a call from my dad.”
“Everything okay?”
Now wasn’t the time to get into his family challenges. Grady had more than enough of his own to deal with. “Everything’s fine.”
“Good.” Grady let the door close and crossed the space between them in a single stride. He put a hand on Max’s shoulder, leaned in, and kissed him hard. “Thank you.”
Max wasn’t a man prone to sappy emotions. He’d always prided himself on being a steady rock. But the way unexpected butterflies fluttered in his gut, he might have to rethink that. “For what?”
“For not telling Lincoln and Serena about that night.” Grady stepped back, but kept a hand on Max’s arm. “Lincoln has thought for years that I drink too much. It’s gotten me into more than a little trouble. The last time I did something stupid, he suggested I get some help.”
Max nodded. “I own a bar, and I’ve seen a lot of people struggle with drinking. There’s nothing wrong with needing or asking for help.”
Grady’s hand fell away. “Don’t start.”
Max knew a losing battle when he saw one. “I don’t have any right to. And you are the only one who knows if things are a problem or not. Your brother clearly loves you, and I’m sure he’s just got your best interests at heart.”
From on the look on Grady’s face, Max knew he was pulling back. If they were going to continue with this charade, then there couldn’t be any distance between them. He stepped close, enjoying the slight advantage he had in height, and cupped Grady’s face. Surprise shone in his eyes, and his lips parted slightly. Max had seen a lot of attractive men, he’d even slept with more than a few of them over the years, but there was something about Grady that spoke to him.
The richness of his brown eyes amplified the gold circle that rimmed the outside of his irises. They were like a screen to his soul, projecting every emotion that swirled inside him. The way his black hair curled and fell on his head, begging Max to push his fingers through it, to stretch the curls out. The high cheekbones and strong jaw that seemed to contradict one another, masculine and feminine battling for space.
God, and his lips.
Max ran his thumb across Grady’s bottom lip, the moist skin catching on his dry digit. They were full and soft, a contrast to the rough stubble that covered his chin and cheeks. Max knew he shouldn’t do anything, that he’d promised himself he wouldn’t get too wrapped up in this game they played. He’d promised himself that this obsession with Grady was little more than a passing fancy that would disappear the moment they went back to Toronto.
Fuck it.
He leaned in and kissed Grady hard.
The moan that filled the room could have come from either of them, but in his haze of lust, Max thought it was Grady’s. Grady writhed in Max’s grasp, trying to get closer. No, this wasn’t about sex; this was a long tease. Max knew they shouldn’t fuck again, that it would lead to bad things, but he wasn’t a saint.
Walking forward until Grady’s back hit the wall, Max continued to devour his mouth, to plunge his tongue in to tease and taste the man who seemed to have it all but still want him.
“Shit.” Grady spoke the word into Max’s mouth as he clutched Max’s shoulders and wrapped his foot around Max’s leg.
“No. Kiss.”
Max swallowed Grady’s chuckle as he deepened the kiss even further. He tasted of beer and oysters, smelled of expensive cologne, and felt hot and needy. Had they been somewhere other than a public bathroom, Max might have forgotten his promise and fucked Grady right there and then.
Unfortunately for both of them, Lincoln chose that moment to open the door. “Ah.”
Grady stiffened, so Max stepped away. “Good beer.”
“Right.” Lincoln cocked his head. “Serena was ready to head out, so I paid the bill. The car is on its way.”
Grady licked his lips. “Thanks, brother.”
“We’ll wait for you there.” With a pointed look at Max, Lincoln left.
Shit, he didn’t need to make things any more complicated for Grady by continuing to give in to his impulses. “Sorry.”
Grady shook his head. “For what? I haven’t been this turned on by a kiss before in my goddamned life. I can’t wait to get back to the house so you can put your mouth on other parts of me.”
It was too tempting for Max; everything about this situation was too much. “We can’t. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“This isn’t real. Nothing about this situation is right or normal. We’re not engaged, but we have to pretend we are. Except when your brother catches us and knows full well what’s going on. He’s going to think that I’m taking advantage of you.”
“Lincoln knows me well enough. He won’t believe for a second that I’m doing anything that I don’t want to do.” Grady didn’t push—instead he ran his hand across his mouth. “We’d better go.”
Max trailed along behind him, his mind spinning from the insanity of what was happening. How could things have changed that drastically, gone from fun to frantic to oh-so-wrong in the matter of a few minutes?
It didn’t really matter. He had a job to do, an agreement to fulfill. He’d keep his libido in check for two weeks and then go the hell home. He’d fall back into his normal routine and everything would be as it was. Everything would be fine.