Wedding in T minus nine days . . .
Grady’s body ached, and it had nothing to do with having to hold stone-still for the final fitting of his tux. The tailors moved around his body with grace, pulling and tugging on seams, pinning fabric where it needed to be brought in another half inch here and there. His body ached because he’d barely slept last night. And it was his neglected cock that had kept him up.
Really, it was Max’s fault.
The asshole had actually gone chivalrous on him and chosen to sleep on the couch in the room rather than share the bed. Completely ridiculous considering what they’d already done since arriving.
His lips still tingled from the force behind the kiss they’d shared in the bathroom. Lincoln had given him the stink-eye the entire ride home, but Grady didn’t care. What did it matter if they had a little fun? Grady wasn’t about to change his stripes simply because they were pulling one over on their dad. If anything, it reinforced matters.
Stupid Max had clearly picked up on the tension between them and had taken it upon himself to ease matters. Yeah, that wasn’t going to work. If they were going to manage the whole happy-couple thing, then Grady wanted to go all in.
If nothing else, it would give him an opportunity to test-drive this happy ever after that Lincoln and Serena were adamant was a good thing.
“You’ve lost weight, Mr. Barnes. We need to make some significant changes to the vest.” The exasperation coming from the tailor—Grady couldn’t for the life of him remember the man’s name—was palpable.
“I’ve told you before, you need to take better care of yourself.”
Justin had insisted on attending the fitting, because of course he had. He was sitting in a chair opposite the pedestal Grady had been forced to stand on, watching everything. Max had come as well, apparently intending only on staying for a few minutes, but the moment he saw Justin sit down, he’d taken up position leaning against the wall.
“I doubt I’ll lose any more in the next nine days.” Grady looked into the mirror, his gaze passing quickly over Justin and landing on Max. “Unless I’m engaging in some intense exercise.”
Max’s eye roll was clearly visible. As was Justin’s disapproving glare.
“You dress to the left, correct, Mr. Barnes?”
It was weird that this guy knew how he tucked his cock, and Grady couldn’t remember his name. “Yup.”
The tailor slipped the vest from him and manhandled him until his back was to the mirror. “Let me make some adjustments to the inseam.”
He’d been wearing bespoke suits since he was a kid, and not since he was a teen had he had a boner during a fitting. But the moment his gaze landed on Max and saw the smoldering gaze as it traveled down his body, there was no way he could stop it.
The tailor made a soft snort but went to work regardless.
Justin looked over at Max. “I assume you have a suit, Mr. Tremblay. It would be unfortunate if we had to turn you away at the door for improper attire.” He shifted his assessing gaze to Grady. “The seat is a bit loose, Stephen. He looks like a hanger.”
Right. Stephen.
“The seat is just fine.” Grady patted his ass, knowing how it would look in the mirror behind him. “Want to make sure my assets don’t distract from Lincoln’s big day.”
Max chuckled but didn’t say anything.
In fact, he hadn’t said much of anything at all since last night when he’d pulled a pillow and blanket from the bed and marched over to the couch.
“I’m here to play a part, nothing more.”
“No reason why we can’t have a little fun as well.”
“Good night, Grady.”
And thus began his long, painful, sleepless night.
Stephen spun him around once more and yanked up on the seat of his pants. “One more moment and you’re done.”
Grady sighed. “Yes, Max has a suit. You think he’d show up in jeans or something?” Grady hadn’t seen him in it, but knew from looking at it that Max would fill it out nicely.
“I promise I won’t be an embarrassment.” Max pushed away from the wall and wandered over to the window.
“I never thought you would be, Mr. Tremblay.” Justin dusted something from his thigh. “We will of course have you seated behind the family.”
The near wedgie disappeared, and before Grady knew it, Stephen had stepped away. “I can have this done in three days. I need to make a few adjustments to the groom’s suit first. If you want to take these off now—”
Grady pushed him aside. “What do you mean behind the family? He’s my fiancé and should be seated with the family.”
Stephen and his assistant quickly gathered their items and disappeared in a blink.
Justin looked up and gave Grady that annoying half smile that he always did when he was humoring him. “I’m simply following your father’s directives. If you have issue with where your friend—”
“Fiancé.”
“—is sitting, then you best speak with him.”
This was so typical. Even if Grady was happy, if he did everything right, his father would find some way to punish him. God, if he’d ever thought there was a way that they’d come to some sort of compromise as he got older, it was situations like this that reminded him otherwise.
“You’re fucking right I’m going to speak to him. This is bullshit!”
He’d barely taken two steps when Max cut off his retreat. “Stop.”
“I’m not going to stand by while you’re treated like—”
Max gripped his shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Stop.” He spoke the word softly, but not lacking in steel. The swirling rage in Grady’s chest subsided. He let out a breath and relaxed into Max’s touch. “Good.”
“I’m not letting him do this to you.” It didn’t matter if their engagement was fake or not. As far as his father knew, Max was someone special to him, someone important.
Shit, he was someone special for putting up with the insanity of Grady’s family.
“I know. First you need to take your suit off before you ruin all of that man’s hard work.”
Looking down, the pins in a few spots had moved from the white chalk lines. “Shit.”
“It doesn’t matter where I sit. No one knows me and I don’t know anyone. I’ll be there for you, and at the end of the day that’s all that matters. Right?”
“Dude . . .”
“One of the things I learned from Russel, the guy who ran Ringside when I was a kid, was to pick your battles wisely. Not all opponents in the ring are equal, and not every fight is winnable. But when you’re ready to wage war, you do it with everything you have.” Casting a glance toward Justin, Max’s face hardened. “This isn’t worth the beating you’ll take. I will sit behind the family, smile a lot, and get to check you out in this amazing suit.” He stepped away then, and Grady missed the contact. “I’ll leave so you can get changed.”
Grady watched as Max strode from the room without another word, surprised at how much he wanted nothing more than for him to turn around and come back.
“Well, I have to admire Mr. Tremblay’s ability to talk some sense into you. Better men have tried and failed.”
“Talking about yourself there?” And the peace he’d felt fled the second he turned to face Justin. “What makes you think you’re a better man than Max?”
If Justin was bothered by the barb, he didn’t show it. “I’ve known you and your family for years. I’ve witnessed your father’s treatment of you first hand. I know the challenges you’ve faced.” Justin came closer. Unlike when Max approached him, there was no current that passed between them, nothing that sparked in a way that gave him pleasure. Animosity and distrust comprised their relationship.
“You’ve always been on Father’s side. Don’t try to pretend otherwise.”
Something changed in Justin’s expression then. It softened ever so slightly, and for a moment he looked like more than the cold man Grady had always known him to be. “You have no idea what I’ve protected you from. As bad as things have been, I’ve been there to ensure they weren’t worse. He still doesn’t know about your trip to Germany and the partying there. He doesn’t know about the sex video made that weekend. You’re lucky I got to it before it popped up on a gay porn site. Your father has threatened to cut you off for years, and would have long before now if I hadn’t been there to protect you.”
Justin swayed forward ever so slightly, before he straightened. “I’ll speak to your father again about Mr. Tremblay’s seating arrangement. I’ll have it switched around and place him with the aunts and uncles.”
He started to leave, but Grady caught him by the arm. Justin looked as shocked as Grady felt. He rarely touched the man if he could at all avoid it. “Don’t. I never asked you to intervene. I never asked for you to do anything for me.”
“No, you didn’t. But you need someone to look after you. You always have.” With a gentle tug, Justin pulled himself away and left Grady confused and alone.