Like she just remembered what it feels like whenhegets serious. It’s familiar to her. She’s not just reacting to a man raising his voice. She’s reacting tohim.To the authority in it. She knows exactly what that tone means.
She’s intimate with it.
And right then—watching the way his command slices through the air, the way her bravado falters for just a second—I realize I want to be intimate with that authority, too.
With him.
That voice. That presence. That barely restrained power simmering under the surface. This isn’t just a grudge between ex-lovers; this is the weight of a man who has been burned by a betrayal and is finally done playing nice. It makes me wonderwhat it would take to make him truly unrestrained. To see the walls he built against her finally crumble for me.
Challenge accepted.
“Touchy,” Vanessa teases, clearly trying to save face.
Oh hell no.
Hoe, I will bust your entire eardrum.
Calm down, Max, You can’t go back to jail.I whisper inwardly.
Yes, I’ve been to jail. It wasn’t my finest moment. I got arrested in grad school after some girl stomped on my brand-new Jimmy Choos—the ones I saved all summer for. And she had the audacity not to apologize.
Long story short, my ponytail ends up on the floor and I am the one that ends up in the back of a police car.
The judge called itassault. I called it a public service.
The woman not only stepped on my shoes. She was wearing crocks.
Vanessa turns back to Eli with fake composure. “Will you be at the Business Summit?”
His jaw ticks. “Why does it matter?”
“What’s the matter, pitch not ready?” she taunts. “You boys coming up short?”
Drake cuts in, tone sharp. “Aye, E. Tell your ex to keep our business’s name out her mouth—and firmly on your brother’s—”
“Easy,” Eli warns. “Not in front of company.”
“I’m assuming I’m thecompany,” I say, glancing between Eli and Drake. But they don’t respond.
Whatever they were about to say dies right there. The three of us standing together, looking like we’re sharing a joke Vanessa’s not invited into, is more than enough to set her off.
Her nose flares. “Well,” she says with a forced smile. “I have clients to attend to. If you’ll excuse me.”
“With pleasure,” I purr, refusing to look away. I hold her gaze until she turns and struts off in the other direction.
“Daaaaamn!” Drake whistles. “Little mama’s got spunk.”
I turn to him slowly, my feet still noticeably wet from the day. “I’ve also got a killer right hook, so don’tevercall me little mama again. Mmkay?”
He lifts his hands in surrender. “Noted.”
Then we look at Eli. Silent. Frozen.
“Eli? You good?” Drake asks.
He finally looks between Drake and me, his voice tight. “What thehellwas that? Mygirlfriend?”
“What? She was looking at both of us like we were a charity case and I’ll be damned if I let her get away with it. A woman like that only responds to power, so I let her have it.You’re welcome!”
