Hunks, Hammers, and Happily Ever Afters (59 page)

The places Max had touched Hayley still tingled—hell, her whole body was on fire from the simple touch of his fingers on her belly. He’d set her imagination aflame with scenes of her splayed on the bed beneath him, his body a warm blanket, his lips caressing her breasts, his fingers digging into her hips, his cock hard and pulsing inside her. The scene changed to her on her knees in front of him in the shower, sucking him off as warm water caressed her shoulders and trickled down her back.

“You’re taking me home?”

“Yeah, unless you want to stop off somewhere else.”

While she’d been to his place a couple of times, she’d never had a chance to go beyond the living room and kitchen. She wanted to see his bedroom, to learn if he was neat or messy in private. To snuggle against him in his bed, leave her scent on his pillows. To have her body surrounded by his. “I sort of figured we’d head to your place.”

“Normally I’d jump all over that answer, but I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

“Because of what Darrell said?”

“Partly.” He scrubbed one hand over his mouth. “Look, what Darrell said back there about me not being right for you? He’s right. I’m nowhere near in your league. I’m a blue collar worker. I run in totally different circles than your friends.”

“Other than Sophia, I look at those people as business associates. I like you, Max. I like Noah too. You’re my friends so I don’t care if those people approve or don’t approve of who I date. It’s not going to affect whether one of my houses are going to flip or not. As for blue collar, my family’s as blue collar as they get. You know my father works at a pulp and paper mill and my mom has been a secretary, a store clerk and now she’s working at a nursing home. You’d fit right in.”

“What was he talking to you about before I got back to the table?” Oh. That. “He was trying to explain why he’d cheated on me.”

Max snorted. “You mean he admitted he’s a total douche.”

“No. He tried to say it was my fault.”

Actually, he’d said,
“Come on, Hayley, you practically drove me away. You spent all your time at your project houses, and when you weren’t working you were slumming with this guy and his buddy. Hell you referred to yourselves as the three musketeers. You’re not totally responsible, I cheated on you, I’ll own that, but you never wanted to do what I wanted. You were never there for me either.”

Maybe he was right. The first few months they’d been together had been fun, maybe because he’d been from a different world than she’d been used to. But she quickly tired of being on parade all the time. Going out with Darrell meant having to dress up and wear high heels and make up and be aware his friends were appraising how much she’d paid for her dress, whether her rings were real diamonds or cubic zirconia. He’d not been pleased that she’d quit her job and made house flipping her full-time business either, though whether he was unhappy that she’d made more than him the previous year or that he didn’t like that she actually did some of the work herself offended him, she wasn’t sure. Not that any of it excused that he couldn’t keep his dick zipped, but he could have broken it off first. Hell, she should have broken it off before they’d even moved in together.

Shopping at the St. Lawrence Market and wandering the booths at Word on the Street with Noah, or sitting on the beach watching the Canada Day fireworks beside Max was much more comfortable in jeans and sneakers. Even better they got her sense of humor. And she didn’t have to watch everything she said, afraid they’d analyze it to death and then criticize her later. Max and Noah made her feel comfortable where she’d never felt she could be herself even when she was alone with Darrell.

Except now Max was acting weird. Withdrawn, instead of cracking some smart joke.

Damn Darrell. There’d only been three couples playing that night—Sophie and Aiden wouldn’t have said anything to anyone, Nic and his girlfriend wouldn’t have either. But no, Darrell had to go and open his big mouth and spill her secrets, in front of Max no less. And now the whole ménage issue sat like a fricking Tyrannosaurus Rex between them.

“Noah and I—

“We were playing—”

They spoke together and both immediately stopped.

“You first,” Max prompted.

“What Darrell was saying about my sexual fantasy? It was Sophia’s birthday party—there were only six of us. We started playing Truth or Dare. Soph dared me to tell us my sexual fantasy and I said I’d always fantasized about having two guys at my beck and call. I guess Darrell took it personally.”

“Hey, no judgment from me, okay?”

“Have you and Noah really had threesomes?”

He blew out a breath. “Yes. A couple times, but not recently. I have no idea how Brooks found out about them. I can only assume it’s a fairly recent discovery—otherwise he probably would have used the knowledge to try to keep you away from us when you were together. He seems like the insecure type.”

He had tonight. Or maybe he always had been but she just hadn’t seen it before. “He actually recommended your competition, and to be honest, I hired them for one house. But I didn’t like them—they did rush work and didn’t listen to what I wanted. So I hired your firm for the next job and haven’t looked back.”

“So we’re your second choice then?”

“Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs to find the prince.” She didn’t let Max’s chuckle stop her. “I didn’t know about the threesome, so that’s not why I asked you out. If it makes a difference.”

He hmmed. “Good to know. But you notice Noah’s not here, and that neither of us suggested it.”

“I know.” Her body softened at the thought of having both of them in her bed, touching her, kissing her....

Once they crossed the Don River, he slanted a glance toward her. “While we’re on the subject of Brooks, thank you for sticking up for me but he was right. People judge you for coloring outside the lines—I’ve seen how they hassle—” He broke off as if he were censoring himself. “Hanging out with us could cause people to question your reputation.”

“Who I sleep with won’t affect the price of my houses when I sell them. So if anyone wants to judge me because I hang out with you and Noah? That’s their damage.” She touched his arm as he turned into her driveway. “We’ve hung out long enough that I know I can trust you. You’re practically my best friends. If I were going to have a threesome with anyone, I’d choose you and Noah.”

He shoved the stick into Park and sat back, frowning at the steering wheel. “Sex can change things between friends. Just regular sex, but threesomes can be even more of a challenge. They can be absolutely amazing with the right people, but they can also bring out all your insecurities, especially jealousy if you think they’re getting more attention than you, or giving too much to the other person. You see a side of them that very few people get to witness.”

“See, that’s why I think you and Noah would be great. Because you get that it’s more than just sex.”

He shot her a grin that lit up the entire street. “Sweet cheeks, sex with me is never
just
sex.”

Of that she was certain. She stayed silent as he walked her up to her door. She took the leap. “Would you both consider having a threesome with me?”

“I’m not going to answer that right now. I want you to think about it. It’s not a decision you rush into. What happens if things go wrong, Hayley? If you don’t have fun, or you regret it afterwards—you’re our client. And while business is pretty good with everyone fixing up their houses these days, we don’t want to lose your business. And you’re also our friend, and even if you never hired us again, I don’t want to lose your friendship.”

“How long do I have to think about it?”

“Are you still planning on going to the wedding with Noah next weekend?”

She nodded, her breath catching in her throat in anticipation.

“If you’re still absolutely sure, and you can convince him you’re ready, then tell him.” He brushed a kiss on her cheek and headed back to his car.

“Wait! Aren’t you going to come in?”

He faced her, but continued walking backward. “Nope. You have a lot to think about, Ms. O’Connell. And I don’t want you to say I used undue influence later.”

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CHAPTER FOUR

H
e shouldn’t have clicked the link. Noah knew it even before his finger touched the iPad’s screen, yet he’d done it. In disgust he shoved the tablet away from him. So his father had finally stepped aside and named Sloane, Noah’s sister, as President. Not that Sloane would truly have full power—no way would Charles McNaughton allow Sloane, or anyone else, to make a move without his approval. Though Sloane had always had their father’s approval. Whereas he...

“Coffee, thank God.” Max padded into the kitchen, wearing a pair of board shorts and nothing else. He grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup then settled beside Noah. And picked up the iPad. “Hey, that’s Sloane, isn’t it?”

“Yup.” Max obviously hadn’t slept with Hayley—he’d come in far too early, and there’d been no noises of Max making love to Hayley drifting up the stairways. Max could be a noisy lover sometimes. No, for a first date, Max would play the gentleman. He’d take his time and make sure his date felt special, secure, and then when he did stay the night he wasn’t the type to sneak out at the crack of dawn leaving them to wake up alone.

“What the fuck?” Max scrolled back, his forehead furrowing. “It says she’s the only kid. When you said your father had cut you off, I didn’t think you meant he has decided you don’t actually
exist
.”

Noah shrugged and concentrated on the black nirvana in his mug.

“Did this reporter not do any research? I’ve a good mind to—“

“Leave it alone, Max. I’m all right with it.” Though it stung—okay, more than stung, it was like a katana blade to his guts—his father’s reaction wasn’t unexpected. “I’m doing what I want to do. I don’t need his approval to be happy.”

“But he’s your father. They’re your family.”

“Yes, we share the same DNA, but family? No.” His friendship with Max had been a source of contention with his father from the first time his father met him at the school.

“I’m not paying for you to go to that school to hang out with a bricklayer’s son. You’re there to cultivate friendships with people who will help your career. Boys whose fathers you may end up working with when you come work for me.”
His father had never understood how he longed for his family to be more like Max’s. How he wished for dinners that involved laughter and chatter instead of the formal dinners he suffered through. For a mother who fussed over him like Mrs. M. fussed over all her kids as opposed to being ignored by the revolving door of his father’s trophy wives.

“It’s not right,” Max grumbled. “How can they just pretend you don’t exist?”

He kept his gaze lowered to hide the emotion flooding him at Max’s reaction. Would Max feel the same if he knew Charles McNaughton had threatened to get Max’s father fired from his job and blacklisted with the union if Noah continued to stay in contact with Max. It was only that threat that convinced Noah to go to college in BC instead of applying to the University of Toronto. Unfortunately it had taken Noah another four years to realize that was only the first of many demands over his life his father would make. Demands that made him miserable. “It’s what it is. No yelling and screaming or getting mad at anyone will change it. As I said, I like where I am. I like what I’m doing. I’m not going to change simply to make him happy.”

Never again. Especially if it meant changing his friends to satisfy his father’s whims.

“But—”

“Leave it alone, Max. I’m happy the way things are.” He took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Now, tell me how things went last night. I half-expected to find a trail of clothes from the front door to your bedroom. Then I realized you came home alone. Did something go wrong?”

Max contemplated him for a couple seconds before allowing himself to be distracted from the article. “No, it went great. It was... enlightening.”

Noah raised his eyebrows. Enlightening wasn’t a term Max generally used about a date. Or anything or anyone for that matter. “Oh?”

“Darrell the dipwad was there. He tried to convince Hayley his cheating was all her fault.”

“She didn’t buy that load of crap, did she?”

“No, she’s too smart for him. But he let slip a certain secret that I found interesting..”

“If it’s that he has a dick the size of a golf pencil, it’s hardly a secret.”

Max snorted in amusement. “No argument from this corner, but apparently Miss O’Connell harbors a ménage fantasy.”

Huh. Not that it was surprising. Hayley had always impressed him as being confident, and not shy at all. But... “Are you thinking that’s why she asked us out? Because she’s heard about us sharing women before?”

“Maybe.” Max frowned at the iPad and closed the cover, shoving it away. “I know it shouldn’t make a difference if she did, but—”

“—But what if she did. You’re wanting a long term relationship with her, and you’re thinking she’s looking at you—us—as a one night stand. She’s not. She’s said she’s not.”

Truth be told, Noah liked the idea of having a long-term relationship with her too. If he had his way, it would be a permanent three-way relationship. Not that he’d ever want to pressure Max—or Hayley—into that type of arrangement. While Max claimed his parents were aware of their son’s sexual history, they expected their son to settle down sometime in the near future, which meant standing in front of a priest with a bride beside him. Being in a three-way relationship wouldn’t stop Hayley from marrying Max, but explaining why another man shared their bed, or if she married him why Max shared their bed, might strain the Moretti’s acceptance too far. As progressive as the Morettis were, he was pretty sure they had their limits.

“I left it that it’s up to her if she wants to have one with us or not.”

“Why do I think there’s something you’re not telling me?”

“Hayley hasn’t cancelled you out for the wedding, right?” Max continued, “so you go with her—you’ll fit right in with that crowd, believe me.”