“I hope you know what you’re doin’,” Courtney relayed.
“Me, too.” Truth was, he didn’t know what he was doing, but for some reason, forcing Leyton to protect Ashlynn was the right thing. If he didn’t instigate it, Max feared Leyton would do his best to keep his distance, all because Max had stuck his nose where it didn’t belong—his wife’s exact words.
And in the end, if Leyton did as Max had ordered and he stayed away from Ashlynn, that would only put his sister’s life in more danger.
He still remembered the day he’d caught Ashlynn and Leyton making out at Trace’s wedding. It had stunned him. Of all the people he’d expected to see together, never had it crossed his mind that his best friend would want his sister. Oh, he’d seen the way Ashlynn looked at Leyton, but as far as Max knew, Leyton had never returned that interest.
Because he’d been stupefied by their actions, Max had dished out a warning to Leyton that day, and he still remembered it vividly:
What the hell were you thinkin’? No, don’t fucking answer that. You will only receive one warnin’. You stay the fuck away from my sister. Do you understand me? If I catch you with her again, I’ll saw your fucking nuts off with a rusty butter knife. And then I’ll fucking feed them to you. Don’t touch her again.
At the time, their interactions had seemed somewhat spontaneous to him. As though Ashlynn were looking for a quick fuck and Leyton was available. But then, that same night, after he’d been shot, Max had heard the terror in Leyton’s tone as he’d drifted into unconsciousness.
You’re gonna be fine, boss. If you’re not, I hope you know I’m gonna fuck Ashlynn all over your goddamn house. Every room. In your bed. Your shower. Your favorite fucking chair. So you better fucking live through this so you can kill me for doin’ it.
Although he suspected Leyton had made the statement in order to push Max to fight for his life, he’d heard something else that day. And when he’d issued another order—the day he’d made Leyton his second-in-command of his organization—he’d known then that Leyton had real feelings for Ashlynn. Leyton hadn’t said anything in response, but he hadn’t needed to.
And yes, Max could accept that he’d interfered when he shouldn’t have. As far as he was concerned, there was no better man for his sister than Leyton. He was loyal and honest, and above all else, he deserved to be happy. But at the time, he hadn’t been sure Leyton could handle Ashlynn.
She was more the fuck ’em and leave ’em type. Ashlynn kept herself distanced from emotion, and he understood why. She’d been manipulated for so long, lived in a house where the people who were supposed to love her only used her. That was the main reason Max had always kept an eye on her.
“You know he’s gonna give in, don’t you?” Courtney asked, placing her hand on his thigh.
Max didn’t respond. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he sensed if it did, things would be complicated. Although his sister hadn’t been in a serious relationship her entire life, there was something going on between her and Jase Malone, and it wasn’t just a nightly romp. There were true emotions there, even if Ashlynn wasn’t willing to acknowledge them. Emotions they both attempted to conceal.
And Leyton… Max didn’t even pretend to understand how a man could be bisexual, but he knew for a fact that Leyton was. And so was Jase. The tension between those two had been high for a while, and he could only assume they’d set their sights on one another as well as Ashlynn.
“It’s gonna get complicated,” Courtney explained, speaking his thoughts exactly. “RT was telling me about some friends of theirs back in Z’s hometown who are in a ménage relationship.”
“Ménage?”
“Yes. You know, two men, one woman. And they all love each other.”
“That doesn’t make any damn sense to me.” Max could not wrap his head around it.
“That’s because you aren’t into women and men. You only prefer the opposite sex.”
“No, I only prefer you,” he said as he lifted her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles.
“That’s good.” Courtney grinned. “But it’s not absurd to think that a person could be attracted to both.”
“Okay, say you’re right. What about Ashlynn? She wants two men? To what? Share her?” He did not want to think too hard on that, because the mere notion of his sister with a man was something that made his stomach churn. Thinking about her with two… Nope, he didn’t even want to go there.
“I assume you’re referrin’ to Leyton and Jase?” Courtney glanced over at him. “I can see it.”
Max sighed. He had no idea what those three were up to, but Courtney had convinced him that it wasn’t his place to warn Leyton away from Ashlynn. As much as he wanted to protect Ashlynn, he’d come to terms with the fact that Leyton wasn’t a threat. He wouldn’t hurt her.
“They’re good men, Max,” Courtney went on. “She could do a helluva lot worse.”
True. Leyton was the worthiest man Max knew. And Jase… Max didn’t know him all that well, but in all the years Jase had worked for the family, the guy had never let Ashlynn down, and that was something.
“What am I supposed to do?” Max asked.
“Nothin’.” Courtney smiled. “It’s none of your business. Let them work it out. You’ve done your part. For now, it’s safer for Ashlynn if Leyton’s there to protect her alongside Jase. If something’s gonna happen between them, it’ll happen. If not, then it doesn’t matter.”
“What if Ashlynn and Jase are serious? What if Leyton gets hurt?”
Courtney smirked. “He’s a big boy, baby. He can take care of himself.”
But could he take care of Ashlynn? That was the only question Max needed an answer for.
Chapter Nineteen
Everyone has their scars.
Seven years ago
Ashlynn walked into her brother’s office, expecting to find him waiting for her, but to her horror, Max wasn’t there.
But her father was.
And so was another man she didn’t recognize. Big guy, pock-marked face, scraggly beard. He looked as though he hadn’t showered in a month.
“Where’s Max?” she asked, peering around the room as though he would miraculously appear if she willed it to happen.
“He had other pressing matters to attend to,” Samuel informed her. “Have a seat.”
Hesitantly, Ashlynn made her way across the room and took a seat on the black leather sofa. “What’s goin’ on?”
“We’ve got an issue to discuss,” Samuel stated. “Turns out, we’ve got a problem.”
And that was the reason she was there, only she’d expected to talk to Max. Her father had called to let her know there was a family meeting and that Max specifically requested her to be there. Sure, it’d been a little strange that her father had called, but she hadn’t thought anything of it. Her brother had started playing a bigger role in the business, so it hadn’t surprised her that he’d want to talk.
But he wasn’t there, which meant Samuel had likely lied to her.
Ashlynn glanced over at the unknown man, who was now leering at her, a menacing grin on his face.
“What problem?” she asked, forcing her gaze back to her father’s.
“Dwayne here has informed me that you’ve been falling behind in your duties.”
“Is that right?” Ashlynn couldn’t hide the anger that burned in her gut. She knew for a fact she hadn’t fallen behind in any of her duties. In fact, she’d been doing exactly as her father had instructed, collecting debts from those who were overdue, ensuring those she dealt with understood they would no longer tolerate them falling behind in their payments. It was a test, she knew, a way to see whether or not she had what it took to be part of the family business. She’d gladly accepted the challenge.