Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) (7 page)

During their time together, they’d stopped using condoms, trusting one another implicitly, but now … a year later… He wasn’t going to argue because the only thing he could think about was fucking her against the wall, claiming her once again.

“Pocket,” he told her, sliding his hands into her hair and jerking her head back. “Put it on me, Courtney.”

Courtney’s eyes locked with his as she reached into his pocket with her free hand, retrieving the condom he’d placed there for this very reason. He released her head, wrapping his hand around hers, forcing her to jerk his cock more insistently. Within seconds, she’d ripped open the foil with her teeth, and together they rolled the latex over him, her touch making his cock pulse and throb.

Once he was sheathed, he adjusted their positions, lifting her leg as he guided himself to her entrance. Her eyes never left his as he pushed forward, forcing his cock past the tight muscles that instantly clenched around him.

“Fuck.” She felt so good. “Tight, Courtney. God, baby. So fucking…”
Good
. Hot and wet and …
his
.

Slamming his mouth over hers, Max kissed her, driving his tongue inside as she kissed him back. Her hands drifted up to his hair, pulling violently as he fucked her against her kitchen wall. His hips drove forward, forcing his cock deep into her slick pussy. Her body gripped him, pulled him deeper.

So goddamn tight.

“
Max
. Yes. God, yes!”

He loved when she said his name, crying out for him, begging him for more, just as she did now. He didn’t let up, relentlessly fucking her hard. Lifting her from the floor, using the wall to brace her, Max changed the angle, pumping his hips, burying himself deeper, deeper still.

He wasn’t going to last, but neither was she. The way her hands fisted in his hair, sending blinding shards of pain down his spine, her tongue dueling with his, he knew she was close.

Her mouth separated from his as she threw her head back, hitting the wall behind her as she cried out his name again and again and again.

“Harder,” she pleaded. “Fuck me harder, Max!”

Max thrust his hips forward, burying himself deep, retreating and slamming into her over and over. She moved, her hands falling to his shoulders as she fought to hold on to him. Her body gripped him, her fingernails digging into his biceps.

“Come for me, Courtney. Aww, fuck,” he breathed against her ear. “Fucking come for me, love.”

Her body gripped him like a vice, wrapping him in mind-blowing pleasure as she cried out his name.

His release barreled down on him.

He slammed into her once, twice, and then he let go, coming deep inside her, holding her to him, his lips on the curve of her neck as he bit back the words he’d wanted to say to her for so long.

I love you
.

Although true, he couldn’t break that part of himself open. It wasn’t safe.

She
wasn’t safe. Not only because of who her family was, the hellfire that they could rain down on him and likely were planning in the future, but also because of his enemies. Courtney’s life would be in imminent danger if anyone found out what she meant to him. And he couldn’t allow that to happen. Not yet. Not with things still so volatile between them.

Neither of them moved, remaining right where they were until his limbs steadied, his breaths returned to normal. When he regained his composure, Max lowered her feet to the floor and pulled his semihard dick out of her. He removed the condom, then deposited it in the trash bin before tucking himself into his jeans and fixing his clothes, never taking his eyes off her. He could see her mind working, but for the life of him, he didn’t know what she was going to say.

When he tried to kiss her again, Courtney turned her head, avoiding his mouth.

And he knew.

He fucking knew.

Max cupped her head, forcing her to look up at him. “Tell me,” he growled. “Tell me to leave and never come back. That’s your only choice, because if you don’t, Courtney…” He took a deep breath. “If you don’t, I’m gonna carry you to your bedroom and fuck you again and again. All goddamned night.”

Another shiver raced through her, but Max didn’t see an ounce of trepidation.

He’d never detected any sort of fear from Courtney. She never backed down, and he loved that about her. She knew him, understood him. More so than anyone else. But in the same sense, she was as fucking stubborn as they came. Yet she never was able to give him a good excuse as to why she continued to push him away.

Other than they came from different worlds, and that was something Max couldn’t deny.

Courtney’s gaze locked with his, her teeth scraping over her bottom lip.

And the next thing she said nearly leveled him.

“I want you to leave, Max. I never want to see you again.”

Releasing her, Max took one step back, his heart slamming against his ribs. With a subtle nod, he backed up another step. His brain was trying to process the words, although his heart already had.

“I’ll leave,” he said, his voice rougher than he expected.

For a fraction of a second, Max was sure he saw indecision in Courtney’s eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly. He knew he hadn’t imagined it, but he had to force himself to believe he had. This was what she wanted. And he was too fucking tired to continue playing this game with her.

Retrieving his jacket, Max didn’t bother putting it on. He forced his feet to move as he made his way to the door. With his hand on the knob, he didn’t turn back to look at her when he spoke. “Things are about to change for me, Courtney. Major things. But I want you to know, no matter what happens, if you ever need me, I’ll be there. You just have to call.”

With that, Max took the shattered remains of his heart and walked out the door without looking back.

Chapter Eight

Glorified babysitter…

Seriously? Again?

The following day

March 4th

“Have a seat,” Casper stated when Courtney walked into her father’s office the following morning. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks,” she told him coarsely. She felt like hell. The hangover she was nursing did little to brighten her mood, and the fact that her father had summoned her into the office so early in the morning wasn’t helping, either.

“RT told me how things went down last night.”

Courtney nodded. She had no intention of getting into a conversation with Casper or anyone else regarding the details of the night before. She would fill out the required paperwork, as she always did, but other than that, she wasn’t in the mood to chat it up.

Casper retrieved a file folder from the drawer of his desk and set it in front of him.

“I’ve got an assignment for you.”

Courtney raised her eyebrows in question. This was good news. She would jump at the opportunity to do something other than spend the next few days or weeks or, hell, even months, thinking about everything that had transpired last night. And she wasn’t referring to the op, either.

“Wealthy hotel owner in California. Needs a bodyguard for his daughter.”

Courtney tilted her head and looked at her father in disbelief. “Are you serious? I’m gonna be a glorified babysitter?”

She could tell by the look in her father’s eyes that he couldn’t deny that statement. And when he couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear, he usually kept quiet.

“Damn it, Dad. Why? Why can’t you send me anywhere else? Hell, I’ll be happy to volunteer to take on the cheating spouse cases. But shit, I don’t want to be some rich girl’s wet nurse.”

“He insisted on a female,” Casper stated. “You’re all we’ve got right now.”

“You need to work on that,” she told him frankly. “Hire some more women. This place is overrun with testosterone as it is.”

“Do you want the case or not?” His tone held a hint of frustration.

Fuck.
Why not? It would get her out of Texas, away from the lure of Max. Since she knew his family rarely made national news, at least she could keep herself safeguarded from the goings-on in his world.

“I’ll take it,” she told him, pushing to her feet and snatching the file from the desk. “When do I leave?”

She briefly flipped through the papers, then abruptly closed it, staring back at him.

“Today. Let Kira know when you need the jet,” Casper told her. “She’ll make sure to have it ready.”

Realizing her father hadn’t mentioned Max one single time, Courtney figured it was time to high-tail it out of there before he remembered to.

“I’ll see you when I see you,” she told him, reaching for the knob on the door.

“Stop by and see your mother before you go,” Casper instructed, coming to stand at her side before she could get the door open.

“Will do,” she replied, leaning into him when he kissed her forehead. “Love you, Daddy.”

Opening the door, she turned back and smiled at him. Despite the fact she was being used as an overpaid, certainly overqualified babysitter, she still loved her father, still respected the hell out of him for all that he’d built for himself.

“Love you, too, baby girl.”

Closing the door behind her, she made a beeline for the front desk.

“Hey, Jay,” she greeted their receptionist. “Get someone to man the phones and I’ll buy you coffee.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?” Jayden Brooks replied, grabbing the phone and punching a button, her pixie-cut, strawberry-blonde hair—a recent change that Courtney adored—falling into place beautifully after she spun around. “I’m takin’ a break. You got the phones? You’re awesome. Thanks, Dom.”

Less than a minute later, Courtney and Jayden were riding down the elevator to the bottom floor of their office building.

Standing beside the tall, statuesque woman made Courtney feel short. Jayden was always put together, wearing heels that boosted her into the six-foot range. It was no secret that, besides being otherworldly beautiful, Jayden was the glue that held their office together. Not to mention, she was also well loved by the entire staff. She was as much family as the rest of them, having been with the Sniper 1 team for the last seven years, ever since Jayden had strolled in off the street at the ripe young age of eighteen, looking for a job.

“Hey, Lee, where’s Ally?” Courtney asked the barista, referring to the shop’s owner.

“Writing,” he said with a smile. “You know how she gets. If the words flow, she doesn’t emerge for a while.”

“Right. Good for her.” Courtney passed the kid a twenty and told him to keep the change.

“Where’re you off to?” Jayden inquired after they got their coffee from the counter and took a seat in the nearly empty place.

Courtney glanced around, taking stock of the few customers who were there. An older man was on his cell phone, his eyes glued to his iPad, while a young woman sipped her coffee and stared at an open textbook on the table in front of her.

“Cali,” she said, meeting Jayden’s curious light green gaze. “Looks like I’ll be babysittin’ the rich and famous.”

Jayden frowned.

“No, it’s good, really,” Courtney said before her friend could get defensive on her behalf.

“Anyone we know?” she questioned.

Courtney smiled. “Think rich, snotty, reality show reject.”

Jayden’s smile widened.

“Someone’s gotta do it, right?” Courtney chuckled, spinning her cup in her hands.

“I guess. Not sure why it’s you, though.” Without missing a beat, Jayden moved right on to another subject. “How’s Marissa?”

Courtney remembered the events of the night before. “She’s…” She sighed heavily. “Free. Finally.”

It was hard to believe that after a year of being on the run, her best friend was finally free from the shit storm that had derailed her life. And to think it’d been as simple as RT going to Max, interrogating him a little for information, then garnering an invite to a party. Had Courtney sucked it up, gone to Max herself, it would’ve been over a long time ago.

She kept her attention trained on the paper cup as the guilt churned in her belly.

“Are she and Trace…?”

Courtney nodded. “They’re happily in love,” she confirmed.

“That’s good. That’s real good.”

“How are you?” Courtney asked, looking at Jayden again. “How’s that guy you were seein’? Tom?”

“Tony. He’s an asshole,” Jayden said with a grin. “I’m not seein’ him anymore.”

Courtney and Jayden had become friends over the last few years, spending time drinking coffee or wine, having dinner, hanging out. Sometimes the two of them, more often than not—before the chaos of the past year—with Marissa. Girl stuff. It was a friendship that had been born of what little free time they had, but she found spending time with the woman to be easy. Effortless.

They were a lot alike in many ways. In fact, they were both in love with men they knew they couldn’t have. For Courtney, it had always been Max. For Jayden … well, it wasn’t quite so simple. She’d been in love with Courtney’s oldest brother, Conner, for as long as Courtney could remember.

The fact that Conner had been married hadn’t made Jayden’s infatuation with him exactly appropriate. And Conner’s wife being brutally murdered right outside the Sniper 1 office eighteen months ago had only made things more difficult. Jayden was a fixer, the type of woman who wanted to help however she could, but they all knew there was no fixing Conner. He’d lost his high school sweetheart, the mother of his child. Based on the downward spiral he was consumed by, it didn’t appear that anyone had the ability to fix him.

Thankfully, Jayden had never put her life on hold for him, but she’d also never fallen head over heels in love with anyone else, either.

“Well, when I get back, we’ll go out. Find us a coupla hot guys to take home and use for a night. How’s that sound?”

Jayden blushed. “How long’s the assignment? I could use a hot guy right about now.”

“Who knows? Casper didn’t say. I’m sure it’ll be a few weeks. In the meantime, keep your eyes open. There’re always hot guys traipsing in and out of the office. Maybe you can snag one of them.”

Jayden laughed. “Not likely, but I’ll certainly keep my eyes open.”

After draining what was left of her lukewarm coffee, Courtney got to her feet. “I need to go home and pack. Kira’s gonna have the jet ready for me today.”

“Well, you be careful. And call me if you get bored. You know I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”

“Will do,” Courtney said, hugging Jayden. “And do me a favor. Keep an eye on Marissa. She’s safe now, but make sure she’s doin’ okay. She needs a friend. Especially while I’m gone.”

“Absolutely,” Jayden responded with a huge grin. “Be safe.”

Forty-five minutes later, Courtney was walking into her parents’ house, calling for her mother.

“In here,” Liz responded loudly.

Courtney ventured into her father’s office to find her mother sitting at his massive desk, her eyes glued to the laptop in front of her.

“Your dad told me you’ve been assigned,” Liz said with a smile, closing the lid on the laptop and giving Courtney her full attention.

Flopping down into the chair across from her mother, she nodded. “Looks that way.”

“And I heard things went well last night?”

Her mother had phrased it as a question, which meant she wanted details. Details Courtney had no intention of sharing with her. Or anyone, for that matter. “Yep,” she answered simply. “Marissa’s safe.”

“Are
you
okay?” Liz questioned, leaning forward and resting her forearms on the desk. “Something botherin’ you?”

Courtney shook her head. “I’m good. Just ready for an assignment, I guess.”

“This one’ll be interesting,” Liz said. “At least it sounds like it. You’ll get another chance to see how the … extremely wealthy live.”

Courtney knew her mother meant something else. Her family was extremely wealthy, but they were nothing like the rich and famous she’d been assigned to before. Liz likely meant snobbish, entitled, or spoiled. Not that it mattered; the assignment wasn’t going to be interesting. It was going to be a pain in the ass, but Courtney didn’t say as much.

Liz handled the accounting for Sniper 1 Security. She was very much the reason the company had done so well over the years, but she admittedly didn’t care for the details of the assignments.

Fidgeting slightly, Courtney felt the need to get up and head out before her mother had a chance to interrogate her about last night. Clearly no one had shared the details of what had gone down at Max’s house, and she didn’t want to be the one to tell them. Hell, if she were lucky, no one would tell them, and her mom would never be the wiser.

Right. Like that would ever happen.

Until then, she figured she would put as much distance between them as possible. Starting now.

Getting to her feet, Courtney smiled. “I’ve gotta go pack. Kira’s gettin’ the jet ready for me.”

Liz nodded and stood, walking around the desk and hugging Courtney tightly. “If you need to talk, I’m here.”

“I know, Mom,” she said softly, letting her mother’s strength seep into her. Over the last two years, she’d put a little distance between herself and her parents. In the beginning, it’d been because of her relationship with Max and the fact that she hadn’t understood her feelings for him. Since then, she’d simply felt like an outsider. Her time with Max had changed her in so many ways.

“I love you,” Liz said, releasing her and taking a step back.

“I love you, too,” Courtney replied.

“Call me when you land. Let me know you’re all right.”

Courtney nodded, then turned away before her mother could see the emotion brewing in her eyes.

With that, Courtney ventured back out into the brisk morning air. It was time to move on with her life, and she decided to embrace this situation, to accept it for what it was. It was an opportunity to start over, to completely rid herself of all thoughts of Max.

And when she returned, whenever that might be, she’d be ready to move on.

At least that was her intention, anyway.