Dare to Seduce Page 3

  Except the kind of attention they’d denied him. Not many of his foster siblings had wanted to hang out with the rich kid, as they’d called him, so Max had latched on to the Dare family. Back then he’d considered Lucy a pain in the ass who trailed after her brothers and him.

  And then Lucy’s parents had passed away, and Max had come home from college to find a sad, quiet girl had replaced the vibrant one who’d loved to drive them all crazy. He’d become more protective of her then. And when she’d graduated from college, Max had taken one look at the curvy, adult, gorgeous woman she’d become… and he’d been transfixed.

  At that point, the age difference would have driven the Dare brothers insane. He’d seen Decklan and Gabe chase away too many men interested in their sister to think otherwise. They wanted her to have the chance to live a full, exciting life. And at twenty-six, Max had already closed his heart to the idea of any emotional connection with a woman. Had he wanted a wife? Kids? Sure. But someone he loved with his whole heart, who could turn their backs on him the way his parents had? No, thank you.

  Then he’d met Cindy, and they’d suited well enough, so he’d continued to date her seriously. As if on cue, Lucy had then moved to California. When she hadn’t come to Max’s wedding, he’d known then he’d destroyed the bond they’d once shared. He’d told himself it was for the best. But he’d never put her out of his mind completely.

  Still, Max’s marriage had floundered, while Lucy, he knew from her brothers, had grown into an independent woman, and they were damned proud.

  In the time since Cindy’s passing, Max had grieved, suffered through self-imposed guilt for not being what she’d deserved. And he’d satisfied himself with one-night stands and weekends at Paradis, in order to forget his mistakes and regrets. He’d grown up. And learned his parents’ failings and the fact that he’d nearly made similar mistakes couldn’t define the rest of his life. He was ready for Lucy.

  She was the one woman who could fit into his life and complete him in every way. Unlike her asshole ex-boyfriend, Max would never try to harness her vibrancy. She was a dynamo, and he wanted to feed off her energy and help her burn brighter. But to do that, he needed her closer to home. Closer to him. She just needed a reason… and Max had the perfect one to present to her.

  But first she had to return to the party.

  “How’d it go, hotshot?” Decklan asked, approaching him with his fiancée, Amanda, by his side.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” Max said to the curvy blonde, who was positively beaming. “If this guy ever blows it, you give me a call.” He winked at her and stepped back before Decklan could haul off and punch him.

  “Ignoring my question?” Decklan asked.

  “Leave Max alone,” Amanda chided, curling herself around her fiancé as she spoke.

  “Listen to your better half,” Max said with an easy grin. But inside he wasn’t smiling, and he turned to his best friend. “Listen up. From this moment on, whatever happens or doesn’t happen between your sister and me is off limits. As in none of your business.”

  Amanda sucked in a surprised breath. “You and Lucy?” she asked. “But I thought she was here with someone.”

  “He’s gone,” Max told her before glancing back at his best friend. “Understand?”

  “Hell no. My sister, my business.”

  “My love life, my business,” Max said, then mentally reassessed that statement. “My woman, my business.”

  “What do you mean, her boyfriend is gone?” Amanda asked, concerned.

  Before any of them could continue, Max caught sight of Lucy finally making her way across the lawn. Her hair was still down, long and flowing, causing his fingers to itch with the need to slide through those thick strands again. Next time he’d tug a bit harder and see how she responded to a bite of pain and command. His cock twitched in agreement.

  “Lucy!” Amanda called her over.

  Lucy met his gaze and tipped her chin a bit higher as she joined them.

  “Hi. Enjoying your party?” she asked Amanda, ignoring him and not meeting his gaze.

  So she was still mad at him, but she obviously wasn’t about to avoid him. That was the woman he admired.

  “I’m having the best time. It was a great idea to have an engagement party for friends so just family can escape for the wedding next week,” Amanda said, clearly excited.

  The wedding itself would be an intimate destination affair on the island of Eden, consisting of Decklan’s older brother, Gabe, and his wife, Isabelle, Max, and Lucy. If nothing else, their trip to Eden would give him a chance to seduce her in private.

  Decklan pulled Amanda close, kissing her on the lips. “I can’t wait to make this beautiful woman my wife. It’s been too long a wait.”

  Lucy smiled wistfully at her brother, and Max caught the flash of pain in her expression before she vanquished it.

  But Max had her all figured out. He ought to considering her issues basically mirrored his. Fear of loss and abandonment. He knew it well. Had been force-fed it by Daniel Carver, his psychiatrist pal.

  Lucy was happy for her brother, but with another one marrying, she was building up her walls even more, deliberately making herself the outsider in a family that only wanted to pull her in and keep her close. The New York Dare siblings were tight, and the fact that Lucy still lived in L.A. had more to do with her fear of loss than the desire to remain in California.

  As Gabe and Decklan formed their own families, Lucy drew further and further away. She came home less often. He understood her in a deep way because he knew her and because she engaged him on a fundamental level he’d been forced to ignore. Until now.

  “Hi, all,” Gabe said as they widened their circle to include both him and Isabelle.

  “Iz, thank you for letting me use your makeup earlier. I needed a touch-up.” Lucy blushed, deliberately not meeting Max’s gaze.

  He caught Decklan’s stunned expression, as he probably figured out why she’d needed to fix herself. Well, what had the man expected when he’d given Max free reign?

  “What’s mine is yours,” Isabelle said. “We’re sisters, after all.” She squeezed Lucy’s hand.

  “I can’t wait,” Lucy murmured.

  “I wish you lived in New York,” Isabelle said.

  “I know but my career is in L.A.”

  “Is it?” Gabe asked, pinning his sister with a knowing stare.

  Max picked up on his opening. “My understanding is that all the Elite clubs have been remodeled, and you have no new ones in the works.”

  Lucy shot him a nasty glare.

  “True,” Gabe said.

  “Well, I can use Lucy in New York.”

  “What?” Lucy’s wide-eyed gaze finally met his.

  He grinned at the panic in her voice. “For business, princess.” And more, but she wasn’t ready to hear that yet.

  The idea had come to him while thinking about her earlier. Max was a restaurateur with a brand new project on the horizon. He also understood how tricky it was to nail ambience. People were fickle, and it was difficult if not damned near impossible to satisfy everyone, which was why New York City alone boasted an over eighty percent fail rate. New restaurants shut down within five years of opening. Nightclubs were no different.

  “The decorator I used on my other restaurants recently suffered a bout of debilitating Lyme disease. She’s basically bedridden.”

  Lucy and the rest of them winced. “I hope she’s okay.”

  “It’s going to be a slow recovery. I need someone with your expertise to run with the new project.”

  He knew what she’d done with all the Elite clubs, and Lucy had more than proven her ability. She had an innate sense of what worked. She might be able to fight their sexual attraction and put up emotional walls, but she couldn’t turn down a career-boosting opportunity. And what Max had in mind could put her on the map, opening up new avenues with big clientele.

  He turned to face her, feeling a little bad at the wary, doe-in-
the-headlights look in her eyes. But when he decided he wanted something, Max pulled out all the stops.

  “Lucy, how would you like to design the next Max Savage restaurant in lower Manhattan?” he asked in his smoothest voice.

  * * *

  Lucy had never considered herself fragile. No matter what life threw at her, she’d always pulled herself together and moved on. But in this moment, she’d reached the limit of what she could handle.

  Traveling to New York while listening to Lucas complain about missing meetings and work. Feeling the obvious tension and dislike her brothers had for her boyfriend and pasting a smile on her face anyway, because she wouldn’t let anything ruin Decklan and Amanda’s celebration. Max confronting her about her choice in men—her blood still boiled at that one, and that kiss… oh, that kiss… Then the argument and breakup with Lucas that she hadn’t explained to anyone yet.

  Now Max was offering her a job that required her to uproot her life in L.A. and return to her family’s orbit… and Max’s undeniable pull? Move to New York? Work with Max? Her heart beat harder at the thought, and panic set in.

  Hell no, she thought.

  “I think it’s a fabulous idea!” Gabe said.

  “Of course you do,” she said under her breath.

  Ignoring her, he went on. “You could move into my old apartment. I haven’t sold it yet.” Gabe took over, making decisions for her as was his M.O. Another reason living in L.A. worked for her.

  Lucy glared at Max for bringing up this idea in front of her siblings. “This is all very sudden,” she said. “I can’t just make a decision to move in an instant.”

  “But you aren’t totally against the idea?” Decklan asked, excited at the prospect.

  Max, damn him, just stared steadily at her, as if he could get his way by sheer force of will.

  “She has a boyfriend in L.A.,” Isabelle reminded Decklan. “You can’t push her like that.”

  “Where is jerk-face anyway?” Gabe asked.

  “Actually Max said he left. He just didn’t explain why.” Decklan glanced at Lucy. “So answer Gabe’s question. Where is jerk-face?”

  She narrowed her gaze, and her palm twitched with the urge to smack him. If her brother wasn’t careful, he’d give her the excuse she needed to blow off steam.

  “Decklan,” she said, definite warning in her tone. She wasn’t ready for a general announcement about her love life. Especially one that would include her explaining how she’d kissed Max.

  “Back off, boys.” Isabelle stepped forward and grabbed Lucy’s hand. “It’s time for girl talk. Amanda? Inside, now.” And just like that, Isabelle herded the women into the house.

  “What about your guests?” Lucy asked as she followed her sister-in-law into her private study, where she shut the French doors behind them.

  “The men can handle them. I’m worried about you, and that’s all that matters right now.”

  Lucy glanced at her sister-in-law. Her long blonde hair curled around her shoulders, and her curvy body had only grown fuller post-pregnancy, but what always struck Lucy about Isabelle was her warm, expressive features and caring nature. Suddenly overcome, she hugged the other woman tight, embarrassed when tears formed in her eyes.

  “This is supposed to be Amanda’s day, and here I am ruining it with drama.”

  “You couldn’t ruin my day if you tried,” Amanda said. She, like Isabelle, had blonde hair, though she had more waves than curls. And she also had a sweet, caring personality.

  Her brothers had chosen well.

  Lucy needed a tissue. Since becoming a mom, Isabelle had begun to stock every room with toddler necessities. A quick glance and she found a box on the desk. She pulled one out and blotted her eyes.

  “Now, what can we do to help? Because I didn’t mean to give Max an opening about the job. Is that what this is about?” Amanda asked.

  “It’s a lot of things.” Beginning and ending with Max, Lucy thought.

  “Let’s begin with the fact that Lucas is gone?” Isabelle asked.

  “Right. That’s because we’re over,” Lucy admitted.

  Both women gasped in startled surprise. “What happened?” Amanda asked. “I mean, he looked preoccupied…”

  “And I saw him sitting in his car on the phone earlier,” Isabelle added.

  “Max kissed me, I kissed him back, and nothing’s been right since,” Lucy said in one big confessional rush.

  “No way!” Amanda said.

  “It’s about time,” Isabelle said pointedly.

  Lucy frowned at her. “Really? You’re going to side with him? First he all but called Lucas a jackass—”

  “Which he is.” Before Isabelle could say more, sweet babbling noises sounded from the baby monitor hooked to her waist.

  “Do you need to get to Noah?” Lucy asked hopefully. She adored her nephew, even if he did have his daddy’s stubborn tilt to his chin and determination to get his way. He’d be a true Dare man, Lucy thought.

  Isabelle grinned. “No such luck. That’s his happy, I’m talking to my giraffe, don’t bother me sound. Now is Max the reason Lucas left?”

  Lucy rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “I asked Lucas to come back inside and really get to know my family, my brothers and both of you…”

  “You wanted him to get to know me?” Amanda asked.

  “Of course. You’re going to be my sister, and you make my brother so happy. You’re family.”

  Amanda studied her through suddenly damp eyes.

  Lucy blinked. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just that since we met, you’ve kept yourself apart from us. From me. I thought maybe you didn’t like me or think I was good enough for your brother.” Amanda’s voice trembled as she spoke. “I tried to get to know you, to push a little, but it’s hard for me. And… I’m so glad I read you wrong.” Amanda wrapped her arms around Lucy.

  The hug reinforced the guilt Lucy was feeling. She’d been so worried about keeping her own emotions safe she’d made Amanda feel bad about herself and neglected the people she cared about the most. Decklan had explained to Lucy about Amanda’s insecurities thanks to her bitch of a mother, and the last thing she wanted to do was reinforce any of them.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucy murmured. “It’s not you. I’m really not as together as I like people to think.”

  Isabelle laughed. “None of us are, which is why Amanda and I understand you better than you realize.”

  Lucy nodded. She knew both women had their own issues, their own stories as they’d struggled through falling in love with her brothers.

  “So what happened?” Isabelle asked, her pit bull nature coming through.

  Lucy leaned against the desk, easing one hip down. “Lucas took a look at me, realized I wasn’t as put together as I was when we arrived, and I confessed.” She waved her hands in the air as she explained. “He called me a whore and a tramp, Max stepped in and threatened to spread his teeth across the street, and Lucas took off.” Lucy managed a shaky laugh. “It has been one hell of a day,” she muttered.

  “And then Max offered you a job,” Amanda said, summing up her newest problem. “Are you going to take it?”

  “I think you should at least consider it,” Isabelle said, surprising Lucy.

  “Seriously?”

  “At least the part about coming home. You don’t have to work for him if you don’t want to—although there’s so much potential for you if you do take the job… in more ways than one.” She wagged her eyebrows in an obvious reference to Lucy and Max hooking up.

  Lucy shot her a dirty look.

  “She didn’t say take the job, she said consider it,” Amanda added in an attempt to be helpful.

  “Right. Consider it. Then accept.” Isabelle grinned. “Don’t you want to be around to see your nephew grow up? And on that parting note, I hear my baby calling me.” She patted the silent monitor on her hip.

  “Liar,” Lucy muttered.

  With a wink, Isabelle walke
d out the door, and Lucy heard her footsteps as she ran up the stairs toward her one-year-old’s room.

  Amanda met Lucy’s gaze and shrugged. “Umm, I ought to get back to the party.”

  Another traitor, Lucy thought. But she didn’t want to upset Amanda so soon after her admission about thinking Lucy didn’t like her when nothing could be further from the truth.

  “Go ahead. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Lucy wanted some time to pull her thoughts together before facing her brothers… or Max.

  She wasn’t ready to make a decision about her future just yet. With the destination wedding around the corner, she’d been planning on making the nearby hotel room her home base until she returned from Eden. But now that she was alone, she might as well be comfortable while in New York, and her brother’s awesome place in Manhattan was perfect. She already had her own room there anyway, with extra clothes and toiletries and makeup.

  The sound of the doors slamming shut startled her, and she turned to find Max standing in the entry to the study. For the first time all day, she allowed herself to really look him over, without guilt, without shame.

  His dirty-blond hair, always a touch too long, gave him a roguish look that appealed to her… despite her having dated clean-cut Lucas. Max might be a businessman, but muscles bulged beneath his cream-colored dress shirt, and masculinity exuded from every pore. His face was tanned and oh so handsome while his sexy, white smile could make her panties melt away, and she shifted uncomfortably, not wanting him to notice how he affected her.

  She straightened her posture and decided to get this discussion over with. “Max.”

  “The party is emptying out.”

  She released a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding. “That’s good. I’ll just borrow Gabe’s car, head on back to the hotel, and pick up my things.”