Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) by Nicole Edwards Read Free Book Online Page A

taking a bite.
    “Doesn’t surprise me,” he said gruffly.
    After chewing, she peered up, realizing Max was still watching her.
    “How is it?”
    Courtney took a sip of wine.
    “Likely the best I’ve ever had,” she found herself saying.
    Max’s lips curved upward. This time there was definitely something inherently sexual in his wicked gaze.
    And the sad part … something inherently sexual inside her responded in kind.
    □»«□»«□»«□
    Max hadn’t expected Courtney to come tonight. To his house, that was.
    When he’d finally given in to the urge to contact her, he’d fully anticipated a rebuttal.
    Then again, he knew what she was after, so offering the invitation had been a gamble of sorts. To see her or not to see her? It had been a question that had plagued him for three weeks, to the point he couldn’t take it any longer. His thoughts hadn’t veered far from her since the moment he’d met her, and now that she was there with him, he had to wonder why he’d taken so long.
    The instant she’d stepped into his kitchen, wearing that sexy bronze dress and the fuck-me heels, her long, dark hair hanging over her shoulders and her bright gray eyes flashing with heat, he’d been flooded with memories of her kiss, her touch, and the sweet moans he’d wrought from her when they’d consumed one another in the hallway. He’d replayed that scene over and over again in his head for weeks, trying to determine whether or not it’d been real, wondering if her touch, her taste, could’ve really been as magnificent as he remembered.
    He’d only been left wondering for a second once he laid eyes on her again. She was everything he remembered and then some.
    There was certainly curiosity in her nearly colorless eyes, but there was more than that. There was heat and intrigue and … lust. The woman might’ve been there on a job, but she was just as interested in the chemical reaction between them as he was.
    Somehow he managed to eat his meal, watching her while he did, anticipating the questions he sensed she wanted to ask.
    “From what I’ve read about you,” Courtney prompted as she wiped her mouth with a linen napkin, “it sounds like you’re rather close to your family.”
    “Is there a question in there somewhere?” he countered, smiling back at her.
    “So that’s how you want to play?” she asked.
    Max placed his silverware on his plate and retrieved his wineglass. “I prefer the direct approach.”
    “I can see that,” she mumbled softly. “So are you? Close with your family?”
    “What do you consider close?”
    Courtney glared back at him, which only amused him.
    “We’re close,” he said simply. “And you? Are you close to yours?”
    “Very,” she answered readily.
    “You have more of an extended family, correct?”
    “I see you’ve done some checking up on me, have you?”
    “Of course.” He didn’t see any reason to lie to her.
    “Yes, it’s rather extended. But I’m sure you’re familiar with that. If I’m not mistaken, there’s no blood relation between you and some of those you’re closest to.”
    Max liked her. He liked how straightforward she was, how she spoke her mind. It was refreshing, even though he knew she had an ulterior motive.
    The two of them continued to eat. Thankfully the questions lulled for a little while; however, the silence that ensued wasn’t awkward. Max found it rather comfortable to sit with her, neither of them having to speak just for the sake of filling the silence.
    Once they were finished, he cleared away their dinner dishes and returned to the table with more wine, tossing out an off-the-cuff question as he did. “Where’d you go to college?”
    Casually sitting in his chair, he crossed one ankle over the opposite knee and regarded her while he waited for a response. She appeared unfazed by his curiosity.
    “Texas State. Two years and then I’d had enough. I came home, went to work for my father.”
    “So, you had an interest