Neesa Hart - Who Gets To Marry Max?

He ignored her. “It’s got nothing to do with Edward Fitzwater. The man would be a fool to merge with anyone else. He dotes on Lauren, it’s true, and her engagement to Greg will make the deal easier for him to swallow, but he doesn’t have much of a choice. He’s overfinanced and undercapitalized. If he doesn’t merge with me, then someone else will take him over. He left himself vulnerable to this.”

“And the vultures are circling?”

“Yes.”

“Then if the merger is a foregone conclusion, why push so hard for the engagement?”

“I told you. Greg needs Lauren. It’s that simple.”

With a sad smile, Sidney leaned forward in her chair to place a hand on his desk. “There’s nothing simple about relationships, Max.”

He looked down at her hand, stared at it for long seconds. She sensed a struggle in him. “No, I don’t suppose there is.”

“If you push Greg into a corner, he’ll fight you.”

He visibly tensed. “If he does, I’ll win.”

“Probably. But if the price is alienating your brother, is it worth it?”

“It’s the right thing for Greg’s future. In time, he’ll understand that.”

“Max—”

He surged out of his chair, rounded the desk, and towered over her. She had to tilt her head back to hold his gaze. His expression looked harder than usual. “I realize this probably sounds ruthless to you, but I’ve spent my life taking care of my family.” He raked a hand over his face. “Sometimes, that means I have to decide what I think is best and make sure it happens. And I’m good at it.”

“And do you always get what you want?”

He studied her for long seconds, that same unnerving gleam in his eyes. Then he carefully took her hand in his larger one. In less than a millisecond, the center of his focus had shifted from his brother’s engagement to rest squarely on her. She sensed it as surely as she had sensed the tension thrumming through him last night. “As of today,” he said quietly, “I’m batting a thousand.”

Having the full force of that indomitable concentration directed at her sent goosebumps skittering along her flesh. Anticipatory goosebumps, she realized as she forced herself not to look away. “Max, I—”

He turned her hand to study her palm. “In fact, I think we should just clear this up right now. It’s been on my mind since last night.”

“It has?”

He nodded. “Very much so. And unless I’m completely off my game, you’ve been thinking about it too.”

“We’re not talking about Greg and Lauren anymore. Are we?”

“No.”

Sidney shivered. “I didn’t think so.”

“I’ve been told that I lack a certain, ah, finesse in situations like this.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But it’s like a business venture—once I know what I want, I don’t see any point in hedging about it.”

“Wastes time.”

“Precisely.” His fingers tightened on her hand. “So do you know why I really asked you to stay out at the estate for the weekend?”

Her brain short-circuited. He didn’t give her a chance to recover. “I want you, Sidney.”

The soft declaration made her ears ring. Her fingers quivered in his warm grasp.

“And you want me.”

Sidney pulled in a ragged breath. “Max—”

He squeezed her hand. “Don’t you?”

“I—”

“Look, I’m not trying to rush you. I know small talk generally eludes me.”

“You could say that.”

“I wouldn’t have told you last night—I should have told you last night, but I was afraid you’d leave. I wanted you here. With me.”

Sidney concentrated on breathing normally. “It wouldn’t work. We’re too different.”

“I thought so, too.” He cast a swift glance at the door. “For a long time, I thought so. But I changed my mind.”

“If that gets out,” she managed to quip, “it could cause the value of the dollar to plunge in the foreign currency markets.”

His soft chuckle rumbled along her nerve endings. “You have an overinflated sense of my importance, I assure you.”

“As long as we’re laying our cards on the table, is this a good time for me to tell you that you scare me to death?”

His eyebrows rose. “I’d never hurt you, Sidney.”

“I know that. That’s not what I mean.”

“Explain it to me.”

She searched for words. “I guess—I don’t want to feel like another corporate takeover.”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

She pulled her hand from his. “It’s hard to explain. After Carter—after my divorce—I swore I’d never do that to myself again.”

“Are you comparing me to your ex-husband?” His tone had turned flat—and sounded somehow more dangerous.

“No.” She shook her head. “No, you’re nothing like Carter. He was weak and selfish, and I was a fool to marry him.”

“Sidney—”

“Don’t say it,” she said with a slight smile. “There’s no point in arguing with me. What kind of idiot gets involved with a jerk like that?”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

She inwardly cringed. He could never understand the flood of self-condemnation that had engulfed her when her marriage dissolved. Max didn’t make colossal mistakes. It was beyond his scope of experience. “Whatever. The point is, I had a really hard time putting myself back together after he—after it was over.”

“I know.” His gray eyes studied her. “Philip told me.”

“He tells you a lot, doesn’t he?”

“He loves you.”

“I know he does.” She managed a slight smile. “He loves you, too.”

With incredibly gentle fingers, Max tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Sidney, no more stalling.” He seated himself on the edge of his desk. “Talk to me.”

“I’m afraid of what might happen to me if I get involved with you,” she admitted.

“I’ll take care of you.”

“Oh, Max. Don’t you see? I don’t want you to take care of me. I’ve just started to feel like I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. I’m not ready to turn the job over to someone else.”

That made him frown. “I didn’t mean—”

“I know. It’s not you. It’s me.” She couldn’t hold his gaze any longer. “This is all moving a little fast for me.”

“I’ve known you for ten years.”

She laughed a little. “You’ve barely spoken to me, and now, suddenly, you want…” She couldn’t continue.

“It’s not sudden. I’ve wanted you for a long time, but things were never right for us.”

Her gaze flew to his. “Max—”

“It’s true.” He leaned closer. “It’s complicated, and I’m not sure I understand it. I’m not very good at explaining myself. I don’t have to do it very often.”

“I don’t think—”

He cut her off. “We’re going to be together all weekend.” His gaze narrowed. “If I have my way, really together. I want you to understand that. I don’t want to play games.”

“I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

“I tend to have that effect on people.” With his fingertips he gently traced the curve of her eyebrows. The touch made her shiver. “I decided last night that I’m tired of waiting. I’d prefer to know exactly where I stand with you.”

She was drowning in the intoxicating sensation of his clean scent filling her head and his warmth wrapping her in a sensory cocoon. “Max, please.”

“Please what?” His voice had dropped to a seductive whisper. “Please stop? Please don’t stop?”

She shook her head, trying to clear it. “I don’t know.”

His lips turned into a beautiful smile that stole her breath and made her heart skip a beat. “Don’t worry.” He reached for her hand, then raised it to press a kiss to her wrist. “I’ve waited this long, and I may not like it, but I can wait a little longer. I can wait until you’re ready.”