Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) (33 page)

Chapter Fifty-Four

It was never a question … until her. Until them.

Leyton made his way through the crowded club. He felt different, and he didn’t need to wonder why that was. The announcement had been made tonight, which hadn’t been done at the club the way Max had said it would be; instead, it had been handled over dinner, where all of the Adorites, including Courtney, had come together. Max’s future wife had felt that something more official needed to take place rather than just a speech at the club where they’d be celebrating Ashlynn’s twenty-sixth birthday.

The day had been surreal.

Many people wouldn’t understand, but for him, this was an honor. Maybe being imbedded in a mob family didn’t appeal to everyone, but for Leyton, it was more than a career choice. They were family. Regardless of the job or the end result, ultimately, he had a place he belonged.

That hadn’t always been the case for him.

Word was spreading quickly through the club with the others, and Leyton found himself shaking hands a lot. He’d already run into a few associates who informed him that they’d like to speak to him at the first available opportunity.

That was business, so he’d informed them to reach out next week. He’d meet then.

Tonight was about having a good time.

After nodding to Courtney and Max, who were sitting at the bar smiling at one another like no one else was there, Leyton took the stairs up to the VIP section, looking for one person in particular. The guest of honor.

She’d disappeared nearly half an hour ago, and he was just making sure she was all right. Or so he told himself.

The sound of a woman moaning had him slowing. He didn’t know who was beyond that curtain—at least not for sure—but the sensual moans were familiar.

His breath lodged in his throat when he turned the corner to find…

Ashlynn.

Lord have mercy.

Unable to look away, Leyton remained glued to the floor, his eyes traveling over the sleek lines of her body hidden behind the black silk of her dress. It should’ve turned him off to see the woman who’d invaded his deepest, darkest fantasies as of late in such a position, but it didn’t. In fact, his dick instantly hardened as he took in the scene.

Ashlynn was impaled on the dick of her head of security, Jase Malone, riding him like a woman obsessed.

“That’s it, baby,” Jase groaned. “Ride my dick. Are you thinkin’ about him right now?”

Leyton’s eyes widened when he heard the question. Who? Who the hell was he talking about?

“God, yes,” she cried out.

“Are you thinkin’ how good it’d feel if Leyton’s big dick was fillin’ your ass?”

“Yes,” she affirmed, breathless.

“You want him fucking your sweet ass while I’m plowin’ this pretty pussy?”

“Both of you,” she confirmed. “I want to feel you both.”

Leyton’s eyes slid down to where the two were connected, watching as Jase’s dick slid in and out of Ashlynn while the man’s big, bronze hands gripped her ass cheeks, separating them as his finger explored her asshole.

“Tell me what else you want, baby,” Jase encouraged.

Ashlynn continued to ride him, impaling herself on Jase’s thick cock. Leyton’s body was rock hard as he took them in. He could so easily make all their fantasies come true simply by moving into the room, releasing his dick, and filling her ass. It was tempting; there was no doubt about that.

Then again, he didn’t want to die, and Max had already threatened him. But did Max know about this…? About Jase?

“I want to feel your mouth on my pussy,” Ashlynn said between cries of pleasure. “I want you to bury your tongue deep.” Ashlynn sucked Jase’s tongue into her mouth as though showing him what she wanted. “And I want to watch Leyton’s dick slide in and out of your ass. I want to see him fuck you, take you, make you fucking beg.”

It was Jase’s turn to groan. Or fuck, maybe that’d been him, Leyton didn’t know, but the erotic scene flashed in his head.

How the fuck had she known? He’d always been careful to hide his bisexuality. From everyone. So, did she know? Or was that just a fantasy?

“Fuck yes,” Jase growled. “I want to feel his dick in my ass, fucking me hard and fast while I lick your pussy.”

They were both breathless.

“I need more,” Ashlynn pleaded.

“Turn around for me,” Jase instructed.

Leyton took a step back, hiding in the shadows, not wanting them to know he was there.

Jase’s cock slipped from Ashlynn’s cunt as she stood. When she was facing the other way, Jase got to his feet and ordered her to bend over the arm of the sofa. She did as instructed, her skirt hiked up, Jase’s slacks around his thighs.

Leyton had always had a thing for Ashlynn. The woman was sexy as fuck and wild as all get out. Although he hadn’t quite known she was
this
wild. His own sexual proclivities had kept him from pursuing her fully—before he’d known that Max would saw his balls off and feed them to him if he did—but clearly he’d had no reason to worry where she was concerned. Ashlynn Adorite could clearly handle anything Leyton would want from her.

Jase filled Ashlynn’s pussy from behind in one fluid move, his thick cock going deep.

“Fuck me, Jase. Fuck me the way you’d fuck Leyton. The way you’ve told me you want to.”

Holy shit.

That wasn’t expected. Not at all.

And now, Leyton couldn’t take his eyes off Jase, admiring the man’s lean, muscular form as he slammed his hips against Ashlynn. The man was sexy as fuck, there was no doubt about that. He was a couple of inches shorter than Leyton, definitely not as broad, but there wasn’t a damn thing small about him. His blond hair was kept short, his aquamarine eyes glowed, and he had a smirk that’d caught Leyton’s attention before.

Yep, the guy was pure sin, and the two of them together were a temptation not easy to resist, but somehow Leyton managed.

When Jase shoved two fingers into Ashlynn’s ass, making her beg for more, Leyton thought he would come in his pants.

But when Ashlynn’s head turned and her sparkling hazel eyes met his, a seductive smile tipping her lips, Leyton knew… She’d wanted him to find them. She’d set this up.

And fuck if he didn’t want to join in, but he knew better.

Loyalty was everything in Leyton’s world. And he was nothing if not loyal to Max. If Ashlynn’s brother found out that Leyton and Jase were making her a filling in their heated sex sandwich, there was no doubt that they’d both lose their lives.

Or worse.

Their balls.

Chapter Fifty-Five

Whatever you want …

you just have to ask.

By three o’clock in the morning, Devil’s Playground had cleared out.

Since Max hadn’t opened the club to the public that night, it hadn’t taken long to make sure it was empty, and while Dane and the others did that, Max sat with Courtney at the main bar, watching her intently.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” he asked when she finished her drink and turned her full attention back to him.

“I did. I think everyone did.”

Leaning in, he couldn’t resist running his lips along her jaw, then down her neck. “I still owe you something.”

“You do,” Courtney agreed. “And I’m ready to take you up on it.”

Max pulled back, looking her in the eyes. “Here?”

“Why not?” she asked.

The next thing he knew, she had hopped up onto the bar, sliding down so that she was sitting in front of him, her legs spread wide. Without having to say a word, Courtney pulled her skirt up to her hips, baring her pussy to his hungry gaze. She was grinning down at him, clearly eager.

He’d known she hadn’t been wearing panties. He’d figured that out when they’d been dancing and his hand had not-so-innocently traveled up her inner thighs. She’d been slick and warm, just as she was now.

“Spread your legs wider,” he ordered, pushing the stool away when he got to his feet.

Courtney’s eyes sparkled as she did as he instructed, widening her legs for him.

Starving for the taste of her, Max placed his hands beneath her knees and hefted her legs up and open, giving him better access. The position spread her wide as he swiped his tongue over her heated flesh, licking her slowly.

“You taste so fucking good.” Max continued to eat her, devouring her with his tongue, fucking into her and circling her clit before sucking it into his mouth.

Courtney’s hands clutched his head, her fingers pulling his hair as she pulled him closer, fucking his face as intently as he was thrusting into her. He continued, relentlessly bringing her as much pleasure as he could right there in the empty club. If he had any patience whatsoever, he’d have stopped long enough to find some booze to pour over her, just so he could lap it up from between her thighs.

But he didn’t. Rather than waste a second, he fucked her with his tongue, thrusting it into her over and over as she bucked her hips against him, her fingers tightening in his hair as she yanked his head closer.

“Max,” she said breathlessly. “Fuck yes. I’m gonna come. Don’t stop. Never stop. Oh, God!”

Courtney’s release was his only goal; making her come against his mouth was the only thing he could think about.

He held out, teasing her slow, then fast, repeating over and over until she was begging, pleading for him to make her come. Only then did he give in, focusing all of his attention on her needy little clit until she was screaming loudly enough to surely alert the men who were standing guard around all the entrances.

Not that he cared.

This woman… She was all that mattered. Her pleasure, her love, her very soul was all that he needed, and now that he had it, Max knew that their lives were just beginning.

And he was looking forward to the ride.

Courtney hopped down from the bar, nearly toppling him when she practically fell on him. “I think it’s time you take me up to the penthouse,” she whispered. “And since you’ve got nothing else to do tonight—except for me—I think we should start with a bath.”

“And then?” he inquired, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her when her lips glided against his.

“And then … we’ll just take it one step at a time.”

“Have I told you that I love you lately?” he asked.

Courtney smiled. “Yes, but I’m happy to hear you say it over and over again…” Her smile widened. “While you’re buried to the hilt inside me.”

“I can do that,” he told her. “I can certainly do that.”

That’s exactly what Max did.

Until the sun came up.

And then he started all over again.

One step at a time, just like Courtney said.

Epilogue

Beautifully brutal … even then there’s a happy ending.

One month later

Courtney sat at the table in the dimly lit Italian restaurant beside Max while they waited for her parents to arrive.

“Nervous?” Max inquired, smiling over at her.

“Me? I’m married to a mob boss. Why on earth would I be nervous?”

Max laughed, a full, hearty sound that made her body tingle.

For the past few weeks, they’d been getting through one day at a time, moving forward, figuring out how this thing between them worked.

Was it easy?

Hardly.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy, because she was. At least as far as her love life was concerned.

She and Max had gotten married in a very simple ceremony. In Vegas. Where the only witnesses had been Dane and Leyton. They hadn’t told anyone else about it, but that was something they’d both wanted. As far as Courtney was concerned, marriage was a piece of paper that did little to reflect what their relationship truly meant. They’d been to hell and back, suffered for so long that getting to this point had seemed nearly impossible at one point.

Yet they’d made it.

The only obstacle left to hurdle was the one that had put a strain on her relationship with her family. As much as Courtney wished she could shrug it off and pretend it didn’t gut her from the inside out, she couldn’t. And making amends with them was important. Even Max had recognized that, and that was the very reason they were at a restaurant, preparing to have dinner with her parents.

When her father and mother arrived, Courtney’s heart fluttered in her chest. She was so happy to see them, even if the feeling might not be mutual.

The second her mother met her gaze, Courtney saw relief, and in turn, she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Once they approached the table, Max stood, offering his hand to Casper. Courtney’s father glared down at it but finally returned the gesture. Courtney’s mother leaned down and hugged her tightly, sending another surge of emotion through her.

“Thanks for coming,” Courtney told them.

“Did you doubt we would?” Casper inquired, glancing between her and Max.

Courtney shrugged.

Casper sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Casper told her directly. “I know I’ve been a little difficult to get along with lately, but I hope you understand my position. It’s not every day that I find out my only daughter has run off and gotten married. Without telling anyone.”

Casper glared at Max.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Courtney explained. “Fact was, I didn’t want anyone there. We’ve…” Courtney glanced at Max briefly. “We’ve been through a lot in the last few months. And we know, no matter how we slice it up, there will always be a difference between what you do and what he does. I’m no longer questioning that. It’s just the way it is now.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Max said roughly, “my sisters weren’t too thrilled, either.”

Liz chuckled. “Her brothers had a few choice words to say as well. Not to mention Marissa.”

“I really wanted y’all to come tonight so we could…” Courtney wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it, but she needed to change the subject.

“Call a truce?” Casper asked when she didn’t finish her statement.

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “That works. Can we call a truce?”

Casper looked at Max, then back at her. “I think it’s possible. Under one condition.”

Great. Leave it to her father to make this into some sort of business arrangement.

Liz touched Casper’s arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“What’s that?” Courtney asked, not sure she wanted to hear it.

“I need you to help out at Sniper 1,” he told her.

Courtney instantly shook her head. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Hear him out.” Those words, out of Max’s mouth, surprised her.

“I’m not askin’ you to babysit anyone, but you’re a valuable part of the company. Your expertise, your skill… They don’t come along every day. You can call the shots on what you help with. I’m not askin’ you to make a choice here. I know what your choice is. I’m just not ready to let you go from my life completely.”

Tears clouded her vision as she listened to her father’s heartfelt words. He was saying so much more than his words did. And she loved him for that. Didn’t mean she’d take him up on the offer, but she would definitely consider it.

“So, from this moment forward, let’s start over. We’re always gonna be your parents, and we’re always gonna worry about you and question your choices.” Casper grinned slyly. “But we also know that we raised a smart woman. And just because we don’t necessarily agree with all your decisions, we understand why you made them.”

“What your father’s having a hard time saying,” Liz interrupted, “is that we love you. That’ll never change. In the long run, we only want to make sure you’re happy and safe.”

Max’s arm came around her shoulder. “Thank you,” she told them, relief swamping her.

Casper’s gaze darted over to Max’s once again. “Don’t thank me yet. You’ve yet to join us for a family dinner.”

Max laughed. “Don’t worry, when that time comes, I’ll be sure to double my security.”

Casper’s grin widened. “You do th
at. Just remember, you’re up against the best in the business.”

Courtney looked at Max, grinning when he peered down at her. “Trust me,” Max said with a smile, “that’s not something I’ll ever forget.”