Page 37 of Tempting Max

She blushes again, this time deeper and I can feel the cracks left in my heart start to heal. Does she feel it too? God, I hope so. “That’s so sweet.”

“You’re sweet.” I kiss her lips.

We kiss for a few luxurious moments before she pushes on my chest. “Call him now, I want to know what the news is.”

I laugh. “What makes you think I’m going to tell you?”

She drags a bold hand down my chest to my semi-hard cock, bringing it to full staff. “Because I’ll reward my daddy if he does.”

Oh Jesus…fuck. The urge to throw her on her back and fuck her until the end of time tears through me. I move to cover her, but she puts a hand on my chest. “After you call Liam.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and count to ten. This woman is going to be the death of me.

But I do what she says.

Like a good daddy should.

23

GUS

“Oh. My God.” I gush as the warm maple syrup hits my tongue with a fluffy bite of thick waffle. “I am ravenous.”

“I know you are, baby girl,” he says with a wink, cutting into his enormous steak breakfast. “One of my favorite things about you.”

Max grins at me from across the table and fuck me, I can’t get enough of it. His eye crinkles alone are enough to tempt me into jumping his bones where he sits—in public—even after we made a heavy dent in the box of condoms this morning.

I’m sore, every single muscle I have aches when I move, but I love it. I love that it was Max that made me that way. “So, tell me about Liam’s news. Why are we eating a celebratory breakfast?” I harpoon my sausage link with my fork. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Max can’t hold back his smile and it makes heat pool in my stomach again even though I’m pretty sure my cooch has a ‘closed for business’ sign after the energetic workout of the last twenty-four hours.

“The people at Brew Craft reached out. There’s been so much buzz about Redpoint online that they want to come and do a full spread about us.”

“And Brew Craft is?” I cringe. I’m new to the brewery biz and though I’m catching on fast, this one is beyond me.

“One of the big brew mags,” he answers easily without judgment. “They review and recommend and every year they give out awards. It’s a big deal for an operation as small as ours. It could lead to big business, franchises, all sorts of things.”

“That’s awesome,” I gush, suppressing the teenage urge to squeal and throw myself at him for a hug. “I’m not surprised. I never really liked beer until I had yours and now, I can’t stop talking about it. I don’t know what kind of magic you put in there, but whatever it is, it works.”

His smile is genuine, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thank you. I was trained by the best.”

“Ooh, like some mysterious beer guru in an exotic land?”

I said it as a joke, but he winces slightly. “No. My father.”

“Oh.” I get the sense that he doesn’t want to talk about it, but the new-era Gus is getting bolder by the second. “Is he also a brewmaster?”

“Was,” he says, his voice becoming clipped as he stabs at his steak. “He passed about five years ago.”

“Oh my God, Max, I’m so sorry.” I reach out and cover his hand with mine. “I didn’t know.”

His jaw clenches and his nostrils flare as he takes a steady breath. My stomach tightens at the thought that he might turn back into grumpy Max right here, right now.

Instead, he flips his hand over and weaves his fingers with mine. My stomach melts and I don’t know why a bit of hand holding feels so important—especially with the X-rated touching of the last several hours—but it does.

He stares at my hand as his thumb caresses my skin. “You’ve heard of Sutton Brewing?”

“TheSutton Brewing? Of course, I think everyone alive has.”Oh shit.How did I not put two and two together? I am a certified airhead. “That was your dad.” I don’t ask, I know it’s the truth. A thousand questions bubble up in my head, but I suppress them when he looks me dead in the eye.

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