Page 48 of Unrivaled

It made him wonder where that anger came from. Max didn’t think he said anything egregious. But Grady’s anger was sincere, and whatever he felt was strong enough that he was ready to sacrifice filthy hot sex.

Max mulled it over while Grady followed the GPS to the restaurant Max had suggested, which was twenty minutes outside Philly. The thought he kept coming back to unsettled him.

Grady felt used. Not only for sex, but so Max could get an edge in the game.

Which… when they started fucking had kind of been Max’s plan, or at least something he considered. He expected Grady to do the same. Only now those expectations were upside-down, because Grady got mad at him and Max felt shitty, and what did that mean?

Well, for starters, it meant he hadn’t gotten laid tonight.

“This the place?”

Suddenly Max realized the car had stopped, and he looked out the window. “Yeah. Best late-night diner in two states.”

“I drove ten miles for adiner?”

“You know a lot of restaurants where the kitchen’s open after eleven on a weekday?” Max countered. “Besides, you haven’t seen their milkshakes.”

Grady’s stomach growled so loud Max could hear it. “Milkshakes?”

“Eleven flavors.”

He looked torn. “That’s not on my nutrition plan.”

Max eyed him up and down. “I think you can get away with it this once.” Then he smiled. “And did I mention the burgers?”

“Okay, all right, stop tormenting me. Let’s eat.”

The diner existed in a kind of weird space. Because it was late, people minded their business. No one batted an eye at two huge guys in suits sitting down across from each other, or at the loud clack and scrape of Max’s lucky cuff links against the Formica table. Probably anyone who glanced at them would assume they were in organized crime, which was either hilarious or horrifying. He wondered what they’d make of the jeweled sea monster on his left cuff.

Max didn’t recognize their server—her name tag said Marcie—and she didn’t seem to recognize them either. “What can I getcha, hon?”

“Hi, Marcie. I’ll have the strawberry cheesecake shake and the house special burger, fries on the side, hold the gravy, please.”

“Sure thing.” She scrawled something on her pad. “And you?”

They’d barely had time to open the menu. Grady raised panicked eyes to Max. Yeah, the milkshake menu alone was overwhelming. Max would give him that.

“He’ll have the same, gravy on the side, vanilla milkshake.” Somehow Max managed to keep a straight face for that last part, even when Grady wrinkled his nose. “Trust me.” He handed his menu to Marcie.

She put her pen away. “Got it. Coming right up.”

When she was out of earshot, Grady said, “Vanilla?”

“Hey, you’re the one who froze. Besides, vanilla is a classic.” If he didn’t like it, Max would trade him.

“Gravy on the side?”

“Some of my fellow Canadians profane their fries with gravy. I can look the other way for you, even though you’re American and don’t have a cultural excuse.”

Grady snorted. “Big of you, but I’m not a fan.”

“I knew I liked you for a reason.”

This time Grady didn’t smile, but he was thawing. Not all the way. Maybe, like, milkshake consistency. “You’re laying it on kinda thick tonight.”

“Bud, you know better than to give me an opening like that.” He did deserve an explanation, though. “I wasn’t trying to be an asshole before, but that’s different from trying not to be an asshole. Which is what I’m doing now.”

The smile was lurking just under the surface. Max knew it. Grady cleared his throat. “Interesting distinction.”

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