Page 36 of Knot Really Engaged
Relief washes over Max’s features briefly before his jaw ticks again. “Then what’s going on? You’re freaking me out here, Aud. Is it Grandma Cohen?”
“No, no,” I say, almost smiling at my award-winning performance. Quickly, I scroll through my messages with shaky hands until I find Lucy’s scathing words. Holding the phone out, I whisper, “I— I can’t bear to read them aloud again. Not again.” My bottom lip quivers, and I blink rapidly, feigning the onset of fresh tears.
Where’s the applause? I don’t think I’ve ever been so good at coming up with a lie and acting on it just as fast. Well, at work, I come up with plenty of stories when I have to explain to my clients why their bottom line is bad without telling them they’re not very smart at managing their business. Maybe it’s the years of practice. I had never put that experience into my personal life. I’m apparently almost as good as my brother. Perhaps even better if I can fool him.
Max’s eyes blaze as he takes in the messages, his face hardening with each passing second. “Our cousin is a horrible person. If our parents hadn’t raised me to be a gentleman, I would use another word to describe her,” he growls, his voice low andmenacing. “Why do you always listen to her bullshit?” He looks at me, confusion and anger warring in his eyes.
“You know how Mom swears I should be like all our cousins and mostly Lucy,” I murmur, feigning hurt. My shoulders slump, and I avert my gaze, selling the lie with every fiber of my being. See, award-winning shit right here.
It’s a lot better than that Thanksgiving play I did back in kindergarten when I was a tree. Dad said I was the best human tree he’d ever seen. But let’s focus on the now and figure out how to get rid of my brother because I want to finish what Liam and I started. My skin tingles at the memory of his touch, and I fight the urge to squirm.
I clear my throat, pushing down the desire that threatens to consume me. “You’ve heard, Mom. Lucy has the career, the husband . . . even the children.” My voice cracks, and I hope Max buys it.
“Screw them.” Max’s arm comes around my shoulders, pulling me into a fierce hug. His warmth envelops me, and for a moment, I almost feel guilty for deceiving him. “You listen to me, okay? Mom is the best, but when it comes to pleasing her family, she’s pretty toxic. The best thing is to ignore her and do your thing.”
I let out a shuddering breath against his chest,letting him believe he’s comforting me. “You’re right, Maxy. You’re always right.” I nod, my face pressed against his shirt, trying to control the grin. It feels so good to be the one pulling the lie, but if he sees me right now he’ll catch me.
“I know,” he says with his big brother voice, as if he’s so wise and saving me. Poor sucker. “And by the way, that Angelina thing you spewed during dinner was pretty shitty.”
I cringe inwardly, regretting my thoughtless jab. “Sorry for bringing her up, but you were just pushing us too hard.” I step back, meeting his gaze, this time looking apologetic—and being sincere about it.
“It’s not like she hurt me—well, she did hurt my pride. But, dude, don’t remind Mom that I’m not going to be part of her plan: marry, have children, and all that shit. That’s what you and Jacob are for.” A wry smirk curves his lips.
“Where is Jake by the way?” I suddenly ask because if we’re going to be dealing with Mom’s family, we should do it with a sibling front. Not just Max and me.
Max shrugs, his shoulders rising and falling with nonchalance. “He said he’d be here on Saturday.”
“And Mom let him?”
“She’s not happy, but what can she do whenhe’s in another country closing deals.” He rolls his eyes.
I cross my arms and tap my foot. “Where is he, really?”
“At home in New York.” He shrugs again. “You know he’ll do anything to avoid crowds—and Mom’s family.”
“Yet, he lives in one of the busiest places in the world. The irony.” I laugh, but then circle back to something that I want him to stop doing for the remainder of this trip. “Going back to you taking jabs at me. You have to stop.”
“It’s kind of fun to wind you up and . . . funny enough, Liam gets irritated too. That’s a new thing.”
As if he was waiting for just the right moment, footsteps approach from Liam’s bedroom, and my breath catches. Liam emerges, his chest bare and glistening with droplets of water from the shower.
The temptation to reach out and touch him is overwhelming. My eyes shamelessly rake over the ridges of his abdomen, the defined V of his hips disappearing beneath the sweats riding low on his waist. The damp strands of his tousled hair only enhance the rugged, edible appeal. I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry.
Heat licks up my neck as our gazes meet and hold. There’s a scorching intensity there that hasbecome achingly familiar. My heartbeat thrums with reckless want, and I feel a flutter low in my belly.
Max clears his throat loudly, the sound shattering the heated tension. “Are you seriously eye-fucking my sister, asshole?”
I flush hotly, tearing my gaze away from Liam’s tantalizing form. His smirk suggests he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. Bastard.
Liam holds his hands up in surrender, droplets of water trailing down his sculpted abs. “I was just looking at her. She seems distraught. What did you do to her this time?” His tone is light, but there’s an underlying edge to his words.
Max waves the phone displaying Lucy’s cruel messages. “It was some toxic family drama, which needs to stop. We’re supposed to be enjoying this weekend, not dealing with Lucy’s nonsense.”
Liam nods in agreement. “They can be pretty fucked up.”
“They are, aren’t they?” I exhale slowly, finally calming myself from the earlier intensity of our heated kisses and the reckless path we nearly went down. Oh my God, was I really going to have sex with him? That’s crazy . . . isn’t it? I should avoid being alone with him at all costs. My heart races at the thought, a mixture of desire and trepidation coursing through my veins.
“You don’t have to live up to anyone’s bullshit standards but your own.” Liam’s low rumble resonates deep within me.
