Devlin Dynasty 2: Fall Fury (12 page)

“No.” Where was her damn car, anyway? She did not want to have this conversation with her mother, and absolutely refused to think about Max anymore tonight.

“He is your destiny.”

“I’ll decide what my destiny is.”

“
Mon dieu
, are all my children as thick-headed as their father?”

Shannon laughed at her mother’s frustration, and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Probably. I’m sorry, Mama, but I don’t buy into that destiny stuff. I make myown choices. Always have, always will. Max doesn’t fit into my life. He neverwill.”

Patting her daughter on the cheek, Angelina gave her one of those I-know-something-you-don’t-know grins. “We’ll see, won’t we? Your car is here now. Get some rest.
 
Je t’aime, ma belle
.”

“
Je t’aime, Mama
.”

After Angelina stepped back inside, Shannon shook her head and headed to hercar, more confused than ever.

Try as she might to ignore what happened tonight, her body still burned for Max,her heart squeezing her chest in a funny way that she’d never experienced before.

No. She would not feel for him. She was stronger than her emotions. She’d proveit to herself and to her family that she was going to create her own destiny.

Right now, she needed a bath, a stiff drink, and her bed.

Where, with any luck, she wouldn’t be dreaming of Max and wolves.

Chapter Seven

“You’ve been avoiding me. I wanted to talk about the party, but I didn’t see you at all Sunday. And today you’ve been holed up in here with your door closed. What’s going on?”

Shannon looked up at Kaitlyn, who leaned casually against the doorway to heroffice. Damn. She’d managed to avoid her family the entire day. Hell, she’d evenmanaged to steer clear of Max, who fortunately had been busy with Aidan. “I wastired Sunday. I ran some errands, then I went to bed early.”

Kaitlyn walked in and sat in the chair across from Shannon’s desk. “Tired, ordidn’t want to talk about what happened with Max?”

“Nothing to tell.”

“That’s not what I saw. Or felt.”

Sometimes having magical family members was a royal pain in the ass. “Butt out,

Kait.”

Jeweled bells tinkled against Kaitlyn’s wrist as she shifted in the chair. “Now,you know me better than that. How can I butt out when I sense something specialbetween you and Max?”

The pounding headache she’d awoken to this morning intensified. She rubbed hertemples and glared at her sister. “There’s nothing special between Max and me. We had sex. That’s it.”

Kaitlyn’s eyes widened and she leaned closer. “Sex? Really? Out on thebalcony?”

“Yes.”

“How exciting! And then what happened?”

“Then I went home.”

“Shannon!”

“Really, Kait. It was nothing. Obviously, Max and I have chemistry. We had great

sex. End of subject.”

“So what happens now?”

“Now we get back to work and try to forget what happened.” And if she was

really lucky, she’d actually be able to do that.

“I don’t think it’s that easy.”

“Sure it is. What? You’ve never fucked a guy and promptly forgotten about him?”

Kaitlyn stared at her fingers. “No. It’s not in my nature to be that callous. Andneither are you, despite what you say.”

Okay, that one stung. But Shannon and Kaitlyn were different. Like night andday, spring and fall. Where Kaitlyn was warm and nurturing, Shannon preferredto bury anything emotional under layers of cool indifference. Safer that way. “Much easier all around if you’d quit taking these kinds of things so seriously.”

“And I think you’d be much happier if you opened your eyes to the possibilities

of love.”

She tossed her pen on the desk and leaned back in her chair. “I don’t love Max

Devlin.”

“But you could, if you gave him half a chance. I feel it, Shan. And you do too.

You’re just avoiding the inevitable.”

“Now I know how Aidan felt when we ganged up on him about Lissa.”

“We were right, weren’t we?”

“Yes, but that was different. A blind man could have seen what was between

those two.”

Kaitlyn nodded. “Exactly. And maybe you should remove those blinders fromyour own eyes, Shan. Max feels for you. Something deep.”

What a load of crap. They barely knew each other. Love at first sight just didn’thappen in real life. What Max felt for her was physical attraction, and nothingmore. Same thing she felt for him. And now that they’d gotten the sex out of theirsystems, they could concentrate on business.

“I see fine. I just don’t want it.”

“And what is it that you don’t want?”

Shannon’s throat went dry at the sight of Max in her doorway. Lord, he lookeddelectable in his black suit, white shirt and blue tie. He’d loosened the tie andundid the buttons on his collar. Crisp, dark hairs peeked out from the top of theshirt, making her wonder if his chest was covered in that dark pelt.

Hell, he’d seen plenty of her the other night, while she’d never even glimpsed aportion of his naked body. All she’d had was the feel of his enormous cockpounding her pussy.

Her pulse raced as the images came flooding back to her.

Yeah, she’d forget about him all right. When hell froze over.

Time to cool things down. “What I don’t want is to be disturbed.”

Undaunted, he walked in and sat in the unoccupied chair. “She always thiscranky?” he asked Kaitlyn, pointedly ignoring her.

Kaitlyn grinned. “Frankly, yes. But more so when she doesn’t get enough sleep.”

“I’m in the room here, guys. Quit talking about me as if I’m invisible.”

“Paranoid too, I see,” he added.

“Yes. Really pathetic, isn’t she? How we’ll ever find a man willing to put up with

her is beyond me.”

“Knock it off, Kait,” Shannon warned.

“Would take one helluva man, wouldn’t it?” Max winked at Kaitlyn, and she

laughed.

“How did the meeting go with Aidan?” Shannon asked, hoping to turn the

conversation away from them teasing her.

“Fine. The marketing and PR angles merge perfectly, and I suggested a few things to Aidan and Melissa about taking their marketing to a national and international level. We’ve got a good start.”

“Good. I’ve got the announcements and community specials set up to go out to all

the newspapers this week, plus the regional print publications.”

“We’re set then. So, what time are you two cutting out of here?”

“I’m finished for the day,” Kaitlyn said. “As a matter of fact, I’m outta here. Promised Mom I’d do a little shopping with her today. She’s got some ideas about revamping the kitchens at the original Rising Storm, so I’m off.”

Shannon knew damn well that Kaitlyn didn’t have to rush off. Once again, hermanipulative little sister was trying to give her and Max some alone time. As ifthey needed it. “See ya, Kait.”

“Bye Kaitlyn. Say hello to your mother for me,” Max said.

“Will do.”

After Kaitlyn left, Max turned to her. “Got any plans for tonight?”

“No,” she replied, then cringed. What if he asked her to go out with him? Why didn’t she say she was busy? Idiot. This is what happened when she didn’t engage her brain before her mouth opened.

“I have a line on a house, and wanted someone who lived here to come with me.

If you’re available, I’d love it if you would come with me to take a look.”

“A house?”

“Yeah, you know. Frame structure, some rooms inside, walls, that sort of thing.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know what a house is. Why are you renting one?”

“I’m not. I’m going to buy one.”

Her headache began to thrum incessantly. “Buy one? Here?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?’

“Because I’m moving here.”

There was no way he’d said what she thought she heard. Fighting the rising panic,she tried for calm. “You’re what?”

“I’m moving to New Orleans. Permanently.”

“No you’re not.”

His lips curled in a smile. “Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?”

Hell yeah, she had a problem with it. She stood and paced behind her desk, tryingto fathom what that would mean. Max, here in New Orleans, permanently. Oh no,that wouldn’t do at all. Much easier to fuck him and forget him if she wereactually allowed the opportunity to forget him. Domiciled a thousand or so milesaway was a perfect way to get a man out of your thoughts. Out of sight, out ofmind, right?

“Why do you want to move here?”

“My family wants to expand the Devlin business ventures nationwide. I’m taking care of the south, and figured New Orleans was as good a place as any to set up shop.”

“I’ve heard Georgia’s really nice,” she suggested, hoping he’d grab the hint.

He arched a brow. “You’re not in Georgia.”

“No, of course I’m not. I’m right…what do you mean?”

“It means you’re one of the reasons I’m staying.”

No. She would absolutely
 
not
 
have an emotional reaction to that. “You don’t evenknow me.”

He stood and approached her. With each of his steps forward, she took one backuntil she ran out of space, the back of her legs hitting the credenza.

“I do know you. And you know me. And it scares you.”

As if she didn’t have her mother and her sister to contend with, now Max wasjoining the let’s-tell-Shannon-how-she-really-feels club. “Save the full-court pressfor someone who can appreciate it, Max. The only thing you’re succeeding indoing right now is pissing me off.”

“You want me.” He leaned in, his breath caressing her temple. He inhaled swiftly,

then let out a whispered sigh.

Her nipples hardened. “Back off, Max. I mean it.”

“You mean you haven’t thought about the other night at all? Haven’t thought about what it felt like to have my hard cock driving in and out of your pussy until you screamed?”

Her body remembered. Despite wanting to forget what happened between them,her body was keenly aware of every touch, every kiss, every thrust of his hugeshaft in her cunt. She heated from the inside out, her face flaming in mortificationas she realized that he had mesmerized her in some way, had stolen her free will,her right to choose.

“No!” She pushed hard at his chest, using her magic to propel him backward as a

gust of wind threw the door back and slammed it against the wall.

Shannon glanced at the door, then back at Max.

He wasn’t the least bit concerned over her weather-related tantrum. In fact, hiseyes darkened and his wicked smile led her to believe that he was rather turned onby her show of strength.

“You’re like some dumb caveman,” she said, hoping to irritate him enough that he’d leave. “Are you so thickheaded that you don’t realize that I don’t want whatever it is that you’re selling?”

He shrugged and moved to the doorway, pulling the door away from the wall. “Ijust asked you to come with me and help me find a place to live. You’re the onewho got all emotional over it.”

“I got…ooooh! You’re incredible, you know that?” How could he be so dense?

Leaning against the doorway, he crossed his arms. “Thanks. I was hoping youthought it was as good as I thought it was.”

“I’m not talking about sex, you idiot. I’m talking about your balls of steel.”

“Aww, shucks, now you’re embarrassing me. But thanks.”

She stopped, realizing she’d meant to insult him, only it had come out a sexualcompliment. “I give up. You win this round. I can’t match wits with the witless.”

“Whatever you say. Now, will you come and look at the house with me?”

Her first thought was to say no, but he’d probably never leave her alone. She’d gowith him, and tell him the house was horrible. “Fine. When?”

“I’ll pick you up about six-thirty. I thought we’d grab some dinner and then look

the place over.”

“Whatever. Six-thirty is fine.” She jotted down her address and handed the paper to him. “Now, please, I beg you. Get out of here and let me finish up for the day so I can go home and change.”

“Yes, ma’am. You’re in charge, ma’am.” He winked and walked out.

In charge, her ass. She’d never felt less in charge anything as she did right now.

* * * * *

Max watched the confusing mix of emotions cross Shannon’s face as they atedinner in an out of the way place that catered to the locals. She frowned,mumbled to herself and shook her head a lot. Rather amusing, actually.

A pile of shredded crawfish shells littered the newspaper tablecloth in front ofhim. To her credit, Shannon had polished off quite a few, too. Watching her tearinto the shellfish with her fingers, then suck the juicy meat out had him eating hisown dinner with a raging hard-on.