Dangerous Stranger (Beautiful Entourage #4)

by E. L. Todd

  His mom sipped her wine.

  His dad played with his fork but didn’t take another bite.

  It was awkward—extremely awkward.

  Max kept his hand on mine, holding his ground.

  Maybe I should say something. “I really care about your son and I respect him. He’s one of the best men I know and I’m a very lucky man to have him.” Perhaps that would make it better.

  It was still silent. Neither one of them acknowledged me.

  Ophelia spoke up. “I’m very happy for you, Max. I don’t care who you love or how you live your life. You’re still my brother, my family. You have my support no matter what.” Then she glanced at her parents.

  I watched Ophelia, growing more attracted to her. She stood up for her brother, and I found that innately sexy. When she moved her arm to pick up her drink or fork, her breasts jiggled slightly. My cock started to harden.

  “I…we don’t know what to say,” his mom finally said. It was clear she wasn’t happy. Mortified would be a better word to describe her reaction. She was appalled that her son loved other men.

  His dad didn’t say anything at all, and his silence was a good indicator of his support; it was non-existent.

  His mom finally looked at her son. “Maybe this is a phase…”

  “It’s not,” Max said immediately. “I’ve been this way for years. I’m tired of hiding who I am.”

  “Maybe you should talk to someone,” his dad suggested. “A professional.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Ophelia said. “He’s gay and there’s nothing wrong with being gay.”

  Fuck, now I wanted her more.

  Max gave her a slight nod in gratitude.

  “We just think you might be confused,” Victoria said. “We all lose our way sometimes.”

  “I actually found my way,” Max said with a strong voice.

  “We’re here for you,” Scott said. “But you need to let us help you.”

  “I don’t need help,” Max said. “I need support and love. I will be gay whether you approve or not. If you want nothing to do with me, I accept that. But tell me now so I can stop wasting my time at this dinner table.”

  I admired Max for being so strong. Most of my gay clients fell into painful tears and hoped their parents would change their minds. They hardly ever did.

  “Of course we don’t want nothing to do with you,” his mom said. “We just think this might…be temporary.”

  “It’s not,” Max said. “It’s not.”

  “Have you been doing drugs?” his dad asked.

  “No,” Max snapped.

  “Even marijuana?” his mom pressed.

  Max rolled his eyes. “No. Knock it off. I’m gay because I’m gay. Period.”

  “I think it’s great,” Ophelia said.

  “Thanks,” Max said to her. Then he turned back to his parents. “Take all the time you need to accept it. I’m not expecting you to immediately take this in. But don’t tell me there’s something wrong with me. And don’t expect this to be temporary. This is who I am. And I will be this way forever.”

  His parents fell into silence again.

  I knew that was the only reaction he would get from them for the evening. They were too stunned to speak. This obviously was news they weren’t expecting to receive. For a moment, I pitied them. But then I didn’t.

  “We should go,” Max said. “And give you some time to think about it.” He rose from his chair and I did the same.

  When Ophelia stood up too, I was glad she would be leaving with us. Like a moth obsessed with a flame, I wanted to follow her anywhere she went. She had my attention, something that’s never happened before.

  Without saying goodbye, we left the house and walked up the street.

  Ophelia immediately comforted her brother. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Yeah?” He put his arm around her shoulder.

  I almost felt like I was intruding by watching their affection. They really were close.

  “Of course I am,” she said. “I know that was hard for you—even if you act like it wasn’t.”

  “I’ve done easier things,” he said with a light laugh.

  “Do you think they’ll come around?” she asked sadly.

  “I really don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “But I hope so.”

  She put her arm around his waist. “For what it’s worth, if they disown you as a son then I disown them as their daughter.”

  “I don’t expect you to choose sides.”

  “Well, I am.”

  He kissed her forehead and kept walking.

  They really were close. Now I understood why he threatened me like a guard dog. He really was protective of his sister. He would rip me to pieces if I got too close. Why did the hottest girl have to be completely unavailable? Her brother wouldn’t let me near her. And she thought I was gay.

  I didn’t have a chance.

  ***

  We entered her apartment in Manhattan. It was a nice place. The kitchen looked brand new with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The hard wood floor accented the bright colors of her furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows comprised the living room, showing the skyline in the distance.

  She was loaded.

  I wondered what she did for a living. But then it hit me.

  She must be a model.

  With a body like that and a flawless face, she had to be a model or an actress. Maybe even a porn star.

  “You have a really nice place,” I said, trying not to stare at her too much.

  “Thank you. I like it.”

  “And I like crashing rent free,” Max said with a smile.

  “Well, don’t get too comfortable,” she warned. “Because it may not always be rent free.” She walked to the refrigerator then opened it with her back to us. “Beer?”

  I got a great view of her ass. It was perky, tight, and lifted. The arch in her back was deep and noticeable. I’d take her from behind in a heartbeat. I shook my head when my thoughts turned steamy. I couldn’t have her so I should stop thinking about her in that way. But it was out of my control. If a kid was stuck in a room with a cookie jar, no one would judge him for having sweets before dinner. So why should they judge me for having a permanent boner around the hottest woman in the fucking world.

  “I’ll take one,” Max said.

  “Me too,” I said when I came back to the conversation. “Please.”

  She opened them then brought them to us. When she handed me the bottle, our fingers grazed each other. It might be a crazy thought, but I thought I felt a spark between us. The energy differences between us created a strong potential. And like lightning to the earth, it created a spark.

  “Thank you,” I said as I stared into her exquisite face. She was more beautiful up close. She had thick and full lips. I wanted to suck her bottom lip until it was raw and I wanted to glide my hand through that silky hair.

  “Sure,” she said with a quick smile. Then she handed Max a bottle.

  He gave me a threatening look the entire time.

  Shit, he knows.

  We sat down on the couch together, and I made sure Max was between his sister and me. Maybe if there was some distance between us my hard-on would disappear and I would get my head out of the gutter.

  “So, how did this happen?” she asked as she drank her own beer.

  The fact she drank beer was a turn on in itself.

  “We met a few months ago at a bar,” Max explained. “It just happened, and here we are.”

  “That’s great,” she said. “I didn’t have any idea you were gay until you told me.”

  Max shrugged. “I’m pretty quiet about it.”

  “Is Jett your first?” she asked.

  I liked hearing her say my name.

  “Yeah.” He rested his hand on my thigh. “We’re pretty great together.”

  “We are,” I said in agreement.

  “Well, you’re welcome to come over whenever you want,
” Ophelia said to me. “I won’t stand in the way of true love.”

  “Thanks…” She really didn’t notice me eye-fuck the shit out of her?

  She finished her beer and left it on the coffee table. “Well, I’m going to get ready for bed. I’m assuming you guys want to hit the sack too.” She winked then walked into her bedroom.

  “Yeah, probably,” Max said.

  “Goodnight,” she said.

  Max held his beer up. “Goodnight.”

  “It was nice meeting you,” she said. “I suspect we’ll be getting to know each other pretty well.”

  Unfortunately. “Yeah, I think so.”

  Ophelia

  When I woke up the next morning, I brewed a pot of coffee then made pancakes. I turned on my iPod and listened to music while I cooked, needing something to listen to while I endlessly flipped the pancakes in the pan.

  A hand touched my shoulder and I flinched at the unexpected affection. I yanked my ear buds out.

  “Sorry,” Jett said quickly. “I just wanted to say hi. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He stepped back and eyed the spatula in my hand. “And I hope you aren’t going to beat me with that…”

  I realized I looked like an ax murderer so I lowered the cooking utensil and released a laugh. “Sorry. I got carried away.”

  “It’s okay.” He eyed the pan. “Pancakes?”

  “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Wow, you’re the best roommate ever.” He had a nice smile on his lips. His face was slightly scruffy from not shaving for a few days. I liked the rugged look, with a hard jaw line and broad shoulders. His blue eyes were bright, and it was the only soft feature he had. He towered over me at six feet, and his arms were the size of my legs.

  My brother had good taste in men. “Well, not when I scream at him for leaving his razor in the bathroom or leaving his dirty dishes out. Then he says I’m a cleaning Nazi.”

  He chuckled. “You like your apartment clean. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  I liked gay guys. They were sensitive and understanding. “Tell him that.”

  He came closer to me then stood beside me. “How can I help, sweetheart?”

  “Sweetheart?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yeah.” A confident smile stretched his lips. “You supported Max when he needed it. And now you’re making breakfast for him. If that doesn’t make you a sweetheart, I don’t know what does.” His arm touched mine, and I could feel the warmth transmit into me. He smelled good, like distant cologne. He wore the same clothes he wore the night before, but he rocked it like the outfit was brand new. His powerful chest and narrow hips were obvious even through his clothes.

  My cheeks stretched into a smile. “I think you’re the sweetheart.”

  He continued to stare at me, his eyes bright. He leaned close to me, just a few inches away. If I didn’t know he was gay, I would assume he was going to kiss me. “So, how can I help?” He glanced down at my lips then looked into my eyes.

  My arms actually broke out in goose bumps. Was a gay guy seriously charming me? I needed to get my head on straight. “You can set the table.”

  “Then that’s what I’ll do.” He pulled away, taking his smell and warmth, and placed everything on the kitchen table.

  “Sleep well?” I asked as I finished the last batch of pancakes.

  “Yes. Did you?”

  “I had a hard time getting to sleep.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “I kept thinking about my parents…I hope they accept Max. It would break my heart if they didn’t.”

  “They will,” he said with confidence. “Give it time.” He poured himself a cup of coffee then sat down.

  After I finished the pancakes, I set the plate down then sat across from him.

  “They smell amazing.” He eyed them but didn’t take one.

  “You can eat,” I said.

  He eyed the bedroom. “I’m not sure if I should wait for Max…”

  I waved his comment off. “He might sleep until two. You never know with him.”

  “In that case…” He put a few on his plate then dug in.

  I did the same.

  Jett snuck glances at me every few minutes, taking in my face before he looked away.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” he said quickly.

  “You keep staring at me.”

  He flinched noticeably then played it off like he hadn’t. “You have the same eyes as your brother.”

  “Yeah, it’s one trait we share.” I lathered my pancakes in syrup and scarfed them down.

  He ate with perfect manners and kept his elbows off the table. I couldn’t help but notice the size of his powerful body. He was exceptionally good-looking, the kind of guy I would talk to if I ran into him somewhere. I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to get to know him. Why were hot guys always gay?

  “What do you do, Ophelia?” he asked. “Are you a model?”

  “Model?” I asked. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Well, your apartment doesn’t look cheap. And you’re beautiful.” He said it while he looked into my eyes, like he wasn’t ashamed of what he said.

  He found me beautiful? I assumed I looked like a troll to him since he preferred men. But I appreciated the compliment anyway. “I work for a fashion magazine. I’m the assistant chief editor.”

  “Impressive,” he said with a nod. “Good for you.”

  “I like it. Sometimes I get to keep the shoes from the ads.”

  “Even better,” he said as he kept eating.

  “So, you really like my brother, huh?”

  He averted his gaze and concentrated on his food. “I do. He’s a strong man that has confidence I’m immediately attracted to.”

  “He is pretty great,” I agreed. “I’ve always looked up to him.”

  “It seems like he should be looking up to you,” he said. “You’re very successful, bright, and beautiful.”

  I tried not to smile. “You’re the biggest ass-kisser I’ve ever met.”

  He stopped eating. “I’m not kissing your ass…”

  I chuckled. “If Max likes you, then I like you. You don’t need to try and impress me. Don’t stress about it.”

  He returned to eating. “Your opinion does matter to me, but my compliments were genuine. But you must get sick of hearing them since you get those comments all the time.”

  “Not really,” I said. “My brother tells me I look like a gremlin almost every day.”

  He laughed. “Sibling love.”

  “And I say he looks like a giant douchebag.”

  “Burn,” he said. He finished his plate then touched his flat stomach. “That was delicious. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Max came out of his bedroom with messy hair and sleepy eyes. “Morning.” He stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

  “Morning,” I said. “There’s food and coffee.”

  “Thank god.” Max moved to me and gripped my shoulder. “Morning, babe.”

  Jett flinched at the touch, like he wasn’t expecting it. Then he recovered. “Morning. Take a seat next to me.” He pulled the chair out for him.

  Max sat down then glanced between us. “What were you guys talking about?”

  “How much of a kiss-ass he is,” I said with a laugh.

  Jett shrugged in omission. “She’s exaggerating.”

  “I have a feeling she’s not.” He gave Jett an ominous look.

  I’d never been around Max when he had a boyfriend so I wasn’t sure how he would behave. They seemed to have a relationship based on friendship and jokes. It wasn’t much different than a relationship between a man and a woman.

  Max helped himself to the pancakes. “These are good.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I looked at my watch. “I need to get going. But I’ll see you later.”

  Sadness came into Jett’s eyes. Or was that something else? “Thank you for breakfast.”

&nb
sp; “Anytime.” I walked into my room, but before I closed the door I heard some of their conversation.

  “Try anything and you’re dead,” Max said.

  “I understand,” Jett said. “You don’t need to repeat yourself.”

  I had no idea what that meant, and I didn’t ponder on it.

  ***

  Cameron arrived at my office at noon to pick me up for lunch. “Ready to eat?” he asked as he knocked on the door.

  “I’m starving,” I said. “I only had pancakes for breakfast.”

  “Then let’s get going.” He stood in front of my desk with his hands in his pockets.

  After I grabbed my purse, I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Where do you want to eat?”

  “I don’t care,” he said, like always.

  “I’m in the mood for Mediterranean. Is that okay?”

  “Whatever you want.” He held my hand as we left and walked up the sidewalk.

  When we entered the restaurant, Cameron walked in first then headed to the table. I followed behind him then took a seat. Once we were sitting, he immediately looked at the menu and made his selection within seconds. Then he looked out the window like he was bored.

  “How’s your day going?” I asked.

  “Fine. Pretty slow.”

  Cameron was a lawyer but it didn’t seem like he cared much about his job. I’m not sure why he killed himself during school to do something he hated. But I didn’t press him on it. He didn’t ask how my day was going.

  A blonde waitress approached our table. Her hair was in a braid over one shoulder, and she was extremely pretty. I liked the color of her eye shadow so I stared at it for a while, wondering where she got it from. “What can I get you guys?”

  Cameron stared at her like she was an abstract painting. “Uh…what do you recommend?”

  I cocked an eyebrow. He never asked that question.

  “Our special of the day is our mahi mahi. Everyone seems to like it,” she said with a smile.

  “I’ll take that,” he said.

  He didn’t even like fish.

  “And you?” she asked as she looked at me.

  I looked at Cameron and saw him stare at her chest. “I’ll have the chicken breast.” The jab was directed at him.

  “Great.” She took our menus. “It’ll be out soon.” When she walked away, Cameron still stared at her. And I assumed he was staring at her ass.