by Hadley Quinn
Chapter Nineteen
Max woke up to the sound of two voices. One belonged to Anna; the other was deeper, a man, and not familiar to him. He sat up in bed and paused to listen—not to eavesdrop, but to make sure everything was okay. The unfamiliar voice seemed angry.
He swung his legs to the floor and reached for his pants. After finding his shirt by the nightstand, Max slipped into it and carefully opened the door. Anna was standing near the couch, and the man facing her was significantly older. Neither of them even noticed him standing there.
“I don’t care if I hurt your feelings, Anna,” the man spoke in a low voice. “If hearing the truth is offensive to you, then you need to toughen up a bit. I didn’t raise you to be a sensitive little brat.”
“Oh, I know, Dad… You raised me to be a winner, right? So when are you going to realize that I’m happy with my life right now? My definition of success is not the same as yours. I don’t need to—”
“You don’t need to what?” he growled, cutting her off. “Don’t need to return to the Worlds in order to keep a name for yourself? You really think your little hobby with Kobe is comparable? Seriously, Anna. Grow the hell up!”
At this point, Max had an arm up, leaning against the doorframe, but he cleared his throat to let this guy know he was there. He never liked to deal with people if he didn’t have to—there was always a price to pay because of who he was—but there was no fucking way he was going to let this man talk to Anna that way. Father or not, Max had to intercede.
As soon as they heard him, both of them looked his way. Anna gave him an apologetic frown—whether it was because they’d woken him up or because she was embarrassed that he might have heard their argument, he wasn’t sure. But her father paused, staring across the room at him with instantaneous recognition.
And suddenly the guy’s entire mood changed. He smiled, gave a respectful little dip of the head, and said, “Well, hello.” He turned to Anna, eyebrows raised, maybe expecting an introduction.
But Anna didn’t bother, and instead, she opened the front door and said, “Bye, Dad. Hope your day improves.”
The man offered his silent disapproval at her behavior, but Max knew that look better than anyone. His own father didn’t even have to speak in order for him to be acquainted with how displeased he was.
As any controlling, arrogant human being would do, Anna’s father took it upon himself to make the introduction. He confidently strode across the room and held out his hand with a pleasant smile. “Alistair Evans.”
Max let a few seconds go by as he glanced down at the man’s outstretched hand to let him know he acknowledged the act. But he didn’t shake it. Instead, he gave a casual nod and answered, “Max McCallan.” Although he was aware this man knew his name, it was more about solidifying a point. The McCallans had clout and precedence no matter who they faced, and even though he never preferred to use his superiority to his advantage, sometimes he was glad he could.
Alistair cleared his throat, clearly surprised by the insult, but as he dropped his hand he replied, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“That makes one of us,” Max answered.
Shock covered the man’s face in response. “Pardon me?” he asked, somewhat meekly because of his obvious disbelief. And there was a bit of panic there; he was rattled.
Max removed his arm from its position against the doorframe and casually slid his fingertips into his pockets. “With as delightful as your daughter is, one would assume she got it from her parents. I guess that’s a poor assumption on my part.”
After a brief pause, Alistair took a step back and glanced at Anna. Max glanced at her too, just to gauge her reaction. He didn’t want to upset her, but there was no way she deserved to be berated by her father in such a way. He felt she could handle it well, but maybe he couldn’t resist adding his endorsement.
To add insult to injury, Max made his way to Anna and stopped in front of her with his back to her father. He placed his hands against her upper arms, kissing her forehead, and quietly spoke so only she could hear him. “I hope you don’t have plans today because I’d like to occupy more of your time.”
She studied him for a second, her eyes turning from worry to intrigue as she slid her hands along his sides. “And I really want to be occupied.” She raised an eyebrow with insinuation, which made Max chuckle.
“Perfect.”
He kissed her on the cheek before heading for the bedroom again. Making eye contact with her father, Max gave him his own arrogant smile that had been well practiced over the years. He sat on the bed to put his shoes and socks on, leaving the door open to deliberately send another message.
Alistair was visibly uncomfortable with his lack of success at their encounter. But he walked to the front door and let himself out, not speaking another word to either of them.
Anna entered the bedroom and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest and a smug smile on her face. “Very impressive, McCallan. Oscar-worthy.”
He scoffed but with amusement. “I wasn’t just imitating intolerance, Anna. He won’t be allowed to talk to you that way, I won’t put up with it.” He stood from the bed and took two steps her way. “I do apologize if I embarrassed you, though. That wasn’t my intention.”
She shook her head. “No. You saved me about thirty minutes of reliving my failures. So…thank you. I’m sorry you had to be here for that, though.”
“No.” He shook his head and placed a hand against her cheek, gently moving a thumb against her soft skin. “I’m actually glad I was. And I know you can handle him yourself, but I want you to know I’m on your side if you need me.”
With a sigh, she leaned forward and laid her head against his chest. “I appreciate it. But it goes both ways, okay?” Her arms tightened around him and she lifted her head upwards to kiss his neck. “Got it?”
They say there can sometimes be that one moment in your life when you realize something significant has changed. Max wrapped his arms around her, taking in her comforting scent and the warmth of her body against him, and he felt a tangible shift within himself. Whatever had happened, or however they’d progressed, it had reached a point where he couldn’t deny how much he wanted to be with her. She had influenced him in such a way that some of his resistance had softened, and the majority of his protective wall had crumbled.
The majority of it, but not all. There was also a certain amount of dread that hardened within his chest. A chunk of his security and peace of mind was at stake. And along with it, a myriad of images he imagined their future could result in if anything went wrong, including the headlines that coincided.
Just like the disaster with Olivia.
Her arms gave him another firm squeeze, bringing him out of his current state of ‘what ifs’. “Okay?” she asked.
She leaned back and studied him for a few seconds, but it seemed as if she could read him loud and clear right now. He wasn’t so good at masking his mood this morning. Hell, maybe he’d been sexed into submission. He wanted to laugh at that ridiculous thought, but he felt it was probably true and she was still waiting for an answer.
“You literally just tensed up,” Anna spoke softly. “Talk to me.” She stepped back, as if to give him space to think. She waited patiently, although worry was etched plainly on her face.
“This is hard for me,” Max answered truthfully. “Being with you isn’t difficult,” he corrected, motioning between the two of them. “But just…allowing this shift to happen.”
“What shift?”
He let almost a minute pass by as he used the busyness of grabbing his belongings from the dresser to his advantage. He slipped his wallet in his back pocket, dropped the keys into the front one and his phone into the other.
Looking at her again, he answered, “Anna…it’s just going to take me some time to adjust. I’m not used to being in a relationship. And before you question if it’s because of media and all of that shit…I couldn’t care less
about myself, okay? My only concern is that I don’t want it to affect you negatively. See, it doesn’t matter what I do; the stories will come, good or bad. But it’s going to hurt me even more to see you being the target too. And you will be.”
Max paused, trying to decide if he needed to say more. He realized he truly didn’t care what the media said about him. All those years of trying to achieve a professional image had not been in vain—he was glad he had a good reputation amongst his celebrity peers and the producers and crews he worked with—but when it came to his personal endeavors these days, he felt they should take a front seat for once.
All he added was, “That’s putting some of my cards on the table. There’s more, so…just let me know where you stand. Okay? Whatever you’re thinking…I need to know.”
She slowly nodded, still studying him intently. “I understand where you’re coming from. The good thing—if you can call it that—is I’ve been through all of those gossip circles, too. Probably not to the extent you have, no, but I understand your concern. I just have one thing to say about it, Max.”
It was his turn to nod while bracing himself to hear her concerns.
“I give zero fucks,” she shrugged.
Not expecting that at all, he paused in surprise and then laughed. Her eyebrows raised and she smiled, signifying that she was being serious and firmly stood by her words. Max nodded, realizing he shouldn’t have even questioned her resolve. She’d proven repeatedly that she was a tough-skinned, independent woman. As long as she was completely honest with him, he couldn’t ask anything more of her.
Chuckling, he said, “You go ahead and grab what you need and we’ll head out.” He pulled his phone out as he kissed her forehead. “I’m going to make a phone call and check on something quick, okay?”
She agreed as he left the room. Even with the bedroom door still open, he felt no reservations about making the call right in front of her. He’d explain in more detail on their drive anyway. But right now he dialed Cole and sat on the couch waiting for him to pick up.
“Yeah, man, what’s up?”
“Hey, you got a minute?” Max asked.
“Sure. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is fine. I just want to meet up with you to go over some of the things I’ve mentioned.”
“Of course. Today is fine with me if you’re good with it.”
Max would have declined, but thought better of it. “Yeah, actually that sounds good. Can you meet me at the new house? Oh, and uh, could you see if Teague will come with you?”
Cole paused, obviously caught off guard. “Yeah, I can meet you there. But about your brother… Is this, uh, on his own accord or...?”
Max laughed. “Yeah, yeah, on his agreement. Jesus, that might make a good story, though.”
Cole laughed. “Well I mean I’m up for a challenge but…yeah, I’d rather not with him. So, uh, give me a few hours or so? I’ll let you know for sure.”
“Perfect.”
Max hung up the phone, just as Anna exited the bedroom with a small backpack hooked on one shoulder. She was sporting her classic beach bum look, as she liked to call it, but this time it was an O’Neill trucker hat he hadn’t seen. She looked cute as fuck, though. And he’d never get tired of seeing her legs in a pair of shorts, either.
“All good?” he asked while standing.
Her beautiful smile was response enough, but she also answered, “Yep, let’s roll.”
As they walked to his truck, Max spent a few minutes explaining where they were headed, who Cole was and why he was going to meet them—and at a house no one in the universe knew of except Cole. Not even his father knew of it. But having a separate place of his own for the past year had been Max’s only reprieve. He’d even considered just hanging there for the time Teague suggested he get a way for a bit, but he’d wanted his brother to be a part of his life and decided to be agreeable to his suggestion.
And he’d met Anna, which was the only reason he felt fate had worked some magic for him. Being completely out of his comfort zone had opened up a new door.
“So I am only one of two people who knows about this place?” Anna asked as Max drove up a private, unmarked driveway. It was a bit discreet between trees, which was perfect.
“Yeah, but I’m hoping my brother can, too.”
She smiled at him but took in the green scenery around them during the quarter-mile of driveway uphill. “I’m glad you two are trying to find a way through all of it. Family shit is tough. Mix that with a public life… Things get so messed up.”
Max nodded his agreement as they approached a wrought iron gate. He stopped at the call box to punch in the code and waited for the gate to swing forward. After veering a bit to the left, the house and guesthouse came into view. He reached past Anna and removed the second garage door remote, pressing the button as he smiled at her next to him.
She’d been watching him, her curiosity apparent. “This place is yours?” she asked, looking all around them from inside the truck.
Although Max sometimes called it a “cabin,” it was really a four-bedroom, four-bath home with an office and extra bonus room. But it was on one level, had one main TV room and kitchen, and a three-car garage. Compared to his mansion in Malibu, it was small; to the average person, it was a regular-sized house. It also had a three-bedroom guesthouse that was thirty yards separate from the main house. He knew he’d probably be using that soon enough for a security detail.
He pulled the truck into the garage, parking next to the other vehicle already inside. It was a midnight blue ’69 Chevelle SS 454. Anna was eyeing it as Max held open her door. Normally it would be covered in a car sheet, but he’d driven it not long ago and failed to swathe his baby before leaving it.
“Another one in the family?” she asked, eyeing him with a smirk. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
“The muscle car infatuation? Oh, yes. I had this one before Teague and Jay restored their first Boss. All of us worked on this baby two years before.”
She walked around the car as Max flipped on the garage light and pressed for the rollup door to shut. “It’s beautiful. I don’t know anything about cars, really, but I appreciate the value of the classics.”
He was listening, but at the same time admiring the two beauties in the same space. His car was dark and beastly; Anna—with her blonde hair, gorgeous skin, and brilliant white smile—was almost the opposite. She was so chill and easy going, he could totally picture how much fun she would have riding in this car. Opposite splendor. He could also picture her sitting on his lap and—
Her dark eyes appeared right in front of him. She seemed to know he’d zoned out on her but didn’t make mention of it. Instead she just smiled at him.
He grabbed her wrist and gently yanked her toward him until her chest was pressed up against him. He took her hat and flipped it backwards, pulling her mouth against his. He could taste memories from last night just by kissing her. Her soft skin, the way she touched him, and the way it felt to be inside her… His reaction to her was instant, and she pressed her hand against his cock to let him know she wanted more.
Taking her hand, he pulled her into the house. “Let me give you a tour. But this kind of tour will be one-of-kind,” he winked.
Chapter Twenty
“Explain.” Craig dropped a pile of tabloids on the coffee table, visibly irritated. His surprise visit to Max’s Malibu mansion really wasn’t much of a surprise.
Max leaned forward on the couch with his cup of tea in-hand. He did a quick perusal of the covers, immediately getting an idea of why his father was so disgruntled. There were photos of Max, of Anna, of him with Anna…
“Anna’s my girlfriend,” he stated. And it felt damn fucking good to just say it out loud.
His dad sat in the seat across from him, his eyes never leaving Max’s face. “Is that so.”
Taking a careful sip of tea, Max sat back against the couch again. “Yes, it is so. We’ve been seeing each ot
her for a few weeks now.”
His father’s silence was expected, but to Max’s surprise, Craig didn’t look upset anymore. “I guess it’s not the most horrible thing,” he finally concluded.
“Not horrible, huh? Come on, Dad. I don’t care about social pairing.”
“Yes, I’ve gathered that. What I mean is, she’s cute. It’s a change from the dolled-up Barbies. I like it. Something fresh, new, and definitely a bit…soft.”
“Soft?”
“Yes, soft. Show people your generous side.”
Max shook his head at this point and set his mug on the table. “This is not for the public. I don’t give a fuck what my relationship with Anna ‘says’ about me. And if you think this is a fucking opportunity to improve my image, you can kiss my ass. You and Grandpa already put her in the tabloids with Tyse last year. Now you can deal with the rumors that she’s back for another shot at one of us.”
Craig sighed, which was somewhat shocking to Max. His father rarely ever showed signs of meekness. He leaned forward onto his knees and steepled his fingers together. “Tell me what’s going on, Max. Three months without work, you turn down every offer you receive, and you’ve become a surly little shit to me. I’m not mad. I promise you, I’m not. I just want to understand.”
Max took a moment to measure his father’s words. “Are you actually going to try understanding, or are you going to interject your opinions into my life anyway? I assure you, this is not a ‘phase’.”
The quiet hum of silence made for a distressing wait as Craig looked him over while calculating his words. At last he replied, “I will listen. I’ll give you that. It doesn’t mean I have to agree with you. But if you’re set on leaving McC Studios for good, I think you owe me an explanation.”
“I’ve given you an explanation but you don’t seem to think I’m serious. I want to pursue other things right now. And that includes staying out of the spotlight.”
“So you’re willing to walk away from everything?”
