“Christopher was an accident?”
Max swallowed at the sound of his son’s name. “He wasn’t planned.”
“But you and Lizzie, you both wanted him, right?”
Max paused, keeping his eyes on the floor. “Yes. Yes, we both wanted him very much.”
“But you’d never consider having kids again?” Grace’s voice was soft. “Ever?”
Max yanked on his shorts, leaving them undone, and adjusted himself on the bed, sitting with his back against the headboard. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly, his fingers trailing a path through his hair. “I . . . I couldn’t go through that again.” His heart twisted in his chest. “Seeing the person you love shatter like that.”
Grace moved closer, the smell of their sex wafting around them as the blankets moved, conjuring an interested pulse from Max’s cock despite the topic of conversation. “What happened with Christopher was tragic, Max, but it’s also rare.” She squeezed his hand. “You shouldn’t close yourself off to the possibility—”
“Look,” Max bristled, his just-got-laid buzz changing into something darker, something that lay dormant only because his meds and his therapy kept it so. He pulled his hand away. “I know what you’re saying but those things that women want—love, babies, a future—I don’t have the ability to provide those.” His voice was sharp, making Grace flinch. He paused and exhaled. “I did. Once. But they were lost a long time ago and they’re not ever coming back.”
He kept his eyes on the bed covers, praying to all shit that, now that they’d slept together, Grace wouldn’t suddenly start to want more. From the cavity in his chest that echoed with her question about kids, Max knew there was no way he could give her or any other woman anything other than his body. He glanced up, the expression on Grace’s face sad but somehow understanding.
“Well, who knows,” she said softly. “Maybe they’ll come back when you least expect it.”
Max didn’t believe that for a second but he gave her a small smile all the same. “I’d better go.”
Grace blinked. “You’re free to stay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up—”
“Hey, it’s all right,” Max interrupted, standing from the bed. “Honestly.” He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. He stood back. “Are you really okay? Was I . . . was it good?” He wasn’t looking to have his ego stroked. He simply wanted to make sure she’d enjoyed it and that the demons he knew she carried weren’t hounding her behind that stunning smile.
That smile grew and her eyes lightened, calming Max’s anxiety. “Yes. I’m . . . great. You— it was . . . perfect.”
“Good.” He pulled on his T-shirt.
“Thank you, Max. Really. Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure. You were wonderful.” He grabbed his Vans from the floor and cleared his throat. “I’ll see you later.”
Pushing the guilt that skittered across his neck down into the darkest parts of him, Max left Grace sitting on her bed. He was unable to truly breathe until he pushed through her front door, staggering into the blazing sunshine.
“Holy shit! Look at you!”
Grace smiled at the loud, excited voice that echoed around her brother’s club.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, baby girl.”
Grace watched Sienna Kelly, Kai’s assistant bar manager, bound across the dance floor from the main entrance of the club, her tight Afro bouncing as she went. The deep red lipstick that covered her insane lips was striking and indescribably sexy against her ebony skin, while her outfit was, as always, tight and left little to the imagination. She was, in her own words, a workout maniac, and it showed. Her body was incredible. Grace opened her arms and accepted Sienna’s enthusiastic hug, laughing as Sienna kissed her cheek.
“You look beautiful,” Sienna exclaimed, holding Grace at arm’s length. “Why the hell has it been so long since I’ve seen you?”
“Because one of us has been off exploring the world,” Grace replied. “How was Europe?”
“Oh my God, girl,” Sienna replied. “It was unbelievable.” She turned and leaned her hip against the fridge underneath the bar. “Paris, Rome, London, it was all fabulous. I didn’t want to come back.”
“I don’t blame you! Paris sure beats the hell out of Washington, DC.”
Sienna reached for a bottle of Corona and snapped off the top, holding it out to Grace. “Let me tell you, if it wasn’t for your asshole of a brother, I’d still be there.”
Grace smiled at the affection she heard in Sienna’s voice despite her language. Grace was fairly certain that Sienna and Kai had been involved at some stage and that Sienna, contrary to outward appearances, was a little bit smitten. Grace knew that her brother could do a damn sight worse. Sienna was vivacious and sharp-tongued, but she was the most loyal and trustworthy person Grace knew besides Kai. Underneath the banter and sniping, the two of them were perfect for one another.