Best Man For The Job (The Men of Fear Incorporated Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

overenthusiastic. Feeling eyes on her, she turned her head. “Hey, Max.”
    “Sloane.”
    She loved her name on his lips. The way he’d said it in the past was more than just a name. It sounded like a promise. This time however, it sounded darker. Almost guarded. It shouldn’t affect her this way. It shouldn’t matter how he said her name. Not before and not now. It did, though. She couldn’t take her traitorous eyes from him. He didn’t even blink—just met the stare until she turned away. She had to break the connection. It was too much and yet not enough.
    Sloane cleared her throat. “So, it looks like invitations are on the agenda today.”
    “That’s right,” Bella chirped. “Grab one of those pens and here’s one half of the guest list. Want a Bloody Mary or a Screwdriver?”
    “God no! Not after last night.”
    Mirabella snorted with laughter. Sloane rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hold back her own chuckle. She risked a peek across the table from where she’d taken a seat, and her eyes locked once again with Max’s. He slowly shook his head for a moment before standing up to take a seat in the living room. He wasn’t acting like the guy she’d met last night. Did she do something wrong? More importantly, why did it matter?
    Bella glanced up from filling out the address on a cream envelope. “What’s going on with Brody? I heard him outside earlier.”
    “He wants to make it up to me for missing dinner. He got stuck at work.”
    Bella scoffed. “We both know that’s bullshit.”
    “Bella…”
    “Don’t ‘Bella’ me! You’re my family and I love you. I can’t stand watching him hurt you over and over and you just take it. You make excuses and defend him. What the hell, Sloane?”
    “It’s not his fault!” Sloane yelled back. Humiliation colored her face. Mirabella didn’t know she didn’t measure up to what Brody wanted in the bedroom. He wanted someone adventurous. He wanted someone to do things that she wasn’t comfortable doing, and when she resisted that’s when things had begun to change. That’s when he changed. There’s no way Bella would understand.
    “Ladies—” Foster marched into the room. “Enough. Bella, sweetheart, as much as I agree with you, this isn’t our decision. It’s Sloane’s.”
    “Thank you,” Sloane whispered.
    “Oh no. Don’t go thanking me yet. You need to get your head outta your ass and realize we only want you happy. Before you try to interrupt me and lie, we both know you aren’t.”
    Sloane cast her eyes down, not wanting to meet his gaze. They both loved her. She knew that, but it wasn’t the same as having someone to hold at night. To chase away the fears and show her there were better days ahead. They had that.
    “All right, Max and I are gonna head out. Don’t scratch up any furniture with your cat fights.” He winked again and headed for the living room where Max had sat silently listening to the whole conversation. Now she really felt like an ass. Great.
     
    ***
     
    Max
     
    How could cheating on her not be Brody’s fault? Max couldn’t wrap his mind around that. Unless she told him to go fuck around, it didn’t make sense. The conversation—which he’d made no attempt to ignore—between her and Mirabella inclined him to believe she knew about more than one indiscretion. Maybe Foster could enlighten him a bit.
    “What’s the story with those two?”
    Foster sighed. “They’ve been seeing each other for about a year. He’s been screwing around almost as long. I try not to get involved, but Sloane is a sweet girl. She’s family. Even though I don’t volunteer information, if she asks me, I won’t lie either.”
    “I get that. What I don’t get is why she stays. She’s beautiful. She seems smart and funny. Why waste her time with him when she could do better?”
    Foster glanced over at him, a small grin lifting the corner of his mouth. Max tried to act like he didn’t notice. They rode in silence for a few