I slowly turn Juliana around. “I’m waiting for the selfish part.”
“One girl, holding onto three men that are more than good enough to have a woman they don’t have to share? That sounds pretty selfish. Especially when you guys walk on eggshells around each other and don’t want to give anything away and ...”
I kiss Juliana’s forehead. “I’d rather share you and call it a relationship than settle for someone else simply because they’d only be mine.”
I can tell she’s still stuck in her head while I’m cooking, but she ends up in the kitchen with me. “Max ... there are so many issues with me having all three of you. You’re nearly as old as my father.”
“Nearly,” I remind her.
“Konstantin knew me when I was sixteen and there’s an age gap between us too. Not to mention, my dad fired him over catching us together. And Gio doesn’t like to share. I mean ... maybe I’m just talking dizzy. Going stir crazy.”
“Nothing has to be decided now. We’re all happy to have even a bit of you, Julia. Let’s get through one thing, then another.”
She nods, but I already know that I don’t want someone else. I don’t know how to put the words together, but the connection I feel with Juliana, being able to talk to her and all this ...it’s new and wonderful and I have no intention of giving it up.
10
JULIANA
After Max and I eat, we play never have I ever. He thought it would be easy, I can tell, but we’re both down to one hand already. I wiggle my four fingers at him. “Never have I ever ... slept with two women at the same time.”
He grunts and takes a drink. “You should try it.”
“Maybe I’ve been in a different kind of threesome.” I tease.
Max chuckles, then stares at his fingers for a long moment. “Never have I ever introduced a partner to my parents.”
Neither of us move. He leans his head to the side. “Really?”
“My dad just kind of finds out and then ends it. He’s paid at least three of the guys I’ve dated to leave. Apparently, I’m not worth as much as my father can offer.”
“Then Muscles, the kid, and me are lucky.”
“How so?” I ask. “My dad wouldkillyou for being with me. Look at how he nearly blacklisted Kon.”
“Because we’re getting paid to bevery closeto you.”
We laugh and keep playing the game, getting on a lighter note. But once the game is over and I’m doing dishes, I feel paranoia creep in. Nolan keeps staring out the sliding glass door – probably because he hasn’t had a view like this before, but it has me antsy.
Charlie stays close, occasionally licks my leg to remind me he’s there and complains until I sit down to pet him. My foot bounces and I exhale sharply. “Max.”
“What is it, doll?” He comes out from the guest room, the iPad in his hand.
“Anything on the monitor?”
“One of the cameras is ... strange.”
“What kind of strange?”
“No change at all. Give me a second.” Max grabs his phone and calls someone. “Hey, can you check zone three, please? I think there’s an error with the camera ... You definitely take orders from me, young man. If you want to involve Konstantin in this by risking the life of the woman in the sa- .... that’s what I thought.”
Max hangs up and shakes his head. “There’s a reason there are a minimum of two people watching at any time. One to keep you safe directly and one to watch for any other kind of attack.”
“Makes sense.” Even though I still don’t understand why a hit was placed on me in the first place. It seems stupid to me. “More sense than the reasoning behind the hit.”
“Mr. Alister is a proud man. Being accused of insurance fraud and losing money that he needs for shareholders – assuming he paid someone to do the arson – it’s the ego that’s involved. He wants to take your father down a peg. The only way he can think to do that is to prove he couldn’t protect his wife.”
I groan and get up, then go to my room. I can feel Max following, but I don’t care. I grab the base of the trunk since it has a secret bottom. I jerk it out, not caring about the expensive sex toys skittering across the floor.