It's a Fugly Life (Fugly #2)(8)

My jaw dropped.

“You know I’m saying the truth. You’re selling yourself short again exactly like you did the first day you walked into Cole Cosmetics and applied for a job you were overqualified for. Your dream is to own your own cosmetics company. You were on a mission, and you wouldn’t allow even an * like me to get in your way. That being said, you are no marketing expert—Ms. Lily Pad—but I sure the f*ck am.”

I felt that irresistible tugging, drawing me toward him. He had this way of knocking a person down to earth and then making them believe they could reach the stars, but only if they followed him because only he knew the way.

No. No. No! I’m not falling for it. “I owe my marriage with Patricio a fair chance. He won’t get that with you around.”

“Because you know that no one will ever love you like I do,” he said matter-of-factly.

Dammit. His words were like thumbscrews. Only on my heart. Heart screws?

“Gah!” I threw up my hands. “He’ll feel threatened. You’re my ex-boyfriend. And you’re not just any guy. You’re Maxwell Cole.”

He smiled. “Meaning you find me extremely attractive. Thank you. But if Patricio’s insecure, that’s not my f*cking problem. Because this has nothing to do with him—this is business. And it’s your future.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire. “Max, I’m not going to work for you again.”

“Not ‘for.’ Side by side. And don’t be an idiot. This is an offer of a lifetime.”

“Out. Now.” I stood and pointed toward the door.

“Not until you say yes.”

“No.” I would, however, say yes to kicking him in the ass.

Max rose from the couch, stood in front of me, and beamed down at my face, a reminder of how good it felt when he looked at me that way. Lust, love, affection—whatever. There was no bigger high than being adored by him.

“You’re smart, Lily,” he said with sincerity. “So I know you will be thinking it over. And then you’ll come to realize you barely know Patricio. I’ve known him for years.”

“Really?” I put my hand on my hip. “So you two were besties? Like sleepovers and secret handshakes?”

“You and your smart mouth need to listen.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “Patricio is shallow. He can’t challenge you like you need. He’s lived a perfect life and will never understand you.”

“Like you can?” I said bitterly.

“Yes. Absolutely. But that’s beside the point. Sooner or later you’re going to see I’m telling the truth. So go ahead and marry the guy. But he’ll screw you over, and you’ll be left with nothing but a failed business, debt, and a résumé you can’t use. I’m offering you real love, happiness, and a chance to live your dream—I’ve thought of little else these past six months.”

It didn’t seem that way to me, since I hadn’t heard a peep from the man. Nevertheless…Sonofabitch! He is so damned good at selling! It really pissed me off. The little crack about my résumé, for example? Let’s just say that my name and face were fairly well known at this point. Tabloid after tabloid, reporter after reporter, my little affair with Max had gone global and landed me the nickname of the “billionaire breaker.” The media had been fascinated with me, Max, and our story. And not in a nice way. No one could understand how one of the sexiest men on the planet could love me. Okay. Yes. I’ll shut the hell up, because honestly, I hadn’t been able to either. Anyway, despite my Ivy League résumé, no self-respecting company would ever hire me now.

“You always know the perfect angle to persuade people, Max,” I growled, not meaning it as a compliment.

“It’s a gift.” He shrugged. “So did I succeed?”

“No. And now that I’ve heard what you had to say, it’s time to go.” I opened the door to show him out.

Max headed for the door, shaking his head. He wasn’t thrilled about my turning him down this morning, and he wasn’t thrilled now. I wasn’t thrilled about looking at his perfect ass and towering lean frame with muscles in all the right places as he walked out. Everything about him undid me.

“Bye, Max. And…”

He turned to face me, and those hazel eyes—filled with frustration—created a vacuum in my head. All I could think about was how much I missed him.

I gulped, feeling my heart do a little wave action.

“Yes?” he said.

“Ummm…thank you. For caring so much about what happens to me.” It felt wrong to end things on such an angry note even if I felt angry. Because despite everything, Max held a special place in my heart, and I knew he was doing all this because he cared.

He tilted his head to one side and stepped forward, speaking softly and gazing down at me as if I were his most cherished possession. “I only want to see you live a happy, successful life, like you deserve, Lily. So promise you’ll think about what I said.”

God, he was so good at getting to me.

I sighed quietly. “Fine. I’ll think about it.” I would also think about the fact that he’d popped into my life and asked me to marry him this morning—something I still couldn’t persuade my brain cells to absorb.