Landlord Wars(53)

“So your parents are worried about losing their standing, thanks to a dumb investment, and they think you have the means to fix it?”

“They think I can help them regain what they lost.”

I winced. “Can you? Isn’t that a lot of money?”

“An obscene amount of money, remember?” He shook his head. “It would take me a lifetime to earn my parents back their fortune, and a good deal of luck. And I have no interest.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his gaze distant. “If what I build impacts people negatively, I won’t do it. And most of the time, that’s what it takes to earn the kind of wealth my parents lost.”

“You won’t do it because of what you experienced with Jack?”

He glanced at me. “I can’t look the other way. It’s why I chose my next project instead of the Starlight project my parents wanted me to invest my time and money in. Starlight does nothing but make the extreme wealthy richer at the expense of the community.”

“And you saying no made your parents unhappy,” I said, catching on.

He closed the takeout cartons, which were mostly empty. Max had a nice appetite too. “I’ve told them where I stand, but my parents think I’m making a mistake. They see no reason not to use me to regain their financial standing before others discover the truth.”

I shook my head. “That’s messed up. You’re their son.”

He looked over and smiled. “I like the casual Sophia. She’s not afraid to speak her mind.”

“Was I ever?”

He chuckled. “You’ve always called me out when I was being an ass, and it’s part of your charm.”

This was a compliment, but it also meant he liked that I put him in his place. “You have a twisted mind, Maxwell Burrows.”

I hadn’t tried to put Max in his place. There were times when I cowered instead of speaking up to others. But Max had been so darn arrogant that I’d forgotten to be afraid and was too furious to back down.

“In any case,” I continued, “I’m sorry you’re feeling pressure from your parents.” No matter how crazy parents were, no child wanted to let them down.

He scanned my face, then down my body, igniting heat where his gaze touched. “Enough about family. Why don’t we go back to your room and look at that business proposal? I have a few ideas.”

Was that innuendo?

Did I care?

Back to my bedroom it was.





Chapter Twenty-Four





Sophia





True to his word, Max talked about the business proposal back in my bedroom and didn’t try to kiss me.

What the hell? What happened to the sexy innuendo?

He lay sprawled on my bed, legs crossed at the ankles, with his weight on one elbow, providing a very nice view of his biceps stretching the fabric of his T-shirt as he looked over the proposal. He pulled something from his back pocket.

My mouth gaped. “You wear glasses?”

His faced turned the slightest bit pink. “If I want to read, I do.”

I held up my hands. “You said nothing about glasses.” This was straight-up librarian porn. How was I supposed to concentrate? “You have to take them off.”

He looked perplexed. “Is there something wrong?”

“Extremely wrong. It’s too hot.” I fanned myself and glanced at the window. LD in sexy nerd glasses might require popping open a pane.

His mouth kicked up on one side, and he patted the bed. “Why don’t you lie next to me?”

Could I safely lie next to him? Hell no! I’d jump his bones, proving to the world that mounting innocent men ran in the family. “I’m not sure that’s wise if we’re to get any work done.”

He frowned. “How am I supposed to give you my thoughts on the proposal with you so far away?”

He was totally goading me, and I was biting, because I wanted to snuggle next to my hot new boyfriend who wore glasses. “Fine, but only so we can go over the proposal,” I said, all proper like, when I was really trying to figure out how long it would be before we could move on to other things.

“Strictly business,” he said, a twinkle in his eye.

At least we were on the same page.

I sank onto the bed beside him, inching closer and watching him closely, as though he might strike at any moment. Not afraid, but not trusting the casual fa?ade of no-sexy-time Max. I leaned over his shoulder and glanced at the proposal. “What do you think?”

He flipped a page. “It’s a fair offer. He stipulates an end to the percentage of the profits, given current valuation, though I’m not an expert on the value of this type of business. I can ask around.”

I nodded. “I have a good idea of what it would cost to go into business on my own, and this is ready-made, with loyal customers. I’d be earning significantly more right off the bat, and he’s not asking much in terms of payment.”

“He’s essentially offering you a low-interest loan,” Max said and flipped another page. “You’re also free to sell the business as long as the loan has been paid in full.”

Max set the contract down and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me onto his chest.

Now we’re talking. I lifted one eyebrow, feigning innocence. “Is this a part of the platonic business overview?”