02

My brows drew together.

The glint in his blue-gray eyes indicated interest. I’d seen it often enough in the few times I’d seen him deploy that look that I couldn’t mistake it for anything else.

He always had it easy with women considering his unruly, dark blond hair that he either wore long around his shoulders or gathered up in a low, masculine bun, his eyes the color of a stormy sea and his tall, powerful build that made him stand out like a golden god. But to be taking interest in another female while in the middle of screwing one and evading another was just a bit beyond acceptable for me.

« It’s Aiko Bradley, » I answered after a sip of my drink, wrinkling my nose in a failed attempt at tamping down on my dismay. « A name you won’t be adding to your list tonight. »

And with that, I turned to saunter down the hall and back into the loud and crowded mob packed in and around the dance floor.

As if on cue, ten minutes later, a woman started screaming hysterically, followed by another, and then loud male voices started to rise over each other.

I sipped my fresh glass of iced tea and looked on as the crowd on the dance floor parted for the two bodies that stumbled together in a flurry of fists and kicks.

The bar owner was a smaller yet burly man with a thick neck and body-builder muscles. Max was very tall, muscular and fast but he was slightly drunk and lacked the sheer fury of a cuckolded husband who had murder in his eyes.

Two men jumped in to pry them apart with difficulty while on one side the brunette and blonde Max had both been screwing tonight escalated from their screaming match to tearing at each other’s hair and clothes.

« Oh my God ! This is like straight out of a reality show ! » Paige commented in breathy excitement, her three other female friends giggling in delight at the violent scene.

« He’s so dreamy, » Teesha, one of Paige’s said friends, cooed giddily. « And when he’s fighting like this, he looks even more rugged and sinful and so fierce ! »

I made no comment as this wasn’t an unusual conversation at our table.

Despite his notorious reputation, Maximilian Croft was still a prime catch for most women because other than his a) good looks, b) his wildness that they all believed they could tame and c) his rugged charm, he was also filthy rich.

He was a prominent member of the Cobalt Bay Billionaires. Despite giving homage to their city in their silly nickname, they were at the top of the list of the most eligible yet elusive bachelors in the entire country.

The said billionaires were all purported to be devilishly handsome, popular with the ladies and aligned with vastly rich and powerful families.

The Crofts were old money—lots of it—and Max was at the helm of the family empire whether people liked it or not.

And I heard a lot of people didn’t like it because he ran his business like he lived his life—a little reckless, a little rebellious and not a tiny bit apologetic about it.

But Maximilian Croft was Maximilian Croft so just like his personal life, he got away with it.

Naturally.

« The cops are here, » Brayden James, one of the few guys in Paige’s circle who usually accompanied us girls out on these events, announced in a bored voice as he finished his bottle of beer. The sirens and flashing lights streaming through the entrance were total giveaways.

« Sometimes, I wish Croft would just keep his pants zipped, you know ? » he grumbled with an irritated shake of his head. « Whenever he’s out somewhere, he’s either stealing all the women away or causing bar brawls just to spoil the fun. »

« He probably spends as many nights in jail as he does in different women’s beds, » another guy in our group, Calvin Lee, added with a dry laugh. « I don’t know if I hate him or envy him. »

Lacey, another of Paige’s friends, joined in. « This is his third skirmish this week alone. Word is if he does another turn at this, his brother is going to publicly disown him. Max’s stunts are damaging his chance at running for mayor next year and he can’t afford one scandal after another. »

Teesha shook her head. « And Max probably doesn’t care because he doesn’t answer to anyone—the perks of privately owning every single of one of his companies. »

Lacey nodded. « And he’s still got the support of all his other billionaire friends so no one’s got the nerve to diss him. He probably feels like he’s doing absolutely nothing wrong. »

The group continued to chat about him but I tuned out and watched Max being dragged out by cops, the irate husband still bellowing behind them as he himself was being carted out.

Despite the handcuffs and the scrapes on his face, Max walked on lightly as if he were out strolling in the sunshine. The violence hadn’t perturbed him at all. He actually looked like he welcomed it.

I sat back in thought, rubbing my chin as ideas started to form in my head.

It was a reckless move but it would take care of a few things on my list.

No one who knew me would believe what I was about to do but that was exactly what I needed—a break from my old patterns. A little unpredictability.

Living a little, they call it.

Well, it was specifically my editor, Ingrid, who called it that.

And I happen to value her opinion.

She had been there with me from the very beginning when I’d just been a sixteen-year-old high school student publishing what was to become a pretty popular young adult adventure series. With four books and a lead on the resurgence of the genre, I thought I was doing pretty good. I was doing something I loved and making good money from it. It was nirvana to some people. But eventually that cloud of bliss had burst and I hadn’t released a book in the last two years. Money was still coming in but so were the questions like ‘What’s next, Aiko ?’

My agent wanted something new and exciting to pitch.

My publisher wanted to capitalize on the remaining momentum.

My father—well, he wanted something else.

But they were all asking the same question and I didn’t have an answer.

Maybe you soon will.

It wasn’t a bad idea—just different. And wasn’t different the reason why I came all the way to Cobalt Bay ?

An hour later, the bar started to lull and Paige and her friends wanted to hit up another place.

« I think I’m going to head back early, » I said, setting down some money on the table for my share. « You guys can enjoy the rest of the evening—or morning, in this case. »

« Aiko, it’s freaking early ! » Paige protested, grabbing my arm and yanking at it like a child. « It’s Saturday night not to mention the last of summer ! What else could you possibly be doing at home instead ? »

I smiled and gently pried my cousin’s hands off me. This was an old argument and an overused line Paige always whipped out whenever I would ditch the group early.

« I’m just tired. I have to catch up on my sleep, » I reasoned plainly, shrugging on my pale pink cardigan that I’d hung on the back of my chair earlier. « I stayed up all night last night writing. »

Brayden came to my side. « Do you want me to take you home ? Make sure you get there okay ? »

I smiled and shook my head. « Thanks but I’m sure I’ll manage. »

Brayden had showed interest in me on more than one instance, which was probably why Paige egged me to go out with the group all the time. He was cute in a football player kind of way but like most guys, nothing about him intrigued me.