If Max wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of jealousy resonating in those words. It was the same tone Leyton had used the last time they’d discussed Ashlynn and Jase. “Is there a problem with Jase?”

“No. Not at all.” Again, Leyton’s response came a little too quickly. Leyton took a deep breath, obviously attempting to calm himself, which made Max curious as to what the hell had happened to put Leyton on edge.

“Somethin’ wrong?”

“No,” Leyton snapped again. “Sorry. No, nothin’s wrong. Jase is here with Ashlynn. He won’t let anything happen to her.”

Max laughed. He had no doubt about that.

“What’s so funny?” Leyton asked.

“He loves her.” Max chuckled again. He wasn’t even sure whether he was talking about Jase or Leyton at this point, and he didn’t clarify.

“What?”

Okay, so he’d obviously thrown Leyton for a loop. Peering over at Courtney, Max said, “That’s what my wife told me. She said Ashlynn can’t see it and neither can he, but he’s definitely in love with her.” Again, Max wasn’t sure which man he was referring to. Possibly both.

The question was whether or not Leyton would be able to move forward knowing that Jase had feelings for Ashlynn, or more importantly, that Leyton did. Max was well aware of Leyton’s feelings for Ashlynn. He’d known since they were teenagers that Leyton was fond of Ashlynn. Until recently, he just hadn’t realized how much.

At the time, when Max had issued his command for Leyton to stay away from Ashlynn, he’d fully expected his best friend to argue, to tell him that he wanted to be with her. A nod of agreement sure as hell hadn’t been what Max had anticipated, although it was the only response he’d received.

“Have you heard from Moroso?” he asked when Leyton said nothing.

“No,” Leyton offered, his tone calm once again. “Rock left him a message. Told him I expected a call tonight.”

“You need my help?” Max knew Leyton was more than capable of dealing with any issue that arose, his faith in the man was strong, but when it came to Ashlynn, regardless of what Leyton wanted him to believe, there were some strong emotions involved. Max remembered when his own father had attempted to take a hit out on Courtney. He’d been blinded by rage, and as far as he’d been concerned, there was only one way to deal with that threat. He could only assume Leyton was feeling the same way at this point.

“No,” Leyton ground out. “I’ve got this.”

“I know you do,” Max assured him. “But if you need me…”

“I won’t hesitate to call,” Leyton replied.

“Stay with her, Leyton.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Oh, it’s necessary.” Rather than explain further, Max hung up.

“Everything okay?” Courtney asked.

“For now.” How long that would last was anyone’s guess, but he was fairly certain they had a reprieve until Leyton spoke with Marco Moroso in the morning, although he wasn’t sure that was what Courtney had been referring to.

“I hope you know what you’re doin’,” Courtney relayed.

“Me, too.” Truth was, he didn’t know what he was doing, but for some reason, forcing Leyton to protect Ashlynn was the right thing. If he didn’t instigate it, Max feared Leyton would do his best to keep his distance, all because Max had stuck his nose where it didn’t belong—his wife’s exact words.

And in the end, if Leyton did as Max had ordered and he stayed away from Ashlynn, that would only put his sister’s life in more danger.

He still remembered the day he’d caught Ashlynn and Leyton making out at Trace’s wedding. It had stunned him. Of all the people he’d expected to see together, never had it crossed his mind that his best friend would want his sister. Oh, he’d seen the way Ashlynn looked at Leyton, but as far as Max knew, Leyton had never returned that interest.

Because he’d been stupefied by their actions, Max had dished out a warning to Leyton that day, and he still remembered it vividly:

What the hell were you thinkin’? No, don’t fucking answer that. You will only receive one warnin’. You stay the fuck away from my sister. Do you understand me? If I catch you with her again, I’ll saw your fucking nuts off with a rusty butter knife. And then I’ll fucking feed them to you. Don’t touch her again.

At the time, their interactions had seemed somewhat spontaneous to him. As though Ashlynn were looking for a quick fuck and Leyton was available. But then, that same night, after he’d been shot, Max had heard the terror in Leyton’s tone as he’d drifted into unconsciousness.

You’re gonna be fine, boss. If you’re not, I hope you know I’m gonna fuck Ashlynn all over your goddamn house. Every room. In your bed. Your shower. Your favorite fucking chair. So you better fucking live through this so you can kill me for doin’ it.

Although he suspected Leyton had made the statement in order to push Max to fight for his life, he’d heard something else that day. And when he’d issued another order—the day he’d made Leyton his second-in-command of his organization—he’d known then that Leyton had real feelings for Ashlynn. Leyton hadn’t said anything in response, but he hadn’t needed to.

And yes, Max could accept that he’d interfered when he shouldn’t have. As far as he was concerned, there was no better man for his sister than Leyton. He was loyal and honest, and above all else, he deserved to be happy. But at the time, he hadn’t been sure Leyton could handle Ashlynn.

She was more the fuck ’em and leave ’em type. Ashlynn kept herself distanced from emotion, and he understood why. She’d been manipulated for so long, lived in a house where the people who were supposed to love her only used her. That was the main reason Max had always kept an eye on her.

“You know he’s gonna give in, don’t you?” Courtney asked, placing her hand on his thigh.

Max didn’t respond. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he sensed if it did, things would be complicated. Although his sister hadn’t been in a serious relationship her entire life, there was something going on between her and Jase Malone, and it wasn’t just a nightly romp. There were true emotions there, even if Ashlynn wasn’t willing to acknowledge them. Emotions they both attempted to conceal.

And Leyton… Max didn’t even pretend to understand how a man could be bisexual, but he knew for a fact that Leyton was. And so was Jase. The tension between those two had been high for a while, and he could only assume they’d set their sights on one another as well as Ashlynn.

“It’s gonna get complicated,” Courtney explained, speaking his thoughts exactly. “RT was telling me about some friends of theirs back in Z’s hometown who are in a ménage relationship.”

“Ménage?”

“Yes. You know, two men, one woman. And they all love each other.”

“That doesn’t make any damn sense to me.” Max could not wrap his head around it.

“That’s because you aren’t into women and men. You only prefer the opposite sex.”

“No, I only prefer you,” he said as he lifted her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles.

“That’s good.” Courtney grinned. “But it’s not absurd to think that a person could be attracted to both.”

“Okay, say you’re right. What about Ashlynn? She wants two men? To what? Share her?” He did not want to think too hard on that, because the mere notion of his sister with a man was something that made his stomach churn. Thinking about her with two… Nope, he didn’t even want to go there.

“I assume you’re referrin’ to Leyton and Jase?” Courtney glanced over at him. “I can see it.”

Max sighed. He had no idea what those three were up to, but Courtney had convinced him that it wasn’t his place to warn Leyton away from Ashlynn. As much as he wanted to protect Ashlynn, he’d come to terms with the fact that Leyton wasn’t a threat. He wouldn’t hurt her.

“They’re good men, Max,” Courtney went on. “She could do a helluva lot worse.”