Read A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (The Romero Brothers, Book 2) for Free Online Page A

awful she must look since
she barely slept a wink while tending to her mother at the nursing home and at
the same time figuring out how to balance the books late into the night so that
she wasn’t the one responsible for running the company into the ground.
    Man, she really needed to get a life. Her thoughts
were all over the place. Was this the effect this Romero man had over her? So
it was true what her friend Lucy said. Lucy mentioned about how Antonio made
her feel and she recalled how dazed and giddy Lucy had been since dating
Antonio. This thing the Romero men had was hereditary for sure and it wasn’t
just their charm, aura and hotness.
    Maxine was all over herself. She was a nervous wreck.
She didn’t know what got into her but she turned to go into her office not
caring if Lucas followed or not. She needed to grab a seat fast.
    She sat down, placed her elbows on her desk and
pressed her hands to her head. “No. I’m not okay, Lucas. But I’ll be fine. I
think we should probably reschedule our meeting for another day.”
    Lucas stood rigid at the doorway to her office. “I’m
afraid you’re not going to get rid of me that easy,” he said in a low,
controlled voice.

 
 
    CHAPTER FIVE

 
    Lucas didn’t know what got into him at that moment. He
stepped inside Maxine’s office and gently closed the door behind him to give
them some privacy.
    Maxine.
Maxine. Maxine.
    He didn’t think he would be seeing her so soon. Here
he was in the midst of a public relations scandal whilst reporters camped
outside his family’s estate and currently his only sole focus was on Maxine
Summers and her safety.
    Damn, she looked finer than he’d remembered. Her dark,
shiny locks cascaded down her back. She was simple beauty personified. A
natural. No caked-on makeup. Her lips were full and red as a ripe   pomegranate . He wondered if
they’d taste as sweet as they looked.
    Lucas,
that’s what’s gotten you into trouble in the beginning. Enough already.
    He was there to do business not poke his nose into her
personal life. But he couldn’t help himself. He was a man who acted on impulse
and followed his gut instincts. Everything else that occurred as a result, he
would just deal with.
    This girl had some sort of hold over him. He honestly
didn't know how or why. She wasn't wild or flashy. Not his type really, but the
way she dressed, the way she swayed her rounded hips when she walked into her
office, obviously unaware of the view he was left with of her behind when she
turned her back on him. She wore a dark fitted pencil skirt, low
heeled pumps and knitted light purple vest with matching cardigan with
what appeared to be custom jewelry. Lucas always took note of his surroundings
and people. He often studied them and within seconds could sum up a lot of
things. It was an old habit of his he’d learned from his cousin Dion who owned
a private detective agency. At family gatherings Dion would entertain them with
tips from his trade. Maxine was simple and elegant without even trying. Not
like those women he’d been unfortunate to cross paths with during his weekend
rendezvous at the hottest clubs in the downtown core. They had their place and
time, but the scene was getting old.
    He realized this ever since he’d danced with her at
his cousin’s wedding. And even before that she’d captured his interest while he
was surreptitiously checking her out. She was a fine young woman. That was for
sure. But there was something else about her.
    “Now. Are you going to tell me what’s really going on
or am I going to have to drag it out of you?” Lucas looked directly into
Maxine’s beautiful dark eyes. He could tell she was anxious. Was she nervous
because of his presence or because of what just happened to her—whatever
that was?
    Now he’d like to get hold of the creep who did this to
her. She was much too fine to be going through this sort of hell. Was somebody
threatening her? Was that why Officer Lindle