Free Selena's Men by Elle Boon Page A

vibrated throughout her body. She glanced at the front of her chest to see if you could actually see the rapid beat of her heart pounding.
    Tamara shrugged. “I know who it is. Sorry, you startled me.”
    The apology was more of an accusation, but it gave Selena a moment to get her emotions under control. She smiled behind her hand as Tamara still hadn’t shifted from her protective stance.
    With a shove Selena moved around Tamara.
    “Oops, sorry.”
    Selena snorted at Tamara’s words, knowing her friend didn’t feel bad in the least.
    “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. King.” She held her hand out. He gripped her palm in a surprisingly gentle embrace for such a large man. Warmth flew down her arm, centered somewhere down south of her belly button at first contact. The heat turned to a tingle, then a full-out earthquake that only she seemed to be feeling.
    “Hmmm…I believe I told you before to call me Max,” he rumbled.
    His voice added another layer of vibration and his eyes twinkled, for crying out loud. The color was such a brilliant blue they reminded her of the sky. She absently wondered if his brother’s eyes were the same, but gave herself a mental shake. His stare was unnerving her.
    “Y–yes, you did.” Great, now she sounded like a friggin’ twit.
    “So I will call you Selena, and you will call me Max.”
    He turned to Tamara, who still hadn’t put her gun away, but blessedly it was pointed at the ground instead of at the delectable Max.
    “Wow, you guys are like identical,” Tamara blurted out.
    Selena laughed at the outburst. Her hand still engulfed in Max’s, she tried to tug it free. His grip tightened only briefly like he was as reluctant to let her go as she was to be set free. It was like an invisible thread connected them, like a braid missing a piece. She shook her head to clear her mind, then opened her senses to ease into his thoughts.
    A marble wall very similar to one she’d been taught to guard her own mind with shielded his. She settled back without disturbing Max. Years of practice kept him from knowing she’d been there.
    They all turned at the sound of the door buzzer going off. “That would probably be our employees.” Selena looked at the clock.
    Both Max and Tamara had puzzled looks on their faces. Selena made a sound of exasperation and rushed to the door. She placed her hand on the latch, prepared to twist the lock, something she’d done thousands of times, but froze at the sight of the large arm locking around her midsection.
    “What the hell are you doing?”
    “You didn’t even look to see who it was,” Max snarled.
    “That’s because I know who it is.” She tried to push his arm off, but the man was as unmovable as a concrete wall. “Please let me go,” she gritted out between clenched teeth.
    With a slight twist of his body he gently set Selena on her feet, turned the lock, and pushed the door, putting himself between her and any unseen attack.
    If she weren’t so impressed she’d be irritated. “ Grrr , I think I can handle myself, ya know. I’ve been doing it for years.”
    He didn’t answer her. He looked at the line of ladies standing outside before turning back to Selena with a lift of an eyebrow. “Are these your employees?” He quirked that damn eyebrow again before he continued. “Have you ever heard of equal opportunity?”
    “Excuse me, Mr. King. Could you please move your great hulking form out of the way?” She smiled around his body, inserting herself in front of him with a slight wiggle.
    “I do have male employees also, but it’s really none of your business. You obviously don’t know a thing about my clubs.” Shaking her head, she continued, “I have work to do, so please, if you don’t mind.” She gestured at the women, and flapped her hand in a dismissive gesture toward him. Of course he chose to ignore her not-so-subtle hint to go back inside. The man exasperated and excited her in equal measures.
     
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