by Tina Saxon
A knock at the door surprises me. Man, he’s taking this seriously. When I answer the door, I take a couple steps back at the sight of a stranger.
“Ms. Owen, I’m sorry. Mr. Shaw sent me to get you. I’m Carl,” he blurts, holding out a dozen roses I missed at first sight. I narrow my eyes at the large Polynesian man dressed in a white linen shirt and black slacks. A tribal tattoo wraps around one of his elbows. He has a lei around his neck and flip-flops on. Looking past him, I see a black jeep.
I take the flowers, not taking my eyes off of him. “Do you mind if I text Max first?”
“No, ma’am.” He continues to smile, not offended by my hesitancy. I nod and close the door, locking it. Then look at the entire length of the house, wide open. That lock wouldn’t hold anyone back from getting to me.
Noticing a note on the flowers, I pull it off and open the small white card.
Plan #2 is in motion. Carl’s a good guy.
Can’t wait to see your face. ~ M
Fear still guiding my senses, I place the roses in water and grab my phone. On it is a text already from Max.
Hulk: Carl works for me. I promise he won’t hurt you.
Works for him? Taking a deep inhale, I blow it out, releasing the tension in my shoulders and grab my purse. I peek out the front window and Carl is leaning against the jeep, hands in his pockets, waiting. Max wouldn’t send just any guy after what happened last week. He’s having a hard enough time not taking the blame for leaving me.
“So, you work for Max?” I say, holding onto the handle so I don’t bounce and hit the roof. I sit up front, afraid I’ll get sick being in the back.
“Yes, ma’am. Hold on,” he says, hitting a small dip in the road. Hold on? I haven’t let go. I grit my teeth so I don’t squeal.
“What do you do for Max?” And why does Max have employees in Hawaii?
He glances over and his white teeth flash bright against his tanned skin. “I watch over his house. Among other things.”
“His house?” I look back at the hill in surprise, pointing back to it. “That’s Max’s house?” His eyes widen as he keeps his gaze straight forward.
“You didn’t know?” His words come out slow. He mumbles something, not in English.
A weight settles on my chest wondering why Max didn’t tell me. “He didn’t say it wasn’t his. I guess I just assumed it wasn’t.” We make the rest of the trip in silence. I feel bad for Carl. He’s beating himself up for telling me something Max might not have wanted me to know. I chalk it up to Max assuming I knew it was his.
When we pull into the restaurant, Max strolls toward the jeep. “Mmm,” I whisper, staring at the gorgeous confident man wearing white linen shorts and an ice blue button-up shirt. He flashes a wicked smile, making my toes curl. Carl laughs, interrupting my gawking. My cheeks flush. “Sorry,” I blush, looking away from him.
“Stay here,” he softly commands, getting out. He walks up to Max and they speak. Max chuckles, slapping him on the back, shaking his head. I already know how that conversation went. Max walks over to my door, opens it and takes my hand.
“Hey, beautiful. Red is definitely your color.” His gaze trails over my body and he bites his lip. I’ll never grow tired of him looking at me like he wants to devour me. “Let’s go before I change my plans.” The unmistakable alpha side of him shows as he ushers me in the front door like he owns the place. Hell, maybe he does.
We’re led to a table with two round cushioned wicker chairs on the beach. Wicker lanterns hang above us creating a romantic ambiance, but it’s the purple and pink sunset that catches my eye. Between us and the beach are tikis lined in a semi-circle.
“There will be a show in a bit,” Max says, linking his fingers with mine on the table. There’s always a sense of ease when I’m with Max, even though he’s the most intense person I’ve ever been around.
As I bring the wine to my mouth, a tiny voice says, “Are you Sky Owen?” Placing the glass down, I turn and smile at the young tween standing by our table, terror in her eyes as she squeezes a small journal against her chest.
Max removes his hand from mine, sitting back in his seat and I crinkle my nose from the loss of touch before turning back to the girl. “I am,” I say. Her eyes light up. “What’s your name?”
“Sadie. I’m sorry to bother you. My mom said it wasn’t you, but I knew it was. I was just hoping you would sign my journal for me.” She holds it out, and it shakes from her nerves.
“Oh my gosh, I’d love to.” I take the journal. No pen. I glance up, looking for a waiter. Instead, Max holds one out. I blow a quick kiss to him as I take it. “Ok, Sadie, what song is your favorite?” I ask as I sign it and hand it back to her.
Her words fall from her mouth faster than I can keep up, telling me about how her friends all dance to one song, but sing another song. How a boy texted her another song, and that one is probably her favorite. I just smile and nod, listening to her excitement.
“I’m sorry,” the mom intervenes, coming up behind her. “Sweetie, we should let them eat.” Sadie takes a breath.
“Okay,” she sighs.
“Sadie, it was great meeting you.”
“I can’t wait to tell everyone,” she squeals. “Can I get a picture of you?”
I glance at Max wondering what he’s thinking. He winks at me, flashing a reassuring smile. “Of course, I love pictures.” Sadie pulls a phone out of her pocket handing it to her mom and stands next to me. Her energy vibrates through her body.
She wraps her arms around me for a quick hug. “Thank you so much!” She runs off showing everyone in her family the picture.
Silence hangs between Max and I. Breaking it, I say, “Don’t tell me you’re afraid to touch me in public.”
He leans on the table, lowering his voice. “This is uncharted territory so I’ll need you to guide me, here. The one thing I didn’t plan for tonight was fans. We talked about telling our friends, but…” His words trail off, not wanting to bring up why we didn’t go through with our plan. Getting kidnapped kind of puts a halt on things.
“Obviously, we’ll still tell our friends. I mean, unless you plan on keeping our marriage a secret?” I bite my lip to hide my smile.
“That smart mouth is going to get you in trouble,” he rasps. I lean forward, an inch from his chiseled face.
“I like trouble,” I murmur, closing the distance and kiss him. Is this guidance enough? Pulling back, satisfied with my leadership skills rarely used with Max, I say, “You’re the king of this territory so don’t go soft on me now.”
He laughs to himself. “The fact that you think anything about me is soft is shameful. I’m obviously giving you the wrong impression. Respecting your request to wait to tell our friends, yes… soft, never.” The heat between us expands from his unwavering gaze, a testament to his dominance and I have to turn away for a breath. I focus on the waves rolling up on the beach. “But I’ll let that one go since you said I was king.” I’m met with a cocky smirk when I turn back.
I smile, nodding. “Like there was any question.”
“There’s only one question.”
I tilt my head and take a guess, “Soft or hard?”
“That is usually not a question.” The confidence in his voice makes me shift in my seat, the tone shooting straight to my core. He smiles knowingly, as he waves the waiter over and tells him we’ll be back. Standing, he reaches for my hand and guides me down to the beach. I take off my wedges as soon as we hit the cool sand. There is nothing more romantic than walking hand in hand with the man you love down the beach at sunset. Max stops us when we reach a more private area of the beach and pulls me into him.
“Dance with me?” he asks.
There is never a day I’ll say no to that. I nod and he reaches into his pocket and plays a song. Old Dominion floats out of his phone singing "One Man Band.” The sun is a kiss away from disappearing into the horizon. Our bodies sway to the music. Max sings to me the part about getting tatto
os and trashing hotels. I giggle remembering the poor table. His raspy voice is thick with emotion, but he carries the tune and it’s sexy as hell.
“God, I love you,” he whispers into my ear when the next song begins. The honesty in his words is unbounded and raw. I glide my hands up his jaw and stare into his eyes. “I’ve never said those words to another woman.” His admission surprises me. I mean, he’s thirty. “I was just waiting for the right woman to say them,” he says, reading my thoughts.
“Sorry I made you wait so long.” Even though my past pushed me to where I’m at today, I wish I would have been more truthful with myself regarding my needs.
He wraps an errant hair behind my ear and I watch his Adam’s apple move as he swallows. He clears his throat and I wonder what’s making him nervous.
“Max, what’s—”
He covers my lips with his thumb, halting my words.
“I’ve always craved a rush, but you’re the only rush that’s ever satisfied me completely. I was stupid before… but I can’t say things happened the way they did for a reason.” He looks down and shakes his head before finding my eyes again. I nod in agreement but stay quiet. “We both lost someone, and I’d never say anything to lessen your loss because I know you loved him. You have grown and spread your wings so wide on your own, I’m in awe of your bravery. But I can promise you, I will move mountains to keep you mine forever. That river between us has dried up and you’re the only person who can quench my thirst. I need you, every day.” I hiccup through my tears as he drops to his knee and pulls a ring out of his shorts. “This is how I should have asked you,” he murmurs, holding the ring between his finger and thumb. It catches the light and glistens. My heart is overwhelmingly captivated by his words, it’s hard to talk. “Sydney Owens, a.k.a Sky, will you officially be my wife?”
I kneel, the sand cushioning my knees. “It was official hours ago. I haven’t changed my mind,” I sob, holding out my hand. He slips the platinum round cut diamond ring on my finger. I sniffle and take in a deep inhale, blowing it out, trying to calm my racing heart. “Max, you’re the wind that keeps me flying and I’ve never flown so high and it’s all because of you. You have always been there for me, through the worst and now the best. You mean everything to me and I can’t imagine a life without you. But you have to promise to continue to sing to me.”
He chuckles with the shake of his head. “Only for you.”
Tonight, every shadow of guilt or apprehension that ever filled my heart, has been destroyed by Max’s love for me. He does more than complete me, he makes me better.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sydney
I bite my lip, holding the phone in my hand, staring at the ceiling, the sting of reality invading my dream. After last night, I don’t want to wake up. I’d be fine living here forever with Max.
“What did Graham want?” Max asks, rolling to his side. He pulls my nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. I moan, my eyes rolling back, succumbing to his insatiable hunger.
“Did you ask a question?” I murmur.
He growls and yanks the sheet over me. “I can’t help it. Your naked body is too hard to resist.”
“Nobody asked you to stop.” I roll on top of him, straddling his hips, holding the sheet up to my chest.
“Tell me what Graham said…” He yanks the sheet from my hand, pulling it out from between us, running his hands up my bare thighs. “… And I’ll keep going.”
“Graham wanted to know if I was up to doing a country fest type concert in two weeks. Lots of artists, goes on all day and night type thing,” I blurt out quickly, making him chuckle. Despite his promise, he lifts me off of him and covers me again as he scoots over, leaving a good foot between us. His hand props up his head and his expression turns serious.
“Are you ready for that?”
“I was ready for something,” I say snarkily, giving him the evil eye.
A slow cocky smile crawls across his lips, not helping ease the ache between my legs, and he reaches for my hand, holding it between us. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later. Let’s talk about this. I want to know where you’re at too.”
“Fine,” I sigh in defeat. Nerves drown out the desire as my mind replays the fear. Was what happened enough to ruin my career? Does Max want me to stop since we’re getting married? A downward spiral evolves as my thoughts race about our future. Being here, caught up in everything Max, I haven’t considered what happens when we leave.
He squeezes my hand and dips his head until we lock gazes. “Sydney, you don’t have to do it if you’re not ready.”
“Is that what you want?”
Confusion registers on his face. “What do you mean, is that what I want? This isn’t my decision.”
I roll out of bed, needing a little more than a foot of space between us. A pool of dread knots my stomach as I wrap the silk robe around me, pulling the belt tight. Max raises his brows.
“I know it’s not your decision.” I swallow as the knot moves to my throat. “But what if my decision is to keep singing?” He sits up, leans against the headboard with a confused expression. The stark contrast of the white sheet against his tan body only makes his sculpted body stand out more.
“Are you worried what I’ll think if you keep singing?” I nod slowly. “Tink, I want you to be happy doing what you love. There have been no assumptions made that if we’re together, you would drop your dreams. You’ve earned your place in that world and I’d never take it away.”
My eyes cast down as embarrassment stirs in my belly. Especially after that answer. “Sorry,” I whisper, sitting on the edge of the bed. Wishing I could have half of Max’s confidence.
“Don’t be sorry, babe. There’s a lot of unanswered questions about what’s next. But I’m on your side wherever that is.” I peek up and softly smile. “Now, I can’t promise that I won’t be an overprotective husband.”
“You? Overprotective? Noooo.”
He pounces from his spot, pushing me back and ends up straddling me. “Okay, smartass,” he says, tickling me. I writhe under him, squealing for him to stop. He leans forward on his hands, steel-blue eyes lock onto mine. “You underestimate how deep my love for you is.”
He’s wrong, I feel it, deep inside my bones.
“It scares me to fall this hard for someone, I feel so out of control, it’s mind bending, yet I’d fight the world alone to keep it. To keep you.”
The rawness from his words melt into my heart. I cup his jaw and nod, tears pool in my eyes. “I’m yours, Max. Forever.” He lowers onto his elbows and runs his thumb across my cheek, catching the tear that broke free.
“Forever isn’t long enough,” he whispers, leaning down and dusting featherlike kisses down my neck. He reaches between us, pulling the knotted silk belt loose.
For the next hour, our hearts and souls strip bare. With no words, Max shows me how deep his love is for me.
“I would pay a million dollars for that picture.”
I glance over my shoulder, wondering who Max is talking to. He’s staring at me from the bed, his hands behind his head and the white sheet covering only one of his legs and outlining his hard cock. I roll my body so my back is against the doorframe instead of my hip. “What picture?”
“I lied. I don’t want that picture anymore. I want that one.” He points at me. “The silhouette of your naked body in the doorway, the sun shining behind you, blue skies as the backdrop. It’s flawless. Don’t get me wrong, the one with your tight ass was glorious, knowing that anyone could fly by and see your beautiful tits. But this one…” he groans, licking his lips while he adjusts himself “… is breathtaking.”
I glance at his phone on the nightstand and smile. “You only get one, so you better make it perfect.”
His smile reaches his eyes as he grabs his phone. I glance out to the ocean, and standing here naked, out in the open, waiting for my picture to be taken, is probably the most provocative thing I’ve ever done. Granted, no one
can see me unless they fly by in a helicopter. But it’s a possibility. I’ve heard a few fly by. I loll my head in Max’s direction when he keeps telling me to hold on, don’t move.
“Max.” I smile. “Take the picture.”
“There. Don’t move.” He takes the picture and winks. “It wasn’t perfect until I had your eyes on me.” He stares at it and hums. “Damn, Tink. You couldn’t have given me a better present.”
I giggle and crawl up on the bed, sneaking a glance at the photo. It surprises me to see how sensual I seem. “Wow.” My sneaky glance turns into a flat-out stare.
“You are so beautiful,” he softly sings in my ear, goosebumps pebbled my bare skin. The tune “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Crocker snaps me out of my gawking and I pull up on my elbows.
His voice, rich and deep, is sexy as hell. “We should sing a duet.”
Humor crinkles in the corner of his eyes. “Nope. Don’t get used to it, Tink. That’s your job, not mine.”
“You know where to find me if you change your mind.”
He laughs. “Tell me what you were thinking earlier.” It takes a couple seconds to register his shift in conversation. “When you were staring out to the ocean. I called your name a couple times, but you didn’t hear me.”
“Ohhh.” I slowly nod, the thoughts coming back. “I decided I want to do the concert. If I stop, she wins. It’s what she wanted all along — for me to fail. That’s why she tried to sabotage my performances.”
“I guess we’re going to Dallas.”
I cock my head to the side, wondering how he knows it’s in Dallas. “You’ve already looked it up, haven’t you?”
He finds me humorous. “Babe, I already have a security plan in place. And Stone is putting your new security team together.”
“Please tell me you weren’t texting while I was riding you,” I tease, wondering when he found time to do all that. The nap I took wasn’t that long. And when I woke, Max was passed out.
