by L. P. Maxa
ONLY FOR...
Landry Cole’s life began when she was nine. Until then the day-to-day turmoil of her early childhood was the stuff of nightmares. Her father, his wife, and all her aunts and uncles showed Landry unconditional love, and under their care, she bloomed. But she never forgot. Fast forward to the fifth year of her surgical residency, and from the outside, Landry’s got it going on. Inside, loneliness and betrayal color her life until she meets the outrageous and daring Clashing Swell drummer, Brody Frost.
THE SHORT TERM
Brody’s life was golden. He surfed every morning, his band, Clashing Swell, had just signed with RiffRaff records, and he was free from emotional attachments. Until he met Landry Cole. To say she took his breath away was an understatement. But she was a princess to rock royalty, and Brody was no one from no where. Sure, the tour the band was about to undertake would change all that, but he wanted Landry now. When she told him they were short term, she wasn’t going to be a tour widow, he thought he’d take whatever she would give him. Little did he know she was about to give him everything.
INFAMY
RiffRaff Records – Book Three
L.P. Maxa
www.BOROUGHSPUBLISHINGGROUP.com
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Boroughs Publishing Group does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for author or third-party websites, blogs or critiques or their content.
INFAMY
Copyright © 2017 L.P. Maxa
All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Boroughs Publishing Group. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of Boroughs Publishing Group is illegal and punishable by law. Participation in the piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights.
ISBN 978-1-944262-86-0
E-book formatting by Maureen Cutajar
www.gopublished.com
To Malia. You know I love you, let’s not get sappy about it.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, thank you to my spectacular husband and my amazing daughter. This one was a tough one. I had a good weeklong period where I was holed up in the guest room trying to get Landry and Brody on paper. Thanks for sticking with me, and making sure I ate. To my sweet new baby nephew Aiden, thanks for chilling with me in the middle of the night while I wrote. You’re a good sport, and if you grow up loving romance novels, we’ll all know why. Amy S. thanks for helping me get Brody just right. Michelle, thank you for believing I could get these two to a great HEA. Smitten Kittens, thank you for all the laughs, support, and gifs. You guys are my favorite form of procrastination.
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Epilogue
Bonus: How It All Began
About the Author
Also by L.P. Maxa
INFAMY
“I’ll never stop falling in love with you.”
— Nicole Williams
Chapter One
Landry
“Their drummer is insane. Before you got here he let someone tattoo some kind of fish on his ass cheek.”
My Uncle Luke was yelling above the sound of Clashing Swell playing to a rowdy crowd near the ocean. I nodded, letting him know I’d heard him. He was right. The drummer was crazy. Crazy fucking hot. The dude caught my eye right before he’d taken the stage. Once there, the girls in the crowd flashed him their chests; many of them had their Instagram names painted in bright colors all over their skin. Not that I could blame them; he was gorgeous. Muscular arms, pretty blue eyes and wild blond hair. He looked like a model from an old RVCA ad.
Aunt Lo nudged me with her shoulder, gesturing to the stage. The drummer was staring at me, smirking, and not missing one beat while he pummeled his drums. I’d had four glasses of wine before arriving at the concert. That was my excuse for winking back to his flirt. Which made the sun-kissed nut-job smirk wider.
I liked Clashing Swell, but this was the first time I was seeing them live. Knowing good music was in my blood—and so was knowing talented drummers.
This guy was epic. That was why I was currently standing side-stage with Uncle Luke, nodding my head to the beat just like he was. RiffRaff Records, my family’s label, had signed Clashing Swell a few months ago and put together a tour, which was about to kick off.
These guys needed to be seen by more than a couple thousand people at the beach. They were young, talented, good-looking, and they put on a great show. Before signing with RiffRaff, Clashing Swell had garnered a huge organic following. They were primed for success.
“What the hell is he doing?” Uncle Luke turned white as a ghost and Aunt Lo cocked her head to the side, watching as the drummer started to climb the light rigging.
As soon as the lead singer had said shouted thank you to the crowd, Señor Crazy Ass had thrown his drumsticks into the audience and taken off. I assumed he’d headed backstage, ready to fuck off his adrenaline rush from performing live. You know what happens when you assume.
“Should I stop him? I’m pretty sure Dash would shit a fucking brick.” Uncle Luke was walking, keeping pace with the drummer’s direction as he scaled the rigging like a blond monkey. Aunt Lo and I were following Uncle Luke, finding this way more amusing than he did. “The promoters are going to fine us. He can’t do shit like this.”
“This is our last live show until the tour starts.” Crazy Hot was standing on top of the light rig now, balancing with his hands out to the side, obviously still mic’d. His faded white shirt stood out in contrast to the night sky behind him. If she were here, Aunt Lexi would be taking a hundred pictures of his shenanigans.
“We wanted to say thank you, to all our fans,” he yelled. “Without you guys, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” The crowd cheered and I swear my uncle looked like he was about to have a heart attack. “No one has better fans than us.” The audience cheered louder. “No one has more supportive fans than us.” Drummer boy was playing a game with them. A game they seemed familiar
with, because right before he did a flip into the crowd, they all held up their arms to catch him.
“Holy fucking shit.” Uncle Luke covered his eyes.
I shook my head but watched every second of the foolish stunt.
I couldn’t seem to look away.
***
“Talon, Brax, Dane, and Brody.” Uncle Luke pointed to each guy, introducing me. “Clashing Swell, this is my niece, Landry.”
“It’s nice to meet y’all. Welcome to the RiffRaff family.” I smiled, shaking each one of their hands. Brody, the drummer, was last, and he didn’t let go right away like everyone else. Instead, he pulled me closer. Not enough for my uncle to notice, but enough that I caught Brody’s drift. Flirty little drummer boy, wasn’t he? “You guys put on a fantastic show.”
After a few minutes of small talk, the band members started to disperse. There were girls everywhere, and giant tubs icing down every craft beer Florida had to offer. Uncle Luke put his hand on Brody’s shoulder, shaking his head like a stern parent. “No more stunts like that, you hear me? The promoter just slapped RiffRaff with a three-thousand-dollar fine. Not to mention the fact that you could have died. Or been paralyzed. Or hurt someone else.”
Brody nodded, his lips twitching like it was hard for him to hold his chastised expression. “Yes sir.”
“Good.” Uncle Luke pointed his finger at Brody’s face. “The camera caught it and it’ll make great promo, but never again.” He turned to me, pulling me in for a big hug. “I wish we could stay longer, Buttercup.”
I hugged him back, equally as hard. “I know, me too.” He released me and let Aunt Lo have a turn.
“Try not to work so hard, honey. You need a little more fun in your life.” When my aunt had found out I hadn’t had a night away from the hospital in four weeks, she’d come unglued. She’d scolded it wasn’t healthy to run myself ragged. I’d explained that was life for a fifth-year surgical resident.
As soon as my aunt and uncle turned the corner, Brody whispered in my ear. “Lucky for you, fun is my specialty.”
I turned to him, smiling despite myself. “Oh yeah?” Clearly, Brody wasn’t the type of guy that needed to be encouraged. Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t seem to help myself. I blamed the wine and fresh ocean air for making me act as crazy as the drummer.
He nodded, his sexy smirk firmly in place. “You wanna see?”
I should have said no. But, then again, maybe Aunt Lo was right; some fun would do me good. Plus, Brody wasn’t hard on the eyes, not by a long shot. “Yes.” Before I knew what was happening, he picked me up, threw me over his shoulder and headed down the long cement and cinderblock hallway. “What are you doing?” I screeched. “People will see us.”
“All anyone can see right now is your perfect little ass.” He slapped it lightly.
I never did things like this—ever. The last guy I dated was a heart surgeon, with an ego the size of Texas, and little to no sense of humor. He’d asked me out on a date, and it’d taken him four more to get in my pants. And then he’d cheated on me…so really, I should be happy Brody seemed like Dr. Douche’s polar opposite. “Where are you taking me, caveman?”
“To have fun, of course.” He turned a corner to the left, this hallway much darker than the last. Another turn to the right, and suddenly it was pitch black. He placed me on my feet, and I held onto his arms while the blood rushed back into my head.
“Are we in a janitor’s closet?” The room smelled vaguely of chemicals.
“I think so.” He was close, standing right in front of me. The way he placed his hands on my hips was like we knew each other. Like we had been seeing each other.
“And this is fun?” I was biting my lip. Standing in a closet with a complete stranger wasn’t a normal Landry Cole move. It was more of an old-school Jacks Cole move, if we were naming names.
“Are you excited and slightly terrified?” He was closer now, his words whispered against my lips.
“Yes.”
He put a hand in my hair, his fingers rubbing my scalp. “Then we are well on our way to real fun, baby cakes.” And then he kissed me.
I had butterflies in my stomach and goose bumps on my skin. He tasted like the sea air and coconuts; like summer. I ran my hands up his arms, more than a little surprised at myself. I didn’t know why I wasn’t pushing him away. Why I wasn’t demanding to be let out. Who was this woman he’d made me become?
“God, you taste good.” He bent me backward, kissing me deeper. When he stood up, I climbed him like a damn tree then wrapped my legs around his waist.
Call me crazy, but I wanted him. I wanted this wild man to fuck me in a supply closet. I wanted it bad.
He walked forward, pushing my back against another cinder-block wall. I freed my hands from his messy blond hair, fumbling with his button and zipper trying to get his pants off. If I was going mental I might as well go all the way, right?
Tomorrow I would go back to being a responsible surgeon.
Tomorrow everything would go back to boring. But tonight—tonight I wanted fun.
***
Brody
Holy hell, this chick was hot. When I’d picked her up, like actually picked her up, I had no real idea of what to do with her. Mostly, I was messing around, trying to get a rise out of her. But she went with it. Every turn I took, every come-on I shot her way, she liked it. She smiled and laughed and I got completely addicted to her reactions, like immediately. I wanted them all. When I kissed her, I thought she’d push me away, not pull me closer and try to take off my pants.
She was Landry Cole and I was nothing.
“You need help, baby cakes?” I propped her against the wall and helped her get my pants down. Before they fell to the floor, I grabbed a condom out of my wallet and slid it on my suddenly aching cock. “Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, we don’t have to.”
“Yes. Please. This is what I want.”
She hopped down and I heard her unbutton her painted-on jeans then kick off her boots. It was dark in the closet, but when my pants hit the floor it caused my cell to light up in my pocket, casting a nice glow on her tight, tanned body. She was thin, with nice curves, and long dark hair. Her blue eyes were twins to mine, and so was her sex drive, apparently.
I captured her mouth again, caging her against the wall. “You’re sure?” She nodded and I fisted one hand in her hair, letting the other travel down her body. I cupped her pussy, chuckling at how wet her panties were. “So fucking sexy.” I grabbed her thong, tearing it in two, making her cry out in surprise. She jumped back up, her legs twining around my waist, her nails digging into my shoulders, no doubt drawing blood. She was a feisty little thing. “I think I like you, Landry Cole.”
I positioned myself at her entrance, pausing for a moment because I still couldn’t believe this gorgeous goddess was letting me touch her. Let alone fuck her in a closet.
“Hey. What are you waiting for?” She popped me on the cheek with her hand, the slight sting making my dick twitch.
I thrusted inside her, hard, in one smooth motion. She cried out, arching her back and biting at her plump bottom lip. “You okay?” I’d meant to be a little punishing as payback for the slap, but I didn’t want to hurt her.
“More.”
I bent forward, nipping at her slender neck. “You are a bad, bad girl, aren’t you?” I slammed into her, rattling the shelves to our right, neither one of us turning when a couple bottles crashed to the floor. I never stopped, I never let up. I gave her everything I had, no holding back, no taking it easy.
And. She. Fucking. Loved. It.
A quick, dirty romp between strangers that was hot as hell. Loose and loud, she kept pace with me as I tilted her ass to get deeper inside her. When she came and screamed my name, the sound of her orgasm sent me over the edge, my balls tightening to the point of pain as I filled the condom.
We were both panting, her head still on my shoulder and my forehead resting on her chest when she reached ar
ound, found the light switch and flicked it on.
“Holy shit.” I picked my head up, grinning at her in amazement. “You are fucking spectacular.” She smiled, her hair wild around her face and her cheeks flushed.
Then she hopped down, searching the ground for her jeans. “Thanks. And you were right. That was a lot of fun.” She pulled on her pants, stepped into her boots and tucked her shredded underwear into her pocket.
I followed suit, getting dressed, but sneaking glances her way every few seconds. I couldn’t not watch her. She was so damn pretty. Her long, dark hair hung in loose waves down her back. I didn’t think I’d ever forget the way it felt in my hands. She was a few inches shorter than me. And she was a hellion.
“The fun is just getting started, baby cakes.”
She cocked an eyebrow, challenging me again. “Oh yeah?”
“Come home with me tonight.” And the next night, and the night after that. I wanted to fuck Landry Cole every damn night until I left to go on tour.
“Look, Brody, this was great. It really was, but my job is intense and my schedule is grueling. Not to mention…”
“I leave in nine weeks to go on tour, and I’ll be gone for almost a year.” I placed my hand on her cheek. “I’m not looking for forever, baby cakes, and it sounds like you aren’t either.”
She eyed me for a few seconds, and if I read her right, an internal debate was going on in her brilliant head. “This is short term, and no one finds out.” She held her hand out, like she wanted to shake on it. “Deal?”
I nodded, miming I was locking my lips and throwing away the key. “Short term, no one finds out. When I climb on that tour bus, we part ways as friends.” I put my hand in hers, making the best deal of my life in a janitor’s closet with a full condom at my feet.
Chapter Two
Two Weeks Later
Saturday
6 p.m.
Brody: Hey baby cakes, how was your flight? You home? You naked by any chance? You wanna sext? I’m used to fucking you nonstop. Kinda horny here alone in FLA.
