Maxen (Kinky Shine Book 2)

by Stephanie Witter

  My smile vanished and the sudden energy I’ve felt upon seeing him was gone. I was left ready to crumble next to my luggage at my feet. And the worst, the worst was that I knew that if I had been alone, I’d have been able to cry. Over this ass.

  Couldn’t I have one thing going for me? Just one damn thing!

  I ground my jaw and glared at him, tilting my chin up in a defiant move, not ready to succumb to tears. “I see. I’m sorry for the interruption.’’ I went to turn around and go knock on Dex’s door, but Maxen’s big hand grabbed my bicep tight, keeping me where I was in front of the door like an idiot while his latest fuck buddy was waiting behind him. I was such an idiot! “Let. Me. Go,’’ I ground out, but he scowled at me, getting his face close to mine until I saw his eyes turning from light green to moss green.

  “You don’t go anywhere. Fuck, give me the benefit of the doubt if you don’t fucking trust me!’’ His voice rang hard and loud, and I finally saw the mystery woman as she walked closer and stopped at Maxen’s left side, a hand on her tiny waist, pushing her very fake and huge breasts forward. I didn’t know if she was pouting or if it was a natural expression from the shit she’s got injected in her lips. This woman must be in her forties, but she’s so fake it’s pretty difficult to say. Even her hair looked plastic with its super shiny bleach blonde color.

  “Who is it?’’ she asked with a tone of voice I’d say was patronizing, but I saw through her act. With her too tight clothes, her heavy makeup and countless plastic surgeries, she wasn’t as sure of herself as she wanted to come across. And she wasn’t as sure of herself as she wanted me to believe now that I was here and so obviously there to stay a few days with my luggage at my feet.

  Suddenly, the blind rage and disgust I’ve felt left room for some wicked amusement. He wouldn’t betray me like this, not for someone like this woman. I didn't show my doubts and kept on glaring at Maxen and the woman. Maxen's eyes were both angry and pleading with me while his blonde eyebrows bunched over.

  “I’m Maxen’s wife,’’ I replied evenly and extended a hand to shake hers, but she didn’t move. She glanced at my hand before going back to watch my face with more attention. Her haughty attitude melted away, and she gaped at me.

  “Oh! Yes, I… I recognize you. I’m Maxen’s neighbor.’’

  She pointed behind me probably at her house, but I didn’t turn around. I didn’t give a damn about her house or where she lived. It’s enough knowing that Maxen fucked her at one point or another. Knowing she lived close by on top of everything made me want to hit something.

  “Um… You should go,’’ Maxen said to the woman, now looking at her with a hard look on his face. “I told you I’m not interested anymore.’’

  The woman blushed under her thick orangey foundation and quickly nodded before sidestepping me and striding briskly away, her high heels clicking on the ground and fading away as she put more and more distance between us.

  “I swear nothing was going on between her and me, Lark.’’

  I nodded and pointed at the interior of his house behind him. “Can I come in?’’

  Immediately he crouched and grabbed my luggage and led me to his living room, dropping the suitcase at the foot of the staircase and I had to turn my head the other way to hide my little smile. Damn, he’s determined to keep me here and funnily enough, I trusted him enough to not doubt that nothing had been going on between him and the woman before I rang. I’ve never trusted someone like this other than my own family, but I truly trusted him.

  Maxen was the most famous womanizer around, and he’s never hidden it, but he’s also one of the most honest people I knew. He wouldn’t screw me over like this. I was sure he’d break the news to me that he’s moving on to someone new instead of playing me, and I didn’t remember him ever playing any girl back in college. He’s always been upfront. I needed to trust him and considering his job and how women reacted around him and the other guys in the band, I better believe he’d be faithful if I wanted this to go anywhere.

  “Shit, Lark. Say something. I swear nothing was going on. She knocked ten minutes ago, and I pushed her away. She had a hard time getting it through her head, but—’’

  I held up a hand, and he closed his mouth, his eyes watching me as I took a seat on the couch while he’s still standing on the other side of the low table, hiding parts of the TV with his tall body. “Did she kiss you?’’

  “I stopped her before she could.’’ He crossed his big arms over his chest, breathing louder as if he’s getting ready for a huge fight.

  I arched an eyebrow at him, feeling a spark of anger going off before it fizzled out. I hated thinking of another woman getting close to him. “Did her lips touch yours?’’

  “Are you fucking with me? Shit, I’d never let her lips touch mine, Lark. You can think whatever you want about me, about us, but in my mind, we’re together. I’ll never let someone else’s lips go near mine.’’

  “But you used to be with her, didn’t you?’’

  He groaned and uncrossed his arms to rub his face with his two hands. “Right before I went to rehab, I used to fuck her. It happened a few times, but I was usually high as a fucking kite, Lark. I don’t care about her.’’

  I nodded and tried to push away the strange and irrational jealousy I experienced. It’s hard, but I did because while I couldn’t be bothered by thoughts of him with other women, I was also aware he’s far from a saint. He’s had numerous conquests, probably threesomes too, but all of this was in the past. I couldn’t hold any of this against him. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. We were adults, and we both had a past.

  “Come here,’’ I said softly and patted the space next to me on the couch.

  He eyed me for a bit longer as if trying to see if I planned on killing him or kick him in the balls and finally took the place next to me, his knee bumping into my leg.

  “Maxen,’’ I started and put a hand on his thigh covered by old black jeans that looked more gray than black now. “It’s very strange, but I believe you.’’

  “You do?’’ The hard glint in his eyes softened when my words sank in, and a grin took over his face, making it that much harder to resist him. “I was sure you’d turn around and leave. Not that I’d have let you.’’ He cupped my face and brushed away my hair to tuck a few strands behind my ear.

  “I thought I would, but then I pushed through my jealousy,’’ I whispered and nuzzled his palm.

  His breath hissed, and he brought his other hand to the other side of my face. “You’re jealous?’’

  I nodded and turned my face to kiss his palm. I put a hand on his chest, right on top of his wedding ring dangling from the leather necklace.

  His heart was beating hard and fast under my palm, and I knew it was all for me. It’s so scary. I was well in my twenties, and I was scared of these feelings Maxen was awakening in me.

  Nothing was sure in life, but when you’re seeing a rock star, things were bound to be even more difficult and unsure. My broken heart could very well end up on TV and on the internet. Ultimately, all the things that were worth it needed work and a risk. Maxen was worth a lot and one day he would see it.

  “I lost my job this morning, and the first thing I did when I went back to the hotel was to pack my stuff and book the first flight out here to see you. I should have stayed in New York to sort out my life and get back to working on my résumé, but instead, I’m here. I don’t know what it all means. I didn’t stop to overthink it, I just acted.’’

  His smile fell, turning sad as he kept his eyes locked on mine. I didn’t dare to blink, afraid I’d miss something on his expressive face.

  “I’m glad you’re here, but I’m sorry about your job. I know it was important to you.’’

  “It was, but if you ask me today if I loved my job, I’d finally be able to tell you the truth. I enjoyed it to a certain extent, but it’s nowhere near what I love.’’ I moved my hands from his chest to his shoulders and up to weave my finger
s through his hair. “I didn’t have as much of a hands-on the artistic side of the branding process as I would have liked. I miss that.’’

  “You can do whatever you want, Lark. If there’s one thing about you I know, it’s that. When you set your mind on something, you succeed. And if not, you keep trying until you do.’’

  I shivered at the warmth in his voice.

  “And if I have my mind set on you?’’ I stopped breathing. My fingers stopping running through his hair behind his head.

  ***

  MAXEN

  If I was dreaming, I didn’t want to wake up. If I was high, I swear I was never getting off that drug. And I knew my drug of choice was Lark, and if she’s here to stay in my life, then I was never going to stop. I’d gladly be an addict for my whole fucking life.

  I closed my eyes for a second or two and smiled. I leaned closer to her until I was right there, my mouth a breath away from touching hers. I wanted to fucking devour her and make her mine in all the ways I knew how and the ones I didn’t yet, but I restrained myself. Just a bit longer.

  “Spell it out to me, babe, because I’m so fucking close to exploding here.’’

  Her bottom lip trembled, and I fucking knew. I knew it in my fucking bones, my cells, my very core that she’s scared of what she felt, just like I was and had always been. But it was happening. We weren’t running in the other direction this time.

  “I want to be with you, Maxen. I’m…I’m falling in love with you.’’

  I blinked and released a deep breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding, making it seem as if my chest was too tight. I sagged and wrapped my arms tightly around her. Against me, she felt small and delicate, as if she could be easily broken, but she’s always had the power between us and I’ve been the one breaking more than once because I hadn’t known what to do with my feelings for her. It’s different now, and it’s fucking overwhelming.

  “I’ve already fallen, Lark. Years ago,’’ I whispered hoarsely in her ear, rubbing my cheek against hers just the way I knew she liked.

  She shivered against me and wrapped her arms tightly around me, her fingers digging into my shoulders and that’s when it hit me how together in this we were.

  “Years?’’ she asked quietly without pulling away.

  Her lips trailed a burning path to my neck and this time I was the one shivering. She’s searing me more and more. I was branded by this woman I’ve been wild for, and I fucking loved her.

  “Years. Remember that day in the coffee shop freshman year? The day we met?’’ I waited for a tiny nod and couldn’t help the smile on my face at the memory. I was such a punk and so full of myself when it came to girls. “When you walked to the table and sat I couldn’t tear my eyes off you. And I thought… Fuck, I was sure I wasn’t the only one feeling that attraction, but then you turned into a bitch.’’ I chuckled and kissed her temple.

  She laughed too and it’s the best music to my ears, nothing could beat Lark’s laugh to me. “God, I remember. I just… I hated how you treated that girl or the one in the bathroom. It was awful how cold you were letting her know that your fun with her was over.’’

  Shame hit me. I’ve always been into casual sex, but freshman year and all the years in college until I dropped out were something else. I was angry. Angry at the nightmare my parents put me through, angry that they didn’t believe in me, angry that I had nobody other than Dex and then the guys. I was so damn angry all the time, and only sex could calm me down long enough to breathe again normally. I didn’t give a fuck if I disappointed these girls or if they believed that something would change my mind even though I had been clear that I wouldn’t.

  But even then, Lark was my exception. I wanted her and if I had had her, I wouldn’t have let her go because she made me feel things I didn’t know existed. Even when I fought with her or bickered I wanted her in any way I could have her.

  “I was an asshole. But’’—I pulled away from her and made sure her blue eyes were staring into mine—“you’ve always been different to me. I’ll never do something like that to you. I’ll never consciously hurt you, and I’ll always, always, take care of you. You’ve never been and never will be a passing woman to me, Lark.’’

  She smiled and her eyes got glassy. Fuck, I didn’t want to make her cry. I frowned and got ready to ask her what’s wrong when her lips pecked mine briefly.

  “If you ever think about treating me like one of your past women, I’ll kill you anyway.’’ She winked and chuckled.

  This woman. I smiled and it fucking hurt my cheeks. I must look like a crazy fucker, but I didn’t give a damn. She made me happy. Happy… Shit, I thought I was happy when we signed with the label, I thought my first Grammy made me happy, my first million, buying this house, being famous… None of that made me happy compared to how I felt right now.

  With Lark here to stay, I didn’t want to snort coke again, I didn’t feel restless, or like I needed a distraction from my own mind.

  I only wanted and needed her.

  “I’m going to kiss you, babe, and I won’t stop until we’re both naked and I’m inside you.’’

  Her sweet smile turned wicked, and I fucking loved that. I felt like I was on top of the world, and soon enough, I would feel like I was in heaven.

  I leaned into her and growled when her tongue slipped into my mouth.

  See?

  Heaven.

  LARK

  I smiled when Maxen placed another kiss on my naked shoulder as he pressed more of himself behind me, playing big spoon to my small spoon. I never thought such contentment existed.

  All of me was relaxed, happy. I didn’t have an ounce of fear or doubt left in me. Nothing else existed than this moment with Maxen, both of us naked in his bed as the sun made its course through the afternoon sky, bathing us in a glow that mirrored what the happiness filling me would look like if it had to take shape and colors. My future was full of possibilities.

  “Do you have any idea how fucking perfect it is to have you in my bed?’’ Maxen whispered in my ear, kissing the shell softly before he tucked his face in the crook of my neck and took a deep breath.

  “Is it crazy?’’ I trailed a few fingers over his arm wrapped around me. His big hand over my stomach pushed me farther into him as if we could get any closer.

  “Crazy?’’ He laughed softly, keeping his joy and amusement just between us, not sharing it with the world like he’d usually do when he laughed so loud. “Lark, we married when we couldn’t have a single chat without fighting, then ignored each other for years, and now I’m famous, and our relationship is scrutinized by everybody out there. Yeah, it is fucking crazy.’’

  I wiggled against him and entwined my legs with his, trailing my foot along his leg. Shivers coursed through me when he hardened again, his cock straining against my ass. “Maybe we should take it easy. Slow.’’

  “Slow?’’ He growled in my ear and pulled back, pushing me on my back so he towered over me with a frown and lips in a tight line. His large shoulders partially hid the sun rays. “There will never be anything slow between us, unless it’s about sex because going slow can be fucking good.’’ I arched an eyebrow at him, but it didn’t stop him. “We’ve known each other for years and we only now are exploring what had always been there. I’m not going to let you slip through my damn fingers ever again, Lark. Slow, easy and everything in between can go the fuck away. You and I?’’ He lowered himself over me, making sure to keep most of his weight off me. I still felt his muscles playing under his flesh, felt the dust of hair on his legs rubbing against my limbs, felt the barbell from his nipple teasing my own nipple, his wedding ring on his necklace hit my chest. Mostly, I felt his length getting harder by the second, pushing against my already over-sensitive clit. “You and I, Lark, we’re not easy. We’re never going to be, and I don’t want us to be. When I’m with you, I feel so fucking much it quiets every bad thing inside. You’re my salvation and my hope. You’re my wife. You’re not going any
where.’’

  My heart was full, so full I wondered how it could possibly fit in my chest. All over my skin, goose bumps took over.

  With my fingers, I drew his eyebrows still bunching over his mesmerizing green eyes and then down his cheekbones and his lips. He parted them to lightly bite on the pad of my left thumb. My breath hitched and arousal made itself known again as I fidgeted underneath him, pushing my hips upward. Even after three amazing orgasms, I wanted this man.

  “I don’t have a job, Maxen. I don’t know where I am right now.’’

  He kissed the tip of my nose with a smile. “You’re in LA with your sexy husband. What else do you need?’’

  “An income?’’ I chuckled and leaned up to place a small kiss on his lips. “I don’t live in the same world as you do.’’

  “Let’s not fight about this.’’ He rolled to his side and trailed his hand over my body. At my tight nipples, he took the time to circle them until my breathing came out into pants.

  “We need to talk, though. Like… adults. Damn it, Maxen!’’ I pushed away his hand. “Stop it. You make it impossible to think.’’

  He laughed, and this time it’s his trademark loud laugh that could easily fill a room and bring a smile to anyone. It was no wonder he was able to hide so much pain with such a laugh. It breathed light into anything and anybody.

  The bed shook under us. He grabbed my hips and rolled me to my side as if it was the easiest thing to maneuver me around. When I was against him, this time with my front against his, he wrapped his big arms around me and breathed in deeply.

  “What if I tell you I want you here with me? I know your life is in New York, but maybe… I don’t know.’’ His left hand fell down to my ass. “I don’t want a long-distance relationship, Lark. I travel a lot, sometimes for months, and I don’t want to be away from you even when I’m here. I’m asking a lot and if I could leave LA and stay in New York, I would, babe. Without a second thought.’’