Superstar Page 19

  “Thanks for intervening. I was ready to plant my foot in his crotch, but I’m glad I didn’t have to.” She tilted her face to his. “Besides, I kind of like seeing you all up in arms.”

  He smiled. The expression was fierce, as if he might have enjoyed eating Denny alive. “It doesn’t happen often. You want to ride over with me?”

  “Absolutely. Let me get my things.” Camryn stood on her tiptoes and kissed Maximo’s mouth.

  Apparently not satisfied with a brief brush of mouths, he trapped her against the car and slid his tongue between her teeth. Camryn’s knees felt ridiculously weak and her heart flipped a few familiar somersaults.

  Maximo Payne had quite an effect on her senses.

  After a very thorough kiss, Max broke away, an intent look on his face. One much different than the aggression he’d shown toward Denny. “We should go before I drag you behind the palm trees over there and have my way with you.”

  She laughed. “You wouldn’t.”

  “I would, and I will. Just think of the scandal that would cause if someone caught us.” He snorted. “Especially if you lost another pair of panties.”

  She laughed and turned to pull her bag and purse from the car. She had never found the missing pair of underwear. The scrap of material had probably blown off the balcony into the bushes, or some such thing.

  After engaging the locks, Camryn faced Maximo. “I can think of a hundred other places you should have your way with me, and all of them are located at your house. Let’s go. You’re not the only one with wicked plans tonight.”

  Epilogue

  Camryn knew that Halloween was going to be an event to remember. Maximo had decorated his place to the nines, complete with a faux horror house entrance and full graveyard out front. Inside, there were slithering ghosts, portraits that morphed from pretty ladies to frightening ghouls, and an array of skeletons, pumpkins, lights, and animated monsters sure to delight the guests. Camryn had been in the middle of it all, happy to make everything from coffin cookies and Dracula fingers to witches’ brew and bubbling cauldrons. She’d helped set up a life-size Frankenstein’s monster, arranged fog machines for maximum coverage, and spread fake spiderwebs at every conceivable corner.

  The situation with Denny had resolved itself, finally, allowing her to find a little peace. Much to her and Maximo’s relief, the contents of the recording never went public.

  “Hey, Jane. Come here,” Max called from the grotto.

  Laughing, ‘Jane’ tucked a final bit of cobweb onto an arch and abandoned the task to find ‘Tarzan.’ Oh yes. Choosing their costumes was a bet that she’d won, all because she’d wanted to see Maximo in a loincloth. It had been a brilliant choice, if she did say so herself.

  Entering the grotto, which Max had turned into a werewolf’s lair, Camryn paused to take in the sight of Max’s broad back, muscular legs, and flexing biceps. That bit of loincloth around his hips barely covered the necessities.

  Pity.

  “Quit staring at my nakedness and grab that box on the pile of half-eaten flesh,” he said without looking over his shoulder.

  Stifling a snicker, she sought out the realistic gobs of skin, muscle, and bone in the corner—leftovers from a werewolf meal—and plucked up a small coffin-shaped box with a red bow on top. Something rattled inside.

  More bones, probably. Rat bones.

  “Open it,” Max said, turning around.

  The front view of the loincloth was even better than the back. Camryn tore her gaze away from him and lifted the lid of the coffin, leaning away in case something jumped toward her face. Leave it to Max to rig a ‘gift’ like that on Halloween.

  But nothing sprang from within. Little fake bones skittered around the bottom of the coffin, along with the gleam of a metal key. She fished the key out with a frown.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “A key to the front door,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.

  Camryn darted a surprised look at his face. The months since the night of his premiere had passed with a dreamlike quality. She spent more nights at his place than at the apartment now that their relationship had solidified into something unquestionably real. Camryn refused to take anything for granted, instead simply enjoying each day as it came. Max had seemed of the same mind.

  So it was with no little surprise that she examined the key from several angles before meeting his gaze.

  The key suggested something a touch more permanent. She wasn’t positive whether he was giving her open access to his home, or silently asking her to move in.

  “A key to the front door,” she echoed, trying to guess his motives.

  He smiled like he knew what she was thinking.

  The brat probably did.

  Maximo approached on bare feet, taking his time navigating the ‘wolf den.’

  Mesmerized, Camryn watched the play of muscle under his skin and the flex of his thighs as he walked.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I . . .” She wasn’t sure what to think. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Are you asking me to move in with you, Maximo Payne?”

  He rumbled a laugh. “That’s my Camryn, always blunt. Yes, you vixen. I’m asking you to move in.”

  Camryn dropped the box and threw her arms around his neck, clutching the key tight in her fingers. “I might need a little more convincing.”

  “Really. What kind of convincing?” he asked, swiveling her toward a darker niche in the grotto.

  “The kind that ends with me sighing yes, Max,” she crooned, adding a sensual lilt to her words.

  “But it’s Halloween. I think I deserve a few screams before the sighs.” He swooped in to kiss her.

  She couldn’t agree more.

  The End

  About the Author

  I hope you enjoyed reading Superstar as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are the lifeblood of a book, and very important to me. If you would like to leave one, whether good, bad or indifferent, know that I appreciate each and every one!

  All the best!

  Danielle

  Born and raised in Corona California, Danielle now resides in Texas with her husband and two sons. She has been writing for as long as she can remember, penning works in a number of genres. To date, she has published twenty-nine novels and nine short stories. Her interests vary wildly: reading, traveling, photography, graphic art and baking, among others.

  There is a black cat named Sheba involved who thinks Danielle's laptop is her personal grooming station.

  Visit the author's website for news, updates and giveaways:

  www.daniellebourdon.com

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