Chapter Fifty-Seven
Paige
We stayed at his place for the next few days.
Shut the world out, slept in late, cooked when we remembered.
We read Penny’s diary one entry at a time, with me curled into Maddox’s side, reading out loud the parts that made me laugh, him taking over for the bits that made me cry.
I told him stories he’d never heard, ones Penny would hate to know were being shared.
“She always did what she wanted, y’know?
” I said one late night, the bedside lamp casting a soft glow over his features.
“She found this baby skunk once, injured on the side of the road, and decided to bring it home. Dad went apocalyptic when it sprayed all over his home office. I swear he had to replace almost everything.”
He laughed, telling me things I didn’t know about my sister; about the person she was at work. And somewhere in all of that, the jagged edges started to smooth. The ache didn’t vanish, simply dulled.
He started writing, too, a little whenever inspiration struck. No pressure, no deadlines, just words and melody and memory.
“Watching your mind work in real time…it’s unreal,” he said. “I get why so many songs you wrote landed in the charts.”
I stopped drying a plate at the sink, my face recoiling in horror as I stared at him from across his kitchen. “God, you really are a sap, aren’t you?”
He lunged for me, tossed me over his shoulder, and threw me onto the sofa, crushing me under his weight until we were breathless and panting, tearing off each other’s clothes.
But life didn’t stop just because we hit pause. Now, the last show of the North American leg of Reign’s Lost and Found tour is tonight, and we’re back in the studio, rehearsing after nearly two weeks apart.
Only now it’s different from when we were here last.
Leaning against Maddox on the sofa, legs bent in front of me, his notebook sits open against my thigh. Pen looped through my fingers, I scribble the final lines of the bridge we’ve been working on since yesterday.
Maddox’s arm drapes along the back of the couch, fingers absently playing with the ends of my hair, curling it around them, tugging at them gently. His mouth’s pressed to the back of my head, not quite kissing, as he reads over my shoulder.
Singing under my breath, the half-melody, half-thought not completely right yet, I glance up, staring at nothing before muttering quietly, checking the lyrics out loud.
“I think it’s almost done,” I murmur, raising the notebook higher so he can see.
“It’s looking good,” he says, brushing his thumb along my shoulder, goosebumps tracking in its wake.
Chewing on my lower lip, I add one more line before reading the whole thing through, grinning as I hand him the notebook. “What do you think?”
I watch as he reads it once, and then again.
“I think we’ve got it,” he says.
“Really?
He nods. “It’s amazing. Just a little bruised, but full of light.”
I sigh, tipping my head back against his chest as he closes the notebook and sets it on the arm of the couch, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“What about adding it to our next album?”
I go rigid, turning very slowly to face him. “What?”
He lifts a shoulder like it’s no big deal, and I move quickly, a flash of auburn filling his face as I spin and straddle him, eyes boring into his.
“Hold on,” I tease, scrunching my nose up in disbelief. “Is the great Maddox Knox agreeing to have a song that’s not completely written by him on the next album?”
“Baby, I haven’t been writing my songs on my own for a while,” he says, hands grazing up my thighs. “You’ve been in every one of them.”
I try to hold in my smirk, I really do, but my body betrays me, gently shaking as I laugh.
“What? I’m trying to be nice,” he chuckles.
This time, my laughter rings out, and I suck in a breath, trying to smother it. “I know, and I’m sorry. I guess I’m still getting used to nice Maddox and not the arrogant asshole you normally are.”
Reaching around, he squeezes my ass in both hands, his voice dropping to a low timber that makes me shiver. “If asshole Maddox is who you want…”
He leans forward and flicks his tongue along the shell of my ear before sucking the lobe between his teeth and nipping.
I squirm, grinding down onto his lap, feeling his cock twitch behind his zipper.
He pulls me closer, the friction a delicious kind of torture when I know, at any second, the rest of the band will show up.
But neither of us seems to care.
Not when he starts running his nose along my jaw to my lips, his tongue pushing past the seam, drinking in the quiet moan I release when he licks into my mouth. He kisses like a damn god, and I whimper, his hands rocking me against him, my hips taking on the rhythm and following his lead.
“We should stop,” I breathe against his lips, but make no move to do so. “The guys…”
“Jesus fuck!” Eli cries out, shoving open the door with all the finesse and perfect timing of a baby elephant crashing through a forest. “What the he— Paige? Maddox?”
I leap off his lap, throwing myself to the other side of the couch, my lips kiss-swollen, and I know without a doubt my skin must be the brightest shade of red.
Maddox shifts on the spot, trying to cover the erection straining in his pants as Beau walks in behind him.
“Are you… Does this… What…” Eli splutters, unable to finish a single thought, his blue eyes bouncing between the pair of us. “You two…?”
He doesn’t wait for a reply, not that either of us could answer his unfinished line of questioning, before he’s flinging himself onto the couch, crushing Maddox under his weight and leaning over to grab me and pull me in too.
“I’m so excited,” he says, awkwardly throwing an arm around my neck and hugging me, the new position setting him right on Maddox’s… He drags himself back, his gaze lowering to his friend’s crotch, his eyebrows wiggling up and down. “Oh, hello. Looks like I’m not the only one.”
“Get off.” Maddox shoves at him hard, causing him to topple, his laughter loud as he lands on the floor.
“I think you were about to,” he teases, scrambling away when Maddox stands, taking a step toward him.
Turning, he offers a hand, pulling me to my feet and wrapping an arm around my waist, bringing me into his side.
Our bandmates stare at each other, this weird face-off happening in the middle of the studio, and I look at Beau first, his face unreadable but not entirely disapproving.
“Beau?” Maddox’s fingers curl against me as he stares at one of his best friends. “I love you, man, I just…” He glances down at me briefly, before meeting his eyes again. “I love her, too.”
“I know, but…” He turns to me, lips pulling tight. “What about you? How do you feel?”
I lean into Maddox, tilting my head upward to look at him.
“Maddox Knox might be a lot of things, and yeah, we might argue about lyrics or chord sequences or whatever.” A soft smile pulls at my lips, my voice lowering as I say, “But I love him, faults and all.”
I’ll never get tired of saying those words, ones I said when we were hauled up in his house.
“Aww, you guys,” Eli says, throwing an arm around Beau’s shoulder, resting his head against it. “Don’t you love it when Mom and Dad stop fighting?”
Beau shrugs him away, moving toward his guitar. “I thought you liked it when they fought?”
“Fighting? Fucking? I don’t mind which, as long as I get to see it—”
“I really need to watch when I walk into a room when Eli’s here,” Thea says, shaking her head as she steps into the studio. “That way, it wouldn’t sound like one of my band members isn’t into some kink that, knowing him, could get him in a lot of trouble with the PR department.”
“PR department? We have a PR department?” he asks, his face paling slightly.
“You’ll have one when you sign this goddamn contract.” She brandishes a crisp document from under her arm. Setting it on the table, she spreads her arms wide, coming over and wrapping me in a hug. “I’m so glad to see you. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” Thea pulls back, levelling me with a look. “I promise.”
“I was so worried, and when I didn’t hear from you, I thought…”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I cut in, stepping out of her hold. “I had a lot to process.”
Sympathy coats Thea’s face as she nods, her gaze lowering to where Maddox’s hand rests back on my waist, her brows raising in question.
“Uh-huh, I can see.” She nods toward the door. “Maddox, Paige, a word?”
Glancing at him, I follow her, the whole thing strangely reminiscent of the last time our manager did this. Like before, she pushes her way into the control room, dismissing our sound guy. Maddox walks in first, head lowered, hiding a smirk.
Because, unlike last time, we’re good, really good.
“Do you have something to tell me?” she asks, loosely folding her arms over her chest and leaning against the desk, her lips twitching as she glances between us.
“Last time I had to warn you to sort out your shit before the start of the tour. And now you’re what?
Fooling around? Dating? I don’t care which, I just care if it could blow up in our faces. ”
“It won’t,” Maddox says, taking a step toward me like he’s trying to show a united front.
“I swear you’re giving me premature grey hairs,” Thea mutters before straightening. “Okay, you’re both consenting adults and as long as this isn’t going to be an issue for the band…”
“We’ve spoken about it, and the band is our top priority,” I say firmly, readying myself to tell her what Maddox and I discussed last night.
“My mom went over the contract with us, and it’s ironclad.
There’s no mention of Paige Deveraux being linked to Sip Station anywhere, and we want it to stay that way. ”
Thea nods, waiting for me to continue.
“Deveraux can never be mentioned. In terms of the band, I’m only ever an Erikson.
Yes, there will be people out there who know who I am, but we want Sip Station to be as removed from Paige Deveraux as possible.
” I glance at Maddox, and he nods, linking our fingers together as I keep going. “It sounds stupid, I know, but…”
“No, I get it,” Thea interrupts. “Nepotism isn’t something we want to be associated with the band anyway, but with how much Reign’s tour has been a success for you all, I highly doubt it would.
” She inhales deep and heads toward the door.
“But I understand. No involvement, no backdoor deals, no hidden credits. Deveraux stays completely out of it.”
My shoulders relax, some of the tension seeping out of them. “Thank you.”
Thea looks between us once more. “Contract aside, I’m glad you two finally worked things out, just…keep it clean when you’re in practice, okay? I already have Eli to keep an eye on; I don’t think I could handle a scandal with you two as well.”
“I’m shockingly well-behaved these days,” he teases, looking at me with a smirk.
“You’re shockingly full of shit,” Thea rebuffs, opening the door and disappearing back into the hall as it shuts behind her, and we watch as she reappears on the other side of the glass.
I start to follow after her, pausing with my fingers curling around the handle and turning back, my head tilting when I see he hasn’t moved.
“You coming?”
“You know,” he drawls, stepping in close, hands sliding to my hips as he backs me up until I’m lifted onto the desk. “I’m getting déjà vu. The last time we were in here, I remember you saying you could make yourself come quicker than ten minutes and twenty-three seconds.”
He dips his head to my neck, kissing lightly at the sensitive spot between my throat and shoulder.
“You remembering the exact length of time of that recording should be worrying,” I breathe out through a laugh.
“I’ll always remember the playtime of my favorite track.”
Claiming my mouth, he pushes between my legs, spreading them wider, the taste of lust on his lips almost as addictive as his desperation.
He slides his hands up my thighs, fingers practically shaking the closer he gets to the button at my waistband, ready to flick it open when there’s a loud thud on the window.
“Will you keep it in your pants?” Eli grins through the glass. “Anyone would’ve thought you’d never had a girlfriend before with how horny you are.”
Laughing, my head drops to Maddox’s shoulder, hiding my embarrassment.
“Come on, we should get back.” Hopping down off the desk, I link my hand in his, tugging him toward the door. “We’ve got the final show to practice for.”
We step back into the studio, and the second we cross the threshold, it’s like nothing has changed.
The amps are humming, Beau’s tuning his guitar and Eli’s cradling his bass like it’s a newborn baby.
Thea sits at the table, typing furiously into her laptop, pausing only to push up her glasses or flip through a page in the contract.
“You two finally done defiling every room you enter?” Eli teases, and I feel my cheeks heat. “Or do you need longer to dry hump on the controls?”
“Please don’t say dry hump,” Beau cringes.
“I’m a bit scared about how obsessed Eli is with all of this,” I mutter, heading to my bag to grab my sticks.
“I’m just happy.” He grins. “You two are together, the band has a record deal, soon we’re heading to Europe… In fact…”
He sets down his bass and jumps to his feet, grabbing Beau’s arm suddenly, barreling toward us.
“Group hug!”
“No, wait—”
He crashes into me, somehow with Maddox in tow, shoving us all together in a crash of limbs and elbows, and I’m sure a hand that isn’t Maddox’s lands on my ass.
“Just watch out that Maddox’s trouser snake doesn’t bite you,” Eli adds at full volume right in my ear.
“When will you grow up?” Beau grumbles, head under his arm.
Thea laughs from somewhere behind us, just as a flicker of light flashes. “I’m posting this to your socials.”
Maddox’s arm stays around me as we untangle, watching the chaos calm down as the guys grab their instruments again, getting ready for our practice.
It’s loud and messy and all ours.
It’s everything.