Devil on Your Back (27 page)
Read Devil on Your Back Online
Authors: Max Henry
“WHAT WAS
that all about?” I ask Sonya once we’re back in her room, which consequently is now our room.
“Nothing,” she says, waving me off.
I let it lie for now, and catch her off-guard as she heads for the dresser to get her sleepwear, tugging her onto the bed.
“How does it feel?” I ask, searching her bright eyes.
“Nice,” she replies, rocking her pelvis into me.
I laugh and shake my head. “As much as I agree, that’s not what I meant.”
“What then?”
“How does it feel,” I try again, “to be officially my old lady?”
“Like it’s where I should have been all along.”
My lips curl into a grin, and I take her head in my hands. “How did I get through everything before this club without you?”
She gently brushes a stray strand of her hair off my cheek. “With a great deal of suffering.”
“But look at this,” I say, giving her a little squeeze. “Look at what it brought us.”
“I know.” She smiles, and leans down to lay a quick kiss on my forehead. “Sometimes the pain can make the reward that much sweeter.”
“I don’t expect you to forget him,” I remind her. “Mike was your first real love.”
“I get that,” she affirms. “And I’d never expect you to feel like Julia isn’t a part of who you are today, either. We’ve moved on, Vince, and you know? That’s okay. We’re allowed to, and if we weren’t then why would it feel this good?”
“I really do love you, woman.”
“And I completely tolerate you,” she teases.
Her eyes tell me it’s more, though. My hand glides over her golden hair, and she shivers when I pass my palm over her neck. Sonya’s eyes slip closed as I continue to trace her curves with the flat of my hand.
We roll together, swapping positions so she lies splayed beneath me, her hair fanning out around her. I take a moment to appreciate her; this woman who’s dug deep to find that man who enjoys nothing more than showing his woman how much she’s loved.
I lost him for a while there, but he never went away. He was simply disillusioned by the world, by the injustice of losing something so precious.
But seeing that low come full circle, I get it now. Just because what I had and what I loved came to a close, just because Julia was taken from me when I wasn’t ready to let her go, doesn’t mean the world stopped. It kept turning. And on it, out there, equally as lonely as I was, there was a girl. A girl who didn’t realize it yet, but who would suffer the same loss as I did.
And we fit.
Without those losses we wouldn’t know two valuable things: that true love can exist more than once in a lifetime, and that it’s okay to start again, no matter how old you are.
If there’s one lesson I can take away from all of this—it’s to value what you have, for however long you get to keep it.
BUTCHER BOYS SERIES
Devil on Your Back
Devil May Care
(Novella, coming May, 2015)
Devil in the Detail
(Coming July, 2015)
Devil Smoke
(Coming September, 2015)
BANJAXED SERIES
OTHERWORLD DESIRES (Paranormal)
I started this journey a little over two years ago, hammering away at the keyboard during the day while my eldest napped, and hiding my secret from my husband. And it was a secret. I wondered if I could do it; be one of these self-published romance authors that were cropping up all over social media. But more-so, I wondered if I would ever get taken seriously.
I won’t pretend those first drafts were magic, but with my heart in my throat I sent one to my mother—an avid reader—to gauge her reaction. She told me it was fantastic, which when you remove the rose-tinted mother glasses, meant I had promise.
And that was enough.
So I wrote some more, and thought of a way to tell my husband that I was doing this ‘whimsical’ thing, and ‘wasting my time’ when I could be doing something else productive like housework, walking the dog, or gardening. There were walls in our semi-renovated house that needing stripping, and landscaping we hadn’t quite completed, but those hour long bursts when our son slept were mine, my time to enjoy.
Finally, I broke it to him, and strangely enough he didn’t disappear to the pub, thinking I’d lost my mind. He gave me one of those ‘yes, dear’ nods instead, and I took it as a sign I could continue. I’m pretty sure he just bit his tongue when I moved my writing to the bed at night and would key a few hundred, directionless words. But as they say: happy wife, happy life.
I don’t think either of us knew where it would take us back then, but we persisted.
We, I say, because as you’ll know if you’ve read each and every one of my acknowledgements, he is the biggest part of my success.
Without you babe, you know I’d get lost in the mess that is all the ideas running about in my head. I write, you direct. I’m production, you’re public relations and marketing. We’re a team, and as long as we keep plugging away at this, then we’re winning. No effort, no gain, right?
So thank you, babe. For what you’ve done, what you do, and what you’ve yet to do for me. Love you long.
Secondly though, every author has behind them a group of people that support, and encourage them. Fellow authors, readers, and industry professionals who understand how hard it is—and I mean bloody hard—to get from the first written word, to the book you have in your hands.
There are A LOT of people who have reached out, aided, and supported me, but in the name of keeping this from becoming a novella in its own right, I’ll keep it to those which mean a bunch to this particular book.
Lauren McKellar
– you, my dear, are one of the few genuine people left in the world. You tell me how it is, let me know where I’m getting a little far-fetched, and gently nudge me back on course when the ramblings in my head don’t quite translate to paper. I told you that this was the hardest book to write, and I swear, the points you gave me have been the saving grace. When I first got that file back from you I looked at the sheer number of changes, and comments and could have cried. But, I stuck it out, and this story is by far my favourite.
Thank you, love.
Michael Meadows
– I discovered you the day that AMAZING shot of Lance showed up in my news feed, and I think my dedication to you cemented when you gave me Tommy. You are a true gentleman, and one of the few people who understand that business is more than just a transaction. I love working with you, and look forward to many more cover images yet.
Bel Burgess
– I swear when I sent you the first rough draft of this story, I was certain you’d message me back asking me if I’d sent you the right file. That, or meet me with radio silence when I asked how you were getting on. But, you came back to me with some great points; small things that needed to be fine-tuned, but would make all the difference. Without your input, I wouldn’t have been able to get over that last hurdle and figure out what it was about this story that was giving me so much grief. Thank you, and yes, Sawyer is next ;)
And as always, you, my readers
- you take a chance on me, and although I swear I lose as many fans as I gain each release because of my dark, emotional style, it’s those of you who feel touched enough to reach out and let me know you loved the book, that keep me moving forward. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy a love/hate relationship with the characters I bring you.
Originally born and bred in Canterbury, New Zealand, Max now resides with her family in beautiful and sunny Queensland, Australia.
Life with two young children can be hectic at times, and although she may not write as often as she would like, Max wouldn’t change a thing.
In her down time, Max can be found at her local gym, brain-storming through a session with the weights. Or, she may be out bumping, and jostling her way along a dirt track with the family in hubby’s 4WD.
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