Dear April (Sunshine & Shadow Book 2) Read online

  “It won’t be as bad as you think.”

  “I won’t like seeing you with her.”

  “I know,” he said. “But that part will be minimal, I promise. Outside of acting, the only time we have to pretend is at premiers and events. They think we’re a couple but we’re not inseparable; we have our own lives. And Violet won’t make it harder for you. She understands.”

  April closed her eyes. Oh, Lex, how do you not see what I see? She doesn’t understand. She’s manipulating you. But, for what, April just didn’t know.

  “I know it’s hard but you have to trust me. I will do anything to make this work.”

  “I know that. I just need a few days to ... figure things out. I can’t just leave my job without notice.”

  “Take all the time you need.”

  The rest of the afternoon went in a blur. Music, drinks, and Lex, always Lex.

  Chapter 6

  April walked up to the hotel room in a haze. Lex was waiting in the lobby, surrounded by paparazzi. They were buying the description of his relationship with April. The job really was the perfect excuse to be seen together.

  April packed her things as quickly as possible and rushed to the elevator, jamming her hand on the button for the lobby. As the door opened, she hurried out and they left the hotel. The valet handed Lex the keys of his Audi R8 and they zoomed off down the street, leaving the cameras and reporters behind.

  The hotel was on the other side of town. April relaxed into the comfortable leather seat and settled in for the hour long drive. Lex’s attention seemed completely on the road, but every now and then she saw him sneak a glance at her.

  The sun was setting low on the horizon as they passed a lookout over the beautiful lake that bordered one side of the city. The orange glow reflected off the surface, highlighting the exquisite autumn colors the trees were turning. April made a promise to herself to take this way more often. It reminded her of home.

  What would it be like in L.A.? Concrete, and tall buildings. More people than in Seattle, though April was already overwhelmed by the masses that surged the streets outside of her apartment every day. But she would be around horses. She would be paid to do what she loved. And she would be close to Lex. They could spend time together. They could tell everyone they were working with a horse. There would be moments when they could be alone, and they wouldn’t have to hide.

  It seemed to April that her decision was already made, but she didn’t think it was the right time to tell Lex. She would have to quit her job and get everything organized before she told him. Violet still tugged at her mind. Something just wasn’t right about the job offer, because it had been her idea.

  She shook her head. No, she was being silly. Violet wouldn’t be that childish. She had done a nice thing for a friend. That was all. Whatever flame she might have carried for Lex in the past had been snuffed out. It was April’s turn now, and she wasn’t about to blow it.

  They pulled into the underground parking garage at Bridgeport and Lex opened April’s door. When she saw that they were alone, she took his hand and let him pull her into his arms. She sunk into his embrace and kissed him back feverishly. Lex pulled on a baseball cap and sunglasses and they got in the elevator.

  Inside the apartment foyer, April was not at all prepared for the onslaught of color.

  Vases filled with bright roses covered every surface. There must have been hundreds. Red, blue, yellow, white, pink, orange, purple, turquoise – the apartment was full, from the windowsills to the end tables, and even the kitchen countertops. Even the vases themselves were impressive, intricately blown glass with delicate patterns carved into their faces. Each bouquet had curls of silver ribbon hanging between stems and the fragrance of the beautiful flowers wafted into April’s face as she was ushered into the room by Lex.

  She turned to him and gazed at his face through the tears pooling in her eyes. “Lex ... why?”

  “Because I could. Because you deserve it.”

  “This is why you needed my address?”

  He nodded.

  “I still think your methods were creepy…” she joked. Her voice was only a murmur.

  He laughed deep in his throat and wrapped his arms around her, grabbing a small remote from the end table and pressing a button. A huge entertainment center that April hadn’t noticed opened with a gentle whir. Her TV sat nestled among even more roses. These ones looked like they had been dipped in crystals, each petal coated in sparkling silver. Above them sat a wide stereo system.

  “I noticed you didn’t have a stereo,” Lex said.

  He brushed the hair off her neck and kissed her skin softly as he pressed another button. Music flowed from the speakers dotted around the room. She closed her eyes and let the melody flow through her. It was a sweet song, one she had never heard.

  Lex’s hands moved to her back and he turned her so that she was in his arms. He swayed to the side and suddenly they were dancing. He spun her around the room as the music rose to a faster pace, the bass guitar rocking their bodies suggestively in the other hands. April let her body move in sync with Lex’s strong rhythm against her. He held her tight, his fingers digging into her as her hips thrust into him. He gasped and she swallowed his breath in a passionate kiss.

  The moment seemed to stop. April didn’t know how long they swayed there, holding each other, to the gentle music that had softened again. It could have been days; it could have been seconds. All she knew was that as they pulled apart her breathing hitched and her stomach clenched. Something strong grew inside her.

  “I’m yours,” she whispered against his lips and fastened herself to him once again.

  Lex made a sound in his throat and held her to him. Nothing seemed to matter except the feeling of their bodies held fast by the other, gripped by the other, loved by the other.

  Sudden sparks flew inside April and she wound her fingers in Lex’s hair and jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist and forcing him to steady her with his hands on the tops of her thighs, delightfully close to areas April wanted him to touch. Their tongues wrestled as Lex staggered to the bedroom. He dropped April onto the bed and stripped her naked in seconds. April couldn’t help but notice this was the second time those clothes had been ripped off in one day.

  He removed his t-shirt but left his jeans on. As he climbed over her, April let her fingers play in the waistband of his boxers, showing at his lower back. She delicately stroked the wispy hair that covered his skin there. It mirrored the front of his body, where the soft line of hair travelled from his belly button to his groin, teasing the eye of the things to come. She undid his belt and he slid out of his jeans.

  Their bodies pressed together, April ground her hips into his, purring in the back of her throat, begging to be closer, addicted to the feeling of his body against hers. His teeth dug into the flesh at the base of her neck and she threw her head back in ecstasy. The sensations were too much and she groaned, pleasure radiating through her like an electrical current. They rolled twice, April only getting a taste of what it was like to see Lex beneath her, vulnerable, naked. She was pinned again, his hips pressing her to the bed, holding her prisoner and giving her no release. It seemed he was determined to take his time when all she wanted was for him to take her.

  April moaned. “Please.”

  “Please what?” Lex murmured into her skin, the vibrations of his voice sending shivers down her spine and tightening sensitive areas. His teeth grazed her earlobe and nipped gently. She gasped, closing her eyes.

  “I want you. I need you.”

  “To do what?”

  She groaned again, this time in frustration. He locked his teeth into her neck and let his hands travel down her body. “…Please.”

  He pulled away and stared into her eyes, his passion unlocking a deep craving inside April. She felt primal, like an animal in heat, displaying herself, pleading for what she needed most. She loved this feeling, this torture. And he knew that. He enjoyed tormenting her with her o
wn body, making her wait, making her beg.

  “Tell me what you want,” he growled, his fingers exploring, agonizingly slowly.

  Her eyes rolled back into her head and she mumbled.

  “Tell me, April,” he said, quickening the pace of his assault on her body.

  Her upper body arched off the bed, Lex’s spare hand holding her hips down, not allowing her to escape his relentless fingers. She struggled subconsciously, the sensations getting stronger and stronger, almost to the point of delicious pain. Her mouth opened as a heavy gasp flowed out from between her lips.

  He kissed down her body again, his lips leaving tingling circles on her skin. It felt like every nerve ending in her body was on fire and she closed her eyes, letting the feeling overwhelm her, forgetting his question. The wave was building and Lex moved his spare hand from her stomach to her breasts. He grazed his nails down her exposed torso, from her nipples to her pelvis, leaving raised pink lines down her skin. Her body convulsed from his rough touch. She loved the way her skin stung under his hand, getting warmer with every second that passed.

  “…Lex…Please.” April’s voice was barely a whisper.

  “Please, what?”

  She groaned, arching her body off the bed again. He resumed his torment between her legs and the wave began to build again.

  “Yes…” She gasped. “Please.”

  “Please what, April? Tell me.”

  Words escaped her. Her eyes drifted shut and she let herself bask in the glow rising over her naked skin. She was warm, hot, but she couldn’t do anything about it, with Lex’s merciless fingers maintaining their delightful torture on her body. Lex brought her to the brink, holding her on the edge, not letting the wave crash to the shore and she writhed on the bed beneath him, digging her nails into his arms, begging him with her body. He slowed his rhythm again, forcing the wave back down, leaving her without release.

  “No, why…?” she was able to gasp out.

  “You have to tell me.”

  She groaned and his fingers increased their pace again. Her body was ablaze with passion.

  “Please, please, please,” she repeated, pleading for mercy. “I want…”

  “Tell me, April. What do you want?”

  She didn’t think it was possible for him to torment her further but he succeeded. He alternated between digging his teeth into her neck and running his nails down her torso, keeping the wave at its highest point but somehow knowing when it was about to crash and slowing, just enough to let the anguish continue.

  She didn’t think she could take much more. Her body was alight with ardor and she couldn’t stop her chest from bowing off the bed, reveling in the excruciating ecstasy. Lex’s fingers were unrelenting, quickening and slowing, being gentle and manipulating cruelly. April’s mind was a blur, her body pure sensation, rising and falling at the whim of her lover.

  Lex leaned down and pinched April’s earlobe between his teeth, biting down and forcing a small scream to erupt from her throat.

  “Please…” she mumbled, almost incoherently, as his fingers reached their highest speed yet.

  “Tell me,” Lex growled, aggressively, the passion in his voice sending shivers down April’s spine and making the wave climb even higher. She didn’t think it was possible.

  As the wave began to descend and Lex’s fingers slowed once again, April thrust her body back into Lex’s hand.

  “Make love to me…” she whispered.

  “That’s my girl.” Lex’s fingers picked up where they had left off and pushed April over the edge. She rode the wave the entire way down, leaving red lines along Lex’s arms and back from where her nails had tried to tear their way through the overwhelming feelings. Her head tipped back to the sky and her body convulsed on the bed as the sensations tore screams from her throat and forced her eyes shut. It was flirting with the line of pain, agonizingly close to stepping over it. The feeling held its ground and let April ride it, as wave after wave came crashing down, seemingly endless. As long as Lex kept going, they would never stop.

  “Lex!” she gasped out.

  “What?”

  She groaned at his tenacity. Another wave crashed and tore a passionate scream from deep within her.

  “Please!” she begged.

  He took her at her request, all softness gone, replaced by uncontained fervor.

  Chapter 7

  They lay together, wrapped up in the disorganized sheets, their breathing irregular and erratic. Sweaty skin stuck together but they were both too exhausted to move into a more comfortable position. April’s body still tingled from Lex’s assault and she knew he was aching, a positive reminder of a spectacular event.

  She kissed his chest. He moaned and hugged her to him.

  Kissing her forehead, he said, “That was…amazing.”

  April nodded. “It was.”

  Her breathing began to calm and, although her body still tightened lusciously whenever she moved in a certain way, she stood on shaky legs and looked at the man in front of her. She had a feeling she would have to sleep alone tonight, so she wanted to gaze at him while she still had the chance.

  Lex’s hair was in disarray, his emerald eyes shielded from the light. His lids were framed with the darkest, longest lashes April had ever seen on a man. His forehead was still glistening from sweat and his mouth was open slightly, showing his one dimple clearly. His breath came and went easily; his lips were still a dark pink color from the forceful attack on April’s body.

  She followed his breath, his chest rising and falling softly. When her gaze travelled back to his face, his eyes were open, watching her curiously.

  “You’re beautiful,” April said.

  “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

  She shrugged. “It’s the truth.” She pulled on pajama shorts from where she had thrown them last. Was it really only a few days ago? So much had happened since then, and yet the weekend felt way too short.

  “What are you doing, baby?”

  April ignored his question. “Are you staying tonight?”

  Lex looked apologetic, his eyebrows rising in the center in angst. He shook his head slowly. “You know I can’t do that.”

  She nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m getting up. Because if I stay in bed, I won’t want you to leave, and we both know it isn’t a choice.”

  Lex’s eyes were full of sadness. April hated seeing it there.

  “Hey,” she said, softly. She sat on the bed and crossed her legs, taking his hand. “It’s not forever. And I’m sure we will find time to spend the night together. I’m not angry.”

  He looked confused, and stared at April’s hands holding his.

  “Why aren’t you angry?” He looked up at her, and the expression in his eyes made her heart crack. He honestly didn’t understand how she could be so accepting.

  “Because I want this to work, and I know it won’t be easy for the first little while. But I know it’ll be even harder for you, and I can’t be selfish.”

  He shook his head, something like awe in his eyes. “You can’t be real. I’ve done nothing to deserve such an angel.”

  She smiled. “I’m no angel.”

  “You’re my angel.” He returned her smile and kissed her hand, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and attempted to smooth his hair.

  “Good thing you brought this.” April retrieved his baseball cap from the floor and pushed it onto his head.

  He pulled it off and held it in his hands. Putting on his jeans and padding barefoot to the door, he turned back to April. “You want a drink?”

  “There’s white wine in the fridge.”

  After he disappeared, April’s mind dwelled on the feelings of love she felt for the topless man who was now rooting around in her kitchen. She waited for a few minutes, and then followed him. Opening the bedroom door, his voice stopped her in her tracks.

  “Hi…I’m just letting you know I’m not going to make it tonight…I’m stuck at the festival…
I know, I promised, but…Look, I’ll come tomorrow night okay?”

  The fridge door closed.

  “Look, it’s not as simple as all that…of course I want to, it’s just complicated…”

  The floorboard creaked under April’s foot.

  “Look, I have to go…I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll set up a time. Bye.”

  April took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen.

  “Finding everything okay?” she said.

  He nodded, filling two glasses with wine. He handed April a glass.

  April decided not to say anything. The second he left she would mull over what she had just heard, but she didn’t want him to find out she had been eavesdropping. For all she knew, he had been speaking to Cash on the phone.

  Lex lifted his glass and smiled at her.

  “To?” April asked.

  He pursed his lips. “To the future.”

  The glasses clinked and they both drank.

  “Should you really be drinking? You’re driving.”

  “One glass won’t hurt.” He found the stereo remote and switched it on, letting his eyes slide shut as Mumford & Sons drifted into the air around them.

  Hours later, they were sitting on the couch facing each other. April realized the bottle on the coffee table was empty.

  “What?” Lex said, as she looked around.

  “You drank way more than me.” A giggle escaped her. “I only had a glass.”

  Lex held up the bottle, turned it to the light and hiccupped.

  “Now how are you gonna get home?” April said.

  “Maybe I should call a cab…” Lex tried to stand and fell back into her lap. She chuckled; even drunk he was adorable.

  “You’ll be seen. I’ll call Cash.”

  April felt his pockets until she found his cell phone. It was off. She turned it on and found Cash in the contacts just as a soft snore sounded from Lex, still collapsed on her lap. She shuffled out from underneath him and went into the kitchen to make the call.

  The clock alerted her to the fact that it was three in the morning as Cash’s voice shouted into the phone. “Lex! Shit, man! Where the fuck are you? I’ve called you ten times!”