Maxen: Broken Hill Boys (Novella 3) Read online

  © 2020 Sheridan Anne.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Cover Design By: Sheridan Anne

  Photograph By: ArtOfPhotos

  Proofread By: Heather Fox

  Editing & Formatting By: Sheridan Anne

  Introduction

  Brooke

  He broke me.

  Maxen Ryder tore my heart out and crushed it. He had me questioning my self-worth, and nobody gets that pleasure but me.

  All I want is to move on and forget about the boy who opened me up to a world of hurt, but why is it that every move I make always has me going back?

  He's not that boy I used to know. He's become a man overnight and I'm not sure I'm strong enough to resist.

  Maxen

  I screwed up and by the time I realized, it was far too late.

  I have to make this right.

  Brooke Logan has always been mine, at least that's the way I’ve always seen it. If you asked her, she'd deny it until she was blue in the face.

  I don't know how and I don’t know when, but I'm going to win her back and this time, she won’t be getting away.

  WARNING: The Broken Hill Boys Series is a Young Adult / New Adult Romance filled with LOL moments, teenage angst, and of course, all the swoon-worthy moments I know you’re all dying for.

  The Broken Hill Boys Series is made up of five Novellas, each approximately 30K words and written in Dual POV between the two main characters.

  This series is recommended for mature readers due to cursing and sexual content. If this offends you, then steer clear of this bad boy romance!

  For everyone else, dive in and have fun!

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Where to Next?

  Author Biography

  Other Series by Sheridan Anne

  Chapter 1

  Maxen

  “No fucking way,” Jesse scoffs as Tyson lines up another shot with a scowl. The fucker has been going all night. Shot after shot as though his world is riddled with issues, but it’s not like he’s got anything going on. He’s the biggest dickhead in Broken Hill. Tyson is Jesse’s best friend, meaning that his biggest issue would be filtering through his many options of which pussy he’s going to spend his night sinking into.

  Yet, here he is, slamming his shot glass down on the bar in front of Jesse. “Just fucking do it, man,” Tyson tells him.

  Jesse lets out a sigh before grabbing the bottle of bourbon and filling the shot glass. Tyson instantly throws it back before thinking better of it and grabbing the whole fucking bottle out of Jesse’s hand. “For fuck’s sake,” Jesse grumbles under his breath as Tyson slips away into the crowd. “I did not sign up for babysitting his drunk ass all night.”

  “Just leave him,” I tell Jess. “He can handle his liquor. He’ll be fine.”

  Jesse watches after his friend in concern. “I don’t know. I think he’s got some shit going on.”

  My brows pull down as I study Jess. “What-”

  My phone blaring on the table cuts me off and both Jesse and I glance down at the screen. “Dude, you better take that. It’s the second time she’s called tonight. Besides, she’s going to be fucking pissed if she finds out that you’re fucking around here and purposefully ignoring her calls.”

  I let out a sigh. It’s just my mom and it’s not like she’s going to find out what I’m up to, but at the same time, calling twice, one right after the other tells me that it’s got to be somewhat important. I groan as I slip off the chair and grab my phone. I start making my way outside to where I can find somewhere quieter and pass Tyson sitting by the bonfire with the bottle of bourbon at his lips.

  The call rings out, but I quickly call her back as I step around the side of the house. I find some guy, who I used to go to school with, pressed up against the wall with some chick sucking his dick and I bring the phone to my ear as I pass them.

  It doesn’t even ring one whole time before my mother’s panicked voice comes flying through the line. “Maxen? Where are you? Are you alright?”

  “I’m at Jesse’s place,” I tell her, my brows furrowing at her tone. “I’m fine. What’s going on.”

  Mom lets out a breath and the worry begins fading from her voice, leaving me as desperate as ever to know what the fuck is going on and what has her so riled up. “Oh, thank God. You scared the crap out of me, Maxen Ryder. Why the hell weren’t you answering your phone? I’ve called you twice now.”

  “I know, I’m sorry, mom. It’s just pretty loud here. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

  “No, Max,” she tells me with regret. “It’s your cousin. He’s been involved in a car accident. I thought you might have been with him.”

  The fuck?

  My eyes bug out of my head as I start running for the side gate to get to my car. My first thought is for Nate. He disappeared from the party with Tora half-an-hour ago and knowing him, he was probably driving like a fucking idiot to get her pants wet. “Are they okay?” I rush out as I drop down into my car.

  “They?” mom questions. “Was Ryan with someone? All I know is that he’s in a bad way, Max. Aunt Serena just called. They’re not sure he’s going to make it, but I think you need to get down there. Serena is all alone, she needs some family with her, and God knows if Ryan makes it out of this, he could use your support when he wakes.

  “Fuck. Ryan?” I panic. Ryan is just a kid. He only just celebrated his seventeenth birthday. He’s too young to deal with something like this. He should be going out and enjoying his summer before starting senior year.

  Don't get me wrong, I'm fucking relieved that Nate and Tora are fine, but at least they are fighters. Ryan, he's just an innocent soul. He's the kid you find geeking out in the computer lab during his lunch break.

  I threw my car into gear and got my ass out of there. Aunt Serena is all alone. I can’t imagine how awful this must be for her, probably having no idea what’s going to happen, what injuries her son has, or if he’s going to make it out of this alive. The thought has me pressing harder on the gas.

  I hate being the token family member. Mom and Dad are always away with work so when it comes to anything to do with mom’s side of the family, I get sent to take her place. But this is a situation where I would have willingly gone.

  Ryan’s not exactly the kind of guy I spend my time chilling with, but he’s family and if he’s in trouble then you bet I’ll be there, morning and fucking night until I know he’s in the clear.

  I pull into the parking lot of the Broken Hill Private Hospital and race inside. I find Aunt Serena quietly sobbing in the corner and I hurry to her side. She looks up at my approach and the second her eyes lock on mine, she gets to her feet and pulls me into a tight hug, desperately needing the touch of a loved one. “How is he?” I ask when she pulls back.

  Serena shakes her head, sliding her hand down my arm until she reaches my wrist and gives it a small squeeze. “I really don’t know, Maxi, but it isn’t good. From what I can gather, a drunk driver ran a red light and took Ryan out. He was crushed under the dash and has some pretty severe injuries. He’s in surgery now, but I haven’t heard anything.”

  Big, fat tears run down her face and I take hold of her hand before taking the vacant seat beside her. Serena sits down and lets me hold her hand, the same way I used to when I was a kid. “He’s going to be okay,” I tell her. “He’ll make it through this. I know he will.”

  Serena nods and we both sit in deathly silence, waiting with anticipation to hear something…anything that will let us know that his heart is still beating.

  As I sit here, thinking the worst, I realize just how damn fragile life is. We only get one shot at this and here Ryan is, fighting to be able to live another day. He has so much to live for. He’s yet to fall in love, get married and have babies, he’s hardly even experienced life yet and it might be torn away from him.

  What about me? What the hell am I doing with my life? Ryan is a prime example that life is short and some times it’s a shitload shorter than you could ever imagine. So far, I’ve been throwing mine away. I fumbled my way through high school and couldn’t give a shit about college. I’ve been a dick to the people in my life, have no aspirations or even have an inkling of what I want to do with myself.

  Who am I? I’m a fucking nobody. If I was in Ryan’s position and my life was ripped away, what are they going to remember when they think of me? Nothing. I’m the guy who everyone feared in high school, the guy the girls wanted to fuck around with for a little fun. I’m the guy that everyone forgets about when they move on to bigger and better things.

  I’m eighteen years old and I’m failing myself, yet with all these regrets that continue building up, there’s just one that I keep coming back to, one that will always sit high above the others.

  Brooke Fucking Logan.

  She’s the girl I’ve loved since high school and I fucked it up big time. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me and I let her go. Well, I didn’t exactly let her go, I just treated her like a piece of shit and naturally, an incredible woman like that knew her value and wasn’t going to put up with my shit. She left just as she should have and I’ve hated myself for it ever since. Why couldn’t I just pull it together for once in my life?

  If anything, tonight has taught me that I need to turn this shit around. I need to make something of myself and I need to make it count. Maybe after all that, I could even manage to get Brooke to happily be in the same room as me. Hell, maybe I could even win her back.

  Who am I kidding? She’s too fucking smart to let me anywhere near her again. It seems the only time she does talk to me is when she’s had a few too many drinks, but the second she sobers up, she can’t get away from me fast enough. I really screwed that one up. I hurt her and I don’t deserve her forgiveness, but she does deserve an apology.

  Hours pass and I do my best to keep Serena in positive spirits, but the task is impossible. So, when an exhausted doctor comes through the double doors and calls for the Ryder family, relief sails through us. Finally, we’ll get some answers.

  Serena flies to her feet with wide eyes and rushes toward the doctor. I follow behind, struggling to keep up with her pace. “Yes,” she says, grabbing hold of the doctor in her desperation. “I’m Ryan’s mother. Please tell me my baby is alright.”

  “Mrs. Ryder,” he says, indicating to the seat beside him. The two sit down as dread fills my gut. Sitting her down couldn’t be good. That’s never a good sign. “As you know, Ryan suffered some major injuries. The most severe being his legs.”

  “His legs?” she questions. “They were crushed under the dash.”

  “That’s correct. There was some significant damage to his spinal cord and we’ve done everything in our power to mend the issues.”

  “What are you saying?” I ask, feeling as though he’s trying to sugarcoat the news. I step closer to Aunt Serena and place a hand to her shoulder, giving her all the support I can possibly offer as the Doctor’s eyes swivel back to my aunt.

  “I’m saying that it’s very likely that Ryan won’t be able to regain the use of his legs.” Serena gasps, cutting the doctor off. He gives her a slight moment to collect herself before continuing. “The next forty-eight hours are going to be critical. We’ll do some further testing and will be able to get a better idea of what his recovery is going to look like.”

  “You mean if he’ll be able to walk?”

  “Right,” the doctor confirms.

  I catch the doctor's gaze. “Is there anything else we need to know?”

  “There were some other minor injuries that were dealt with during surgery. He had internal bleeding and the usual cuts and bruises that are expected from an incident such as this. They’ve all been taken care of and now all he needs is some time to recover.”

  Serena nods, tears still in her eyes. “What kind of recovery time are we looking at?”

  “To be very honest, it’s difficult to say. For the minor issues, give it six to eight weeks, but the spinal cord is very different and there will be some strict procedures put in place that we’ll discuss with you at a further time. But it could be months before he’s able to get up and moving.”

  “That’s if he’s able to get up and moving.”

  The doctor nods, giving Serena an encouraging smile. “The next few weeks are going to be incredibly tough for your son. He’s going to need ongoing care, but with the right attitude and hopefully a fighting spirit from Ryan, we’re positive that he’ll pull through.”

  Serena nods again. “Can I go and sit with him?”

  “Of course you can. Just speak with the nurse,” he says, indicating across the room to the nurses’ station. “They’ll show you where to go. Ryan is still being moved from surgery into his room in intensive care, so they may need a few minutes to get him set up.”

  Serena thanks the doctor and I shake his hand, letting him know just how much we appreciate all he’s done for Ryan. I mean, he saved his life for fuck’s sake. This guy deserves every last thing we could possibly give him.

  The doctor leaves and Serena and I don’t waste a second heading over to speak with the nurses. “Are you ready for this, Maxen?” she asks. “I’m not sure of what we’re about to see, but I know it’s not going to be pretty.”

  I nod, looking up at her and knowing that now’s the time I need to be the strongest. “I’m ready.”

  “Okay,” she says as the nurse steps out from behind her desk. “Then let’s do this.”

  Chapter 2

  Brooke

  How could I have been so stupid as to fall in bed with Maxen Ryder again? It’s been months since we broke up, yet over the summer I was drunk and lonely. Fuck! I shouldn’t have done it, but damn, it was so freaking good.

  Maxen has this way of knowing exactly what my body needs and that goddamn smile…shit. I fall for him every time.

  Maxen and I were through nearly a year ago when he decided to climb into bed with someone else, or maybe it was up against a tree during his New Year’s Eve party. All I know is that he made a fool of me and I will never allow that to happen again.

  I just wish I had the strength to keep away from him, but I’m not going to lie, the angry sex is pretty fucking good. In fact, it’s incredibly delicious and wicked in all the right ways.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I really need to stop thinking about this. It’s been weeks since that regrettable moment, yet the fucker always seems to work his way back inside my head. Besides, I’ve just started dating this guy, Lukas, and he’s kind of cool. He’s everything I like in a man which means he’s the polar opposite of Maxen.

  Lukas plays college football and knows exactly what he wants in life. He's the golden boy of BHU, with his impossibly tall and buff physique and shaggy blonde hair. Maxen on the other hand, while he’s more than tall and built, he’s also dark and mysterious. He’s my dark knight, or at least…he was.

  My dormmate, Sophie comes striding into our room and instantly gives me a scowl. I groan under my breath. I’ve absolutely loved moving away from home and having a bit of independence. The break from my over-the-top mother has been great, but you can’t have it all, and my dormmate is proof of that. I don’t know how I was so freaking unlucky to get stuck with this chick. She’s awful.

  The girl steals my clothes and ruins them, she smokes in our room, only opening the window when I start dying of a coughing fit. Don’t get me wrong, I could always go out into the hall but that defeats the purpose. I shouldn’t have to evacuate my room so she can continue her nasty habits. Besides, all my clothes and sheets stink. It’s fucking gross. Did I mention she’s an absolute bitch and destroyed my favorite pair of Jimmy Choos? I mean, first world problems, but still. I don’t deserve that shit.

  She has this group of friends who are just as rotten as her. They come into our room, use my shit, take my perfume, download fucking porn on my laptop. Like, where does this shit end?

  I've had to report her three times in less than a month, officially making me that girl. I hate it. I’m never that girl. Usually, I’m the one having reports filed against me, but this is far beyond anything I was prepared for.

  “What are you looking at?” she snaps as she pulls a packet of cigarettes from her bag.

  I groan to myself and look back down at my recently porn free laptop. I mean, it’s certainly not porn free. I’m no prude and after being single for so long, I’m no stranger to it, but it’s my porn, not someone else’s.

  My mind instantly takes me back to the plan I’ve been putting together over the last few nights. It has a little something to do with leading on that I could possibly be a psycho killer escaped from a mental institute and she has just rubbed me the wrong way. I was going to start with a few fake news articles that she’ll find under my bed when she no doubt goes searching through my things. I could have a few ‘missing’ items of previous ‘victims’ and maybe even a diary of all my darkest thoughts where my dormmate is concerned. I’d scare her out, but she also gives me a vibe that suggests scaring her out isn’t going to be easy.