never mix business with pleasure. As the lead singer and guitarist of
Provocative, he has his fair share of girls throwing themselves at him, but he
refuses to get involved with clingy groupies or women he works with. When
beautiful, beguiling Brynn joins the tour, though, he can’t deny there’s
something about her he finds irresistible. It’s been a long time since a woman
didn’t fawn over him. He’ll have to keep his appetite in check and keep her at
a distance if he’s going to remember that she’s off limits.
Aspiring journalist Brynn Morgan has been given the chance of a lifetime to
interview a rock band for a new magazine and launch her career. When she learns
her assignment is the band Provocative, whose music she’s never liked, any
disappointment is overshadowed by her excitement and determination to write a
killer story. Plus, the fact that she’s not a fan will make it that much easier
to keep things professional. One look at Gauge, though, and she feels an
instant attraction to the cocky, tattooed rocker. But despite the sparks flying
between them, she’s got a job to do.
As Brynn heads out on a world tour with the band and tries to get them to spill
their secrets, the sizzling chemistry between her and Gauge becomes harder and
harder to ignore…
Excerpt:
Pound. Pound. Pound. My feet were moving in perfect timing and rhythm on the treadmill. It felt good, but my nerves were still frayed. If the guys saw my concert review, they wouldn’t be very happy about it. That much was certain, and that made me very uncomfortable.
“Hey!”
I jumped and looked over. Of course, there was Gauge, and his eyes had a different kind of an expression in them. It was more like ‘I’d like to knock your ass right off that treadmill right now.’ Yikes.
“Hey,” I said less animatedly, removing my earbuds and placing my feet on the sides of the treadmill. “What’s going on?”
“That review,” Gauge said. “What the fuck was that about?”
“Hey, calm down,” I said. “I have a job to do, Gauge. You know that. What’s one average review matter to you, anyway?”
“Average. I started to trust you and warm up to you. This is bullshit.”
Now my voice was loud, too. There was one middle-aged woman riding a recumbent bike in the corner. I glanced at her, and could tell that she felt uncomfortable staying, but wanted to hear every word. I knew better than to indulge her in the opportunity.
“When you want to have an intelligent conversation in a more private place, I’ll be glad to discuss my highly accurate review with you.” So okay, I was fueling the fire a bit. I did have pride, however, and I didn’t like being attacked.
“Fine, let’s go,” he said quietly, crossing his arms and staring at me. Was it just me, or did his eyes turn black as he stared at me? They were like a mood ring and I’d never seen them quite so…alive.
Not happy to go but not willing to stay, I walked out with Gauge and went down the hallway, not saying a word. He had his tablet in hand and it was pulled up to the review. I hadn’t even had a chance to view it online yet, and this wasn’t how I planned on celebrating my review.
There was a series of doors along the corridor of the hallway. Finally, Gauge reached one that was unlocked and swung it open. It was a conference room. He walked in and I followed, taking a large gulp of air to calm my nerves and help me keep my backbone. I suspected that this wasn’t going to be pleasant at all.
“Why?” he asked, staring at me critically.
“I had a job to do and I gave a fair assessment,” I said.
“We sound like a joke. Is that what you think?”
“I think you guys are what your public wants to see. There’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of people do it.”
“Do I seem like I’m someone who wants to be like everyone else?”
“Not off the stage, but on…you give them what you want,” I said, folding my arms and looking at Gauge. We were standing there, each wanting the victory, words still controlled for now.
“Broody bad boy,” Gauge began. “Captivating good looks that they use to turn usually smart people into screaming nits…”
I’d loved that line. Gauge, not so much.
“Our music sounds forced, like we’re trying to overplay each other and change the world through overly complicate lyrics. What the fuck?”
“Sometimes things are more meaningful when they’re simplistic,” I said. Now I needed to be on the offensive and stand my ground.
“The show itself is pretty entertaining,” I offered.
“Thanks for that insincere comment,” Gauge said.
“What do you want me to do? I stand by my words, Gauge.”
“You know, this sucks, Brynn, really sucks,” Gauge finally blurted.
I looked at him and saw a vein pop out in his neck. It was throbbing, making me realize the full impact of my words on him.
“Look…”
He cut me off. “I have looked. It’s all here to see.” Gauge pointed to the tablet for emphasis.
“This is what I feel,” I said. I wish I could have sucked the words right back in my mouth again. They were honest but not really applied properly in this case.
He gave me the most scrutinizing glance I’d ever witnessed. His face scrunched up like he’d just tasted something vile, poisonous. “Now I know,” Gauge replied. He turned around and left me, slamming the door and leaving it rocking back and forth as he exited.
I stood there alone, feeling guilty, and whispered, “Yeah, this does suck, Gauge.”
the Capital' series. Her books hit the Amazon store in the summer of 2014 and have
since been enjoyed by over 50,000 readers! She is known for her bold
characters, hilariously witty dialogue and touching romances.
with 'The Billionaire's Hotline'.
GIVEAWAY:
Well the cover is certainly very steamy, both it and the excerpt are VERY promising, I'd love a chance to read it, plus it would look so pretty on my shelf, if it ever got there that is ;)
ReplyDeleteThe winky face made that weird.
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