BOOK SUMMARY:
Rhys Bellamy is the front man for the wildly successful 13 Shades of Red, a band hailing from New Orleans that is just a bit more then they appear. He’s sexy, caustic and on a path of self destruction that has everything to do with the fact that he can speak to the dead. A man hounded by the death of his fiancée, Rhys is a lothario of the highest caliber. His life, his band, and his agony celebrates his lost love, Phaedra, and it has made him a very popular man with the ladies, even if they will never mean anything to him. Too bad Phaedra has never and will never contact him.
When the band’s first US tour meets with some unforeseen management issues, Saffron Richards is brought in to take care of it. A veteran of the business, Saffron knows all about Rhys and his reputation and doesn’t want to become another notch on his belt. Too bad fate has it in for the both of them, and gives them an attraction neither can deny.
But life on the road with an up and coming band has its problems, from bosses to groupies to just plain old flat tires. And Phaedra, who has been watching from the mists and reveling in the misery of her lost lover doesn’t want to see him happy. Being together is harder than it sounds, especially when Phaedra crosses the veils on All Hallows Eve to reignite the love that Saffron has set to ash in Rhys. And Phaedra is not giving him up without a fight. Not because she loves him, but because she doesn’t ever want him to forget.
Warning: this is considered a New Adult genre release. Reader discretion is advised.
EXCERPT:
Sound check. It
figured she would get there late. She figured a straight flight from JFK would
have gotten her here on time, but a torrential storm and a 5 hour backed
takeoff were the culprits. No matter, she was here now, and ready to work.
Xxieda had told
her to find Nyx, she would have all the info for her, so after she had made it
up to her room, she came back down to the event space to search for her new
employers.
She walked in
to the drummer and guitarist playing a song, an instrumental, Nyx nowhere to be
found. She stood there, listening. Regardless of the style of music, these guys
had talent. Loads of it.
The drumming
got softer and she saw Rhys walk out and scream out the beginning of the one
song she knew. Holy
shit.
She blinked. Wow. Talk about a
180 from what she first heard. He wasn’t to playing to the crowd, because there
wasn’t one.
He turned as
the bridge started, but didn’t look out yet. She had a chance to look him over
and sighed. Tall, emo sexy in the ‘I
don’t work out but I’m cut as hell’ way, his ass and better things hugged
perfectly in the jeans he wore, leaving nothing to the imagination. She had ten
bucks that said he didn’t wear underwear.
Perfect emo haircut, long in front, falling over a side of his face,
shorter in the back, didn’t have any product in it but she was sure it was
because he wasn’t pandering to the crowd just yet. His skin was pale, in
contrast to the bassist he was standing next to, who had the sexy caramel color
of a guy used to being in the hot Louisiana sun. Clearly Rhys Bellamy wasn’t a
hug fan of the sunshine.
That was when
he turned and started singing to the crowd, or more appropriately, her. His
eyes locked on her and Saffron had chills. Holy Hell. Now she knew why girls
got wild over him. That look was pure sex, so at odds with the screaming coming
out of his mouth. His eyes flashed in the lights hitting him, giving him a more
sinister air but it didn’t matter, that look had done its job, and Saffron
tried not to fidget as he watched her.
Once again the
music changed up and he started singing, really singing. He was good. He sang a
line and looked right at her and winked and then turned and the music changed
again and he started screaming, the breakdown getting heavy. If she was in the
pit right now and there were fans there, she knew she would be getting her ass
kicked. Well she was sure if she was on the east coast she would. West coast
hardcore kids, by all accounts, couldn’t hold a candle to their east coast
counterparts. East coast kids were brutal.
The song ended
abruptly and they all looked at each other. Rhys turned towards the sound guy.
“Perfect Jerry. Thanks.” He said and hopped down off the stage and strode,
well, it was more like a swagger, towards her.
“This is a
closed sound check. How did you get in Cher?” he looked her over and licked his
bottom lip.
She cocked her
head, getting a really good look at him. Hot damn, the Cajun was hot and the
accent, she tried not to squirm under the scrutiny of his eyes. She was in
trouble. His eyes were green, but with honey running through it. Most would
call them hazel, but the green was just too vivid, like moss after a rainstorm.
She could feel the cool around her. Damn.
“I’m looking
for Nyx.” She said with a clear, non lust drenched voice. She was quite proud
of herself.
“Nyx? Why would
you look for her?” he asked and walked closer. The accent was thick, and sexy.
“Is she
around?” she asked and looked around him, trying to ignore the effect he was
having on her. In all her years, men didn’t effect her as such. Why of all
people would she get the urge from a guy reported to be an even bigger slut
then Madonna in her heyday.
“She is.
Backstage. I could take you back there.” He looked her over. “I don’t see a
pass anywhere on that amazing outfit.”
Saffron rolled
her eyes. Okay so he was digging on her. That went with what she knew of him
and his exploits. All signs pointed to the fact that he was quite the lothario
and she was sure he was getting a semblance of his full come on.
She smiled at
him. “Nyx? It’s kinda important.”
He pouted and
shrugged, clearly not happy with her impervious nature. He probably relied on
his charm and accent with women. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it, she did,
more then she cared to admit, but this was work, not play and while She would
revisit that look he gave her later after she had gone to bed, Right now was
all about proving she could do this.
She followed
him behind the stage to a corridor and then through to a set up of rooms. He
walked to one and rapt loudly on the door. “Nyx? Some hot chick is here to see
you, and she is not fazed by my charm whatsoever.”
Nyx opened the
door and looked at Rhys, then at Saffron and smiled. “Oh thank god!” she said
and went to Saffron and hugged her.
Rhys leaned
back against the wall and smirked. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. So who
is she? Cousin? Sister? Nah you don’t hug family like that. Ooh Nyxie did you
happen to start playing for the other team? Not a bad choice if I do say so
myself. Can I watch?”
Saffron almost
choked. Nyx turned to Rhys and frowned. “Hardly, you oversexed bastard. This is
Saffron, our new tour manager.”
Saffron smiled
at him and he just paled and shook his head. “Knew this was too good to be
true…”
“Why?” she
asked and detangled from Nyx, surprised on how okay she was with the other
woman’s affection. Normally she didn’t get chummy with other women. It lead to
catty bullshit.
Rhys smirked
and looked her up and down and pushed off the wall. “Forget I said that, I
reserve the right to pass judgment until a later date.” He winked. “Welcome to
the insanity Saff.” Then he turned and walked back towards the stage and the
waiting band.
Nyx sighed.
“Well he just threw down the gauntlet. Good luck with that.”
Bi-continental, Stella and Audra break all
misconceptions about siblings. Writing as a team they have produced well over
eighteen novels as well as several novella's and short stories. And nary an
argument has come from it.
On their off time from writing, Audra is a
makeup artist and Stella is a graphic artist and web designer, as well as the
convention director for the Authors After Dark convention. They both love
animals and have several including several snakes and a peacock.
Audra lives in Scotland with her husband and
children, while Stella Lives in South Carolina with her dogs Moo and Poe and her
husband.
