He wanted nothing at all…
Until he found she had everything to give…
Sunder lead singer and guitarist Sebastian Stone has
everything—fans, fame, and fortune. He also has a heart full of bitterness and
a reputation for a short-fused temper. But an outward reputation rarely reveals
the true man inside. Facing assault charges after trying to protect his younger
brother, Sebastian is sent to Savannah, Georgia to lie low until the dust
settles in L.A.
Shea Bentley is beautiful, kind, and hiding from the very
lifestyle Sebastian has always embraced.
When the mysterious, tattooed stranger begins hanging out at the
bar where she works, Shea is quick to recognize he is nothing but trouble, but
she's helpless to the way her body lights up every time his intense gray eyes
tangle with hers.
They both soon find themselves drowning in a sea of desire and
passion that won’t let them up for air.
Sebastian knows firsthand secrets never die, and he’s not the only
one who’s hiding them.
Loving someone always comes with a price. But will it be Shea’s
past that costs them everything?
4.5 Stars by Lisa Kane
Shea waitresses at her Uncle Charlie's bar. Somehow she thought her life would be a different than the one she has here, but she is accepted and the decisions that she made a few years ago are not questioned.
Sebastian "Baz" Stone, is the lead singer for Sunder. His life is a total mess right now. His best friend Mark died of an overdose and he is in deep trouble for having assaulted Martin Jennings, a head of a record label. He also happened to be the the guy who discovered the band. But Baz thinks he had something to do with his brother, Austin's drug overdose and he made sure that Martin knew it. Mylton Records is going to decide if they are going to pull the label or not, since Baz has had lots of screw ups.
Guilt got all messed up with the aggression I'd dealt with my entire life. The two combined were enough to straggle me. Yet another fucking disaster I'd gotten myself into. Only this time it affected everyone.
So now his agent Anthony De Pietro, has the band cooling their heels in Savannah Georgia at his mansion. They should have been starting the first leg of a world tour, but that's off the table right now.
"They can do whatever they want. They own you, Baz."
Baz is killing some time by stopping in to get a drink. Shea is his waitress. Instantly the two have a moment. Something that pulls both of them in to each other. He thinks maybe this girl will spend the night with him-why not-there's never been any shortage of girls throwing themselves at him. But it's apparent she has no idea who he is. And he likes it that way. A little harmless flirting takes place, he leaves a hefty tip and away he goes.
But in spite of knowing he is asking for trouble, he's back again and this time he's determined to get her to go out with him. Shea's been burnt and is in no hurry to play with fire again-and this gorgeous guy is bad news. Eventually they do spend time together and neither one is successful at keeping things casual between them. Shea opens up her heart to him and introduces him to the most important person in her life. He feels things he never thought he would or could. He is dark and she is light. He wants to be in that light. But he knows once she finds out who he is and the despicable things he has done, she's going to leave him. He'll be alone again; with just his music and his anger and the meaningless, faceless woman that he screws.
"Shea," I murmured quietly, like an apology, dropping my forehead to the door.
"Please."
Because what was I gonna say? Now she knew and she was never going to look at me the same.
Secrets have a way of working themselves to the surface. They can be buried, but only a fool believes they will stay buried for long. When Shea learns the truth that Baz kept from her she feels like a fool. It seems just about everyone knew who he was but not her.
Baz tells himself she is so much better off without him. He will ruin her life, he ruins everyone's life. But missing her and telling himself to stay away are two different things. When you meet the one person who completes you, who accepts you, who sees you for who you are, ugly warts and all, can you ever really walk away?
But a life in the public eye, where your every move is followed by the press will have repercussions for someone with secrets. Baz never could have dreamed that Shea's past will intersect with his life in ways he never knew. Can they move past this?
A Stone in the Sea is a cliffy. Drowning to Breathe is the sequel that will continue Shea and Baz's story.
Something about it felt intimate and raw and honest, and I was falling farther, being sucked beneath the surface.
A stone in his sea.
Shea waitresses at her Uncle Charlie's bar. Somehow she thought her life would be a different than the one she has here, but she is accepted and the decisions that she made a few years ago are not questioned.
Sebastian "Baz" Stone, is the lead singer for Sunder. His life is a total mess right now. His best friend Mark died of an overdose and he is in deep trouble for having assaulted Martin Jennings, a head of a record label. He also happened to be the the guy who discovered the band. But Baz thinks he had something to do with his brother, Austin's drug overdose and he made sure that Martin knew it. Mylton Records is going to decide if they are going to pull the label or not, since Baz has had lots of screw ups.
Guilt got all messed up with the aggression I'd dealt with my entire life. The two combined were enough to straggle me. Yet another fucking disaster I'd gotten myself into. Only this time it affected everyone.
So now his agent Anthony De Pietro, has the band cooling their heels in Savannah Georgia at his mansion. They should have been starting the first leg of a world tour, but that's off the table right now.
"They can do whatever they want. They own you, Baz."
Baz is killing some time by stopping in to get a drink. Shea is his waitress. Instantly the two have a moment. Something that pulls both of them in to each other. He thinks maybe this girl will spend the night with him-why not-there's never been any shortage of girls throwing themselves at him. But it's apparent she has no idea who he is. And he likes it that way. A little harmless flirting takes place, he leaves a hefty tip and away he goes.
But in spite of knowing he is asking for trouble, he's back again and this time he's determined to get her to go out with him. Shea's been burnt and is in no hurry to play with fire again-and this gorgeous guy is bad news. Eventually they do spend time together and neither one is successful at keeping things casual between them. Shea opens up her heart to him and introduces him to the most important person in her life. He feels things he never thought he would or could. He is dark and she is light. He wants to be in that light. But he knows once she finds out who he is and the despicable things he has done, she's going to leave him. He'll be alone again; with just his music and his anger and the meaningless, faceless woman that he screws.
"Shea," I murmured quietly, like an apology, dropping my forehead to the door.
"Please."
Because what was I gonna say? Now she knew and she was never going to look at me the same.
Secrets have a way of working themselves to the surface. They can be buried, but only a fool believes they will stay buried for long. When Shea learns the truth that Baz kept from her she feels like a fool. It seems just about everyone knew who he was but not her.
Baz tells himself she is so much better off without him. He will ruin her life, he ruins everyone's life. But missing her and telling himself to stay away are two different things. When you meet the one person who completes you, who accepts you, who sees you for who you are, ugly warts and all, can you ever really walk away?
But a life in the public eye, where your every move is followed by the press will have repercussions for someone with secrets. Baz never could have dreamed that Shea's past will intersect with his life in ways he never knew. Can they move past this?
A Stone in the Sea is a cliffy. Drowning to Breathe is the sequel that will continue Shea and Baz's story.
Something about it felt intimate and raw and honest, and I was falling farther, being sucked beneath the surface.
A stone in his sea.
Excerpt One
I froze when I felt the presence behind me. The song slowly
blinked out, the last note lingering in the dense air, before I slowly looked
over my shoulder to find Shea. Thoughtful eyes met mine in all their
warmth—covering me, pulling me in, dragging me under.
“You play,” she said, a statement rather than a question.
“A little,” I said with a shrug.
She scoffed. “I would hardly classify that as a little.” She
shuffled toward me, barefoot, and still wearing that robe. “You have a
beautiful voice,” she whispered, and again it took on that reverent tone, like
she was recognizing something inside me I didn’t see.
She ran her fingers up the back of my neck and into my hair,
and I lifted my head to it and tried not to moan like a girl when she pressed
her hot mouth to my Adam’s apple, kissing me there like the temptress she was.
“Such a beautiful, beautiful voice for a beautiful, beautiful
man.” The words vibrated against my throat.
“Shea.” My response was hoarse, uttered toward the ceiling as
she kissed up and down my throat. With her daughter’s innocent face running
like a reel through my mind, I searched inside myself for some kind of resolve.
For courage. For a speck of integrity. “I should go. I shouldn’t be here. I
shouldn’t have stayed. Shouldn’t have come back.”
Never should have come in the first place.
“You’re exactly where I want you to be,” she coaxed against
my skin.
“Shea.” It was a plea for one of us to find reason.
“Please,” she whispered, hands sinking into my shoulders.
Weak.
Weak.
Weak.
That’s what she made me.
Groaning, I gave, because she already had me, and I swiveled
a fraction, grabbed her by the hips, and pulled her onto my lap. She was quick
to straddle me, a smile taking over her face as I palmed her ass, all those
waves of shiny soft hair falling down around us.
“It’s hardly fair, you know,” she said.
“What’s not fair?”
“You…looking the way you do. Then you turn around and have a
voice like that? Singing and playing that way?” She pulled back with a grin.
“Tell me you don’t play guitar. You know what they say, a man with a guitar
automatically becomes ten times sexier than any other guy in the room.”
I curbed a snort.
Didn’t I know it.
And that was exactly the shit I’d come to hate.
“Pair that with this face and this body…” she continued,
purely playful.
Any other girl started talking like that and I’d have tossed
her from my lap.
Instead, I kneaded my fingers deeper into the flesh of her
ass, rocking her into my cock that was at the ready and begging for more.
Shivers rolled through her. “…and I would say you’re
irresistible, Sebastian Stone.”
“Is that all you want me for…my body?” I teased, running my
hands up her back, eliciting a pleasured whimper from her.
Fingertips played across my chest, and her expression turned
vulnerable, that storm collecting speed. “Yeah. I do want this body.” Those
fingers fluttered up to my jaw. “And I want this face.”
Eyes not leaving mine, she slowly leaned down and kissed me
over my heart. “Most of all, I want this,” she murmured, hiding nothing, laying
herself bare.
She first found a love for writing
during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with
short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and
joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years later, she shared a short story
she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their
encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends
her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three
children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.
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including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text
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