With: Traci Douglass
Congratulations to "Elizabeth H.", the winner in Traci's giveaway. Please contact JUST CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE to claim your prize!

Deleted
Scene – KoZ Show:
They walked up to the front of a
dilapidated, graffiti-covered building near the train tracks on the other side
of Heavenly Falls and Alex double-checked the address on the tickets.
He thought an art show meant a gallery and
fancy-schmancy hors d’oeuvres and champagne. Not Rave-O-Rama. He whispered in Mandy’s ear, “Are you sure this is the right
place?”
“Positive.”
She tugged him forward, bypassing the noisy line and heading
straight for the beefy bouncer near the door. Alex kept an eye on the
surrounding patrons, shuffling his feet and frowning until she returned.
“C’mon. We get VIP treatment because I know the artist.” She pulled
him inside.
Alex squinted in the near total darkness. He’d expected rough,
industrial and sparse. Never in a billion years had he imagined this train
wreck. This was
something straight out of a post-apocalyptic thriller,
all Mad Max wasteland and thrash-punk
skank.
As they moved deeper into the massive structure and his
eyes adjusted to the neon-enhanced gloom, his outlook on the venue only
worsened. From the scarred concrete floor to the bird-poop encrusted walls, the
place shrieked dump.
“There’s Kay,” Mandy said. They walked across a
makeshift dance floor, complete tacky disco ball strung up with rusted chain. On the
walls were what looked like huge bedsheets covered in weird abstract designs.
He squinted more closely as they passed.
Is that a butt print?
“Kay?” Alex shouted above the
chest-pounding baseline of the electronic house music.
“Short for KoZ. Get it? Chaos.”
Perfect.
The word described both the decrepit warehouse and his thoughts about all this.
The word described both the decrepit warehouse and his thoughts about all this.
Before them stood a humongous hippie dude with a rainbow-hued afro,
Jesus sandals and a torn white tank top. In the room behind the guy, half naked
people soaked in paint hurled themselves at huge canvases strung from the
ceiling or draped on the floor.
Guess that explains the butt prints.
“K!” Mandy gave the guy a big hug.
“The new show looks great.”
“Thanks.” KoZ grinned. “We’re living the dream, eh?”
“We are.” Mandy took Alex’s hand as
a live band kicked into gear from near the dance floor, and shouts erupted from
the revelers. The screech of electric guitars and angst-ridden lyrics filled
the air.
“Doing okay?” she whispered. “It’s quieter in the next room, if you
want to go in there.”
“Where they’re making the art?” Alex swallowed hard. “I don’t
know…”
He scanned the area again. Part of him wanted to get the heck out
of Dodge ASAP. But then he looked down into Mandy’s blue eyes, her hand warming
his, sweet smile driving away his inner demons and for the first time in a long
time, he wanted to try. He nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Mandy toed off her sneakers. “Let’s do it.”
Let’s do it.
Alex tossed his loafers on the pile beside Mandy’s then followed her into the next room. Open cans of paint
in a rainbow of neon hues surrounded them. Mandy snagged two test-tube-shaped
shots from a passing server and handed one to Alex.
Someone bumped him from behind and
shoved him closer to Mandy and her soft curves brushed against him, sending his
already-simmering need into full boil. Closing his
eyes and praying for the best, Alex chugged his drink then coughed slightly from the burn in his throat.
“What was in that?”
“Not sure.” She gave a
quick full-body shudder. “Rum maybe. Or vodka.
Definitely some fruit juice.” Next thing he
knew, she hoisted her top over her head. Her jeans soon followed,
leaving Mandy in nothing but a few scraps of lace that she seemed to think
passed for underwear.
Alex stared, his vision wavering. His skin tingled and his ears
buzzed, and a newfound admiration for KoZ blossomed.
Mandy fully clothed was a force to be reckoned with,
all sweet curves and sexy smiles.
Seeing her nearly naked was downright lethal.
She scooped up paint on a brush and
covered her exposed limbs with strokes of different colors. “This stuff is cold
and kind of slimy, like mushy paste.”
In a daze, Alex peeled off his
sweater and jeans.
Mandy waved a paintbrush in front of him. “Hold still while I put some of
this on you. Then you can do me.”
You can do me…
He stood in his boxer briefs while she painted a design on his back
with cold, wet paint. Her strokes dipped lower, slicking over his
cotton-covered butt and she laughed. “Perfect. Now it’s your turn.”
Alcohol buzzed alongside the adrenaline in his system and Alex’s
senses clicked to high alert. He swirled the paintbrush across Mandy’s spine, her flowery scent intoxicating.
Once he was done, they found a secluded corner behind several other
canvases and the world reduced to only the now.
This woman, this moment, this night.
They each rolled off toward opposite ends of the long
canvas before tumbling toward the center again,
colliding in a mass of limbs in the middle of their questionable masterpiece.
The rough white cotton scuffed his bare skin and
brought their near nakedness to the forefront.
Before he second-guessed his actions, Alex closed the gap between
them and kissed her. When she finally pulled back, Mandy placed her hand over
his heart and smiled. “Your pulse is going a mile a minute.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.” She pulled him down for another kiss, deeper this time,
wrapping her legs around his waist to keep him close. Her fingers tangled in his
hair and his muscles quivered beneath her touch. He kissed his way down her
neck to her collarbone and she traced her hand along the top of his boxer
briefs.
With his last ounce of willpower, Alex leaned back and cupped
Mandy’s cheeks. “Want to go home?”
Her smiled widened. “Yes.”
They stood and he handed Mandy her clothes before turning away to
pull on his own.
Mandy leaned against him for balance. “Don’t forget our shoes. I’m
not leaving here without my Chuck Taylors.”
After sorting through what felt like a million pairs, he located
her pink high tops and his loafers from the ever-growing pile by the door. They
both jammed their feet into their shoes then Alex held the nearest exit door
open with his shoulder while Mandy stumbled after him.
Whatever concoction had been in those special drinks seemed to be
hitting them both hard now. Pineapple and peach schnapps coated Alex’s tongue
and the air around him seemed hazy.
“Lemme order our Uber.” Mandy
fumbled in her pocket for her phone and he held her arm to keep her upright.
After a few tries, she got her passcode correct and brought up the app. After
ordering their ride, she tried to shove her phone in her pocket and missed,
dropping it on the ground. Mandy bent to pick it up and swayed precariously.
Alex pulled her close once more to keep them both steady.
“Wait til were alone,” she
said, her words slurred as she climbed into the backseat once their car arrived.
“I’m gonna put all kinda kinks in your cord.”
“Yeah?” He snorted as he slid in beside her. “Sounds painful.”
“Hurts so good, baby.”
By the time they reached Concord Lane, though, Mandy was out cold.
The taxi pulled up to the curb outside the house and Alex got out then
reached back inside for Mandy.
“You need help?” the driver asked.
“No. I’ve got her.” He balanced her weight on his hip and made the
tricky climb up the front stoop. Dizzy, Alex
blinked several times then unlocked the door before limping inside with Mandy’s
dead weight in tow. There was no way either of them would make it upstairs to
her room in their current conditions, so his room it was. After traversing the
never-ending hallway, Alex got her stripped down to her undies then onto the
bed before removing his own paint-caked clothes and climbing in beside her. He
pulled the covers over both of them and switched off the bedside lamp,
intending to keep to his own side, but Mandy snuggled up against him and they
both fell asleep.

Mandy Reynolds needs a reset on life in so many ways. Her acting career isn’t exactly where she’d hoped it to be. She can’t even get a job as a germ for a commercial. When she inherits half a house she sees it as a sign and heads home to Heavenly Falls, Illinois. She’ll sell the house, and use the money to take her career to the next level in Los Angeles. That is if she can convince her hard-headed––and stupidly gorgeous–– ex-stepbrother, Alex Noonan, to sell fast.
The last time Alex saw Mandy, she was a gangly teen, who followed him around like a sad puppy. But she’s grown into a smart and funny woman, who is as frustrating as she is beautiful. The fact that they have to live in the house––together––while they fix it up, is one temptation he doesn’t need. And while he’s having fun spending time with her, she’s moving on soon, and he needs time to heal.
Plus, she has no idea he’s got a secret that could put a monkey wrench in all of her plans...
Giveaway:
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST March 11th. Due to GDPR regulations you no longer need to submit your email address in the comments. If you have been selected as a winner your name will be posted at the top of the post. You may then contact maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com to claim your prize. Your email address will be shared with the author/publicist providing the giveaway.
No, I'm an introvert through and through -- crazy party/show makes me sweat just thinking about it *lol*
ReplyDeleteNo, I’m not a party girl whatsoever - normal, crazy, whatsoever. Any invitation to a questionable event would raise my alarm. 😆
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention a crazy show... Last weekend I attended a 1920s Murder Mystery Dinner. It got pretty crazy!
ReplyDeletenope nothing crazy...
ReplyDeleteI'll probably sound boring, but I'm not really into Rave-O-Rama kind of parties :)
ReplyDeleteNope.
ReplyDeleteno
ReplyDelete