Always Rayne
by Sierra Avalon
New Adult Romance
Date Published: June 21, 2014
Synopsis
Would you spend ten days traveling the country with someone you despised if he promised to pay off your student loans?
Recent college graduate, Harper Leigh, can barely make ends meet working as the books editor for a new online entertainment magazine, Chatter. With $85,000 of student loan debt about to go into repayment, she has no idea how she’ll get by.
Just when she thinks things couldn’t get worse, Harper’s boss decides to embed her in the North American tour for the hot rock band, Always Rayne. Ten days on the road with the band for her to get an exclusive story. But Harper’s a homebody and the last thing she wants to do is go on the road with a rock band. And she definitely doesn’t want to spend ten days with the notorious bad boy and band front man, Nic Rayne.
When Nic proves to be too much for Harper to handle and she threatens to quit the assignment, Nic decides to sweeten the pot. If she stays with the tour for all ten days, he’ll pay off all of her student loan debt….but there’s one small catch.
Harper also has to sleep in his bed every night.
Excerpt
Brooke and I are wearing those plastic
backstage passes around our necks and when two really big body guards standing
at the backstage entrance see them they let us pass right through the
door.
As I glance around at all the other people
with backstage passes I notice they all look a lot more like Brooke than I
expected. All of the girls are wearing ultra-short, skin-tight skirts with
barely there tops.
The guys all look like they just stepped
out of the band themselves. They’re all young and hot and they seem to know it.
There’s definitely no shortage of
arrogance in the room.
“I’m definitely going after Leo,” Brooke
whispers to me as we approach the band.
All three of the band members are standing
next to each other drinking beers and talking with a bevy of blondes.
Maybe this isn’t the best place for Brooke
to be hanging out. She hasn’t been sober very long and I don’t want her to fall
into temptation. I have a feeling if Leo handed her a beer she wouldn’t say no.
“I’m getting tired,” I say and fake a big
yawn.
“You are not going to wimp out on me.”
Brooke gives me a cold glare. “We’re not leaving here until we meet Always
Rayne. All of them.”
Nic Rayne looks like he’s getting bored
with the blondes. He’s glancing around the room rather than paying attention to
what the girls are saying.
As soon as Nic’s eyes land on me I can see
his expression change. His brows are furrowed and he looks puzzled. I’m sure
he’s wondering what someone who looks like me is doing backstage.
Disappointment crosses over the faces of
the two girls vying for Nic’s attention when he walks away from them and heads
in my direction.
“You,” he points to me. At least I think
he’s pointing at me. When I look around and realize I’m standing alone, I know he’s pointing at me.
Then I panic because I’m standing alone.
Where the hell is my roommate? The one who dragged me here in the first place
practically kicking and screaming. She completely abandoned me. I also notice
that one of Nic Rayne’s bandmates seems to have vanished just as quickly.
It isn’t possible for Brooke to hook up
with someone that fast, is it?
This is Brooke we’re talking about. Not
only is it possible, it’s highly probable.
Nic Rayne is now glaring at me. It’s like
he can’t believe I didn’t jump as soon as he pointed to me. I can already tell
this guy is a piece of work. He’s probably used to getting any girl he wants
with the snap of his finger. Hell, he’s probably used to getting anything he
wants the second the demand comes out of this mouth.
I can see him let out an exasperated
breath and then head in my direction. I quickly scan the room to see if I can
spot an exit but by the time my eyes land on one, it’s too late. Nic Rayne has
already entered my personal space.
And he’s not just close to me; he’s
practically on top of me. And I don’t like it. He makes me extremely
uncomfortable. I’d rather be anywhere than standing next to Nic Rayne. I’d
rather be back in Economics class at the university and I hate Economics. It’s
the only class I ever got a C in.
“What’s up?” Nic says.
I’ve seen him in movies so I knew he was
tall and muscular. I guess it never occurred to me how tall and muscular he
really is. The guy is towering over me and I’m not that short. I’m five feet six
inches. Nic has got to be at least six inches taller than me.
“Did you see where my friend went?”
He nods but doesn’t say anything else.
“Okay. Would you mind telling me where she
went?”
“With Leo.”
I assume he means Leo Donovan, his cousin
and the guitar player in Always Rayne.
“Hey, Rayne.” Xander Donovan, Nic’s other
cousin, and the band’s drummer, places a hand on Nic’s shoulder. “Pick the girl
you want and let’s go. We’re all headed over to Troy.”
Troy is the trendiest club in the city.
I’ve heard a lot about it but haven’t been able to afford the stiff cover
charge and the fifteen dollar drinks.
“Come on,” Nic says and turns to leave as
if I’m supposed to follow him.
He takes a few steps before he realizes
that I’m not following him. Then he turns back around and gives me an odd look.
“Aren’t you coming?”
I shake my head.
“Why not?” He actually looks puzzled.
“Do you want a list?”
His eyes narrow and then he walks back
over to me. He gets so close I can smell his masculine scent and what’s left of
his spicy cologne. “What’s the list?”
I gulp. I wasn’t actually expecting him to
ask for the list. I thought he’d just get disgusted and find some other girl to
go with him.
“Well, you’re not my type. I don’t find
you remotely attractive. Or particularly interesting. I don’t like your music
at all. And you don’t seem very smart. And I don’t sleep with guys I don’t
know. So, maybe you should just find some other girl to take to Troy.”
He’s doing his best to bite back a grin.
The smug asshole actually finds what I’ve said funny. I didn’t think I could
dislike him more but he’s really pushing my buttons.
“I’m not your type, huh?” He leans in even
closer. So close, I can feel his breath on my neck. “I’m everybody’s type.”
I try to swallow but I feel like there’s a
golf ball stuck in my throat.
“You don’t find me attractive, huh? Then
why are you sweating?” He places his hand right over my heart. “And your heart
is beating a mile a minute. Maybe you should listen to what your body wants
instead of what your brain is telling you.”
I take a step back and try to collect
myself. I wipe my brow and realize I really am sweating. And he’s right, my
heart is racing. What the hell is going on?
“I’m not some groupie who’s going to do
whatever you want because you snapped your fingers.”
He looks me up and down. “I can see that.”
I place my hands on my hips. “What is that
supposed to mean?”
He actually has the audacity to laugh. “No
one would ever mistake you for a groupie that’s for sure.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Your clothes are like some crazy mash-up
between a hippie and a school librarian.”
I glance down at my flowered skirt and
strappy sandals. He has a point. I’m not exactly a fashion whore like my
roommate. Not that I have the money to update my wardrobe even if I wanted to.
He steps closer again. He’s got a habit of
getting right into my personal space and it makes me uncomfortable every time
he does it. When I look into his deep brown eyes, I have the feeling that he’s
doing it just to get a rise out of me.
“What are you doing here?” he asks. For
the first time since we’ve met, he actually sounds sincere.
“I came with my roommate. She won tickets
from the radio station. She wanted to see you. And your cousins.”
“I asked what you’re doing here.”
“I guess I’m here for moral support,” I
stammer. And I have a press pass.”
I’m not sure why I tell him that. I guess
I feel like I need some kind of excuse to be here because I’m definitely not
here for the music.
“Why am I not surprised? You look like a
writer. Or a librarian.”
I dig around in my purse and pull out my
press pass. To my surprise, he grabs it from my hand. “Chatter. Never heard of
it.”
“It’s an online magazine. A start up.”
He nods then hands me back my credentials.
“Do you like it?”
“Like what?” I’m surprised by the
question.
“Writing. Working for a magazine.”
I shrug. “I’ve never thought about doing
anything else. My parents named me Harper Leigh. I was kind of destined to be a
writer.”
He’s looking at me with a blank stare.
Maybe he really is as brainless as I think. And for some strange reason that
disappoints me.
“Harper Leigh,” I repeat. “I spell my name
differently but she was a writer.”
He’s still looking at me with a blank
expression.
“She won the Pulitzer Prize.”
Then he smiles. “I know who Harper Lee is.
To Kill a Mocking Bird. Won the
Pulitzer Prize in 1961. She was also good friends with Truman Capote. She
helped him with the research for In Cold
Blood.”
I can feel my jaw drop.
“I guess I’m smarter than you think.” He
leans in close again. “And I’m also a great actor apparently because I had you
fooled.”
I want to say something in response but no
words come out of my mouth.
“Rayne.” It’s Xander again. “Come on.
We’ve got to bounce.”
“Does everyone call you Rayne?”
“Always.”
My review
It 's very fun to see how the true nature of the two protagonists slowly come out: both try to hide their true personality. Nic is not only a musician sexy and selfish, he's a smart guy who loves to read and is looking for a girl who is able to share his passions but how can if all the women around him do not even know what the prize Pulitzer . Harper is hiding behind rather outmoded clothes and her beloved books but can become a girl that makes lose head to a singer who can have all the women he wants.
The band also belong the two cousins Nic, Leo and Xander, and Raven, their girl "rescue" that will be the stars of the upcoming stories in the series
It 's a simple story, light but very enjoyable.
Must read if you love books about boy bands and new adult
BUY LINKS
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447529
Sierra Avalon
Thank you so much for hosting me on your website and for taking the time to read and review my new book. I appreciate it!
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