Book Description
Daniella Fosbrook can’t believe she’s dating a smoking hot rock star, now all she has to do is hold onto him.
Bad boy rockers, Black Halo, have reunited and have hit the road. Dani Fosbrook has never experienced life on the move, now she’s squashed onto a tour bus with five horny rock stars and her lover’s ex, and there’s no room for mistakes.
If threats from jealous fans and warding off unwanted press attention isn’t difficult enough to handle, Dani has to battle her own personal insecurities. Xane says he’s committed, but with so much on offer to tempt him, can she trust he won’t stray?
When sabotage puts both the tour and everything Dani and Xane have built together under threat, can the band and their entourage come together to make the tour work, or it is time for everyone to part ways?
Come Together
Author: Madelynne Ellis
Series: Rock Hard #2
Published on: September 30, 2014
Published by: Mischief
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eBook
Pages: 336
Purchase at: Amazon US • Amazon UK •
+ Add to: Goodreads
Excerpt
‘Who are you talking to, Spook? I thought I told you to get out.’
Dani’s grin stretched even wider at the sound of Xane’s voice.
‘I’m just saying hello to your lovely lady.’ Spook leaned forward again and gave her another kiss, this one on the cheek. ‘He’s grouchy and irritable, see if you can cheer him up.’
‘Over what?’
‘Life.’
‘Life?’ she queried, but Spook was already gone.
‘Dani?’ Xane was right there in front of her instead, wrapping his arms around her, bowing his head, and drinking her down like a man desperate for water. ‘It feels like eternity since I last set eyes on you.’ He didn’t seem irritable to her, only desperately pleased to see her. More pleased than she’d ever imagined he would be. ‘I thought you’d be here before the sound check.’
‘I was, Ulf made me wait with him. He didn’t want me distracting you.’
‘Bastard,’ Xane hissed. ‘I needed distracting.’ His lips found hers again and he drew her tight against his body. He’d already dressed in his stage-outfit, so that his dark, ragged shirt was open to the waist, and easy for her to slip her hands inside. All that was missing to transform him into the demon he was on stage, were his yellow cat’s eye contact lenses. Dani was glad they were missing. Without them she could see right into his soul. There was a great big gaping hole there caused by Steve Matlock’s death, that he was desperately trying to fill by clinging on to her.
‘So, you have a new drummer,’ she said, hoping it would prompt him to talk. He’d experienced a massive loss. He needed to talk, but every time she tried to prompt him to open up, he side-stepped the subject. The only way he seemed to express his grief was through his lyrics.
A shadow passed across the surface of Xane’s eyes. ‘Apparently.’
‘That must have been a hard decision to make. I know you loved Steve, and—’
He cut her off by covering her mouth with his fingertips. ‘Don’t. I have to go out there and sing. I can’t do that if you make me think about stuff. Yes, we have a new drummer. He’ll do. He’s not my choice.’
Given the mournful look in his eyes, she doubted he’d have chosen anyone.
‘OK,’ she agreed, though it was hard not to try and dig deeper and attempt to console him, when his sadness rolled off him in such tangible waves. ‘Did the others choose him?’
‘Tell me how you are. I’ve been worried sick about you facing those bitches alone. I wish you’d let me come with you.’
If she’d done that things would have got out of hand very quickly. ‘One of those bitches is my mum. And I needed to do it alone.’ Despite dreaming for years that he’d ride up and rescue her from captivity, she’d realised that the only way to truly be free of her past was to sever the links for herself. The final showdown between her and her mum hadn’t been pretty. And lord help her, there’d be no going back. ‘Besides, you had plenty stuff of your own to sort out.’ Such as tour preparations and grieving, and finding a way forward for the band. All those things were more important than having him hold her hand while she dealt with her screwy family.
‘Will they leave you alone?’
She nodded. Rather more permanently alone that she’d really wanted, but her mum wasn’t prepared to see reason. She wasn’t interested in Dani finding happiness, only in keeping her on a very short leash. She wasn’t about to discuss it with Xane, but she had about sixty quid in total to her name now. The sisterhood had reclaimed everything that was official theirs, which pretty much accounted for everything she owned that wasn’t jammed into the suitcase she’d left with Ulf. ‘Let’s discuss it later, eh? How long until the show starts?’
‘Not long.’
‘Long enough for me to wish you good luck?’ They both needed to push past events aside and to start living in the present again.
Xane eyed her thoughtfully, while he rotated the ring piercing at the centre of his lower lip. ‘What did you have in mind?’ The way his eyes suddenly glittered told her exactly what he was envisaging. In some ways he had the ultimate one track mind. Her problem was that she couldn’t resist reacting to him. She could never get enough of his hands on her skin, or the feel of his warm body pressed tight to hers, coupled with that was the fact that he was the most beautiful man she’d ever met—all long inky hair, hard body and wicked as sin smile. If she stared at him too long, she sometimes forgot to breath.
She rubbed a hand across the band of scars that girdled her hips, determined to ground herself a little. ‘Good luck.’ She lifted both her brows and shoulders.
‘That’s it?’ Xane quirked one eyebrow. ‘You come dashing into my dressing room right before I go on stage and all I get is two words.’
‘Would you rather I made it three?’
‘Depends on the words.’ He fixed on his prince of darkness mask. The one the fans went wild for and made the girlies panties wet. It made her pretty giddy too, but then everything about him called to her. She moved closer to him, drawn as though he were magnetically charged, tilted her head up towards him.
‘Is there time?’
‘Always, for this.’ His tongue met hers and slipped teasingly between her lips. It was barely any sort of step at all between that and being so slippery with need, that she was grinding her hips against his body in a hungry imitation of coitus. Xane had always been able to unmake her with her kiss. The man had a tongue so wicked he’d could probably overcome the Queen of Darkness with it… Oh, hang on, he had. Elspeth was his ex.
Xane slid one hand down her back and rested it at the base of her spine. Then both his palms skimmed over her bottom. He pulled her closer. ‘When you were late, I started thinking maybe you weren’t coming back. That those dreadful women had got to you and poisoned you against me.’
It still amazed her that he feared she’d leave him. She’d follow him to the ends of the earth and beyond. Dani pushed her hands inside his shirt again, traced the contours of his steely abs, while with her lips she sought his nipples. They were both pierced, though he appeared to have removed one ring.
‘Xane, they couldn’t stop me from loving you even before we met, they’ve no chance now.’ Their arguments were stupid and their logic flawed. Besides, even if it all ended tomorrow, it’d still have been worth it for the time they had spent together.
‘We’ve about ten minutes before they’re going to want me backstage.’
‘Yeah?’ Dani teased one of his nipple rings, sucking it into her mouth, so that she left a darker patch on the midnight blue fabric of his shirt. Xane hissed and arched against her, so that she could feel the growing swell of his erection pressed tight to her pussy. For all the horrors in his life, his ability to get turned on never seemed to diminish.
‘I just want you to know that’s not nearly enough time to do all the things I need to do to you.’ He cupped the side of her breast, rubbed her already tight nipples with the heel of hand. You’re so mine when this show is over.’
Interview
To get started, please tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Madelynne Ellis, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic romance. I’m a British writer, based not far from the Welsh border, mum to two demented tweens and a cavachon puppy. I’ve published over twenty books and have had my works translated into four languages. That’s the official bit. Sadly, it doesn’t mention that I’m quiet, introverted and hopeless at interviews. However, I’m going to do my very best to give you some decent answers to the questions in this one.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’m not sure it was ever a conscious decision. I was a fan of Black Lace novels back in the early 90’s and my house mate at the time saw me reading one and suggested that I give it a go. I was unemployed at the time, so I thought, why not. I sent off for their writer’s guidelines, took a phenomenally long time to write my first book (five years), but did eventually have it accepted by Black Lace. I’ve been writing ever since.
Where do you get your ideas for your novels?
Everywhere. I collect snippets of conversations and images and fact about the world in general, and file them in my brain. After they’ve percolated for a good long while, the crazy mish-mash emerges as a story. Honestly, I’m inspired by some very strange stuff. Teapots, for instance. I once wrote an erotic story featuring a teapot. Rock stars are, I guess, a little more understandable.
Why did you feel you had to tell this story?
Come Together is about things that matter to me: friendship, loyalty, respect and trust. Also, I love the Black Halo band members so much I couldn’t possibly abandon them without exploring their world more first.
What was your favorite chapter to write and why?
I think it was actually the prologue. I remember being stuck on a scene somewhere in the middle (I don’t recall which one), but I was really struggling to make any progress, so I stepped back and decided to delve into Xane’s past a little to see if I could discover any insight into the events I was trying to write about. The prologue was the result. It was fun, because those boys sure know how to generate some steam, and also I got to write about Steve Matlock. I sort of felt I owed him one, having treated him so poorly in the previous book.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
I write the sort of books I enjoy reading, so historical and contemporary erotic romance, often with some kind of love triangle or ménage a trois involved. I initially began writing them in the mid-nineties, because they were incredibly hard to find. I’m pleased to say that times have changed a bit since then.
How did you come up with the title?
Once I’d decided to title the first book in the series Come Undone, I sat down and came up with a list of other title that were all Come (something). Then I chose the ones off that list that I liked best and that fit with the direction I knew I wanted Xane and Dani’s story to take. I like my book titles to have multiple meanings, and both Come Undone and Come Together fit that bill perfectly.
Come Undone was initially chosen because of the songs by that name by Robbie Williams and Duran Duran. They provided a sort of character template for Xane too.
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
I intend to carry on writing about Black Halo for the foreseeable future. Come Alive, (due 2015) continues Xane, Dani and Luthor story. I’ve already released a short novel about Ash and Ginny called All Night Long, and the second book about them, All Fired Up is due out on January 15th. Ash and Ginny’s books intersect with Xane and Dani’s.
Spook Mortensen (who seems to be a bit of a fan favourite) has already starred in short novella called Remastered, and I’ve plans for full-length novels about him, and Rock Giant. I don’t have release dates for those yet, but they’re on the horizon.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Keeping the steam coming off the pages when I’m feeling under the weather.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I can produce a huge book in a relatively short period of time if I put my mind to it J
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I’d perhaps include Ash & Ginny’s storyline as fully realized secondary plot, rather than having their concurrent story line happening in a different book. That said, if I had done that, it would have turned Come Together into an absolute doorstopper, and it’s pretty long already.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Make coffee. Check email. Visit a few specific sites including checking in on my Facebook Reader’s Retreat, then write (and forget to drink the coffee, so that I have to make a fresh cup.)
Do you work with an outline, or just write?
Predominantly, I just write. I might have a few bullet points listed on a bit of paper, but most of the ideas I store in my head. I’ve generally been thinking about a book for a fair while before I sit down to write it, but not a whole lot makes it onto paper in terms of notes.
Do you set daily writing goals?
Yes. I aim for a 2,500 words on 4 days per week, and insist that I make it to 1,000 words. Sometimes I don’t make it, while on other days, I write far more than 2,500 words. A lot depends on how close I am to a deadline.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
It doesn’t feel as if there’s been a whole lot of ‘not writing’ time over the last eighteen months. However, when I do get to relax, I enjoy walking the dog, role-playing (live & table-top) and chilling with a really good book. Recommendations are always welcome.
What’s next for you as an author? Any last words?
Wanton Christmas Wishes, a six-author collection of hot historical romance stories that’s out on 15th November. I’m very excited about it as I really admire the other ladies I’m in the collection with.
Then I have All Fired Up the next Black Halo book out in January. And I’m looking at a long list of projects for the rest of 2015. It’s gearing up to be a busy year.
Thank you so much for having me. If you want to learn more about my books, I recommend checking out my website: http://www.madelynne-ellis.com and signing up for my newsletter. (I use this predominantly to notify people of my new releases) http://madelynne-ellis.com/?page_id=619
Come Undone – Rock Hard #1
Book Description
On stage he’s dynamite. Off stage he rocks her world.
When red-hot, Goth-metal band, Black Halo, split live on stage, fate throws Daniella Fosbrook into the path of sexy vocalist Xane Geist. Initially, Xane’s only looking for a ride home, but Dani tempts him in a way a thousand other women haven’t. Determined to explore their heady chemistry and avoid hashing things out with the band, Xane whisks Dani off to Monaco for a steamy weekend.
There, Dani tries her best to hang onto her heart and some clothing, while Xane soon loses both. However, Xane isn’t being entirely honest about the reason for the band’s demise. When the truth comes out, can Dani accept the facts, or will everything come undone?
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