Lyrics on the Wind (Lost Kings MC Book 17)
Page 43
Eyes wide and jaw slack, Logan stares at the girl, slowing his steps. He slides his tongue over his lip. A nervous gesture I’ve never seen him do before.
That slight movement unnerves me more than anything else about this encounter.
Something about her has him rattled.
The man who handles seven hundred pounds of machinery with ease.
He’s waded into rivers to save me.
He’s gone toe-to-toe with FBI agents.
He’s jumped into bar fights to rescue me.
He’s utterly fearless.
The man who wears his motorcycle club’s cut with pride and doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks of him.
I shift my gaze to the girl again.
This hundred-and-twenty-pound bag of hair worries him.
Why?
Rooster stops next to me, strong and steady. His calm mask has slipped into place. Almost as if I imagined the glimmer of fear.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he rumbles, low and ferocious.
As if he hadn’t even spoken, Ashley doesn’t take her eyes off me. “This guy. Your white knight,” she rolls her eyes, “is lying to you.”
“Horse feathers.” My whole body’s shaking. With fear or anger, I can’t tell. “You don’t know the first damn thing about us.”
“Well, I know one thing.” She finally slides her gaze to Rooster. A bitter smile twists her pretty face. “His name isn’t Logan Randall.”
Rooster and Shelby’s story will conclude in
Diamond in the Dust (Lost Kings MC #18)
Order by clicking here.
Diamond in the Dust
Lost Kings MC #18
Life is the dirt where I’ve buried the secrets of my past.
With a few careless words, those rotting memories have been uncovered.
For years, I healed the past by living in the moment.
Until I found the woman who would be my future.
Now all those unspoken secrets have the power to destroy everything.
What started out as a simple rescue has taken me down a road I never could’ve imagined. And I’ll do anything to keep her in my life.
The ugliness of my past is buried deep.
But no matter how much dirt you throw on top of them, skeletons always have a way of crawling out of the darkest holes.
Diamond in the Dust (Lost Kings MC #18) is the thrilling conclusion of Rooster and Shelby’s story. Rhythm of the Road and Lyrics on the Wind should be read first.
Order by clicking here.
EXCERPT from Kickstart my Heart
Download Kickstart my Heart here..
Life changing events rarely announce themselves. More often, they slip into your world without warning and shred everything to pieces.
This video is supposed to be a game changer for my band.
Unfortunately, the headache to end all headaches has been fucking with me all day. Between the ridiculous strobe lights and cheesy video concept for a song I already hate, I’m ready to quit, hop on my bike and ride the three thousand miles home. This is supposed to be our big break. I should be more excited. Our manager assured us this video will be in heavy rotation on MTV. What she promised in order to secure that favor, I have no idea.
My bandmates are equally annoyed. They’re just better at hiding it. Growing up in an outlaw motorcycle club the way I did, concealing my irritation isn’t something I ever bothered to learn.
A few minutes later, when the “actress”—hired to play I’m not sure what in the video—steps onto the set, I’ve got a whole new problem.
She’s half-naked. Not uncommon in Hollywood. The odd part is how uncomfortable she looks in her own skin. Especially when you take into account that she’s set-my-blood-on-fire hot. Not your typical bleached stripper look most chicks seem to sport in California. White blonde hair down to her ass, lightly tanned skin and a decent-sized rack. Like a curvier version of the skinny blonde chick on Dynasty. I’d been jerking off to posters of that actress for years. And here’s my very own version.
So my new problem involves my dick getting way too excited for the tight leather pants the wardrobe person squeezed me into.
I haven’t gotten laid since I returned to L.A. Obviously, I need to fix that. Blondie’s exactly my type.
Watching her make out session with my friend Jacob, pisses me off. It’s a ridiculous reaction since I haven’t even talked to the chick yet. But there it is.
After we soak her with the firehose—and I’d love to know who came up with that bit of phallic symbolism, because I certainly didn’t vote in favor of it—she runs off the set, before I have a chance to sexually harass her properly.
I’m thwarted again by the director’s assistant. “Good job, guys. I’ll just need you back at noon tomorrow, so he can film you with your instruments.”
“What the fuck? Why didn’t he get those shots today?” I snarl at her, and she backs up a few steps.
“We only had the model booked for one day and needed to get all her shots in.”
Our singer, Jacob, steps up and glares down at her. “That’s totally bogus.”
“Take it up with your manager.” She snaps her gum at us, spins around, and hurries away.
We stand around complaining, and it doesn’t escape my notice that blondie hasn’t emerged from her dressing room.
As casually as possible, I step away from the guys and go knock on the door. By dressing room, I mean the closet someone threw a desk, lamp, mirror and chair in. There’s no window she could have crawled out of.
Faint sniffling reaches me, and I push the door open.
Poor girl looks like the saddest wet kitten.
“Didn’t anyone give you a towel?”
She glances up at my question and straightens her spine. Big, blue eyes blink rapidly. She’s a tough cookie. Doesn’t want me to know she’s been crying.
“No.” Shivers rack her body, and yeah, I’m an asshole, but I notice her nipples threatening to pop through her flimsy halter top. My thumbs twitch with the need to rub over them, but I keep my hands at my sides.
Pissed that a girl who’s basically an employee of my band is being treated so shitty, I track down some towels. Blondie’s eyes widen in surprise when I darken her doorway again.
“Here.”
“Thank you.” She shakes the largest towel out and wraps it around herself, then unfolds the other one to dry her hair.
“Uh, I’m sorry about the hose thing. We didn’t know about it until the last minute.”
She glances up as if she’s startled to find me still standing there.
“Chaser! We’re leaving!” Jacob calls out.
I can’t tear my gaze away from the beauty in front of me. “I’ll catch up later,” I say over my shoulder.
The guys heckle me, using a fair amount of curse words, but I’m one of those guys who the more you try to talk me into something, the less likely I am to do it.
“You don’t have to stay. I’m fine,” she says.
I’m also a guy who loves a challenge. “No, I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
She raises an eyebrow at me. But I saw the way our creepy director kept eyeing her earlier. No way am I leaving her alone with him.
Well, that, and I want her all to myself.
“Can you close the door?” she asks, pulling me out of my plans to get her naked in my apartment. Damn, she’s got a sexy voice. A hint of a foreign accent I can’t place. Pervy bastard that I am, I keep imagining her proper, princess voice, whispering dirty things in my ear all night long.
“Sure.”
Knowing she’s undressing in that room, waiting on the other side of the door is torture.
I duck into the bathroom and peel off the ridiculous leather pants the stylist stuffed me into. Once I’m in my jeans, feeling more like myself, I return to the dressing room. Quicker than I expected, she opens the door. Again, she seems surprised to find me waiting for her.
“You
’re still here.”
We stand there for a second taking each other in. She’s changed into some baggy light denim shorts, a neon pink off-the-shoulder shirt, and plain white canvas sneakers. Far more conservative than her costume for the video shoot. Still sexy as hell on her.
“At your service,” I finally answer.
She gives me a skeptical look.
I flash my most non-threatening grin. “Come on, I’ve got a 1987 FXR Harley.”
Her lips twitch into a brief smile. “I don’t know what that is.”
“A motorcycle.”
Still unimpressed.
“It’s got a special edition blue frame. Harley only built six hundred and fifty of them that year.”
“Oh,” she says in a dramatic voice, clearly humoring me, “well in that case, it sounds like something I shouldn’t pass up.”
“Exactly.”
We make it out to the sidewalk without speaking. When we reach my bike, she stops and stares. “It’s very pretty.”
Pretty. No one’s ever called my bike pretty before. Good thing none of my club brothers are around to hear that. They’d bust my balls for days. “Thanks.”
Still she hesitates. “I’ve never been on one of these before.”
“It’s easy, princess.” I talk her through the proper way to mount the bike and center her weight. In no time, she’s snuggled up against my back, arms around my waist, and we’re cruising down the Sunset Strip. It’s a Tuesday evening, so it’s not as busy as normal. There’re still enough people making the rounds to provide some entertainment.
Instead of taking her home, I drive down to the beach and slip into the first spot I find. Since she’s skittish and never told me where she lives, the beach seems perfect.
“That was amazing!” she yells as she gets off the bike and shakes her hair loose. It’s the first time I’ve seen a genuine smile on her face, and it steals my breath for a second.
“You want to get something to eat? You must be starving after that shoot.”
Again, she seems surprised by my concern, and it makes me wonder if anyone’s ever taken care of this girl in her life.
I’m filled with an overwhelming need to protect this woman I barely know.
My desire to fuck her is overshadowed by my need to learn everything about her.
That’s a first.
Download Kickstart my Heart here..
Read all about Chaser and Mallory’s epic love story in the Hollywood Demons Trilogy (A Lost Kings MC Spin-Off Series) Starting with Kickstart My Heart here..
Note From Autumn
What an adventure!
I hope you loved Lyrics on the Wind as much as I do. It wasn’t an easy book to write. I don’t think I have to tell you what an epic dumpster fire 2020 was. Trying to write romance while the world’s on fire is daunting. I almost feel like the worse things are, the lighter I need my stories to be. Thankfully, my MC romances have always been heavy on the romance and Rooster is my favorite kind of ruthlessly protective and loyal alpha hero.
Here is where I could tell you all about how I never planned for Rooster to have another book. But I feel like you could go back to my notes for Zero Apologies to read that. See also: Beyond Reason and After Glow. Obviously, since I already had Grinder’s book (Crown of Ghosts) as the next book in the series, I had not planned for Rooster to have another book. Key word: planned. I’ve said it many times, I’m a pantster writer (I write by the seat of my pants.) I’m a terrible planner. I think people assume I’m joking when I say this. Things like calendars and clocks have very little relevance in my head. It’s not an easy way to live when the rest of the world adheres to things like schedules and deadlines, but the more I try to work against myself, the worse it gets. So, forgive me. If you love my characters and stories (as much as some of you say you do) then please be patient and accept that I need to let the stories unfold as they need to. If you’re outraged that there is another book, please don’t bother sending me nasty emails or messages. If I can’t change my process to make life easier for myself, I’m certainly not going to change for a random stranger hurling insults at me through the Internet. Save your time and go for a walk outside or something.
I always suspected Rooster’s story would be long and twisty. I knew something dark lurked in his past that shaped him into who he is—a much deeper character than he seems on the surface. I kept coming back to a certain thing he helped Z do. Pretty extreme. Why? The MC bonds of brotherhood only explain so much.
While moving through Rooster and Shelby’s journey, I realized there was a lot of potential to explore other areas of the Lost Kings MC that we’ve only heard mentioned in passing. I’ve been reluctant to move away from the Upstate NY Lost Kings (end especially Rock because my love for him knows no reason!) that I’ve almost neglected the other charters. Ice in particular interests me. Near the end of writing Lyrics, I had to stop for a day and just write out Ice and Anya’s backstory. I’m fascinated by both of them but not sure where they’ll take me. I figure they are Autumn 2023’s problem. Griff obviously also interests me a lot as we’ve seen him here and there throughout the series. And of course, Dawson. He needs someone special. I think I know exactly who he should end up with.
My readers who are excited for another Rooster and Shelby book-thank you! You blew my mind the day I uploaded Diamond in the Dust for pre-order. The book wasn’t even live on my dashboard when many of you were already posting pictures of your preorders in my Facebook group. After feeling like I “failed” to deliver by not wrapping up Rooster’s story in Lyrics, your excitement both humbled and reassured me. You’re the reason I write my stories and I thank you for believing in me.
I hope 2021 is a kinder and gentler year for all of us. I wish you and your loved ones good health and safety.
xo
Autumn
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The Lost Kings MC® World
By Autumn Jones Lake
Suggested Chronological Reading Order
Kickstart My Heart (Hollywood Demons #1)
Blow My Fuse (Hollywood Demons #2)
Wheels of Fire (Hollywood Demons #3)
Cards of Love: Knight of Swords
Slow Burn (Lost Kings MC #1)
Corrupting Cinderella (Lost Kings MC #2)
Three Kings, One Night (Lost Kings MC #2.5)
Strength From Loyalty (Lost Kings MC #3)
Tattered on My Sleeve (Lost Kings MC #4)
White Heat (Lost Kings MC #5)
Between Embers (Lost Kings MC #5.5)
Bullets & Bonfires (Standalone in the Lost Kings MC world)
More Than Miles (Lost Kings MC #6)
Warnings & Wildfires (Standalone in the Lost Kings MC world)
White Knuckles (Lost Kings MC #7)
Beyond Reckless (Lost Kings MC #8)
Beyond Reason (Lost Kings MC #9)
One Empire Night (Lost Kings MC #9.5)
After Burn (Lost Kings MC #10)
After Glow (Lost Kings MC #11)
Zero Hour (Lost Kings MC #11.5)
Zero Tolerance (Lost Kings MC #12)
Zero Regret (Lost Kings MC #13)
Zero Apologies (Lost Kings MC #14)
Swagger and Sass (Lost Kings MC #14.5)
White Lies (Lost Kings MC #15)
Rhythm of the Road (Lost Kings MC #16)
Lyrics on the Wind (Lost Kings MC #17)
Diamond in the Dust (Lost Kings MC #18)
Crown of Ghosts (Lost Kings MC #19)
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Occasionally, Mr. Lake joins the fun discussions or raids my swag closet to give stuff away in the lounge!
About the Author
Autumn Jones Lake is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels, including the popular Lost Kings MC series. She believes true love stories never end.
Her past lives include baking cookies, bagging groceries, selling cheap shoes, and practicing law. Playing with her imaginary friends all day is by far her favorite job yet!
Autumn lives in upstate New York with her own alpha hero.
www.autumnjoneslake.com
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