White Lightning: Episode 2 (Rising Storm)

by Lexi Blake

  “No problem. I’ll just find a friend to sit with.” She wasn’t about to wait around like some pathetic loser. “It looks like half the town is here this morning anyway.”

  She stepped into the dining room just in time to watch her mother take the sheriff’s hand as he helped her up.

  What was going on there? There was a look on her mother’s face she’d never seen before. Her mom had been smiling, and not in that tight-assed way she usually smiled. She’d actually looked quite lovely. Her mother didn’t notice her standing there. She was far too busy staring up into the eyes of the sheriff. He led her toward the back of the cafe, where apparently all the important people in town were meeting.

  And now her mom was, too?

  The sheriff’s hand moved to the small of her mom’s back as he ushered her through the door to the back room.

  Dakota was left standing in the middle of the cafe. She could hear the whispers of people all around her. They only thought they were being quiet. She could hear them, and every word seemed to cut like a knife.

  Her father walked out. Yes, he did. Is it any wonder after all the trouble that girl’s caused?

  Poor thing. I wonder how her momma’s handling it.

  I heard they found her at that bar on the edge of town and she didn’t have her clothes on.

  Gossip. It was going on all around her. She would never get away from it. Not as long as she stayed in this town.

  Well, hell, if she was going to gain a bad reputation, the least she could do was earn it.

  Her father wasn’t going to watch after her anymore. Maybe it was time to find a man who would.

  She turned and walked back out of the cafe, passing Mary Louise on her way. “I changed my mind. This isn’t my type of place after all.”

  She pulled out her phone and made her decision.

  Her momma didn’t care. She was too busy finding another man to take care of her. It looked like it was the sheriff’s turn this time. Her sister had her own set of friends, and Dakota knew exactly what they thought of her. Marcus had left a long time ago and now her father wouldn’t even return her calls.

  She was on her own. She was a smart girl in a dumb town and she had two ways out. One involved stripping at that place on the highway that couldn’t even spell cabaret correctly. Vince’s Cabarat. Yeah, she wasn’t even sure what that meant, but the girls who worked their smelled like smoke and chicken wings and she wasn’t doing it.

  Or she could take door number two.

  I’m sorry to be so late in replying. I’m glad I could play your savior. Wouldn’t want the big bad sheriff to sneak into our little fairy tale, would we? Maybe you can pay me back in the future? And I would love to talk…policy with you.

  She stopped and realized she didn’t have anywhere to go but back to her crappy apartment. She had the day off and no one to spend it with. Her stupid “revamp her reputation” plot had been her whole plan for the weekend and beyond. How foolish she’d been to think she could do it. These people would never see her as anything but trash. Maybe this was why her father had run. He’d gotten tired of all the uppity people looking down at him for not having as much money or not being the church elder or popular among the PTA.

  She just wished he’d thought to take her, too.

  She prepared for a lonely walk back to her apartment.

  A Mercedes Benz pulled up in front of the cafe and the window rolled down. Was that who she thought it was?

  She leaned over and sure enough, there was Sebastian Rush. He was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, showing off strong forearms. The dress shirt was open at the collar, hinting at a well-made chest. The senator clearly spent time in the gym. She even liked his salt and pepper hair. It gave him a distinguished air.

  “You wouldn’t happen to need a rescue, would you?” The sexiest smile crossed his face. He unlocked the door with a flick of his hand.

  That had been quick. “You got my text? What were you doing? Driving around town?”

  He shook his head. “Yes, I got it. I’ve been waiting on it. And no. I was on my way here. I’m supposed to join that hen party in there, but I think I’d much rather spend the afternoon with the prettiest chick in town.”

  It was a bad joke, but she giggled anyway and slid into the front seat. He took off.

  “Keep your head down, sweetheart. Until I come up with a reasonable excuse for us to be together, I’d like to protect your reputation.”

  She slid down in the seat. He wanted to protect her. Oh, she knew somewhere in the back of her head that this was as much for him as her, but he’d said all the right things.

  The Bluetooth device came on and she heard the sound of a phone ringing. She kept silent as Payton Rush picked up the other end.

  “Hello?” Her boss’s voice came on the line. The Rushes owned the savings and loan she worked at.

  “Payton, please tell Mother that I hate to bail on her but something important has come up. I’ll make the next meeting. This bill I’m writing on highway safety has hit a little snag.”

  “No problem. We’ll handle things here, dear.” His wife sounded almost distracted, as though him not showing up was of no real consequence at all.

  “You always do.” He touched the screen and hung up the call. “What do you say we do some fishing?”

  Twenty minutes later she found herself on the edge of Monarch Lake. It was a small body of water but known for its great fishing. Her father had caught many a largemouth bass in this lake. The senator pulled up to a quaint cabin that looked neat and well taken care of.

  The senator seemed like a man who valued his possessions.

  “My grandfather had it built. I know it’s not far from town, but I think it was a world away for him. I like to come out here when I need to be…alone. Come on inside.”

  He stepped out of the car and she couldn’t help but notice how solid he was. Tall and broad.

  No one in town would ever think a man like him would look at her. She was just that trampy Alvarez girl whose daddy couldn’t even love her.

  She scrambled out of the car and right up against him. She had to tilt her head back to look up at him.

  “Dakota, do you know what I want from you?” His voice was a low rumble.

  “I suppose you want sex.”

  His hands found her cheeks, framing her face. He looked down at her like she was the loveliest thing in the world. “I want so much more. I want to know you. I want to know everything about you. But, sweetheart, I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait to kiss you. Don’t make me wait. I want you so badly. I don’t know how I’m going to breathe unless I can kiss you.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to pass out.” God, that was stupid, but she was the breathless one now. His head lowered to hers and her heart started pounding.

  His kiss was light at first, a mere brushing of lips that made her shiver, sent sizzling heat through her limbs. And then he became more demanding, his tongue surging in to slide against hers in a silky dance. His hands moved down her body, cupping her breasts and rubbing against her nipples until she couldn’t help the little gasp that escaped from her lips. He pressed his pelvis to hers and she could feel the evidence of his desire. The senator wasn’t built on small lines. He rubbed against her, his body showing her what he wanted.

  His free hand tangled in her hair, drawing her head back so she was looking into his eyes. “I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

  “I wasn’t ready.” She’d turned him down flat and she hoped he didn’t punish her for that. Some men would.

  He just smiled and kissed her nose in an oddly tender gesture. “I’m glad you waited. I like this Dakota. This Dakota is mature and knows what she’s doing.”

  He might be the only person in the world who thought that. “I like you, too, Sebastian.”

  “Do you want me?” The question came out a little gruff, like he wasn’t absolutely sure of the answer. Could he have doubts, too?

&nb
sp; “Oh, I do. I want you so much. I want you to teach me. I want you to show me your world. I’m so tired of this one.” She was weary and he was offering her something new.

  “I’ll teach you. I’ll teach you everything.” He kissed her again, a sure sign of his possessiveness. She’d never been kissed with such a slow, hard passion. “Say you’re going to be mine, Dakota.”

  His. She wanted to belong to someone. She’d never imagined it would be him. “Yes.”

  He leaned over and slid an arm under her knees, picking her up and cradling her to his chest. She felt light and delicate and cared for as he strode inside with her.

  He walked through the cabin with ease, like she weighed nothing at all. When he came to the bedroom, he laid her down and stripped off his shirt. Yes, this was a man and not a boy.

  A man who could take care of her.

  As she surrendered, Dakota vowed that when he left this town, she would be the one at his side.

  No matter what.

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  Rising Storm story

  Storm Season: Ginny & Jacob – the Prequel

  by Dee Davis

  Rising Storm

  Storm, Texas.

  Where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy…

  Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.

  But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.

  Rising Storm is a series conceived by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis to read like an on-going drama. Set in a small Texas town, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets. Lots of secrets.

  Look for these Rising Storm books coming Fall 2015!

  Click to pre-order

  Tempest Rising by Julie Kenner, Coming September 24, 2015

  Ginny Moreno didn’t mean to do it, but when she came home to Storm, she brought the tempest with her. And now everyone will be caught in its fury…

  White Lightning by Lexi Blake, Coming October 1, 2015

  As the citizens of Storm, Texas, sway in the wake of the death of one of their own, Daddy's girl Dakota Alvarez also reels from an unexpected family crisis ... and finds consolation in a most unexpected place.

  Crosswinds by Elisabeth Naughton, Coming October 8, 2015

  Lacey Salt's world shattered with the death of her brother, and now the usually sweet-tempered girl is determined to take back some control—even if that means sabotaging her best friend, Mallory, and Mallory's new boyfriend, Luis.

  Dance in the Wind by Jennifer Probst, Coming October 15, 2015

  During his time in Afghanistan, Logan Murphy has endured the unthinkable, but reentering civilian life in Storm is harder than he imagined. But when he is reacquainted with Ginny Moreno, a woman who has survived terrors of her own, he feels the first stirrings of hope.

  Calm Before the Storm by Larissa Ione, Coming October 22, 2015

  Marcus Alvarez fled Storm when his father’s drinking drove him over the edge. With his mother and sisters in crisis, Marcus is forced to return to the town he thought he’d left behind. But it is his attraction to a very grown up Brittany Rush that just might be enough to guarantee that he stays.

  Take the Storm by Rebecca Zanetti, Coming October 29, 2015

  Marisol Moreno has spent her youth taking care of her younger siblings. Now, with her sister, Ginny, in crisis, and her brother in the throes of his first real relationship, she doesn’t have time for anything else. Especially not the overtures of the incredibly compelling Patrick Murphy.

  Weather the Storm by Lisa Mondello, Coming November 5, 2015

  Bryce Daniels faces a crisis of faith when his idyllic view of his family is challenged with his son’s diagnosis of autism. Instead of accepting his wife and her tight-knit family’s comfort, he pushes them away, fears from his past threatening to undo the happiness he’s found in his present.

  Thunder Rolls by Dee Davis, Coming November 12, 2015

  In the season finale …

  As Hannah Grossman grapples with the very real possibility that she is dating one Johnson brother while secretly in love with another, the entire town prepares for Founders Day. The building tempest threatens not just Hannah’s relationship with Tucker and Tate, but everyone in Storm as dire revelations threaten to tear the town apart.

  … Season 2 coming in 2016. Sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. http://risingstormbooks.com

  And coming this spring, a two episode mini-season before Season two launches in September, 2016!

  Crosswinds

  Rising Storm Episode 3

  By Elisabeth Naughton

  Coming October 8, 2015

  Click here to pre-order.

  Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

  Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

  Lacey Salt's world shattered with the death of her brother, and now the usually sweet-tempered girl is determined to take back some control—even if that means sabotaging her best friend, Mallory, and Mallory's new boyfriend, Luis.

  * * * *

  “Since when do you follow Ludacris?” Lacey was jolted out of her thoughts and looked to her left. Luis sat on the edge of the empty chaise beside her in his red lifeguard shorts and leaned forward to rest tan, muscular arms on his knees. “You into rap now?”

  She blinked against the blinding sun. Or maybe it was Luis’s thousand-watt smile. He’d always been a good-looking guy, but his face had changed over the last year until it was now chiseled and just plain hot. “Huh?”

  He pointed toward her phone, and his dark, curly hair, longer than he’d worn it before, brushed his jaw in a way that reminded her of Kit Harrington, that super sexy hunk from Game of Thrones. “Ludacris.”

  Slowly, her gaze shifted to her phone, and she realized she’d jumped to another celeb’s social media page. But all she could see in her mind was Luis’s carved abs, those strong shoulders, and the way his swim trunks hovered dangerously low, accentuating the carved V of his hip bones.

  He’s your best friend’s boyfriend. What the hell are you thinking?

  Frustrated with everyone, including herself, Lacey huffed and sat up straighter. “Not on purpose. I must have switched pages when I was plotting ways to throw that brat into the deep end.”

  Luis chuckled, and the sound sent butterflies fluttering in Lacey’s belly. Butterflies that threw her completely off balance. “I couldn’t let you do that. Gotta guard the lives and all that. That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”

  Geez. What the heck was wrong with her? She’d been friends with Luis for years. Had heard him laugh a hundred times. And she’d never responded to him this way. Maybe she had heat stroke.

  “I thought you were working,” she said, trying to get him to leave her alone so she didn’t have to look at his dark eyes that were way too cute right now. She reached for the sunscreen she’d set on the end of her chaise.

  “My shift’s over. So you’re coming tonight, right?”

  She squirted a dollop of sunscreen in her palm. “Coming where?”

  “My place. We planned this like a week ago, remember? The Grudge comes on at nine so don’t be late. Marisol said she’d clear out so we could watch without her constant chatter.”

  “Ugh.” Marisol was Luis’s older sister and
guardian. She’d been taking care of Luis ever since his parents had died when he was in grade school. Lacey liked Marisol, but still. She frowned at Luis as she rubbed lotion all over her legs. “You know I hate those kind of movies.”

  “This one’s good. Trust me. And if you get scared, I’ll protect you.”

  Her hand paused on her calf, and another flock of butterflies flittered through her belly.

  “Or Jeffry can,” he added.

  Those wings came to a stuttering stop. Jeffry Rush had been running with Luis for years, and Lacey liked him, but she’d never thought of him as anything more than a friend. Sure, he was a good-looking guy too—dark blond hair, lean athletic body, and rich brown eyes, just like his father the senator—but he didn’t make her heart beat faster.

  Like Luis does?

  1001 Dark Nights

  Welcome to 1001 Dark Nights… a collection of novellas that are breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic. Some are paranormal, some are erotic. Each and every one is compelling and page turning.

  Inspired by the exotic tales of The Arabian Nights, 1001 Dark Nights features New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.

  In the original, Scheherazade desperately attempts to entertain her husband, the King of Persia, with nightly stories so that he will postpone her execution.

  In our version, month after month, each of our fabulous authors puts a unique spin on the premise and creates a tale that a new Scheherazade tells long into the dark, dark night.