Sara Brookes

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books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t
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Normally, I just give short excerpt blurbs for whatever it is that I feel like pulling for the month (for instance, last months selection was the first kiss from Flash of Dark), however, this month I decided on something a little different. This is the entire first chapter of a current WiP which is untitled at the moment as it’s only about 1/2 complete, but will be a full length Fantasy novel once complete. Do keep in mind this is in its early stage and any errors/mistakes are to be blamed on my cats.

The music was rough but practiced as the band undeniably knew what it was doing. They weren’t novices at this and judging by the screams from the crowd, it wouldn’t have mattered if they were. All eyes were focused on the man standing center stage, microphone just a few inches from his mouth while his fingers danced over the strings of a guitar. His throaty voice swept over the audience as they undulated in time to the bass pulsing through the amplifiers.
He was free here, standing in front of the audience. Yet, it wasn’t something that was a part of him any longer. He didn’t pour his soul into the lyrics – not anymore – but he did sing with every last breath he possessed. His eyes scanned the sweaty crowd as he sang one of his best friend’s favorite songs about how he wanted to have sex with every woman he came across. Just because Nathan didn’t share the sentiment, didn’t mean he couldn’t give the crowd what they wanted tonight.
Above all, Nathan Flynn knew what they public wanted. Unfortunately, the public took and took until there was nothing left and didn’t bother to give anything in return. That particular soul draining attitude is what caused him to leave the spotlight after the accident. Forgetting who he was wasn’t an option.
As the song was nearing its finish, he nodded to that best friend, Tanner Compton, who was responsible for the rhythm guitar. They timed a smooth transition to the next song so the two blended seamlessly together. Nathan swung his guitar around his shoulder, pushing it behind him so he could pull his microphone away from the stand. He intentionally missed his normal cue for the band’s most popular song in order to get a few additional breaths and the band automatically adjusted. The rhythm of the music grew more feral as the song progressed and the addition of his voice added another layer to the sexual vibe swelling through the audience.
The song was upbeat and intense as the lyrics spoke about how no matter what, sex could solve anything. He took a few steps forward and tapped one of his security guards on the shoulder with the toe of his boot. It had long been a signal the show was wrapping up for the night and security could let a few of the screaming fans through to the stage so they could spend the rest of the concert on the stage with the band. Despite the fact Nathan wasn’t regularly performing any longer, the rules hadn’t changed.
A few of the typical rock band fans, all female, trickled through the line and bounced their way on the stage. Considering the performance was outside under the mid-summer stars on Glass Beach, their bikinis were skimpy and nearly non-existent. The way the women looked was never something Nathan was attracted to, even when he’d been riding at the top of his fame. Everyone in the hard rock music business however seemed to expect it and it had become a regular staple of their show. Since everyone here was a paying attendee for the annual – and only – concert they gave anymore, Nathan didn’t want to disappoint.
His tastes always ran the opposite of what everyone expected despite the myriad of tats winding their way up both of his arms and down his back and the few piercings he had. He’d always gone for the more natural type of woman who didn’t look like she needed to spend four hours getting ready for a trip to the grocery store.
Nathan tapped the security guards’ shoulder as another signal the few women on the stage were enough and he pushed up and away from the edge of the stage. The women surrounded him almost immediately, each vying for their moment with hom. He continued to sing, even grinding his crotch half-heartedly against two of the women’s hips in time with the music and lyrics.
One of the women made a grab for the zipper of his tight pants and he spun around to duck away from the group. Their pouts only last a few seconds as Tanner stepped into Nathan’s place and the women were allowed to freely grab whatever they wished. It was a long standing arrangement Tanner and Nathan had to accommodate each of their wishes and one that worked for both of the men.
The song continued on uninterrupted and Nathan’s sharp eyes continued to scan the crowd. As he sang, he made eye contact with someone in the crowd who didn’t appear to be the sort who was a typical fan. She wore a simple white t-shirt and her caramel colored hair was pulled back into a ponytail while a pair of sunglasses sat perched on the top of her head.
He marked her as summer tourist immediately.
Compared to the way she was dressed, she made the women around her seem practically nude in their skimpy bathing suits. While she was certainly drawn into the music, it seemed to be fueled more by the crowd she was surrounded by instead of the actual knowledge of the music and lyrics. Her startlingly clear blue eyes met his and she stopped dancing around long enough to give him a slight smile with a tilt of her head. The lyrics stopped to allow for Tanner’s guitar solo and Nathan knelt behind Pete, his personal security guard during these concerts.
“Straight ahead. White shirt, ponytail – looks completely lost.”
Pete nodded and dove through the crowd without asking any questions. A roar went up from the crowd as Nathan stood and encouraged the crowd to make even more noise. He turned his attention back to the stage, picking up the lyrics when the refrain was over and kept his distance from the gaggle of women writhing around Tanner as he played. No doubt, he would hear of his best friend’s exploits with a few of those women in the morning. Freely flowing beer after a day spent in the sweltering sun often had the female summer tourists regularly stripping themselves of their clothes for the chance to say they’d bedded Tanner.
Nathan belted back into the lyrics, his voice flowing from the tall speaker next to him as he sang about sex in the back of a classic muscle car.
The woman from the crowd appeared at the far end of the stage to Nathan’s left and he worked his way over to her. He thought she’d looked lost out in the crowd before. Up here, she appeared positively petrified. He offered a comforting hand to her and she hesitantly took it as she let herself be pulled to the middle of the stage. She stood awkwardly, her hands making jerky movements as if she didn’t know what to do with them before she clasped them behind her back. Nathan circled her a few times as he sang lyrics better suited for what was happening with Tanner on the other side of the stage.
Not one to give up easily, Nathan knew he’d seen her enjoying herself out in the crowd and he was determined to see if from her again. After all, that was what the summer concert benefit was all about and she had paid for the opportunity to see the band.
The song slowed and Nathan’s voice dropped to a low growl as he sang the bridge. He circled around, stopping behind her and pushing against her with his hips as the music and lyrics dictated. Nathan expected her to just stand there, but as the music swelled, she let herself get caught up in the moment and began rotating her hips in time to his. The crowd roared in response and approval and she began moving even more with their encouraging screams.
Nathan let himself be swept away as well, finally succumbing to the powerful vibe swelling through the crowd. The woman in front of him spun on the balls of her feet and knelt, her hands gripping his hips and moving them as he sang about blow jobs. He arched back for the long note that would melt into the end of the song and felt her hand slide over his abdomen and chest as she slowly pushed herself up to stand.
Her finger brushed over the ring through his nipple and he felt a rush of adrenaline spear through him when she began writhing against him in time to the music. He finished the note and the crowd went wild as he grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her mouth to his.
She responded at once and he pulled her tighter against him and let his tongue slip past her teeth. The band continued to play, ending the song without him even though he missed the last three bars of the song. Nathan felt the woman’s voice vibrate in her throat and chaos erupted around them as timed fireworks went off behind the stage and about two hundred yards off shore. The celebration continued for the next seven minutes both in the sky and on the stage.
Nathan couldn’t bring himself to pull away from her and end a kiss, but she did nothing to stop him and seemed to be encouraging him to continue with arms clutched tightly around his waist. He felt a stirring deep inside him that spread like lightning and flash white hot to heat the blood racing through his body.
The bright light vanished as the entire area was plunged into darkness and he finally, and reluctantly, pulled away from the woman he held in his arms. He studied her face in the fading light of the finale for the pyrotechnics and felt as if he would drown in her eyes.
The spotlights lighting the beach flared to life and he blinked away the haze he’d been lost in as he realized there was still a job to be done. Nathan waved to the crowd with one hand as he held the woman he’d just kissed with the other. His attention was fully on her still and he marveled at the fathomless blue eyes he was staring into. She laughed as well and joined the small crowd on stage when they bent over for the closing bow.
A din immediately flooded the area as the buzzing crowd began filtering in off in all directions to visit the various booths and vendors set up for the last night of the Glass Beach Summer Festival. Most of them were tourists vacationing for the summer on the island and never passed up the opportunity to shop.
A crew member held out a hand for Nathan’s microphone and he gladly turned it over as he began peeling away the clear tape holding his earpiece monitors in place. Nathan thumbed off the battery pack at his back and let the wired earpieces dangle on either side of his neck.
“Thanks for the help closing the show.” He noticed his voice was pitched low and rough from singing for the past two hours. Swallowing carefully, he noted the scratchiness that would inevitably plague him in the morning if he didn’t do something about it soon.
“You do that every night?” she asked in response, clutching her hands in front of her as she broke away. Her voice was not what he expected at all and wondered what other surprises were in store. Despite her outward appearance he could see her nerve endings firing off. What he couldn’t determine is if she still vibrated from the music or his kiss. Some of the nervousness he’d glimpsed earlier had returned and didn’t help him gauge her emotions.
“Well, I don’t kiss a gorgeous woman every night.” He scooped up the shirt lying on the speaker in front of him as he turned his guitar over to another stagehand. She was smirking as he settled the shirt around his shoulders and he stretched and moved as the material clung to the sweat beading on his body. “But, no, I only sing for this charity concert once a year.”
“So you’re not a true rock star who will take me to your dressing room for a quick bang like that guy over there?” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. Tanner was still surrounded by the women Nathan rebuffed earlier and was pulling two of them along behind him as he made his way off stage.
Nathan ran a towel through the sweaty hair brushing the collar of his shirt and let the damp fabric settle around his shoulders. “Ah, no. That’s Tanner’s gig, not mine. I’m going to politely thank you for a very electrifying kiss, take that steaming mug of lemon tea from my assistant over there and try not to fall asleep in the shower as I wash all of this sweat and smoke from my skin.”
A salty ocean breeze blew then, lifting the fine hairs on his arms and he shivered despite the stifling humidity that had settled over the entire island in the past week. He’d hoped it would ease before tonight’s performance but like a true showman, he knew the show must go on – especially when it was for such a good cause. The only one, in fact, he came out of retirement for.
The woman before him tilted her head to side, watching him as he brushed away the out of place breeze. “Well then you’re welcome. You guys sounded great.”
“First time?”
Her thin eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Being kissed by a rock star?”
Nathan noticed the sparkle in her eyes and it wasn’t caused by the spotlights illuminating the area around them. “No, I meant here on the island. Besides, you just said I wasn’t a true rock star because I didn’t have any illicit plans for you.”
“You’re right, I did.” She laughed lightly and tugged on her earlobe. “Ears are still ringing.”
“Understandable…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Grace Kent. And yes, this is my first time here. Just arrived yesterday, in fact.”
Nathan decided immediately the name suited her and wanted to know what other things suited her. However, Kettie would kill him if he waited too much longer. “Nice to meet you, Grace. I’m Nathan Flynn and if you don’t mind I’m going to go before my assistant there has a panic attack. Enjoy the rest of the festivities.”
As he stepped away, he felt a tug in his center that nearly made him turn to her again. He resisted, but just barely. Kettie’s smile grew as he approached and he mouthed a silent thanks to her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead before taking a sip.
The heated liquid relaxed the muscles in his throat and he took another sip as he watched Grace gingerly make her way down the stairs and begin making her way up the beach. He could hear the bustle of activity all around him as the crew he’d hired began taking down the equipment and he knew he should help, but something kept him watching Grace until her lithe form vanished in the darkness.
“Good show tonight huh, Uncle Nathan?”
Nathan turned his attention back to the teenager who handed him the tea and tried desperately not to think about the woman who, for the first time in six years, made his blood boil. “Very good indeed.”
“Do you ever miss all of this?”
“Sweetheart, I only miss you bringing me this wonderful beverage every night.” He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and took another sip.
“No one makes it better.”
Pride was evident in his niece’s voice and he chuckled and shook his head. “Just like your father. Come on, I’ll get washed up and we’ll go see if the crew needs any help packing all this equipment away. Then you and I will go ride the Gravitron about a dozen times to see who throws up first.”

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Links to other Excerpt Monday writers

Danie Ford, Young Adult (PG 13)
Babette James, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Nadia Lee, Futuristic Romance (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Contemporary romantic elements (PG 13)
Caitlynn Lowe, Fantasy (PG 13)
Shawntelle Madison, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Debbie Mumford, Science Fiction/Fantasy (PG 13)
Erica Ridley, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Dara Sorensen, Historical Romance (PG 13)

Kendal Corbitt, Erotic Romance (R)
Mary Quast, Contemporary Romance (R)
Danielle Yockman, Steampunk (R)

Stephanie Draven, Fantasy with Strong Romantic Elements (NC 17)
Angeleque Ford, Contemporary, Interracial, Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Elise Logan, Sci-Fi/Contemporary (NC 17)
Emma Petersen, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC 17)

Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.