After the Storm: Midseason Episode 1 (Rising Storm) (11 page)
Read After the Storm: Midseason Episode 1 (Rising Storm) Online
Authors: Lexi Blake
“What do you mean?” His question was whispered, his tone haunted.
Oh, how she wished she could open her soul and show him how she felt. But words were all she had left. “If a man like Logan Murphy could look at me and see something worth loving, then I had to take a second look at myself. I didn’t like what I saw, but I realized something today. I can change that. I make the decision to be who I am. I’ve listened to other voices for so long that I needed them to define me. So listen to me, Logan Murphy, because this is my voice. Not the child who lied but the woman who has to fix it. I’m going to stay in this town and I’m going to give you all the space you need, but know that I’m out there loving you. I’m out there needing you. And I’m out there okay without you. Don’t worry about me. Think of me. But if you ever come back it should be because you want to work something out, not because you feel sorry for me. I’m done being a burden. I’m done being a child.”
She had to be a mother now.
She stood and when she looked down, she thought—hoped—it was respect she saw in his eyes. She smiled. And then she turned and walked away from the only man she’d ever really loved.
For now it was her and Little Bit.
* * * *
Later, after the drive home and the hugs from her sister, Ginny stepped into her room. She was back where she’d started. She showered and washed her face. She brushed her teeth and got ready for bed.
When she looked into the mirror this time, she got the faintest glimpse of someone she recognized.
It was enough for now.
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 midseason episodes coming soon!
Click to purchase
Episodes 1-4
Episodes 5-8
After the Storm
by Lexi Blake
In the wake of Dakota’s revelations, the whole town is reeling. Ginny Moreno has lost everything. Logan Murphy is devastated by her lies. Brittany Rush sees her family in a horrifying new light. And nothing will ever be the same…
Distant Thunder
by Larissa Ione
As Sebastian and Marylee plot to cover up Sebastian’s sexual escapade, Ginny and Dakota continue to reel from the fallout of Dakota’s announcement. But it is the Rush family that’s left to pick up the pieces as Payton, Brittany and Jeffry each cope with Sebastian’s betrayal in their own way…
… Season 2 coming September 27, 2016. Sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss a thing.
http://risingstormbooks.com
By Larissa Ione
Rising Storm Midseason Episode 2
Coming April 5, 2016
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.
As Sebastian and Marylee plot to cover up Sebastian’s sexual escapade, Ginny and Dakota continue to reel from the fallout of Dakota’s announcement. But it is the Rush family that’s left to pick up the pieces as Payton, Brittany and Jeffry each cope with Sebastian’s betrayal in their own way…
* * * *
“This blows,” Jeffry said, looking up from where he was lounging on the couch with his iPad.
“What blows?” She sank onto the love seat across from her brother. “The game you’re playing? Or the fact that we’re trapped like animals? Or maybe the fact that our father is a lying, cheating bastard who slept with our friends? Or the fact that my best friend is going to give birth to our little brother or sister?”
Yep, she might be a little bitter. And it was
ex
-best friend.
He tucked his feet under him on the couch and sighed. “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe Mom thinks we need to be here for him—”
She broke off as their mother, Payton, came around the corner with a tray of finger sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade. They hadn’t spoken much about any of this, and Brittany wasn’t sure how go about it. As far as she could tell, her mother hadn’t so much as shed a tear over the fact that her husband had knocked up a girl young enough to be his daughter and had probably slept with a dozen more.
“I brought you something to eat,” Payton said, and if she’d heard Brittany talking, she was choosing to ignore it. “Your father and grandmother are finished with their meeting with Mr. Stayton, and they’re on their way up to talk to you.”
“This should be good.” Jeffry reached for a sandwich as their mother put them on the coffee table. “I was wondering how long it would be before we got the circle-the-wagons lecture. Five bucks says he tries to convince us that everything Dakota said was a lie.”
“I know you two are angry and confused and you have a lot of questions,” Payton said as she took a seat next to Brittany, looking all prim and proper in a subdued green dress and gray scarf. “But we’ll get through this. I promise.”
Brittany wanted to believe her, but so much of her life was a lie, and right now she was having a hard time processing any of it. Her stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since last night at dinner with Marcus. But even then, she’d only picked at her food, too upset by the unexpected confrontation with Ginny and Dakota to eat.
The confrontation with Ginny had been bad enough, but she still couldn’t believe she’d actually struck Dakota. Brittany had punched her boyfriend’s
sister
. It was nearly enough to make her groan out loud.
At least Marcus had been understanding, taking her side in public. In private…well, he’d shared a little more of his past and the abuse he and his mother had suffered at the hands of his father. Seeing his sister hit had been painful for him, even though he’d understood the situation.
The fact that Brittany caused him pain in any way had been devastating, and she swore she’d never do that again.
“Honey, you should eat something.”
Her mother’s voice yanked her out of her memories and into more current and pressing problems. Like her cheating father and her empty stomach.
She reached for a sandwich just as her dad and grandmother entered the room, and so much for her appetite. Marylee took a seat in the armchair near the door, while her father sank down in the recliner and proceeded to lay out a detailed plan for how they were going to handle the crisis.
If Brit had taken Jeffry up on his bet, she’d have owed him five bucks, because sure enough, their father tried to convince them that Dakota made the whole thing up.
Oh, but the best part of the whole charade and crisis mop-up plan had come when Marylee all but ordered Brittany to break up with Marcus.
“I’m not agreeing to any of this,” Brittany said, looking her father directly in his lying eyes. “Do you realize how much this has disrupted our lives? I can’t go anywhere without being accosted by reporters or confronted by complete strangers, and I have to take a semester off college because I can’t drag this to school with me. So no, you don’t get to ask me to lose my boyfriend, too. I won’t talk to the press and I won’t confirm or deny anything, but I will
not
break up with Marcus. I’ll do my best to keep our relationship out of the public eye, but not out of consideration for you or your bullshit campaign.”
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.
For more information about 1001 Dark Nights, visit
www.1001DarkNights.com
.
Liz Berry, M.J. Rose, Julie Kenner & Dee Davis would like to thank ~
Steve Berry
Doug Scofield
Melissa Rheinlander
Kim Guidroz
Jillian Stein
InkSlinger PR
Asha Hossain
Chris Graham
Pamela Jamison
Fedora Chen
Jessica Johns
Dylan Stockton
Richard Blake
The Dinner Party Show
and Simon Lipskar
Table of Contents
Table of Contents