Page 92 of Reckless Liar

Ilsa Kruger is determined. Determined to launch her fashion line. Determined to be as successful as she was as a teenage beauty queen. Most of all she is determined not to let her growing attraction to her friend, Nathan, distract her from her goals.

Nathan Ayers prides himself on being likable. He’s the kind-hearted bassist of the world’s hottest rock band. He has millions of fans who love his talent, warm smile, and old-fashioned southern charm. He is everyone’s friend, so why can’t Nathan stop thinking about Ilsa in a not-so-friendly way.

As Ilsa and Nathan juggle their burgeoning attraction for one another, they find that the fame of being together involves more than the paparazzi. Something from the past is lurking to take it all away.

Will they stay together? Or will the perils of fame tear them apart?

For fans of sweet wine, dirty pick-up lines, lingering looks in crowded rooms, and passionate embraces where no one can see.

Coming in the Autumn of 2022 is your new favorite friends-to-lovers book.

Sneak Peek

Faultless Notion

EloiseDunninghadseenher share of bare butts. Being an assistant for the rock group, Prevalent Notion, came with many job duties, and after years on the job, she wouldn’t be surprised if having to bear witness to bare ass was on the job description. Girls mooned the tour bus, emblazoned with the face of lead singer, and guitarist, Theo Blake. She had walked into dressing rooms to see both naked girls and naked band members walking around. The bassist, Nathan Ayers, seemed to have a deadly aversion to pants once he got off stage—and at times didn’t wait until he got to the wings. Eloise had assumed she was immune to the sight of them by the time she reached her 23rd birthday.

She shouldn’t have been surprised when she walked into drummer Keller Grant’s room to wake him up to find him passed out face down and naked on his bed. Feet up on the headboard, his long legs leading to what Eloise had to admit was a full and shapely bottom. The distinguishing mark of his large tattoo of the moon’s phases etched along his left rib cage. At the foot of the bed, his head was half-covered by a pillow.

Cursing the band’s manager, Arnie Phelps, Eloise moved into the room. Retrieving things was part of her job, sure—coffee, clothes, wayward extras on music videos. Retrieving drunken band members from the predicaments they found themselves in was no exception. Clothes were scattered around the room haphazardly; a black tee shirt flung over the armchair by the window and a purple lacy bra on the nightstand. Scuffed boots lay on their sides in front of a closet, and discarded bottles lined the dresser. The room stunk of stale beer and sex. She could hear the shower running behind the bathroom door. Standing over Keller’s naked body, Eloise dropped her heavy purse to the ground, the contents creating a loud clatter as they bumped together. She had to keep a multitude of supplies in her bag at all times. Keller’s body tensed at the sound, then relaxed.

“I guess you’re going to play this hard,” Eloise said to the room. Picking up the stray red high heel off the floor, she poked Keller’s bare shoulder with the toe. He grunted under his pillow but didn’t wake.

“Keller.” He stayed still. Eloise turned the heel around, poking him with the stiletto now. Despite the sharp edge, he didn’t stir. Either he was faking it, or he was the most steadfast sleeper she had ever seen.

The shower ended, and after a few minutes, the door opened, revealing a leggy brunette wearing a towel.

“Oh, Keller, you ready for round two?” Her voice a breathy tone. Her face fell at the sight of Eloise in her purple galaxy dress, neon yellow cardigan, and ankle boots standing in front of the bed. The woman’s voice dripping with disdain. She looked Eloise up and down. “Who are you?”

Eloise returned the look, staring her down, a brow raised. “No one.”

Tightening the towel around her chest, she scoffed. “Then you can get out of our room.”

“Repercussions Studio pays for this room. I am a representative of the company and therefore am asking you to remove yourself.”

“I’ll leave when Keller asks me to leave.” She sniffed, affronted.

Repeating the script she had given countless times, Eloise gave the woman a serene smile. “Mr. Grant, as well as Repercussions Studio, greatly appreciate your hospitality.” Eloise’s eyes scanned around the room to rest on her discarded thong halfway under the bed. “However, Mr. Grant will be indisposed the rest of the day. If you would like to leave your number, I will ensure he receives it when he wakes.”

As if in response to Eloise’s statement, Keller groaned underneath his pillow, shifting to his side and letting out a loud snore.

The woman huffed loudly, staring Eloise down. Eloise hoped the woman would leave soon and not force her to call security; they had their detail if the woman proved difficult. It wasn’t a common occurrence that one of the women refused to leave after spending the night with a band member, but it happened enough that Eloise was well versed in the procedure.

After a long standoff, the woman dropped her towel on the ground and gathered up her clothes. The woman had a thin tan line on her hips but no tan lines on her high and bulbous breasts. Eloise didn’t judge others for plastic surgery but, at the very least, try to make them look real. Eloise knew the woman was trying to make her uncomfortable, flaunting her flat stomach and long legs. If they stood side by side, Eloise would barely make it to the woman’s shoulder, and Eloise likely had a good twenty pounds on her. The first time Eloise had to face a naked band groupie, she had been self-conscious, comparing herself to the waif-like girls who flittered around the room, all lean lines, and smooth skin. By now, it was simply part of the job. The boys didn’t seem to remember their names by the time the bus crossed the county line. What good was that glossy beauty if it didn’t matter to the men they were sleeping with? They never spent enough time with these women to find out a single thing about their actual personalities.

The woman pulled a slinky gold dress over her head, shoving the purple lacy bra into a small handbag. Eloise held out a small pad of hotel paper and a pen. “I promise, I will pass on your note.”

Scowling, the woman wrote her name, Jessa Arnold, and a number in loopy script. “See that you do. Keller really liked me, and I’m sure if you don’t give him my number, he’d be very upset with you.”

“Noted.” Eloise motioned to the door tour guide style. “Please feel free to take a little snack from the gift basket on your way out; we have sugared almonds that are particularly good.”

The woman rolled her eyes at Eloise one last time before stomping away barefooted, her red heels in one hand.

The second the door slammed, Keller popped his head up. “Thank God. I didn’t think she’d ever leave.”

“Was that necessary? You couldn’t have told her to leave?” Eloise’s polite voice dropping away. She glanced away from him. Standing next to him while he was naked and sleeping was one thing, but she was not about to start a conversation with him naked and awake.

Keller gave her a crooked smile. “I can’t do that. The girls are dickmatized by me. It’s so much easier to have you do it.”

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