Book Tour Dates: Jan 9 – 11 2017
Title: After the Dust Settles (California Dreaming #3)
Author: Stacey Johnston | @author_stacey
Release Date: December 28th 2016
Genre: Romantic Suspense
GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2g1bUpf
Photographer: Shauna Kruse | Kruse Images & Photography: Models & Boudoir
Cover Model: Jonny James
Cover Designer: Clarise Tan| CT Cover Creations
Hosted By: B&B Promotions | @BanBPromotions
SYNOPSIS
Sean I’m not your average seventeen-year-old boy.
What other teenage boy do you know of, is working alongside their father in a top-secret government agency, and has been since they were fifteen?
Unheard of? Yes probably.
After spending years searching for my place in this world, I jumped at the opportunity to help my father. What I didn’t expect was the possibility that our work could flow over and harm our family. Yet that’s exactly what happened …
I thought I’d found, and then lost the girl who would forever hold my heart – until a sexy ass stranger crossed my path under the Brooklyn Bridge.
I want this girl, like I’ve never wanted anyone. She makes me feel things that I should feel guilty about, that I shouldn’t be needing as desperately as I do.
Only there’s a catch …………. She has secrets, ones that could have a devastating impact. Hadley He was supposed to be a job.
A target that needed to be eliminated.
A message that we weren’t a family to mess with.
When my chance came, I couldn’t do it. There was a presence about him that drew me in. I went from wanting to kill him, to wanting him in my arms.
From that moment on he became my obsession …
I’m no good for him, which is why I should stay away from him. I will only destroy him because I’m broken, a girl with a dark past - the daughter of an Italian mobster. Our family is one of the largest in Brooklyn.
I need to escape my father, and this life.
I need someone to swoop in and save me, but I’m scared because bad things happen to me – and the people I love.
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EXCERPT
After the Dust Settles Text Copyright © 2016 Stacey Johnston
All Rights Reserved
Ten months earlier… “Hey sugar, why the sad face,” a sexy voice drawls from behind me. I don’t know how long I have been sitting on this bank, but my feet fucking ache. Where the hell have I ended up? Looking around, I notice a cute little brunette leaning against the light pole, gazing at me dreamily. I don’t understand why the fuck she is staring in my direction. “Whatever you are selling, I’m not interested,” I holler over my shoulder, turning back toward the water as if to clue her in on my disinterest. “Oh, I’m not selling anything honey, just making an observation,” she replies, her voice sultry, causing my cock to betray me. Fuck me…. Moving slightly, I try not to make it too obvious that I’m re-arranging myself. “Then leave, because I’m not in a talkative mood, and I don’t want to be fucking rude.” Thinking she had left, I continue staring out into the abyss, my vision not really focusing on anything in particular. Thoughts of Sherlyn are taking back over, flooding my head with memories of her from the night before. She looked stunning at that restaurant, her face beautiful and relaxed, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Little did she, or any of us, realize, just twenty-four hours later, the butcher who had cornered her would, in fact, succeed in murdering her. I doubt any of us really believed that he would get to her, but fuck, were we all wrong. Movement beside me scares the crap out of me, making me jump. “What the fuck,” I yell, squirming backward. A snigger beside me alerts me that instead of leaving, my new brunette friend has chosen to stick around. “Relax sugar, I’m not going to hurt you.” She laughs, sitting her ass down on the grass near me. I watch as she inches closers, taking the opportunity get a better look at her. Whoa, what can I say…? She is fucking gorgeous. With looks like my mystery girl, I couldn’t imagine her having any problems being a model. Her flawless face is having a mesmerizing effect on me, and all I can do is stare. It’s embarrassing the hold she has on me right now, but I can’t seem to stop. I’m stuck on her emerald green colored
eyes. They are bright and gorgeous, and capable of dragging you under. If she were a river, I would be drowning right now. I’m trying to break the hold she has on me, but fuck me, it’s not that easy. A smile comes to my face as I watch her struggle to reign in her long, wavy hair in the wind. My eyes drop to her mouth, watching as she slips her tongue across her bottom lip to moisten it. My own mouth dry as fuck as I take in the image before me. My cock is really standing to attention now, straining behind my boxers, screaming to be set freed. Her lips curl at the side, obviously noticing my shameless gawking. “See something you like darling?” she drawls at me once more. Looking further down, I finally get a good look at the rest of her body, and yep, my cock is in love. Her fucking tits barely fit the tank she is squeezing into, and those legs of hers go on for miles. It’s not helping that the shorts she’s wearing leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. In short, this girl is hot as fuck. “There isn’t anything about you that I don’t like babe, but now’s not the time,” I finally confess. I’m shocked at how much confidence I’m showing right now. Since when do I have the balls for this shit? Oh yeah, since last night, I smirk to myself. “I could relieve some of that stress for twenty bucks,” I hear her say. She is unrelenting, and the sass in her voice amuses me, although I don’t know if I am in shock, or disbelief, over her abruptness. “What? You’re going to blow me for twenty bucks, is that what you are saying?” I’m now staring at her again, yes, it’s disbelief I’m feeling. Continuing, I taunt. “Why would I pay you, when some random was on her knees blowing me last night in a men’s room for nothing.” Her response is instant, “What makes you think I can’t do it better?” Touché, I will give her that, but I’m still not paying her twenty bucks to suck my cock. “Planning on doing it on this bank, are you?” I snarl.
I don’t mean to be nasty, but she is grating on my nerves now. What part of no doesn’t she get? “I’ve done far worse on this bank,” she quickly throws back at me. Taking another look in her direction, she has a sad, void look, but for all I know, it’s just an act to mug me. Sighing, I give it a few minutes before responding to her. “Sorry babe, timing is bad, I’m far from in the mood, regardless of how hot you are.” Rising, I turn away from her once more. There are two women who are going to remove my testicles if I don’t let them know I’m okay. I should probably call at least one of them. It’s not like I can sit here all night, especially with this ice-cold wind. “You don’t trust me, do you?” she calls out. Stopping, I spin around and stare. “Why are you persisting? What kind of game are you playing at?” I know it’s wrong, but I can’t stop staring at her. I’m fucking stunned that she is still trying to work me. What the hell is her deal, anyway? “I don’t play games, I’m just asking a question,” and now she has me curious. “No, I don’t trust you. Are you happy now? For all I know, some big ugly dude is hiding behind that tree waiting to attack me.” The laugh that escapes her throat is something I would expect from Ben or Luke, and definitely not from a girl. It’s so fucking deep and loud. I’m glad she finds me so fucking amusing, but I don’t have the patience for her bullshit. “What’s so amusing?” I growl. “You,” she giggles. Scratching the back of my head, I just gawk at her, she really does have me at a loss. I don’t know what I’m supposed to make of this one. She isn’t what I’m used to that’s for sure. “I won’t hurt you sugar, and there’s no dude hiding behind a tree. Just me and you, and my offer to relieve whatever the hell is wrong with you.” Standing, she shakes the grass off her ass moving toward me, stopping only when we are inches apart. With her breath on my neck, she leans in, using one hand to gently grip my face as she pulls my head closer to her own. Whispering, she says, “Let me help you, I know something is wrong. I don’t want your money. I just want you.” As if I’m in a trance, I nod, agreeing to whatever she has asked, letting her lead me away from the bank. “Don’t worry darling, I’m not dragging you down an alleyway. I live close by.” Releasing my held breath, I sigh. I’m breathing heavier than normal as I give in and let this gorgeous girl lead me to what could possibly be my own death. How ironic would that be?
PLAYLIST
Numb - Linkin Park
Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold
Bring me to Life - Evanescence
Animals - Nickelback
Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park
Home - Daughtry
A Groovy kind of Love - Phil Collins
Everlong - Foo Fighters
My Hero - Foo Fighters
TEASERS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What to tell you about myself??
When I sat down to set about the challenge of what I could say, I found that I didn’t really consider myself to be very interesting at all.
I’ve lived in Western Australia my whole life, only ever leaving the country once. Right now though I reside in a southern suburb close to the beach.
Above everything else I’m a wife and a mother. I’ve been married to a man I believe to be my soul mate for the past nine years. When he came into my life I already had two gorgeous kids, a boy and girl, who he took on as his
own without any consideration as to how it would affect his life. During our time together, he has also blessed me with two more gorgeous little girls. My real life also has me working full time as an Office Manager for an Audio Visual Company.
I grew up in a home with three aunties, two uncles, my younger brother, my father, and my grandparents!! Wow that was more of mouthful than I expected! As you can imagine life in a large family like that was never boring J
As a child, I loved creating stories in my head, it was my escape, a place I could go and hide from the world. As I became older, my stories evolved and every time life challenged me, I slipped back into my imaginary world and hid. This didn’t change as I entered adulthood.
I have always been the kind of person who never made things easy for herself, and I spent many years drifting from family member to family member looking for direction. It wasn’t until I was twenty-one when I met a man who would become, what I thought - my future. Over the next twelve years he was my life, well him, and the two children he blessed me with.
We lost that loving husband, and father to a heart attack when our children were very young, and life as you can imagine became a little rough for a while.
Over the years my stories have given me the sanity to get through many tragic situations.
They’ve given me a world to escape into, one where I can be anything I want.
These stories I’ve created over the years, have always been a coping mechanism that worked for me, and I’ve always wanted to share them.
With the support of my family I have ventured out there, and finally put them down on paper. I hope you love them as much as I do.
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