EXCLUSIVE PROLOGUE~~~ EVERYTHING I NEED BY NATALIE BARNES

Here is a special treat from the amazing author Natalie Barnes!!!

The Prologue for Everything I Need!!

Think you can wait any longer? I know I can't!!

**Before you read further, if you have not read Everything I Want do not read this yet!!! Seriously read Everything I Want first. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.**

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE EVERYTHING I WANT NOW!!

*************************************************************************

PROLOGUE

I can barely open my eyes and my head is fucking killing me. Where the fuck am I? I take a slow look around at my surroundings; I guess I’m still alive and in some swanky suite. I’m lying across the length of the bed, with my legs bent and my feet planted on the carpet. I’m naked and my sweat is making the sheets cling to my body, smothering me. This room is dark with only the white static of the TV on for light.

Sitting up slowly, I let out a low grunt. Shit. I feel like I’ve just been hit by a fucking truck. Reaching for the end table, I grab the half; empty bottle of Jack and a couple of Vicodins. Well, maybe more than a couple, but I don’t fucking care. After popping them into my mouth, I chase the pills down with my Jack. My lips are dry, so dry that even opening my mouth to take the damn pills feels like my lips are going to rip open.

Tugging rest of the sheets off of me, I look down. I think I see hickeys all over my groin area; they’re mainly scattered over my upper thighs and lower abdomen. Fuck me. It looks like I have been attacked or something. To confirm my suspicion, I notice a Trojan wrapper, well . . . a few wrappers, scattered on the floor around me. 

Blowing out a long breath, I rub my face roughly with my hands. What time is it? I doubt it’s late because I would’ve had one of the guys calling me or coming in here to let me know that I overslept again. I can’t wait for this fucking tour to be over with. First thing, I have no fucking clue what city I’m in. They don’t speak English around here, anyways. And second, I’m over here suffering when Sophia is thousands of miles away from me, suffering herself.

I fucking hate myself for what I put her through. Then she had to lose Cory on top of it. Shit. I’m such a fucking asshole. But I’m still doing the exact same thing she knew I would be doing. But if she was mine, I wouldn’t waste my time with any whores. All I can think about is that one fucking mistake I made. How she looked standing in the doorway, watching me with some bitch I picked up that night because I was so high and pissed off at her for turning me down. My heart dropped when I saw her standing there and I realized through all of the haze of my buzz, what I did wrong. I’m a lowlife piece of shit, that’s for sure.

Leaning over the bed, I grab the remote for the iPod deck. I press play at whatever’s on. I don’t care; I might as well start right now. Being fucked up is the only way I can get through this goddamn tour. I make sure to turn down the volume of the music to give my head a chance for the Vicodin to take effect. Fucking figures . . . it’s “Gone Away” by Cold. Rolling my eyes, I’m getting ready to skip it, and then I decide to just keep it on. I might as well sulk into my mood.

Lying back against the headboard, I take another drink. My throat is already too numb to even notice the burn. I don’t know how long I lie there like this with Cold’s song on repeat when I hear a loud smash. What the fuck? Not being able to move, I faintly hear someone yelling. Is it Lux?  

“Christ!”

Barely opening my eyes, I see him stomping over to the windows. He fists the drapes and swings them wide open, letting the sunlight pour in. Flinching at the sight, I hurry and cover my eyes with the back of my hand.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Tristan?” he shouts.

Ignoring him, I roll over to my side. I don’t want to hear his bullshit right now.

“Really? You’re going to do this? I’ve just flown over five fucking thousand miles; ”

“That’s your fucking problem, not mine,” I cut him off. I wish I could scream at him, but my voice 

is barely able to come out of my body and all I produce is a gruff whisper.

“It smells like pussy and whiskey in here,” Lux says more to himself than to me, looking 

disgusted. A low cackle escapes my throat. He whips his head over to me with a shocked look on his face. “Jesus, put some fucking clothes on, will ya? And turn off that depressing music!” I can hear him slamming drawers, and then all of a sudden, I feel something thrown at my face. 

“Put these on and sit up! We need to talk.”

Rolling over to my back, I just stare at him. I think I see pity in his eyes. I don’t need his fucking pity. Humoring him, I sit up at the edge of the bed and slide my boxers on. When I’m done, I lie back down, bringing the Jack up to my lips again. Suddenly, I feel the bottle getting swiped from my hands.

“No more, Tristan. You’re getting yourself cleaned up.”

Rolling my eyes at him, I clear my throat. It feels like I have a huge fucking rock lodged in it.

“What, Lux?” Licking my lips real quick, I continue. “Did one of the guys call you up or 

something? I can take care of myself.”

Lux sits down at the foot of the bed and leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees and shaking his head slowly. Letting out a breath, he begins to speak again. But this time, he’s not yelling.

“They didn’t have to call me, Tristan. I hear it from the staff and I can fucking see it on TV.” He 

looks over at me. 

“I canceled rest of the tour. You guys are heading back right now. Either you check yourself into rehab or you go back out to Wyoming and clear your head. I don’t need to lose another good musician to this shit.” He waves the bottle of Jack in front of me. I know I should feel rage for him canceling my shows, but right now . . . I don’t really feel anything.

Lux gets up from the bed and wipes the front of his suit down with his free hand, stepping in closer to me.

“Tristan, please try to help yourself. When I feel the time is right. I’ll call you. Until then, get your shit together!”

He turns around and slowly starts walking out of my room but stops suddenly at the door and turns halfway around, back at me.

“Oh yeah, one more thing. If you don’t go into rehab, you better get your act together out in Wyoming, because if not . . . I’ll be there and I will make it hell on earth for you if you don’t.” He gives me one of his signature smiles and then quietly closes the door behind him.

So, I guess I’m done. Don’t have Sophia and now I don’t have my gigs. I hate everything right now, but I really wish I could hate her. It would make things so much fucking easier if I could. I don’t even give a shit if the rest of the guys are pissed at me. I’m at a low and I don’t know if I can get out of this. I’m such a pussy for letting a fucking female turn me into a pile of shit. But it’s her, though. She made me, for once, actually feel like I was alive. Music has always done that for me before, but without Sophia now, it feels like it’s just not enough.

Anyone else wanna say Holy Shit after that one?!?!?
I hope you enjoyed this little sample as much as I did!!

To keep up-to-date with Natalie and her work make sure to follow her Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/NatalieBarnesAuthor/photos_stream

Release Month Special: Exclusive Blog Post!!!! DEVIL YOU KNOW BY MAX HENRY FT. LANCE

Devil YOU KNOW

Release Month Special: Exclusive Blog Post

We all love our books, right? And let's be honest—how many new authors would we discover if it weren't for the tireless efforts of countless book bloggers?

These heroes of the industry share news, covers, release day specials and more, all for the love of a good story. And us authors are forever grateful for the work these guys put in, usually for no pay, and little reward other than knowing that they have brought another great story to their subscribers.

So, to say thank you to the fantastic blogs who have signed up for my Release Day Blitz for Devil You Know, I have put something special together: a Q&A with my cover model, Lance Jones.

I first saw this image of Lance, shot by Michael Meadows, close to a year ago. It popped up on my newsfeed, and quite literally stopped me in my tracks. The expression, the mood, everything about it started to speaking to me ... and as a consequence Malice was born.

But, as much as we all love to look at it (I know a few of you have it as your home screen!) there is a story behind the picture—and who better to give us a glimpse into that world than the man himself?

Q: Lance, I get asked this all the time. What was on your mind when Michael snapped that shot of you?

A:  Relaxing after a hard days work.

Q: Did you always find it easy to pose? Or is it something you have had to work on over time?

A:  Well, it’s not too bad. Guys have it pretty easy ☺, but def took some practice.

Q: How did you get your first modelling job?

A:  Just contacted the local photographers.

Q: Christina Gragg (easily your BIGGEST fan) asks: What has been your favourite photo shoot to date, and why?

A:  I’ve had so many fun shoots. That’s a hard one to answer.

Q: Mary D’Agostini asks: If you weren’t doing modelling/fitness, what would your dream job be?

A:  Always thought it would be cool to be a professional football player.

Q: Now, you’ve done a few shoots, including those for the Ominous clothing line, which include tattooed women as well. Jennifer Gonnerman Wenstad asks: Are you okay with women having ink?

A:  Of course I’m okay with women having ink!

Q: I guess that last question kind of leads into one from Jeanne Adkins: What is your ideal woman?

A:  I like a woman that is smart, humble, nice, honest, with a good personality, and not afraid to get her hands dirty ;)

Q: I have to ask, what is the weirdest proposition you’ve had from a complete stranger since you started modelling? Or even before?

A:  No comment lol

Q: Lance, your tattoos are unique, and even if a photo is only of a portion of you, we all know who it is! Darcy Lankford asks: When you get more ink, where will it be, and of what?

A:  I plan on getting more – gonna do a rib piece, a back piece, some more on my chest and legs. Not sure what’s next, I’m in the process of deciding.

Q: How old were you when you got your first piece, and what was it?

A:  Fifteen – last name on left shoulder.

Q: We all saw how proud you were of your Mach 1 when you got to take it home. (Hubby would give you a thumbs up for owning a Ford ;) ). Just for my girl Christina, because I know she loves her cars, how fast have you had it? We won’t tell …

A:  lol 120

Q: Over the last year, you’ve definitely made waves in the industry. The one thing everybody who meets you has to say is what a genuine, friendly guy you are. What do you have to say to people looking to start a career like yours? What would be your number one tip?

A:  Stay humble, hard working and focused, and don’t give up. Create a page, and build yourself a portfolio.

Q: Amy Burgett asks: What are your top plans for 2015?

A:  To help create more amazing book covers, and looing forward to all my upcoming signings.

Q:  Where do you see yourself in ten years?

A:  Ha, who knows?

Q: Is there anyone you’d like to give a shout out to?

A:  All the authors, fans and friends who have supported me through my modelling career. You know who you are ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed this little session with Lance! Thank you, Lance, for taking the time to answer these for me. I can’t wait to get a print copy of Devil You Know in my hands, and there’ll definitely be one coming your way to add to the collection! Not long now until Devil You Know releases on February 2nd.

In the mean time, here is a sneak-peak just for you!

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM DEVIL YOU KNOW

Subject To Copyright

PROLOGUE

Being alone, while not alone, is such a curious thing. How can one who is surrounded by many, still feel the hollow ache of a person who has nobody to confide in, nobody to trust.

Nobody to love.

Human beings in general are a companion-based animal. We long, and yearn for that soul mate since the day we were born. It’s only that we don’t fully understand the emotion until puberty has taken hold, and love is no longer what we feel for a cherished toy, but rather a self-inflicted torture we endure in the name of connecting with somebody who makes us feel magical.

A week of madness, an hour of pain, all for a few simple minutes of ecstasy.

So many of us would give that—sell our soul to the devil—and never look back. The euphoria we get from a simple touch, a look, a whispered word can undo the greatest of heartache. Usually heartache we endure in the pursuit of such a fabled moment.

It’s only when the heartache follows the treasured moment that we begin to question this whole ‘love’ thing. Only then will endless hours be lost standing in the shower, questioning everything we thought we knew. The devil on our shoulder starts the guessing game, and we delve too far into every decision we make. Should I? Would I? Could I?

A form of insanity takes hold, and we lose ourselves to the madness before we recognize the signs. By the time we realize what a muddled mess our head is in, it’s too late; we crossed the road, and took a wrong turn long ago.

The cycle begins.

A whispered word, a gentle touch, a stolen glance, and we’re brought from the brink of self-destruction, back to that cloudless sky with nothing but sunshine on the horizon. We live in that euphoric state, gladly burying the pain of not so long ago, to bask in the warmth of love once again.

All until that trust is shaken.

Until the feeling is no longer reciprocated.

Until all we see in that once faithful companion, is a stranger.

Or in my case … the enemy.

Or preorders are available exclusively through iBooks:

http://tinyurl.com/mvakmzb

Come and say ‘hi’ on Facebook, too:

https://www.facebook.com/MaxHenryAuthor

While you’re surfing the interwebby thingamy, go and check out these links to the two men who made this image possible:

Lance Jones: https://www.facebook.com/LanceJonesTattooFitnessModel

Michael Meadows Studio: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMeadowsStudios

Hope you will all enjoy Malice and Jane’s story as much as I did writing it! <3