Shameless (White Lies Duet #2)
Lisa Renee Jones
Dear Reader:
As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for picking up a book of mine. But you’re not here for me to wax poetic about what fantastic readers I have (it’s true though!), you’re here to see what happens between Faith and Tiger! So first off, I think this goes without saying, but if you haven’t read book one in the White Lies Duet, PROVOCATIVE, stop here and go read it, because that’s how this story begins. For those of you who have, I’m going to give a brief recap of book one for a refresher.
We met Nick “Tiger” Rogers, a badass attorney, as he was tracking down the woman he thought killed his father, and even her own mother. What Nick wasn’t expecting to find when he cornered Faith Winter, the now owner and operator of her family’s Reid Winter Winery, was a woman who would lay him out on his ass with her wit, charm, and his need to have her, fuck her, possess her. Then there’s Faith, on the heels of her father’s death two years ago she had to put a hold on her passion as an artist and come back to help her mother run the family winery, though her mother ran it into the ground, refusing to relinquish control to Faith so she could save it.
When Nick and Faith share one night of passion together, it’s out of the ordinary for them both to let it go any further. Faith has been burned from a past relationship, an artist named Macom, who was a selfish and sabotaging asshole, those hang-ups of hers lead to hang-ups between her and Nick. She pushes him, he pushes back, alpha-style. And despite the secrets he’s holding back, he continues to push, because he knows this woman is it for him. But his secrets are many: his father and her mother’s murders, which he originally thought Faith to be the culprit of, but soon discounts that idea, and the sex club he owns, which he is sure will spook Faith based on her past reactions to his need for control, even though their bedroom time has gotten quite un-vanilla a time or two. Spanking scene, anyone? That one was an intense one to write! But while Nick battles with finding the truth, Faith finds her own truth. Amidst the monetary troubles at the winery, with the note past due, and the vendors unpaid from her mother’s unknown antics, Nick has become the only person to inspire her to paint after a long drought. And those paintings, have made her eligible to delve back into the art world that she ran away from because of Macom. Though at the helm of pushing her back in the deep end in the most unhelpful ways is Josh, her agent, a sloppy one at that, who just so happens to also be Macom’s agent. But she has been pulled right back into that world, just as Nick is pushing her to fall right into a relationship with him. It’s overwhelming, exhilarating, and scary, but she takes the plunge. Her father never believed in her art, and wanted her to just take over the winery, but she is doing things for herself. But with every piece of herself she gives to Nick and her art again, Nick pushes for more of her. He wants to help her get the winery out of trouble, and spend more time with him.
Through this all Faith has been selected to be showcased at Chris and Sara Merit’s gallery Allure, and also in the L.A. Art Forum. Two very high-profile opportunities, that she can credit to Nick’s presence in helping her paint again. All the while Nick has people (his friend Abel, and he PI Beck) working his father’s and her mother’s murders and finding out why the winery was hemorrhaging money when it is a profitable business. To force the hand of the bank that holds the note on the winery, Nick pays the past due amount and six months ahead of schedule to take the pressure off of Faith and see if that alleviates the threat to them both, but that creates once more secret and one more push from him that may send Faith over the edge.
Provocative, comes to a conclusion right after the exclusive event at the gallery, where Sara and Faith hit it off as good friends, Chris sells 3 of Faith’s paintings (proving she can make a living with her passion), and Chris and Nick having words over Nick’s failure to mention the sex club to Faith. It’s a tumultuous end to say the least, but then Nick’s father seemingly reached out from his grave with a note he left in his belongings that reads: Faith Winter is the problem. She’s dangerous. Far more than her mother. She must be stopped.
And after that ominous note is where we pick back up. Nick has his secrets. Faith has her doubts. But they have an intensely passionate affair going on that may shatter and break when all is revealed…
Enjoy!
xoxo,
Lisa Renee Jones
CHARACTERS
Faith Winter—30, blonde, green eyes. Heroine of the story. Owner of the Reid Winter Winery in Sonoma. Artist, paints black and white landscapes with bursts of red. Trying to help the winery recover from her mother pulling them under. Nick Rogers comes into the picture wanting her in a way no other an ever has, and making her want things she’s never wanted.
Nick “Tiger” Rogers—36, long hair he ties back, navy blue eyes. Hero of the story. Attorney of his own firm. Deceased mother. Deceased father. He and he father had been at odds for years when he passes away. Though his death was suspicious which led Nick to Faith Winter. He thought she may have been a killer, but now she’s the woman who possesses his heart and much more. Still keeps many secrets from Faith, but thinks he’s doing it for the right reasons.
Meredith Winter—Faith’s mother. Died two months ago. Left the winery in shambles. Cheated on her husband numerous times, including with his twin brother.
Reid Winter—Faith’s father. Died two years ago. Always wanted Faith to run the winery, never believed in her art. Put up with his wife’s wandering ways. Had a falling out with his twin brother when he learned his wife slept with him.
Bill Winter—Faith’s uncle. CEO of Pier 111, a social media platform, that his wife founded. Slept with his brother’s wife. Had a falling out with his brother right before Faith left for college.
Kasey—50, gray hair, tall. Long time operator and second-hand at the winery for twenty years.
Abel Baldwin—30’s, buzzed blond hair. Nick’s best friend. Criminal lawyer. Tries to help him find answers through his work connections concerning the autopsy for Nick’s dad.
Beck—35, black spiky hair. Ex-CIA. The private investigator Nick hired to find the answers to this twisted web.
Rita—Older, married with children. Red hair. Nick’s ever-so-efficient assistant.
Josh—30’s, short hair, clean cut. Faith’s agent for her art work. Macom’s (Faith’s ex) agent as well.
Macom Maloy—30’s, spiky dark hair. Well-known artist. Faith’s ex-boyfriend. All around jackass.
SHAMELESS PLAYLIST
“Black” by Dierks Bentley