BELOW THE SURFACE
RELEASE DAY: MAY 12th
COVER PHOTO by Sarah Lee
Photography
SYNOPSIS:
Daniella Alvarez and Dylan McKendrie used to be in love.
They used to be a team. An inseparable force to be reckoned with. But, when
tragedy struck, their relationship sank faster than the ships they used to
scour the ocean floor for. Now all that's left are scattered remains of what
used to be.
Dylan, no longer seeking the mysteries on the ocean
floor, now goes for the sure things and the guaranteed paychecks. When a
longtime friend suggests he has hard proof that one of those legends that used
to keep Dylan up at night could be real, he's torn between going after the gold
and maintaining the life he'd built since leaving The Florida Keys.
Daniella was always a dreamer. She's always been chasing
what would most deem unattainable—professionally and personally. Everything
she'd ever wanted seemed to slip through her fingers the day he left, which is
exactly why his return has her seeing red.
Can the two of them put their past aside long enough to
figure out a mystery that has plagued them both for years? Can they work
together to see what lies below the surface?
EXCERPT
“Why? So you can tell me how I'm wasting my time on
ghosts. How I just chase every lead I get without thinking things through?” A
part of me wanted to put my hand over her mouth and shut her up, but another
part of me reasoned I could do the same with my lips. The urge to kiss her had
my blood overheating. “Like I said before...We. Don't. Need. You.”
“Oh you need me,” I said with a smirk.
“No I don't,” she quickly replied. “You left and I've
been doing just fine.”
“I'm not talking about you in particular, Miss
Impulsive.”
“Oh.” She paused for a second but quickly recovered. “I
know you're not talking about me.”
“I'm talking about that fact that I have the boat,” I
pointed out. “I have the equipment you need to bring this so called ship up out
of the water.”
“Whatever. I can find a boat anywhere.” She crossed her
arms across her chest and glared.
“Oh yeah. That right? 'Cause from what I've heard, the
only boat you've been on lately comes equipped with a snorkel and tourists.”
“Keeping tabs on me, McKendrie?” The edge in her tone was
sharp enough to raise the hairs on my arms. I might have occasionally asked Cal
about her, but I wasn’t going to fess up at that moment. “Can't imagine that
you could even be bothered to check on what you left behind.” Her words stung
just as badly as I expected them to.
“I shouldn't.” I
was still pissed too. If she wanted to play who can be the bigger asshole, I
was going to win. I was part Irish and there wasn't a chance in hell that I was
going to let her get the better of me. She wasn’t the only one with a fiery
temper. “Not a damn thing has changed.”
“You're an asshole.”
“I've been called worse.” I took a step toward her.
“Probably by you.”
“I can guarantee that,” she said between gritted teeth.
The ever present noise of the ocean, the sound of traffic and the island town
vanished as we held each other's stare.
The two of us stood inches from each other on that beach.
The tide rolled in over our feet and I was so mad that I didn't even care that
my best pair of boots were wet. The sand and surf were bearing witness to a
good old fashion showdown. I could practically see the steam rolling off of her
as I tightened my gaze.
Her lips were parted, words threatening to tear into me,
but neither of us spoke. Instead, we just waited for the other to break.
About the Author:
Born and raised in the middle of a Midwestern cornfield (not literally, that would be weird), I’ve spent my entire life imagining stories. Stories where the right guy always gets the right girl, first kisses are as magical as they are on the big screen and anything is completely possible if you believe.
Although this journey began years ago, it recently took on a whole new life. After years of devouring hundreds of Romance, YA and New Adult novels, I had an epiphany... I should write a book. And I did it!
If I’m not reading, writing, enjoying drinks with my amazing group of girlfriends or chasing around a sarcastically funny kid, I’m probably watching television shows that were created for teenagers, while my husband teases that I’m too old to watch them.
Although this journey began years ago, it recently took on a whole new life. After years of devouring hundreds of Romance, YA and New Adult novels, I had an epiphany... I should write a book. And I did it!
If I’m not reading, writing, enjoying drinks with my amazing group of girlfriends or chasing around a sarcastically funny kid, I’m probably watching television shows that were created for teenagers, while my husband teases that I’m too old to watch them.
STALK Elizabeth Lee: