From Rachel Lacey, award-winning author of Read Between the Lines, comes a sexy slow-burn romance about two dynamic divas who collide on the world’s biggest stage.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Rachel Lacey’s Stars Collide, which is out May 2nd.
Eden Sands has been a star for twenty years, but it’s lonely at the top. Her mediocre marriage just ended, and her inner circle is smaller than ever. The stage is the only place she’s ever felt like she truly belonged, and yet, her last album flopped, and her upcoming tour hasn’t sold out. Eden’s desperate for her star to shine bright again, but when her team suggests a collaboration with an up-and-coming young star to give her a boost, she balks.
Anna Moss is pop music’s rising star. She’s idolized Eden Sands for most of her life—so it’s a dream come true when she’s invited to perform with her at the Grammys. Anna’s tired of being defined by her bubbly persona. She wants to be taken seriously as an artist, and a duet with Eden could be just what she needs.
As Anna and Eden rehearse, they soon realize they have more in common than their musical talents. Now they just have to decide if what is between them is a one-hit wonder or the making of a romance worthy of one of the greatest love songs of all time.
Eden lifted the microphone from its stand as she turned to face Anna. The spotlight engulfed them, making Anna’s eye shadow sparkle. Tonight, she wore a deep-blue princess-style gown, modeled after a dress Eden had worn for one of her first live performances, and she looked so beautiful. Eden’s gaze traced her face to the delicate curve of her neck and down to the swell of her breasts.
“I kick off my heels,” Anna sang, kicking one of her feet up in the air.
That was Eden’s cue. She began to sing, stepping in front of Anna to illustrate her struggle with her younger self. The lights shifted, partially illuminating the audience. Vegas crowds weren’t her favorite. The seats in the first few rows were generally reserved by the casino to give out as freebies to the high rollers, so she tended to see a lot of bored people up front who had no real interest in her music.
Tonight, she glimpsed a lot of senior citizens in the first few rows, and while some of them were actively watching the show, most of them were focused on snacks or even their phones. Behind them, several younger fans held up a hot-pink sign, and Eden shielded her eyes with her hand to read it.
#EDANNA4EVER
Oh. Eden turned away as Anna stepped beside her to begin the next chorus. She caught Eden’s eye with another one of those radiant smiles, and Eden’s stomach fizzed with something strange, like electricity surging through her, like . . . sparks. Oh God, was this what people meant when they said they felt sparks?
Heat swept through her body. Anna twirled, and Eden’s stomach sparked again. She pressed a hand against it reflexively. Her gaze focused on Anna’s calves as the skirt flared, and drifted up to the curve of her waist. Then she was staring at Anna’s breasts again. Everywhere she looked, she was noticing Anna’s body. What was happening to her? Eden had never . . . she didn’t . . .
Anna was in front of her now, giving Eden a funny look, and oh God, she’d missed her cue. What was her next line? She spun, desperately searching for something, anything to orient herself, and then Anna’s hand was on her arm. Eden remembered earlier that evening, watching Captain Marvel together in her bed, the way Anna’s hair had tickled her arm.
Anna was singing Eden’s line, covering for her. Her hand was so warm, and . . .
Eden sucked in a breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she pulled herself together. Then she gave Anna a grateful smile as she took over, singing the next line. Eden turned to face the audience, fixing her gaze on an empty seat several rows back, a safe focal point as she channeled herself into the music.
