Beneath the Stain - Serial Series by Amy Lane

In one breath of shotgunned pot smoke, Grant Adams breaks every taboo Mackey knows—and Mackey refuses to look back. In the shadows of their small town, Mackey and Grant carry on a precocious affair under the noses and behind the backs of girlfriends, parents, and overprotective older brothers. When Mackey's band finally has a chance to make it big, Mackey and Grant are put to the test. And fail miserably.

Trav Ford doesn't like strings and he doesn't like messes. Coming off a messy breakup, Trav is grimly determined to keep his life absolutely pristine. When Trav is asked to take over the management of Outbreak Monkey, his first order of business is to clean up their act—and that includes shipping the youngest, most troubled member off to detox and rehab before Mackey Sanders's life choices kill him... moreTrav Ford doesn't like strings and he doesn't like messes. Coming off a messy breakup, Trav is grimly determined to keep his life absolutely pristine. When Trav is asked to take over the management of Outbreak Monkey, his first order of business is to clean up their act—and that includes shipping the youngest, most troubled member off to detox and rehab before Mackey Sanders's life choices kill him. But Mackey didn't become an addict overnight, and it's going to take more than one trip to rehab to fix him up. When an act of violence destroys Mackey's struggling equilibrium, Trav is going to find that messy isn't so hard to escape—not when it's wrapping its mess around Trav's heart. less

Mackey Sanders doesn't do anything easy—rehab is no exception. Never one to follow orders for the sake of being orderly, Mackey needs a reason, something real, to make him agree to Trav's terms of getting clean. Trav knows he can't be Mackey's only reason to rehabilitate, but before he can convince Mackey of that, he needs to get to the heart of what’s been eating Mackey alive from the moment the band left Tyson... moreMackey Sanders doesn't do anything easy—rehab is no exception. Never one to follow orders for the sake of being orderly, Mackey needs a reason, something real, to make him agree to Trav's terms of getting clean. Trav knows he can't be Mackey's only reason to rehabilitate, but before he can convince Mackey of that, he needs to get to the heart of what’s been eating Mackey alive from the moment the band left Tyson. Can Mackey’s family—can Mackey’s band —survive the fallout of Mackey telling the truth? More importantly, can Mackey? less

Mackey's fragile recovery from his bout with self-destruction is complicated even further by his feelings for Trav—and Trav's feelings back. Trav is older, and he should know better, but now that Mackey is drug-free and conquering his demons, all he can see is the stunning, brilliant man who existed under the stain of pain and excess. Trav and Mackey struggle to find a balance between Mackey's recovery and their growing attraction... moreMackey's fragile recovery from his bout with self-destruction is complicated even further by his feelings for Trav—and Trav's feelings back. Trav is older, and he should know better, but now that Mackey is drug-free and conquering his demons, all he can see is the stunning, brilliant man who existed under the stain of pain and excess. Trav and Mackey struggle to find a balance between Mackey's recovery and their growing attraction. Trav decides to make a rare leap of faith—but can Mackey find enough faith in himself to make it through life in the spotlight and a visit to the past that almost destroyed him? less

Mackey is great at taking a leap of faith into a crowd—but taking one into a relationship and a future is a totally different animal. When he and Trav decide to take a risk that Mackey's healing can hold up to them together, they know it's going to be a long, difficult road. Mackey proves he can handle the stress of performing on his own, but when it comes to the demons that broke him in the first place, that's a whole other song... moreMackey is great at taking a leap of faith into a crowd—but taking one into a relationship and a future is a totally different animal. When he and Trav decide to take a risk that Mackey's healing can hold up to them together, they know it's going to be a long, difficult road. Mackey proves he can handle the stress of performing on his own, but when it comes to the demons that broke him in the first place, that's a whole other song. The first time Mackey tries to go home, it sends him into a palm-sweating, stomach-heaving anxiety attack, and Trav has to concede that Mackey is still on loan from the things that almost wrecked him when he was still a kid. When news arrives that affects the entire band, Mackey can either go home and face his demons or let them haunt them forever. less

For as long as Trav Ford has known the Sanders boys, one name has haunted the entire band. Their first lead guitarist and Mackey’s first lover has left a stamp on the kids he’s known as family, and now Grant has one last chance to hurt the people Trav cares for the most. Except Grant isn't the monster Trav made him out to be, and coming home is harder on the band—and Trav—than he ever could have anticipated... moreFor as long as Trav Ford has known the Sanders boys, one name has haunted the entire band. Their first lead guitarist and Mackey’s first lover has left a stamp on the kids he’s known as family, and now Grant has one last chance to hurt the people Trav cares for the most. Except Grant isn't the monster Trav made him out to be, and coming home is harder on the band—and Trav—than he ever could have anticipated. When Trav is confronted with the reality of what Mackey and his brothers left behind—and with what they're about to lose—he has to seriously reconsider if he's strong enough to deal with everything that Mackey and Outbreak Monkey have come to represent. Fortunately for Trav, Mackey's learned a lot in the past year, and one of his best lessons is how to hold on to the people he loves. less

The one lesson that Trav's learned with the band's return to Tyson is that it should be hard to say good-bye. Mackey, Kell, Jefferson, and Stevie have to say good-bye to the person who helped make them and break them. They have to say good-bye to their bitterness and anger, and they have to say good-bye to lingering hope that one of the best parts of their childhood can be with them always... moreThe one lesson that Trav's learned with the band's return to Tyson is that it should be hard to say good-bye. Mackey, Kell, Jefferson, and Stevie have to say good-bye to the person who helped make them and break them. They have to say good-bye to their bitterness and anger, and they have to say good-bye to lingering hope that one of the best parts of their childhood can be with them always. But in the last two years they've grown a lot—and maybe they've grown enough to say good-bye to the past without forgetting it, and to embrace a future that they won't regret. less