Enjoy the following excerpt for COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER…
Gravity was the story
Smith Sullivan had been waiting his entire career to tell. It wasn’t a
big-budget, smash ’em up blockbuster. Nor was it a period film with impeccably
researched costumes and accents. Instead, it was a pure, honest story about
love and family and what really mattered.
And he was
staking his entire reputation on the deceptively simple story.
If ever there
was a time for focus, for pure and total concentration, it was now and through
the next eight weeks of filming. He couldn’t afford to let anything—or
anyone—distract him from making the best movie he had in him.
Only, as he
followed Valentina to his trailer, her waist, hips, and legs gorgeous in her
form-fitting pencil skirt, he already knew holding that intense focus wasn’t
going to be easy.
Valentina Landon
had attracted him from the start with her exotic looks which she downplayed
into cool, businesslike reserve. He couldn’t miss the slightly seductive tone
to her voice, or the fact that her scent was pure, rich sensuality. If she
thought she was putting anyone off with her suits, soft golden hair pulled back
into a simple ponytail, and the thick-framed glasses she slid on when she was
poring over contracts, she was way off base.
Didn’t she know
that all those carefully constructed conservative elements made a guy like him
want to find out just how deep her passions ran? Especially when she was so
intent on hiding them. Not, of course, that she’d even come close to letting
him find out the answer to that question.
During
rehearsals, she was always either with her sister or making her way out of a
room the second he walked into it. He’d been impressed with her business acumen
during the past weeks with regard to Tatiana’s career, as well as how well she
took care of her sister on a personal level. Valentina didn’t hover, but at the
same time, she was there whenever Tatiana needed her.
As the
second-oldest brother in a family of eight siblings, Smith knew just how hard
it was to watch over his brothers and sisters while also letting them spread
their wings and live their lives without his constant interference. Family
meant the world to him, but he craved his independence, and his work, too. It
was a constant balancing act, but one he wouldn’t have given up for all the
peace and quiet and spare time in the world.
From the
beginning of his career just after college, he’d started with whatever scraps
he could get and built on from there. He knew people thought he’d been handed
his acting career, that his looks had paved the road with gold bricks and
Hollywood stars. In truth, those looks had made being taken seriously so
difficult that after the first couple of years of countless auditions, he’d
almost taken one of the dozens of underwear commercials he’d been offered.
Until, finally, an older actor had given him his chance to prove that he was
more than just a pretty face. Smith had grabbed that chance with both hands,
and when the movie was a box office hit, other doors finally started to open.
It was one of
the reasons he’d been so interested in casting Tatiana Landon. Yes, Valentina’s
younger sister was beautiful. No question, she was going to be a star, one way
or another. But when she worked, he saw several qualities in her that he
recognized and admired. Determination. Concentration. And joy.
Yes, he thought, as
Valentina threw open his trailer door without waiting for him to let her
inside, there was much to admire about
the Landon women. Particularly the older sister he hadn’t been
able to get out of his head since he’d met her in that initial casting meeting
two months ago.
Talk about
determination and concentration. Valentina had clearly taught her sister
everything she knew. And when Valentina was with Tatiana, when they were
laughing together the way sisters did when they were very close, her own joy
rang out loud and clear.
Smith
had just stepped inside and closed the door behind him when Valentina turned
and faced him down.
“My
sister is not going to become one of your little playthings.”
Momentarily
taken aback, Smith simply echoed, “Playthings?”
Valentina
didn’t have the obvious, more conventional beauty of her younger sister, but to
Smith that made her face even more alluring. A man had to look under the
surface with Valentina, but once he did, he was paid back richly with the
contours of high cheekbones, incredibly long, unpainted lashes, eyes that
tilted up slightly at the corners, and a cupid’s bow on full lips that couldn’t
help but whisper of sex and heat no matter how tightly they were pursed.
Just
the way they were right this second, in fact.
“Tatiana
and I have been in this business for ten years,” she said in a frosty voice. “I
know exactly how this world works, Mr. Sullivan.”
He had
to cut her off, then, if only because he hated the way she used the Mr. as
yet another way to keep distance between them. Not another damn person on his
set called him Mr. Sullivan. He wouldn’t let her do it, either, whatever her
reasons for wanting to keep her distance.
“Call
me Smith. Please.”
Her
mouth tightened even further, her eyes flashing yet again even as she nodded
and said, in a very soft voice, “Smith.” Her long, slender fingers twisted in
her grip as she stared back at him. “You’re older. You’re successful. You’re
extremely good look—”
She
stopped just short of the full word and it was all but impossible to keep
himself from smirking just a little bit. And from saying, “Thank you,
Valentina. I’m glad to know you think so.”
Her
eyes widened at the way he spoke her name, with more than a little heat. Any
woman looking for his attention would have noticed she had it weeks ago. Then
again, she hadn’t been looking for his attention—had stopped just short of
running from it, in fact.
Valentina was
the opposite of every woman he knew in Hollywood. Instead of trying to draw
attention to herself, she worked to keep it away. Smith had transformed himself
into so many different characters over the course of his career that he knew
all it would take were a few simple changes to her hair, clothes, makeup, and
the way she held her body as she stood across from him, to shift her message
from back off to come closer.
She was an
incredibly intelligent woman. Only, despite that, he didn’t think she realized
just how much the mystery of her was drawing him in, making him want to
discover who she really was. And why she was so intent on deflecting the male
attention she deserved. Especially his.
Nor did she
realize just how refreshing it was to finally meet a woman who wasn’t beyond
eager and ready to throw herself at Smith Sullivan’s feet. Especially
just when he’d been worried there wasn’t a woman alive who could see beyond his
fame and all the shiny things that came with it.
Now,
as he watched her work to bank her anger, it occurred to him what an excellent
actress she would have been. Emotion simmered just beneath the surface of her
eyes, her mouth, her skin, all covered with an outward calm that could fool
even the closest observer. A shared family trait, though one Valentina had
perfected for real life, whereas her sister merely played it out for the
camera.
One
sister so contained, the other so open.
Smith
couldn’t help but wonder—had Valentina sacrificed her own openness so that her
sister could have such freedom?
She
gestured to the pile of phone numbers that littered his desk, her upper lip
curling slightly. “You have plenty of women falling for you. More than enough
for any man to enjoy making his way through.”
If he
hadn’t been in a hurry earlier that morning, he would have thrown the numbers
away instead of just dumping them on his desk. With anyone else, he likely
would have explained just that. But he found he didn’t like having to defend
himself to Valentina, especially when he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I
meant it when I told you I wanted you to come to me if anything was wrong,” he
said in an even voice. “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to pull me aside
this morning, but I’m afraid I don’t yet understand what’s bothering you.”
“I’ll
tell you exactly what’s bothering me: You and I both know the power you hold.
We also both know that my sister is perfect in this film.”
He
nodded in agreement. “You just heard me tell her that.”
“And it
meant the world to her.” But instead of looking happy about it, a flash of
deep-seated worry crossed Valentina’s face. “Tatiana looks up to you. She has
never been so committed to a production. All she wants is to do her best for
you, and I know she’s going to give a thousand percent to do just that.” Her
gaze was direct, unblinking, as she said, “And in return, I want you to give me
your word that you will not cross any professional lines with her.”
Damn
it, he hadn’t signed Tatiana to star in his film with nefarious plans of
seduction. He’d signed her because she was a great actress who was going to get
better and better.
Were
it not for two unfounded accusations in the span of minutes, he would have
taken the time to answer Valentina more carefully. But as it stood, she’d been
questioning his honor since the first second he’d met her sister. Silently,
perhaps, but it had been there nonetheless.
His
honor was everything to him, and now he felt like a bear poked one too many
times by a long stick, coming out of his lair grumpy and with teeth bared in
warning. Which was why he gave her an answer he knew was bound to aggravate
more than soothe.
“Your
sister has already signed the contracts.”
Instead
of backing off at what many people would have construed as a warning, Valentina
came closer to him, so close that he could smell the lavender in her shampoo.
“I
asked around about you before we signed on for this movie. Everyone told me you
were different.” Her eyes slid again to the phone numbers on his desk, then
back to him. “But you’re just the same as everybody else, aren’t you?” Fire
leapt to new heights in her eyes as she told him, “I don’t give a damn what
she’s signed. If you do one single thing to hurt my sister, if you dare toy
with her emotions or her body, I’ll—”
“Damn
it, Valentina,” he said in a voice loud enough to break through to her, “I’m
not going to seduce your sister!” He had to work to gentle his voice as he
said, “Tatiana is young and beautiful and I’m going to work like hell to make
sure she wins an Oscar for her performance in my movie. But I don’t want her.”
And
yet, even as he reassured her about his intentions toward her sister, there was
no way for him to keep the silent words I want you from hanging in the
air between them.
He was
sure that was what had her taking a step away from him as she said, “I saw the
way you grabbed her and kissed her after the scene. And I saw the way she
looked at you—like you hold the key to the secrets of the universe.”
It was
because he had two sisters and a mother he loved that he realized just how
badly he’d misplayed this situation with Valentina. Instead of going on the
defensive and throwing the signed contracts in her face like the big bad movie
star who only had to snap his fingers for the world to fall at his feet, he
should have done whatever he could to reassure her that Tatiana was in safe
hands.
“Your
sister did such a great job with the first scene that I got excited, and I
wanted her to know how thrilled I am to be working with her. But I honestly
don’t think she took my enthusiasm for her performance in the way you thought
she did.”
He
could see that Valentina was still wary, but she took a deep breath and finally
backed down enough to say, “I sure hope not.”
He’d
thought her eyes were a dimmer green than her sister’s, but now he could see
that they were a beautiful hazel, a clear green on the inside, deep brown on
the outside. Smith had never been much interested in perfect, even less so
after so many years in Hollywood where people hired doctors to rip them open
and put them back together until they looked like the dolls his sisters had
played with as kids.
He was
also finally close enough to see the slightly dark smudges beneath the delicate
skin under her eyes.
“It’s
got to be exhausting being your sister’s watchdog all the time.”
“I’m
not her watchdog. I’m her sister and I love her. I—” She sighed, letting her
exhaustion come through for a moment. “I just need to make sure she’s safe.
Always.”
“Your
sister is lucky to have you to protect her, Valentina. But who’s protecting
you?”
Her
eyes met his again, wide with surprise...and an answering desire that she could
no longer effectively mask as her hazel eyes dilated until the green near her
pupil pushed out all of the brown along the rim.
Hot
damn if he didn’t want to kiss her beautiful mouth as she lifted her chin and
her eyes flashed at him one more time.
“I
don’t need anybody to protect me.”
She
walked out of his trailer without a backward glance.
...Excerpt from COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER by Bella
Andre ©2012.
______________________________
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About The Sullivans: In this sexy, emotional and funny contemporary romance series, each member of the Sullivan family will eventually find true love…usually where he or she least expects it.
Get the eBooks via Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, the iBookStore, or the Kobo Store.
Audiobooks are also available for the first five in the series (with more coming soon). Plus, keep an eye out for paperback editions coming from Harlequin Romance starting Summer 2013.
About the Author: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Bella Andre has always been a writer. Songs came first, and then non-fiction books, but as soon as she started writing her first romance novel, she knew she’d found her perfect career. Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly) about sizzling alpha heroes and the strong women they’ll love forever, nearly all of her novels have appeared on Top 10 lists at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and Kobo.
Her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into nine languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post has called her “One of the top digital writers in America” and she has been featured by NPR, USA Today, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal. She has given the keynote speech at Book Expo America on her self-publishing success and has sold more than one million books.
If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.
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