by Piper Malone
“I f-found the b-bird. It’s so beautiful.” I sniff through the tears, icy and sharp against my face. “My sheets are not soft, and it’s c-cold in my room.”
“Okay,” he says, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”
“No.” I push away from him. “I can’t do it, Nick. You can’t come back here and rip this”—I rake my hands across my chest—“open. I won’t survive. I am not this strong. It hurts too much.”
“I know.” His words are somber, measured. “Skyler, I need you to hear what I’m going to say to you. Can you do that?”
I nod and accept a tissue from Kat, who mumbles something about tears freezing to my face.
“Skyler, I came to Reign for a singular purpose. To play. When I met you, all of that changed. I wanted you and only you. The only reason I ever lived in the room next door to you was solely for proximity. I was selfish. I cornered everyone who looked at you the wrong way. I branded you as mine because the thought of someone else close to what I wanted so badly made me insane.”
“But you had me, Nick! We’ve had this fight a million times.”
“I know, and that’s my fault. I know you love me. I feel it in everything you do. When you snap at me, when you are silly, when you stand up to my brothers. Well, just Adam. No one else here had any issues with you.” All his brothers chime in, confirming the same. “I’ve loved you for longer than I care to admit, angel. I was a fool to hold you away from me.”
I cling to the words I prayed to hear. “Do you still love me? Even after all of this?”
“Yes.”
“How long?” I demand.
“Have I loved you?” His face is so still I wonder if he’s holding his breath. “Since the beginning, Sky. I don’t know an exact date or time, but it’s been for as long as I can remember.” Nick takes my hand, his brilliant green eyes holding me in place. “I have never made it easy on us, and it’s never been romantic, but I have always belonged to you.”
Waterfalls of relief pour from my body, purging the pain and the sorrow of the past month. “I’ve missed you so much,” I sob into my hands.
“I know. Me too,” he says, wrapping me up in his embrace. “Never again?”
“Never.”
“Harris Woodworking Designs still needs an office coordinator. Our last one sucked.” Nick jerks his thumb in Adam’s direction.
“I was recently fired, so . . .”
“Perfect.” Nick claps his hands together. “You start on Monday. I hear you are also homeless?”
“Apparently that is true as well?” I look over my shoulder to Caleb, who responds with a heavy nod.
“Wonderful. We have a few options. I have empty rooms in my home or half of a king-sized bed. Your choice.”
“I will share the king and use one of the rooms as my own space?”
“And as your generous landlord, I accept that offer. Now, a few other things.” Nick unzips his coat to reveal a runner’s tag on his chest.
“Wait, what are you doing?” I ask, shocked at the sight of his brother taking his jacket and pants as he strips down to thermal leggings and shorts.
“Getting ready,” he says as if I’m a fool for asking. “I was told that if Harris Designs was going to match your existing donations, I needed to run the race. You can thank the board of directors for that.”
“You are welcome!” Jude sings.
“We all have bets on when he’s going to tank and you’ll have to carry him,” Wyatt calls through the speakerphone. “I’m betting on a quarter mile.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this with me.” I am beyond words. He just confessed his heart, and now he’s going to run three miles with me.
“I’m doing all things with you, and for you, from here on out.” Nick reaches for his gray skullcap and pulls it off his head.
I gasp at the sight of Nicholas William Harris with hot-pink hair. “What is this?” I laugh, running my hands through his hair.
“I went to see Rabbit and told her I needed my hair dyed your color. She’s good like that,” he says, like he’s telling me a secret I already knew. “We will run this race together, angel. We will face all others that come our way as well. Together.” Nick’s fingers weave with mine.
My heart swells. “Together.”
I hope you enjoyed Nick and Skyler’s story!
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An Excerpt from Fabulously Tanked
Fabulously Tanked
New England Readers’ Choice Award 2019 Winner, Romance Short Story
When movie starlet Poppy Hendricks is snapped by the paparazzi chasing Tank, her adorably wild puppy, through Central Park West in her pajamas, the gossip columns cannot get enough of the drama.
As the newest addition to the cast of the highly anticipated screen adaptation of the hottest romance novel since, well, you know when, Poppy knows her reputation is on the line.
On the eve of relocating for the movie shoot, Tank has another very public, highly embarrassing social gaffe and the entertainment world explodes with speculation.
To get the gossip rags off her back, Poppy enlists the help of Taylor Mickelson, a local farmer and dog trainer to help her tame Tank’s raucous antics.
Can Taylor refine Tank’s wild behavior and save Poppy from the trash talk, or will he create his own media frenzy when he’s caught off-set with the movie star?
Fabulously Tanked is available at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, and Amazon AU
Chapter 1
“This mess will never EVER go away. It’s unable to be erased. You know that?”
Poppy Hendricks couldn’t acknowledge the facts. She could only stare at the mammoth television screen hanging on the wall.
“Are you going to say anything at all?” Suzie Garrity, Poppy’s very Type-A assistant, stared at her with unmasked frustration. “Poppy, this is,” Suzie’s entire body shook with disgust, “a total disaster.”
She knew it. The ache of complete mortification seeped into her bones and tightened every inch of her body.
Poppy didn’t have the words to fix it. Normally, she would soothe Suzie’s freak-out with a quick joke or a giant bubble tea. But as she watched the daytime gossip show cackle about her, Poppy knew this would require serious damage control.
“We’re sending him to a ranch. He’s a liability.” Her assistant picked up the phone, and Poppy understood instantly what she was doing.
“No.” Poppy heard the strength in her own voice despite her exhaustion. “Tank isn’t going anywhere.”
Suzie stood, throwing her phone in a mound of fluffy pillows covering the posh overstuffed couch. If she wanted to make a statement, she’d missed the mark. The phone merely punched a deep hole in the cushy mass and disappeared.
Poppy wished she was that phone. All I need is a comfy hole to hide in for a little while.
“You realize we leave for Indiana tomorrow.” Suzie’s body only shuddered slightly when she mentioned the state. When Poppy had landed the lead in The Lies We Lead—the movie version of the hottest romance novel to hit booksellers since … well, forever—she knew it would change her life. She didn’t expect Suzie’s throat to close when she agreed to relocate to the Midwest for ten weeks. As a native Northeasterner, Suzie was 100 percent New York City. She always wondered if Suzie thought about dying her hair black to match her sleek metropolitan wardrobe. Suzie’s primary concern in preparing for the relocation was whether they even had Starbucks in that place.
“I know. My life is packed in boxes,” Poppy replied with an irritated tone as she pulled her wild ginger hair into a sloppy knot on top of her head. “Tank will be okay. We just need some time.”
“It’s been two months, Poppy. I think bringing him into your life was a bad omen.”
“A bad omen?”
“Yup, you can’t bring
things from bad situations into good places. They bring their bad mojo with them,” Suzie said.
“That’s ridiculous. So all those families that adopt beautiful, innocent babies from horrible orphanages are bringing bad vibes into their homes?”
“No! You’re thinking about humans. I like humans!”
“You just hate dogs?”
“I don’t hate them. I think there are certain places for them. Like a farm, or the zoo.”
“A zoo!”
“You listen to me right now, Poppy Hendricks.” Suzie made a serious face as she focused on her argument. “You are on the edge of greatness. All those things you want—fame, money, your own home—you are almost there. This movie can skyrocket you into the celebrity life of your dreams. Your brand is suffering because you have a four-legged demon drooling all over you. It was awful when the pap caught you running through Central Park in your pajamas because Tank freaked out over a squirrel. It was only mildly amusing when he slipped out from backstage at your last performance of My Fair Lady and decided to get up close and personal with the mayor’s leg. But this,” she gestured to the television screen, “I have to step in. He’s gone.”
Poppy’s mind swirled with objections, starting with Suzie’s misunderstanding of her dreams. Her dreams were not bedazzled or dripping with diamonds. Her dreams were about the theater. The feelings she’d experienced when she was fitted with the large hoop skirts and attending countless dress rehearsals.
A home and celebrity status would be nice. Belting out “Defying Gravity” as she soared above a captivated audience, now that was her dream.
Poppy was a great negotiator, her mother had tried to get her to attend law school after college. She wasn’t ready to give up on anything—including her dog or getting her name out of the mud.
“Suzie, I think we can spin this. You have great contacts, so let’s make this work for us.”
“Your dog took a dump on the red carpet of the E! News pre-party! How are we going to spin this?” Suzie cried, her wild eyes bulging.
Poppy chewed on her lip and thought about how to pull Suzie off the ledge. She didn’t need her assistant this hysterical, especially not over a puppy.
“Okay, it’s a bad situation, but Tank isn’t a bad dog. He just needs some training and guidance. Let’s hook him up with an Instagram account, pump up the puppy love, brand him as an up-and-coming bad boy turned refined gentleman. You can do this, Suzie. You are the best at making bad situations beautiful. Remember how you smoothed over a certain celebrity punching a waiter at Tavern on the Green? Only you, you, Suzie Garrity could create a media spin about a seafood allergy rendering someone mildly psychotic, thus unknowingly aggressive. Was there a lawsuit?”
Suzie crossed her arms, her eyes focused on the far corner of the room. “No,” she mumbled, vibrating with mildly restrained pride. She might never admit it, but she loved the press conferences, media circuits, and the line of new clients banging down her door.
Poppy was grateful that Suzie had stayed true to her word and hadn’t shuttled her off to an assistant in the PR firm. For as much as Suzie was tough, she was a good agent and knew what Poppy wanted for her brand. Poppy’s values of kindness, determination, and creativity needed to shine in everything she did. Suzie, sometimes reluctantly, helped to make it all happen.
“You can do this, Suzie. Please, help me make Tank an Instagram pet celeb. Help him be a rep for all the adopted dogs out there who have some issues that good families can work through with a little help.”
Poppy held her breath, her face bright with eager anticipation. Come on, Suzie!
Suzie’s sharp green eyes narrowed, a bullish puff of air escaping her nose. “Fine.” Poppy’s squeak of excitement was cut short. “But if this shit, literally, ever happens again, we’re finding a beautiful farm for him to go live out his days, and you can visit him between filming.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
“But, you must, must, get him neutered. I can’t stand looking at his balls anymore. It’s just gross.” Suzie shivered with the same disgust that accompanied her discussions around moving to Indiana.
“Let’s find a reputable vet who can recommend a good trainer in Indiana, and I’ll do whatever you want.”
“You better, Pop.” Suzie inhaled a fortifying breath. “Okay, let’s stop watching this.” Suzie gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’ll start researching trainers. Tank has one shot, and once he goes to the big doghouse in the sky, you are not rescuing any more dogs. You got me?”
“Yes, ma’am! You got it.”
After retrieving her phone from the pillow pile, Suzie clucked at the notifications lighting up her screen. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she mumbled as she flicked through the messages. “And keep that dog under control, okay?”
“He’ll be an angel, Suz. Don’t worry. Thank you!”
Suzie rolled her eyes, mumbling something about owing her and having a less-than-executive salary.
Alone in the comfort of the posh hotel room, Poppy exhaled an anxious breath. Suzie was so pissed, her hair would have caught fire if she knew that Poppy had slipped the concierge extra cash to get Tank into her suite.
Walking across the room, Poppy quietly thanked the puppy gods for helping her out and keeping her secret. She entered the bedroom to find Tank nestled in his fluffy monogrammed bed with his favorite chew toy trapped between his paws, fast asleep.
It wasn’t surprising, considering Tank had raced up and down the red carpet three times before security caught him. Her dog was the Houdini of the hound world. Poppy had asked the bellman to take Tank out to help him feel confident when walking the busy streets, but she made the mistake of stepping on the carpet before they were out of sight. Tank wasn’t letting her walk away, and he wasn’t going to let a willowy doorman stop him. Before the poor man could do anything about it, Tank had slipped out of his collar.
The grand plan for Tank had been to train him as an ambassador to visit children’s hospitals, but he needed some socializing. The vet tried to caution Poppy about Tank’s rough beginnings, suggesting that he would struggle for a while until he got comfortable with her. In Tank’s defense, his separation anxiety had improved significantly, but he still struggled.
When Poppy saw him careening down the red carpet, zigzagging around celebs in sparkling dresses, she was mortified. Everyone knew Tank was her dog. She tried to catch him, but her Vera Wang mermaid dress impaired her ability to take a full step, let alone wrangle a fifty-pound dog. Poppy hadn’t known what to do, so she kept talking, smiling, and posing. Watching Suzie run after her dog in her sky-high heels had filled her with dread.
She knew Suzie was close to her limit with Tank’s lack of polish and shine. If Poppy couldn’t help Tank, both of them would end up in the doghouse.
Glancing back at the television, Poppy watched the footage of her ten-month-old Labradoodle curl his back end and poop less than five feet from where Ryan Seacrest was juggling an interview with the Kardashians. The gossip team was split between laughing so hard they couldn’t breathe and cringing in clear disgust at the dog’s action.
“I don’t care what Suzie’s plan is,” Poppy whispered to her sleeping pup. “You are mine.” Her mom’s words rang in her head as she grabbed the remote and flicked off the Hollywood gossip channel. We might have rough times, but we have each other. We fix the problems then laugh at how much we worried about them.
Poppy just hoped her mother was right and that everyone would see that Tank was a diamond in the rough.
Fabulously Tanked is available at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, and Amazon AU
An Excerpt from Diesel
Is he a snake in the garden…
Diesel guards her loyalties and her privacy fiercely. In order to protect both, she never wavers from her ironclad shell of self-control. So when intrepid entertainment blogger Elliot Archer breaches the gates of Eden, the nightclub sensation over which she reigns, her defenses heigh
ten. Is Elliot here to document her kingdom, or tear apart her paradise?
Or the key to her salvation…
Just as she feared, Elliot begins to break down her walls. Her desires stir, ignited by his sinful body and heated stares. With his tender words, strong heart, and quest to make her whole, Elliot opens her soul as no one ever has.
Or the push to her downfall?
When Diesel finally releases the last pieces of herself to Elliot, her kingdom is set ablaze, scorching the heart she safeguarded for years. Can Elliot’s love be enough to heal her wounds before it is too
Diesel is available at Amazon
Chapter 1
Elliot
Staff meeting on Monday morning could not be more frustrating. We huddle around coffee cups and banter to each other about how spring has not yet sprung in Boston. I listen to the stories of the parties, girls, guys, drugs, and insanity that have corrupted my colleagues’ time away from work. And me? I can do nothing but weave my pen back and forth between my fingers and wish this meeting would end. I’m bored, wondering if taking this job was a mistake. Leaving home to work for a blog overseas sounded like a great opportunity, but now, I’m not so sure. How did I go from majoring in journalism and jump into a mediocre blogging job? Professional blogging for an entertainment site but blogging nonetheless. I can’t believe I landed at this godforsaken place under the ruse I would amount to something. My peers just float through and appear happy and content with their vocation, while I sit here and actively plan my escape. Could this garbage take any longer to sort through? What is taking so damn long for this mind-numbing meeting to start!
I shift in my seat, looking around for Miss Alison, our boss whose only other vocation could be a fire-breathing lady in some demonic circus. She’s a brute. Sheer callousness. She’s frightening and fucking sexy. I spend the majority of my days fantasizing about her rather than coming up with a story pitch that could be of any consequence. I imagine her walking down the hall toward the conference room. The clack, clack, clack of her heels sets the staccato for her hunt. Her skirt pulls taut against each leg as she pushes down the hall, toward me. Her advance pushes her hips from side to side as her black hair bobs in wavy curls round her –