by Alexia Adams
“Amazing concert,” he said into her ear. “As always. You sure you’re ready to give all this up?”
“I’m sure,” she replied. “I know a way to keep busy.” Her lips captured his in a blistering kiss that promised so much more once they were alone.
‘Hurricane Heart’ had broken sales records within a month of release, only to be eclipsed by ‘Penitent’ when it debuted on the airwaves. Anna was taking a break from her career at its pinnacle. Her choice. She wanted a baby. Or two. Or three.
They had some catching up to do. Maya had recently delivered her second set of twins. Two boys this time. Everyone was doing fine, including Jacques, who was by now an expert at changing diapers. Tiago and Vivi had an almost-two-year-old boy for Miranda to dote on and had just announced another pregnancy. Even Daniel and Lexy had gotten in on the family expansion business and produced a girl a year ago, much to Max’s delight.
Eduardo and Anna had been adopted into the ever-increasing de Launay-Michaud-Alvarez clan. Anna’s mother had never bothered to contact the daughter who had, in essence, saved her life. He knew it had bothered Anna for the first few months. But with the constant reassurance of his love and the whirlwind that accompanied launching a new album, she’d been too happy and too busy to worry about a woman who’d never really wanted her in the first place. The money she used to send her mother now went to Vivi’s educational charity for impoverished children in Central America. And they both had a more loving family than the ones they’d been born into.
Raul and Timo were also included in the extended family celebrations when they took place in Mendoza. A judge had granted Raul full custody before Eduardo had left to follow Anna to LA. Raul’s ex-wife’s ties to a criminal organization were considered too risky to allow her even supervised access to her son. The two had moved to Mendoza permanently, where Raul worked for Tiago in the winery and Timo went to school with Miranda.
Eduardo’s own transition to Angel’s manager had not been without its challenges, but he’d relished them. By the time her tour had kicked off, he’d learned most of the ins and outs of the music industry. And, with the assistance of seasoned professionals, they’d ridden the highs and clung together during the lows of a volatile entertainment sector.
He’d also taken the opportunity afforded by their travels to study the real estate market globally. He was now perfectly placed to direct Alva-Suarez Developments’ international acquisitions department, a position he would take up a month from now. After a much-delayed honeymoon.
Their wedding, at Jacques and Maya’s chateau in France nearly two years ago, had been a small, family-only affair. Anna believed that her abuela had been looking down from heaven with a huge smile on her face and an “I told you to hold tight” on her lips.
And hold tight they did. Anna melted against him, her stamina depleted from having danced and sung for hours. He held her against him as the roadies began to pack up the show. The crowd at last realized that Angel wasn’t going to reappear and started to disperse. They always stood like this for at least ten minutes after the show, a ritual that allowed Angel to transform once more into Anna.
“I’m looking forward to being an executive wife for a change,” she said, gazing up adoringly into his eyes. “It’ll be my turn to stand at your side while you charm everyone to your way of thinking.”
“You will always outshine me. Not only with your beauty but your kindness and strength.”
“Then we’ll make quite a team. Because I only have those things because of you. I love you, Eduardo. And always will. Even if Angel never takes the stage again, I’ll have no regrets. Thank you for letting me live my dream. Now I want to help you fulfill all of yours.”
It was his turn to capture her lips until they were both breathing heavy.
“You make my dreams come true every morning when I wake next to you.” He nodded his head towards a few diehard fans who stood at the edge of the stage, still calling for Angel to reappear. “Are you sure you’re not going to miss people screaming your name?” he asked as he lifted her in his arms to carry her to her dressing room.
A sexy smile curved her lips while she slid a hand down his back to cup his ass. “I’m only interested in one man calling my name. And it’s not Angel I want to hear from his lips—it’s Anna. If it’s accompanied by declarations of love and devotion, all the better.”
He tightened his arms around her.
“Para siempre.”
~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for reading The Developer and The Diva. Please post a review where you purchased the book. Your opinion will not only help other readers decide whether to buy the book or not, it will also help me continue to write the stories that I, and hopefully you, love to read. Many promotional opportunities are only available after a book has a certain number of reviews. Please help me access these. Thank you!
Penitent
You’ll never know what it cost me
To say these words to you
I’m sorry ’bout the way things ended
I should never have run from you
I’m penitent
My heart is full of regret
My conscience oh how it pains me
How can I ask you to forget?
I thought I’d paid the price
For pride and avarice
But then I saw you once again
And I remembered all the bliss
I regret the way things ended
I regret not being sure
This was a love to last forever
A love I should’ve held secure
I’m penitent
My heart is full of regret
My conscience oh how it pains me
How can I ask you to forget?
And now I have the chance
To atone for all my sins
But penitence is painful
And for your answer I’m on pins
I know that I’m not worthy
I know that it’s not fair
That I’m asking for forgiveness
That I still want your life to share
I’m penitent
My heart is full of regret
My conscience oh how it pains me
How can I ask you to forget?
Have you read the other books in the Vintage Love series?
The Vintner and The Vixen (Vintage Love Book One)
It’s all fun and games until someone falls in love.
Maya Tessier needs a fresh start after her last boyfriend dragged her deep into an organized crime ring, putting her life in danger. After inheriting a cottage and acreage in France from her great-grandmother, she hopes to escape her turbulent past to concentrate on her art. Unfortunately, her inheritance is within the estate of a privacy-obsessed billionaire. And he wants it all back.
Jacques de Launay has led a life of rigid control, working hard to repair the family’s fortunes after his playboy father nearly destroyed them. His one attempt at happiness ended in tragedy when his pregnant wife was killed in a car crash. He’d rather be the last in the illustrious de Launay family line than open himself up to that kind of heartache again. Then Maya Tessier arrives on his doorstep and he discovers it’s not only the ancestral land he wants to reclaim.
But if he lets her stay, more than his heart may be at risk.
Available now at all major ebook retailers. Visit https://alexia-adams.com to read an excerpt.
The Playboy and The Single Mum (Vintage Love Book Two)
He lives in the spotlight. She has to exist in the shadows.
If Formula 1 racing driver Daniel Michaud is to win the championship, he must steer clear of all distractions. However a compromising photo has his sponsor demanding that he be chaperoned for the rest of the race season. It’s bad enough a sexy advertising executive is assigned to accompany him, but then they’re joined by her adorable car-obsessed son. It’s all Daniel can do to keep his mind on the track and off the tantalizing taste of love and family that could destr
oy his career.
Lexy Camparelli blames the Formula 1 circus for her parents’ divorce and the obsessive eating disorder that ruined her teenage years. To keep her job, she’s forced back into that high-stakes world. At least her heart isn’t in jeopardy, given Daniel’s playboy reputation. Then she discovers the gorgeous driver’s secret and it’s a race to see if Lexy can emerge victorious or lose everything—including custody of her son.
Available now at all major ebook retailers. Visit https://alexia-adams.com to read an excerpt.
The Tycoon and The Teacher (Vintage Love Book Three)
He’ll do everything he can to avoid love. It may not be enough.
Argentinian tycoon, Santiago Alvarez recently lost his sister, brother-in-law, and father. Now he’s solely responsible for his traumatized niece, Miranda, who hasn’t spoken for three months. His only hope to help Miranda recover is a woman who tempts him like no other. Whatever it takes, he’ll live up to his promise to care for his sister’s daughter—even if it means marriage.
French teacher Genevieve Dubois is slowly recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the death of a student. Her new position, helping a little girl find joy again, brings with it an unusual complication—a super-sexy uncle who awakens Genevieve’s desire for a family of her own. When her employer proposes marriage so he can keep custody of Miranda, Genevieve accepts, hoping to turn their passion into love. But when she discovers the real reason Santiago wants to be guardian of his niece, it threatens all their futures.
Available now at all major ebook retailers. Visit https://alexia-adams.com to read an excerpt.
Thank you, Reader
(and disclaimer)
I hope you enjoyed reading Eduardo and Anna’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, please, please help others find it by leaving a review at your favorite retailer. Your review doesn’t have to be long, but your opinion matters to me and other readers.
Want to be one of the first to know about upcoming releases, contests, and events? Sign up for my monthly newsletter at https://alexia-adams.com.
You can also chat with me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AlexiaAdamsAuthor) and Twitter (@AlexiaAdamsAuth) or, of course, get in touch with me via my website (https://alexia-adams.com).
I love to hear from readers, so don’t be shy.
The disclaimer:
Los Pumas, the Argentine national rugby team, have never beaten New Zealand’s All Blacks in competition. There was one draw in 1985 and they did come close in the match on July 20, 2019. However, I wanted to make Eduardo a national rugby hero so took the liberty of altering history. I offer my sincere apologies to All Blacks fans for any perceived slight.
About the Author
Alexia Adams was born in British Columbia, Canada and travelled throughout North America as a child. After high school, she spent three months in Panama before moving to Dunedin, New Zealand for a year where she studied French and Russian at Otago University.
Back in Canada, she worked building fire engines until she’d saved enough for a round-the-world ticket. She travelled throughout Australasia before settling in London—the perfect place to indulge her love of history and travel. For four years she lived and travelled throughout Europe before returning to her homeland. On the way back to Canada she stopped in Egypt, Jordan, Israel, India, Nepal, and of course, Australia and New Zealand. She lived again in Canada for one year before the lure of Europe and easy travel was too great and she returned to the UK.
Marriage and the birth of two babies later, she moved back to Canada to raise her children with her British husband. Two more children were born in Canada and her travel wings were well and truly clipped. Firmly rooted in the life of a stay-at-home mom, or trophy wife as she prefers to be called, she turned to writing to exercise her mind, travelling vicariously through her romance novels.
Her stories reflect her love of travel and feature locations as diverse as the wind-swept prairies of Canada to hot and humid cities in Asia. To discover other books written by Alexia or read her blog on inspirational destinations at https://alexia-adams.com or follow her on social media.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexiaAdamsAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexiaAdamsAuth
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7068526.Alexia_Adams
Other Books by Alexia:
Love in Translation series:
Thailand with the Tycoon
Caleb reluctantly travels to Thailand to evaluate a last-chance resort that could save his brother’s virtually bankrupt hotel business. However, being stranded with an enchanting local wasn't on the itinerary… Malee yearns to reunite her family and getting the local resort open would make that a lot easier. All she has to do is convince the handsome Canadian investor that the derelict property has potential. With secrets and surprises all around them, can Caleb and Malee overcome their baggage to claim a suite at love's best hotel?
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
Bali with the Billionaire
She's protecting her heart. He's numbing his pain. Will a tropical fling change their future forever? Over a decade since the death of his high school sweetheart and their infant, Harrison Mackenzie has locked his passion away to focus on work. But when a captivating woman without boundaries crashes through the billionaire's broken heart, he wonders if he's worth a second chance after all… Struggling with intense emotions, Harrison and Jade try to keep things strictly physical until a shocking revelation forces the past and the present to collide.
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
Guide to Love series:
Miss Guided
Mystery writer Marcus Sullivan is determined find someone for his younger brother Liam. Playing matchmaker on holiday in St. Lucia, Marcus tries to interest Liam in a beautiful local tour guide Crescentia St. Ives. Then Marcus gets stranded with Crescentia and the plot to match her with his brother quickly incinerates in the flames of lust. No way can Liam have her when Marcus can’t keep his hands off. Too bad he can’t write a happier ending to their blossoming romance.
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
Played by the Billionaire
Internet security billionaire, Liam Manning, made a promise to his beloved brother, Marcus, to complete his mystery-romance manuscript. Problem is that Liam’s experience with women is limited to the cold-hearted supermodels he usually dates. So falling back on his hacking skills, he infiltrates an online dating site to find a suitable woman to teach him about romance—regular guy style. What he didn’t expect was for the feelings to be so … real. Can Liam finish the novel before Lorelei discovers his deceptions and, more critically, before she breaches the firewall around his heart?
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
His Billion-Dollar Dilemma
Simon Lamont is an ice-cold corporate pirate. But when he arrives in San Francisco to acquire a floundering company and is accosted by a cute engineer with fire in her eyes, it takes all Simon has to maintain his legendary cool. Helen will do whatever it takes to change his mind, and if that means becoming the sexy woman Simon didn't know he wanted, so be it. If only she wasn’t about to walk into her own trap...
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
Masquerading with the Billionaire
World-renowned jewelry designer Remington Wolfe is competing for the commission of a lifetime and someone is trying to destroy his company from the inside. He’s in for more than one surprise when his unexpected rescuer turns out to be a sexy computer specialist with a sharp tongue and even sharper mind.
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
Romance and Intrigue in the Greek Islands:
The Greek’s Stowaway Bride
Hoping to make it to North Africa to free her uncle, Egyptian heiress Rania Ghall
i stows away on the yacht of Greek millionaire Demetri Christodoulou. But when Egyptian agents board the boat, she can either jump overboard … or claim she’s Demetri’s new bride. Demetri needs a wife to complete a land purchase so he agrees to play along—if she’ll agree to a real marriage. But keeping the vivacious heiress out of his heart will be a lot harder than keeping her on his ship…
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
Romance in the Canadian Prairie:
Her Faux Fiancé
Take one fake engagement to a man she once loved, stir in a very real pregnancy, add a marriage of convenience, bake in the heat of revenge and you get the mess that has become Analise’s life.
To read an excerpt click here or visit https://alexia-adams.com
An Inconvenient Series:
An Inconvenient Love
With the Italian economy in ruins, Luca Castellioni can’t afford a distraction from running his successful property restoration company. However, he needs an English speaking wife to cement a crucial deal. When his British bride-of-convenience undermines the foundations around his heart, he’s forced to restructure his priorities. Is he too late for love?