“Baby, I gotta go. Thank you for a wonderful weekend.”
“Mmm, you’re welcome.” He cracked an eye open and smiled up at her. “Call me when you get back.”
“I will,” Annie promised. Smiling wistfully at Casey, she turned and started to get back up off the bed, but suddenly he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.
“Wait. I need to ask you something.”
Uh oh. Here it comes. Taking a deep breath, Annie braced herself for the blow. He was going to confess something terrible, like he’d already hooked up with Kayla. She swallowed hard. “Yes?”
“Will you be my girlfriend, princess?”
“What?” Annie sat back on the bed, caught off guard by his question.
Casey pushed himself up into a sitting position next to her and caught her chin in his grasp, looking at her intently as he brushed his thumb across her lips. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
Blushing, Annie tried to look down, but he wouldn’t let her. Reluctantly, she looked up into his eyes. His expression was serious, but gentle and loving. “I didn’t think you were into long-term relationships,” she said softly.
Dropping his hand, he looked confused and asked, “What makes you think that?”
Annie looked down again. “Well, um… I think I overheard Kelli and Kelly talking last night, and one of them said she’s known you for years and that you aren’t into relationships. She also made it sound like you’ve slept with her before.”
Groaning, Casey leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Jesus.”
“So it’s true?” Annie asked, frowning at him.
“Yes, no. I mean, look… yes, I slept with Kelli like four years ago. It was a one-time thing and a total mistake. We were both drunk, and the next day, she was going on and on like we were in an exclusive relationship when I had never said anything like that. I told her as nicely as possible that she was a cool chick, and I hoped we could stay friends, but I wasn’t interested in dating her.”
“Hmm… well, I guess I can understand why she would say that then. So you don’t have a problem with long-term relationships?”
“Babe, I’ve never met a girl I’ve wanted to be around continuously… until I met you. Now I don’t want to imagine what my life would be like without you.”
Annie could feel herself getting teary at Casey’s heartfelt confession. She was touched by his vulnerability and honesty. Wiping away a tear, she laughed. “You have the worst timing, you know. I’m about ready to get on a plane to go back to L.A., and you ask me to be your girlfriend and confess your lo—” She stopped, looking down at the bed in embarrassment. He hadn’t said he loved her, yet. Here he was pouring out his heart and asking her to be his girlfriend, and she had to ruin it by sticking her foot in her mouth and asking for even more.
Casey reached out and brushed another tear away before softly caressing her cheek. “Hey, look at me,” he commanded. Slowly, she did as he asked, biting her lip uncertainly. “I do, you know. I know it’s kind of fast, but when I know I feel something this honest, I don’t run away from it. Running is for cowards, and I’m no coward. I love you, Annie.”
That did it. Grinning like a fool, Annie burst into happy tears, launching herself forward into Casey’s arms, kissing him repeatedly. He returned her kisses, and then pulled his head back slightly to look at her sternly. “Hey, what about you?”
Feeling unbelievably happy, but a little mischievous, her eyes twinkled as she looked at him innocently. “What about me?”
“Brat. Do you love me?”
“Oh. Well. Hmm… love’s a strong word,” she started to say, then burst out giggling as he started tickling her mercilessly. “Okay, I do, I do! I do, I swear. I love you, too. I do love—” she stopped as he kissed her deeply, his tongue diving into her mouth, effectively silencing her. They kissed and cuddled each other for a few more minutes, but then Annie groaned and reminded him she needed to leave for the airport.
With a regretful sigh, Casey nodded and rolled out of bed to pull on some jeans and a t-shirt while she went to the bathroom to repair the damage he’d done to her hair and make-up. As she returned, he slipped on some sandals and then picked up her carry-on.
“Come on, princess. I’ll walk you down.”
Casey was already the perfect boyfriend, waiting until the Uber driver arrived to take her to the airport. He helped Annie into the car before leaning down to kiss her and then closed the door carefully behind her. He waved as she drove away from the hotel, and then turned back to head inside as they disappeared around the corner.
The flight back home was smooth and uneventful. As per usual for these short trips, the flight attendant had barely finished picking up their empty cups and other trash when the pilot announced that they were beginning their descent into Los Angeles. She called Casey on her ride home from the airport, chatting with him for a few minutes before he had to go.
Once Annie was home, she unpacked her bag and sorted all her dirty clothes into piles. It took over two hours to finish her laundry, and then she started preparing a pan of lasagna to put in the oven. Alex came over for their weekly dinner date and asked about her weekend with Casey, so she gave him a rundown of everything that happened. From the night out dancing at Ruby Skye to what happened afterwards once they got back to the hotel and in the shower the next morning to the interesting encounter with Kayla after her concert—she spared no detail.
“So it was good?” Alex asked as he helped himself to another piece of lasagna.
“Oh yeah,” she said, nodding vigorously. “It was worth the wait, for sure.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“And there’s one more thing,” she added, pausing as she took a bite out of her Texas toast. She took a sip of wine to wash it down, then grinned at Alex. “He asked me to be his girlfriend.”
“What! Are you serious? That’s so great, honey,” he gushed, lifting his wineglass to clink against hers. “Cheers to the two of you.”
“Thanks. I’m still kind of in shock, but I’m so happy. This was the best weekend ever.”
Alex laughed. “Better than Phoenix?”
“Ten times better than Phoenix,” she agreed with a smug smile. “I can’t wait until we leave for New York.”
Annie sighed in contentment as she leaned back into her couch, her stomach full of delicious lasagna and her heart full of love for Casey. She was hanging out and having dinner and drinks with her best friend who was always there for her. She had an amazing family and friends who supported her every step of the way. Life just didn’t get better than this. Everything seemed to be falling into place for her. She didn’t know what the future held or what might happen in New York during the auditions, but for the first time in her life, Annie felt like all the right things were happening at the right time. She was ready to kick some ass.
Don’t miss the sequel to All the Right Things, coming out in Fall 2014!
The Winner Takes It All
Turn to the back for an excerpt from
Tattooed Dots
By Kimberly Knight
There are so many people I have to thank for being a part of this journey. If I miss mentioning anyone by name, I apologize, but please know I love and appreciate all of you who have been there for me as I’ve pursued this crazy dream of mine. Thanks first and foremost to my family and friends for your love and continued support. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without you.
My heartfelt thanks again to Kimberly Knight, my BFFL, who introduced me to the indie author community and taught me about self-publishing. You have been my mentor, but more importantly, you have been a great friend. You’ve stood by me through some of my darkest moments, and I am grateful that you are in my life. Thank you for everything.
Many thanks to my awesome betas, Kimberly Knight, Julie Prestsater, Avienne Savie, Christina Lefferts and Stacy Nickelson. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to give me feedback.
Thank you t
o my street team, The Harte Breakers! I appreciate all the time and effort you put into helping me promote my books.
Thanks to the talented Christopher Neil, my amazing new cover artist. He redid both covers for Love in All the Wrong Places and All the Right Things, and I’m so in love with both of them! Chris, you are the man—always there for me when I need my artwork tweaked for new swag orders. Thank you for your patience and friendship.
Thanks to Angela McLaurin of Fictional Formats for being the best formatter ever! You have made my babies beautiful, and I love you for it. You have been great to work with, and I appreciate everything you do for me.
Thanks to Christina Lefferts for agreeing to meet me in Hawaii when I was there on vacation, and for treating me to lunch at CPK and introducing me to the Hokulani Bake Shop. Those cupcakes were delicious and a big hit at my family cookout! I had so much fun with you and am so pleased we’ve become good friends since then. I so admire you and your entire family for living life to the fullest. You guys are awesome and an inspiration to me. And thanks for always being there for me whenever I needed to vent about stupid boys!
Thanks to Melissa Price Iorio for showing me that there are people in this world who have gone through the worst possible experiences, but who still find joy in spreading love and sunshine whenever they can. I can’t wait to meet you and give you the biggest hug ever. I have faith it will happen!
Thanks to Sandy Rizzotto DiPiazza for being willing to rescue a complete stranger from being alone and miserable in Brooklyn. Even though we didn’t get to meet that time, I know that will be rectified soon! You are an amazing woman with the biggest heart, and I can’t wait to give you a big hug. And thanks to JL Brooks for reaching out to her for me!
Thanks to JL Brooks—lady, you amaze me for real! I am in awe of your talent and your seemingly endless supply of energy and positivity. I can’t wait to meet you! We still need to karaoke and go dancing, by the way.
Thanks to Kimi Flores—my local, author girlfriend! I swear we are going to get better about meeting up. We live less than an hour from each other. I think a trip to Porto’s is in order! Thank you for your friendship and words of encouragement. I’m so thrilled to be on this journey with you. We released our first books around the same time last year, and we’re releasing our second books around the same time this year! Go us!
Thanks to Jodi Murphy for being the most amazing assistant ever! I’m so glad we met at my first signing when I volunteered at the LA Authors Event at the Universal Sheraton. You are a beautiful woman with an even more beautiful soul. I am so glad you found your other half, even if it meant you moved so far away from me—you deserve to be happy! I can’t wait to see you and am so thrilled I get to have you as my assistant again!
Last but certainly not least, thank you to the wonderful blogs who signed up to do my tour for All the Right Things: BJ’s Book Blog, Unknown Book Reviews, Book Addict Mumma, Butterflies, Books & Dreams, Liezel’s Book Blog, It Started With a Book, Stephanie’s Book Reports, Stories & Swag, Smart & Savvy With Stephanie, Cocktails & Books, Kristie’s Kaptivating Reviews and Winding Stairs Book Blog. I thank you for your support and willingness to help spread the word about my latest work. Make sure you like these awesome blogs on Facebook!
Audrey Harte was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii until she and her family moved to Nebraska where she attended junior high, high school and college. During her time in Nebraska, she pursued her love of the arts, acting and singing in several local theater productions as well as writing poems, plays and musicals in her spare time.
In 1998, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she has lived ever since. Her main interests are reading (primarily romance, erotica and fantasy, although she has been known to read the occasional thriller), writing (obviously), karaoke (which she now gets to do more regularly now that her karaoke buddy has moved back from NYC), finger crocheting blankets and hangers for friends and family (she doesn’t use a hook), watching her favorite TV shows (she watches way too many) and hanging out with friends going walking, hiking and kayaking. She is a serious reality TV show addict. Really, she may need an intervention at some point. Before writing started consuming all of her time, she used to play World of Warcraft with Kimberly Knight and various free-to-play Facebook games.
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Thank you for taking the time to read All the Right Things. I hope you enjoyed reading more about Annie’s adventures and will pick up a copy of the conclusion to the Love in L.A. series, The Winner Takes it All, when it releases in Fall 2014.
Please take a moment to leave a review on the website of purchase and on Goodreads. Even if it’s only a few words, these reviews mean everything to us authors. I appreciate it more than you know!
I recently announced that I will be doing a crossover series titled Love in N.Y.C. Say Anything is the first book in the series and will most likely be releasing in Winter 2014. This new series will be my first venture into writing in first person, so I hope it turns out well. Keep an eye on my Facebook fan page for more news on upcoming books, and you can always check the Events tab on my website to see what book signings I will be at.
The moment I held my beautiful baby girl, Cheyenne, in my arms five years ago, I swore to myself that I would never let anything happen to her. Her mom, Dana, and I married right out of high school. We had no idea what we were getting into, and then before I knew it, she was pregnant with Cheyenne. When Dana held her hand out with the pregnancy test, smiling and jumping for joy, I thought nothing could go wrong in my world. I was doing what I thought we were supposed to do: marriage, babies, forever.
We were high school sweethearts. Now those high school sweethearts sit at two separate wood tables inside a courtroom, awaiting a judge to tell me how much I owe the bitch who gave me the greatest gift I never realized I wanted or needed.
We had been sitting in the courtroom for five days straight. We didn’t have much to fight over, but the one thing I wouldn’t budge on was my daughter. Dana was trying to do everything in her power to get full custody. She even went so far as to have her attorney request that the judge order a drug test for me.
Of course, the drug test came back negative. I hadn’t smoked weed or done anything else but drink since before the bitch was pregnant. Now as the trial was coming to an end, my nerves were running through me, and I wanted to do nothing but roll a fat one and blow the smoke in her cunt face.
Over the last year of our rocky marriage, Dana acted like an angel and painted me as the bad guy. We used to smoke up after the high school Friday night football games when we would party with the rest of the school. We didn’t stop smoking because it was bad for us; we quit because we were poor and needed all our extra cash to eat, especially since we were kids playing house with an extra mouth to feed in less than nine months.
The day Dana told me she was pregnant, I answered an ad for a shoot and started my modeling career. I’m not gonna lie and tell you that we are only getting divorced because of Dana and her nagging ways. I’ll tell you the truth: I cheated on her repeatedly with whores. It was so easy when all that the whores saw was a pretty face and a nice body, and Dana stayed home to take care of Cheyenne.
Part of me regrets the cheating aspect of my marriage, but part of me is relieved. We married so young, and I couldn’t imagine spending my whole life with a nagging, screaming bitch of a wife. Now she sits to the right of me, tapping her French manicured nails on the table, and all I want to do is walk over there and rip them off her fucking fingers.
I know she is doing it to get under my skin. This is her last slap in my face, because she knows she is not getting full custody of Cheyenne. Hell would freeze over before I’d let so
me judge rip my heart from my chest and hand it to Dana on a silver platter.
I looked at the clock as it ticked, second by second, minute by minute, and I heard words spoken, but I wasn’t paying attention. The trial had already dragged on for a week because of all the character witnesses, a vocational job expert testifying and our attorneys building our cases. Dana was playing dirty and so was I. If she wanted to pretend I was doing drugs in front of Cheyenne, then she needed to get a job. No more supporting her ass.
Of course, Dana didn’t want a job. She wanted to live off my gigs and the work I did for her father at his landscaping business. As soon as the trial was over and the judge issued his order, I was quitting that fucking job. The less she knew about my life, the better. I didn’t need her father bossing me around and then reporting my every action back to her. Plus, it would be less spousal support that I would owe her.
I made enough modeling to support my baby girl, and that was all I cared about. Dana’s father, Bill, paid too little for me to want to stick around and work for him. If my gigs started to slow down, I would find another backbreaking job.
“Monday you’re going to need to start preparing something to tell the judge I have less income,” I leaned over and whispered to my attorney as I remembered I was quitting.
“Why?” she whispered back.
Yes, I had a female attorney, and she was smokin’, too. I initially hired Allison because I knew Dana would think I was fucking her. Okay, I was fucking her, but we were exchanging services. I gave her multiple mind-blowing orgasms, and she gave me discounted legal advice and representation.
Alright, alright, we were more than fucking. I would buy her a meal or two so she thought we were dating. Plus, she was a kickass attorney, and I loved watching her toned, lightly tanned legs walk in front of the table in her skirt while she examined a witness or presented evidence to the judge.
All the Right Things (Love in LA) Page 15