He didn’t wait for her answer before turning to one of the open baristas. The man from the bathroom finished paying and crossed toward Lydia. His bright blue gaze met hers and for a moment, everything stood still. She swallowed, taking the final opportunity to memorize the way his dark hair curled around his ears; it looked like he had been running his hands through it all day. Angled features and stubble dusted along his chiseled jaw. A grin lifted his face, and those damn dimples flanked another breathtaking smile.
And he was headed directly for her.
He paused at Lydia’s shoulder, so close that she could smell the traces of cedar and smokiness on him—like a campfire. Something heavy buzzed between them as he held her gaze. Warmth seethed through her body and despite this heat, she shivered.
Blinking, he brushed by her, crouching in front of the little girl, holding out the last blueberry muffin. He grinned wider, looking up at her mother. “Here ya go.” He dropped it into her hand with a wink. “Blueberry muffins are my little girl’s favorite, too.”
Lydia’s stomach knotted as smile lines creased his face. Though he looked tired, he also had a peace to him that she didn’t find very often in Manhattan residents. “Be a good girl for your mommy, okay?” He pushed off his knees, standing once more as the mother thanked him.
With a final look at Lydia, he left the coffee shop. Without saying another word to her. Heat and embarrassment rose like high tide from her belly. But for what exactly? She hadn’t done anything wrong. She gulped. Or had she?
Stepping up to the counter, Lydia ordered her tall, sugar- free, soy vanilla latte as memories of her mom and her shitty childhood consumed her thoughts. Looking on the bright side, at least now she wouldn’t end up pregnant with a baby she didn’t want like her own mother had. She couldn’t do that to any child. And maybe she didn’t want one. Maybe that parental gene was absent in her family. And this was nature’s way of taking care of the decision for her.
Lydia sipped her latte, savoring the warm flavor. Its comforting steam billowed around her mouth, and she sighed. This was okay—she was okay. She didn’t know the first thing about kids or babies. And if she changed her mind... well, just like Dr. Seaver said, she had options. In the meantime, she needed to find a way to pay for these medical bills.
Through the window, she watched as the man walked confidently down the street, sipping out of his to-go cup.
She lifted a chin and reached into her purse for the pamphlet, dropping it into the trash along with the referral for a therapist. This was a good thing, Lydia thought as she rested a hand to the door.
“I love you, Mommy.” Lydia’s belly tightened, and her grip froze on the handle. You can do
this, she repeated to herself, grabbing her cell phone and dialing.
“Yes, hi, Mara? This is Lydia Ryder. I would like to formally accept your offer with the City Star. I can start next Monday.”
Other Books by Katana Collins
MAPLE GROVE (SMALL TOWN ROMANCE)
Meeting You (Free!)
Capturing You
Healing You
SILHOUETTE STUDIOS (MOVIE STAR BDSM ROMANCE)
Callback
Role Play (coming soon!)
SOUL STRIPPER (PARANORMAL EROTIC ROMANCE)
Soul Stripper
Soul Survivor
Soul Surrender
WICKED EXPOSURE (EROTIC SUSPENSE)
Wicked Shots
Wicked Exposure
Wicked Release
THE HARRISON STREET CREW (DARK ROMANCE)
Ex-Con
Outlaw
Enforcer
Thank You…
To my amazing husband, Sean, for unending support and love.
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To my beta readers for amazing notes and feedback throughout the process.
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To my editor, Marla Bazan for your hard work and enthusiasm for this little read. And Mae at Cover Fresh Designs for creating this beautiful cover!
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To my friends, fellow authors and other industry people, including, but not limited to Melissa Rheinlander, Anissa Garcia, K. Larsen, Becca Mysoor, Krista Amigone, and Derek Bishop.
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To my reader group, Kat’s Kittens, for being so damn awesome and helping keep me sane during releases! You all are the best!
About the Author
When Katana Collins was younger and stole her mother’s Harlequins to read beneath the covers with a flashlight, she wanted to read about the tough as nails heroine. The perfectly imperfect girl with quirks and attitude and sass. And the anti-heroes who were anything but “Prince Charming.” Forget the knight on a white horse... she wanted the bad boy on a motorcycle.
So, now, she writes those romance novels she craved to see on the shelves all those years ago— the sassy heroines. The badass heroes. She penned her first romance novel back in 2012 and now, a few years later, she is an international author with 15 published books, in a wide range of contemporary romance genres (Paranormal, New Adult, Small town, Erotic Suspense... you name it!).
She lives in Portland, Maine, with an ever-growing brood of rescue animals: a kind of mean cat, a doofy lab, a very mellow chihuahua, and a very not mellow cairn terrier puppy... oh yeah, there's a husband somewhere in that mix, too. She can usually be found hunched over her laptop in a cafe, guzzling gallons of coffee, and wearing fabulous (albeit sometimes impractical) shoes.
She loves connecting with book lovers like herself, and fellow sassy storytellers, so feel free to drop her an email, visit her on her website. She also loves connecting on Instagram/Twitter or Facebook or in her reader group, Kat’s Kittens!
Text copyright @2018 by Katana Collins
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Famously Bad: (A Movie Star Romance Novella) Page 7