by Lindsey Hart
A
HUSBAND
FOR
BEAUTY
By
Lindsey Hart
CONTENTS
BOOK DESCRIPTION
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
BEAUTIFUL ENCOUNTER
CAPTIVATED BY THE BEAST
SCARS OF LOVE
BURNING TOUCH
LIST OF BOOKS
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Dallas Armstead is at best, impossible. A musical genius, he locks himself away and lets music dictate his life.
From the minute Leena Armstead met her husband, she knew that she loved him, and it had only made sense to enter a marriage of convenience. He got to hide away from the world and she got the theatre she always wanted. Just being near Dallas was enough for her… until it wasn’t.
After a horrible accident leaves her with no memory at all, Leena struggles to make sense of a life that makes no sense at all. She’s married to a man who never ventures out into the world. A man haunted by the past, a man in love with ghosts. She’s married to a man who doesn’t love her. Worst of all, she’s sure that she’s madly in love with him.
As Dallas and Leena get ready to put on the first production that they ever wrote together, both their worlds are rocked by the growing attraction burning bright between them.
Will it consume them both or will they find that love was there right from the start?
This is a full length stand-alone steamy romance novella. No cheating. No cliff-hanger. And the kind of ending you will just love. HEA all the way!!
COPYRIGHT
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or transmitted by email without permission in writing from the publisher. While all attempts and efforts have been made to verify the information held within this publication, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, or opposing interpretations of the content herein. The book is for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed are those of the author alone and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands.
Copyright © Passion House Publishing Ltd 2018
All rights reserved.
You can contact the team at [email protected].
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lindsey Hart is a married mom of a two-year old and lives in Ohio with her husband and two furry ball Persian cats who take themselves as the owners of the house.
She specializes in sweet to extra hot and dirty romance and strongly believes in happily ever after. If you are looking for a page turner, then you are in for a wild and naughty ride with feisty heroines and alpha male heroes.
Sign up on the Passion House Publishing newsletter to be the first to know about new releases, free book offers, sales, exclusive giveaways, early sneak peeks of new releases, cover reveals and so much more!
Sign up NOW to receive a FREE eBook by fellow author Rose Chapman!
Standalone book with the happily ever after that you’ll love.
Like and Follow us on Social Media:
http://www.facebook.com/passionhousepublishing/
https://twitter.com/PassionHousePub
CHAPTER 1
Leena
The worst part of marriage for Leena was that she knew her husband was impossible to deal with, even on a good day. It wasn’t just her who sometimes couldn’t stand Dallas Armstead, especially when he was in one of his black moods. Scratch that. The worst part of marriage was a husband who locked himself away and never ventured out into the world. Nope. Double scratch. The worst part of marriage was being married to a man she knew was never going to love her in return.
Leena let herself quietly into Dallas’ inner sanctum. The entire second and third floor of the massive brick building was dedicated to their private quarters and whatever staff or performers who were living in at the time. The large room was a common area, shared by herself and her husband for composing, writing and playing. It was large and open, filled with every instrument imaginable. A shiny black grand piano took up most of the left side of the room. The hardwood floor was scratched and worn, but they’d left what they could when they renovated the old warehouse and turned it into a theatre and arts center.
Beyond the huge room was Dallas’ private room. She rarely went past that door into his suite, unless it was necessary.
Fortunately, Dallas was seated slumped over at the piano. Piles of sheet music were stacked around him on the bench, on the piano’s top, scattered about the floor. There were more wadded up bundles than ones that would be saved, but that was nothing out of the ordinary.
She approached the instrument, trying to work up the nerve to stay calm. As it was, her breathing was rapid, and anger crawled up her throat. Her rapid heartbeat was a pretty clear signal that she was going to be anything but controlled. She knew what a confrontation with Dallas could cost, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Why the hell did Minnie just inform me that you fired the best male performer we’ve had in any production in a very long time?” Dallas didn’t look up. He didn’t even give any kind of sign that he saw or heard her. “Howard is a great actor and his voice is unparalleled. We wrote this musical together. I should have a say in who plays the lead male role.”
That brought her husband’s head up. His hair was combed back neatly, and she could see that he’d freshly showered. Obviously, she’d caught him on one of his good days. Apparently, it was so good, he had the nerve to go and make decisions with Minnie that he had no right making. She almost preferred when he stayed locked away and minded his own damn business.
“Howard is just fine, darling, it’s you I have an issue with.”
The hair on the back of Leena’s neck stood on end and her blood pressure spiked. “Are you kidding me, Dallas?”
“He was all over you out there.”
“It’s part of the role, in case you forgot what your own damn play was about.” Privately, Leena was almost impressed that Dallas had bothered to watch any of the rehearsal at all.
“I’m not going to stand for that. It’s an embarrassment and I won’t be made a fool of in my own establishment.”
Leena rolled her eyes as Dallas stood up and shoved away from the piano. Sheets of white paper fluttered down to the ground all around him. He stepped over them mindlessly. He slammed the lid down over the keys with a loud, careless bang. His normally handsome face twisted into an ugly sneer.
Though she tried to remain patient, her voice reflected her annoyance and had a biting edge. “We both know that we’re not in love and everyone else knows it too. We may be married, but it was a business arrangement. If Howard was doing more than playing a part, which he damn well wasn’t, we know that it wouldn’t mean anything.”
“It would! This arrangement, as you call it, has rules. No affairs. No one else. That was the one rule we both agreed on.”
“Except tha
t you don’t have to compete with a ghost.”
“Don’t you dare speak of her,” Dallas growled. Leena didn’t miss the wounded glint in the depths of his eyes and she winced at her own thoughtlessness. It didn’t stop her from blurting out words she probably should have kept locked inside.
“No. I wouldn’t dare, because I don’t want to hear about it. I know that you’ll never love me. I gave up hope of that ever happening a long time ago. This arrangement was supposed to work well. You’re a musical genius. You write plays and musicals and operas that half the world would cut off one of their limbs to see, but you’re terrible with people. I, on the other hand, am a good actress and I have a decent voice. I won’t let you tell me otherwise, because we both know it’s true. What I have that you don’t is people skills. I’m good with people. I can actually deal with the real world. I actually leave this place. I make the decisions, along with Minnie, about who we hire and fire.”
“There is nothing wrong with staying here. It’s our home.” Dallas, on purpose, completely missed the point.
“I thought this arrangement would work, but you’ve used it as an excuse to let your anxiety get out of control. You haven’t left this building in months.” Dallas opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off with a cursory flick of her hand. “I wrote the ending of that opera, in case you forgot. I wrote the character that I’m playing. You couldn’t finish it, because I know you’ll never love me. So, don’t pretend otherwise. You know full well that nothing would have happened between Howard and I. Unlike some people, I’m a professional. I know my place. I know my part. Now I have to go out and find someone else or do a hell of a lot of sucking up to a man that I am sure as hell not interested in finding and making apologies to.”
“Then don’t. Find someone else.”
“It’s not that easy. We had our auditions already. Howard was by far the best. That’s what people come to see. The best.”
“Find someone else,” Dallas repeated irritably. He stalked off, out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Leena blew out an angry breath. Damn the man. She should never have married him. He’d been in love with her best friend, Hannah, for years. For over a decade. She’d watched him fall hopelessly in love with her. He trained her, taught her what a gift her voice was. She was dragged along and never really left. It wasn’t long, probably only a matter of months, before she fell in love with Dallas herself. Unfortunately, Hannah never did. She never would have loved Dallas, but he didn’t know that. When she was killed in a car accident, Leena watched Dallas spiral out of control.
She knew of a few things about him by then. He rarely left his house. He was a genius, of sorts, she was sure, musical and probably all around, but he had crippling anxiety and what she could only term as manic episodes on top of it. He had no idea how to relate to most people. Society made him uncomfortable.
Leena watched Dallas spiral out of control after Hannah died. He wasn’t doing well. Didn’t eat or take care of himself. There would be weeks where all he would do was shut himself into a dank, dark room. He wouldn’t bathe or eat or write music. Then all of a sudden, he would. He’d work for weeks at a time. That didn’t mean he’d care for himself. It was like he didn’t have time for the normal, mundane things that he needed to do in order to survive. He’d lose so much weight he looked like a walking skeleton.
Thinking about the past broke Leena’s heart all over again. She grieved her best friend and she was forced to grieve the man she loved. A man who was as clueless years into a marriage as he was when she’d first met him. He had no idea that her heart beat for him and him alone. Everything she did was for him. Though she might be angry and annoyed at times, she didn’t truly mean it.
This place, this warehouse turned theatre, their plays, the music- it was all for Dallas. He’d made a fortune selling and writing music, anything from operas to musicals to plays or songs. He knew he needed someone to help him deal with a life he wasn’t quite equipped to properly live. All he cared about was the music. He’d married her to give her access to his accounts. He trusted her, but even if he hadn’t, he probably would have signed over his entire fortune for the chance at peace and seclusion. Their marriage of convenience, an epic partnership if she’d ever seen one, it was for him. It was a way for her to be near him and that was all she could ever ask for.
After they were married, they’d grown from a single man locked away in a dingy house writing music to a full-on theatre where people could expect world-class performances every single time. It was all theirs, each and every production. They now employed over ten full-time staff as well as all the other actors, performers, dancers and musicians who came onboard for each production.
Leena expected, that at some time, Dallas would cave and realize she was there. She might not be Hannah, blonde, blue-eyed, tall and beautiful, but she did care for him. She did absolutely everything for him. She’d seen him at his best and at his worst. It was something Hannah never had the privilege of experiencing. She’d never wanted to.
Though she’d never seen Dallas as anything but a teacher, Dallas had taught her everything he knew. He’d given Hannah lessons, given her the gift of music, of his greatness. He’d given her a part of his heart, the only part that was left to give. Leena was just the little mousy friend that tagged along to make Hannah comfortable. Dallas never complained that she was there as well, listening.
“Fool,” she hissed under her breath. She didn’t even know who she was talking about. Yes, I do. I’m talking about myself.
She knew, in the darkest part of her heart, the part that was raw and painful, that Dallas was never going to love her. His whole heart had been given to a woman who didn’t want it. She’d been taken from their lives and as such, she was never going to be capable of giving it back. Dallas didn’t even have a clue how she truly felt.
Leena didn’t have to bother to keep it a secret, that she was hopelessly in love with Dallas and had been since she first met him. He was too blind to see it.
Blinking back hot, stinging tears, Leena let herself quietly out of the room. Her own small apartment style suite was right across the hall. She already knew that she’d fix herself a strawberry banana smoothie, her go-to comfort food, curl up on her couch and have a good cry and then go downstairs to Minnie’s office and discuss finding a replacement for Howard. It wasn’t fair, but what Dallas wanted, Dallas usually ended up getting.
CHAPTER 2
Dallas
Any kind of confrontation usually left Dallas drained. Though his body ached, and black spots swam in front of his vision, signaling one hell of a migraine coming on, he found enough energy to pour himself a glass of whiskey. He downed it straight. The liquor warmed his empty stomach and banished the painful thoughts of a past better forgotten.
Fortified by the amber liquid, he stalked out of his private room. It really was just a large, open area, a massive room that he’d claimed before the renovations on the warehouse even started. It had been Leena who chose the building, who had the dream for a future where he would be free to work as he saw fit. He went along with it, because the prospect of a life of music, hidden away from the pains and evils of a world he never wanted to be a part of, sounded like the next best thing to heaven.
He knew, from the time he was young, that he was never going to be able to hold a job or have a proper relationship. He never expected to fall in love. Hannah had taken him by surprise. She’d caught him unaware. For years he loved her silently, until she was stolen away from him. After that, he didn’t care what happened. He wished, for a long time, that he could just cease to exist.
The door to his private room slammed shut behind him. He never bothered to keep it locked. A fleeting image of Leena’s face, waiflike though she was almost thirty, flashed through his mind. She had the dainty bearing of a woman who could have been half fairy. Her beautiful honeyed hair hung down to her waist. Her body was tiny though she was tall. She was lithe like a dancer.
If she hadn’t chained herself to a life with him and the arts, she could have been a model with her high cheekbones, dainty features, full lips and pixie-like face. She was pretty. He realized it. He knew whatever was wrong with him kept him from truly appreciating it.
She was his wife, but the term meant nothing. He’d only ever wanted one person and that was Hannah. She’d never loved him. He wasn’t blind. She’d been killed in a drunk driving accident, her boyfriend at the wheel.
He hated thinking about Hannah. Thoughts of her face, her sparkling blue eyes, her long, honey blonde hair, her voice, the voice of a true angel, usually plunged him back into the darkest despair. He hated the episodes, the blackness that swallowed him whole. He lost days, weeks, months… complete chunks of time he couldn’t even remember.
He had to work. He knew that if he just sat down and worked, let the music pour out of him, it wouldn’t torture his already wounded mind or lay heavily on his tormented soul.
Music was his home. It was a place he could hide when he had nowhere else to go. It had always been his salvation, his refuge. When he could get it out. The rest of the time, he feared it. He feared the never-ending deluge of notes in his head, the landslide that swarmed over him, crashed over him, crushed him beneath the weight of it all.
Dallas sat down at the piano. He flipped up the lid he’d closed so violently only an hour before. His hands found the keys and caressed them, stroked them, brought them to life. He made the piano sing the song of his soul. He poured himself into it, forgetting Hannah, the past, the fight with Leena, the pain in her eyes that refused to ever go away.
Leena looked at him like he was whole. She didn’t see the parts of him, the broken thing that other people saw. She was never afraid to speak her mind. It had been Leena who brought him out of the darkest abyss he’d fallen into. She’d always been kind to him. Far too kind.