by Bella Andre
“Every board member agreed that the winner’s sculpture was not only risky and engaging to the senses, but also beautifully and skillfully executed. I’m extremely pleased to present this year’s sculpting fellowship to Victoria Bennett!”
As ANCHOR was brought to sit on a table beside the lectern and lit with another spotlight, Ryan leaned over and whispered, “Just like I’ve always known. You’re brilliant.”
She hadn’t prepared for this moment, hadn’t thought there was any chance of her winning the fellowship with James and Anthony voting. She probably would have stood there with her mouth hanging open in surprise if Ryan hadn’t put his hands on her waist and said, “Go be a superstar. It’s your turn this time,” before giving her a gentle nudge toward the stage.
The applause turned deafening as she made her way up to the stage. She’d searched for validation for so long that even though she no longer needed it because she’d finally learned to believe in herself, she let it feel good anyway.
Really good.
Vicki took the envelope and the pretty little statue from Anthony. She’d never been particularly comfortable speaking in front of groups of people, but tonight, with Ryan—and the friends she’d made—cheering her on, she felt steadier than she ever had before.
“I thought I knew exactly why I got on the plane in Prague to come to San Francisco. I wanted to win the fellowship, of course, but it was more than that. I believed I needed it.”
She looked down at the trophy and envelope in her hands for a long moment before gazing back out into the crowd of important curators and collectors and fellow artists, all the people she’d been so hoping to impress tonight.
“But I was wrong.”
She turned to look back at Anne, who was standing behind her on the stage. “Coming to San Francisco was about making good friends.” She looked out into the audience at Ryan. “It was about going back into the past to find new love.” He blew her a kiss she swore she could feel land on her cheek. “And it was about finding out what I’m capable of.” She ran her hand over ANCHOR. “I’m proud of the work that I’ve done here. Really proud.”
She smiled at each of the board members, wanting to acknowledge their recent support. “Thank you very much for choosing me this year, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept the fellowship.”
As she turned and handed her trophy and envelope to Anthony, then picked up her sculpture, it occurred to her that the last time she’d seen him look that surprised, she was telling him she was leaving him.
She knew accepting the fellowship would be good for her career, but from here on out, she wanted her sculpting career to reflect passion and joy, not be a reminder of the darkness into which James had tried to pull her.
Vicki had faith that other opportunities would come her way. And until then...
She walked into Ryan’s open arms, her winning sculpture cradled between them. He grinned down at her. “Can I drive you home?”
The years immediately disappeared until it was just the two of them again, a girl and a boy who had become friends in an instant...and who would end up sharing the rest of their lives together.
“Sure,” she said, “if you don’t have anywhere else you have to be.”
He put his arm around her shoulder and walked beside her. “Nothing more important than hanging out with my best friend.”
They were halfway across the room when she felt her phone buzz in her purse. She handed her sculpture to Ryan so that she could pull it out of her bag. She was surprised by the name on the screen.
“Smith is calling me. Do you have any idea why?”
Ryan shook his head. “Nope. He hasn’t said anything to me.”
She picked up. “Hi, Smith. If you need Ryan, he’s right here.”
“You’re the one I’m looking for, Vicki, and I’m really glad I got you. Any chance you could drop by the set first thing tomorrow morning? I’ve got the set designer coming in and we both need to sit down with you to discuss the pieces we’ll need for the movie.”
She’d felt perfectly calm while dealing with Anthony and turning down the fellowship. Only now did she feel like her head was spinning and her fingertips were buzzing.
She recognized that feeling.
Inspiration.
“I’d love to meet with both of you, Smith. Thanks for the opportunity.”
“I’m the one that should be thanking you for agreeing to jump into the deep end so fast. I’ll text you the details for the meeting. Bring a piece that represents your style, okay?”
She looked at her sculpture in Ryan's arms. “I’ve got just the one. See you tomorrow morning.”
“I’m going to work with Smith and his set designer on his new film. You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”
“Trust me,” Ryan said as she slid her phone back into her purse and he handed ANCHOR back to her. “Smith takes his movies way too seriously to do anyone a favor. He wants you on his movie because you’re the best.”
She was about to press a kiss to his lips when a gray-haired man stepped in front of her. “Ms. Bennett, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m the curator for the Marina Gallery in Sausalito. We’re very interested in your work.”
And with that, Ryan stood proudly beside Vicki while she finally had her day in the sun.
Epilogue
Three weeks later...
The whole crew was at Smith’s house and there was nothing he liked more than sitting back and watching the mayhem created by his brothers and sisters and their significant others and kids and stepkids and dogs. Only Ryan, who was pitching in Detroit, and Vicki weren’t there.
“Everyone, this is it!” Lori called out. “If he nails this pitch, we win the World Series!”
Even the animals quieted down as Ryan looked in for the sign from the catcher, shook off the first two, then nodded yes to the third. He went into his windup and broke off a slow curve that split the plate in half. The batter was completely fooled, the bat frozen on his shoulder.
“Strike three!”
On the screen, even as the Hawks' players charged out of the dugout then jumped on each other like little boys in a sandbox, Ryan's entire focus was on Vicki as he blew a kiss up to her in the stands.
Lori hugged Megan and Summer. Chase and Chloe danced with baby Emma between them. Marcus and Nicola used the win as yet another excuse to kiss each other. Zach and Heather tried to calm down their overexcited dogs while Summer’s poodle puppy peed in the middle of one of Smith’s priceless Aubusson rugs. A very pregnant-with-twins Sophie and Jake stayed right where they were on the couch and everyone came over to hug and high-five them.
Smith danced his mother, Mary, into the kitchen. Together, they pulled several bottles of Marcus’s finest champagne out of his wine refrigerator, along with a couple of bottles of sparkling apple juice for Sophie and Summer.
More cheers rang out as they popped open the corks. Once every glass was filled high enough for bubbles to skid across Smith’s kitchen counter and everyone had a glass, Lori said, “To Ryan for winning the World Series!”
“And for winning Vicki’s heart, too,” Sophie pointedly added.
Everyone clinked to that, then relaxed back into their seats.
“So,” Chase asked as he put down his glass and bounced his adorable little girl on his knee, “how’s casting going?”
“Good,” Smith said. “We’ve just signed Tatiana Landon.”
“She was amazing in Midnight Lake,” Chloe said.
“And she seems so sweet in her interviews,” Heather added.
“I think she’s pretty,” Summer said. “Can I meet her?”
He ruffled her hair. “Of course you can.”
His family was right. Tatiana was a talented, sweet, and beautiful twenty-one-year-old actress. Funny, then, that he hadn’t given her a second thought since they’d signed the contracts.
No, it was Tatiana’s older sister he couldn’t stop thinking about.
Valentina Landon was a watchdog for her younger sister...and she clearly didn’t trust him—or like him—one bit.
Smith had never let a woman distract him from his work. And given the fact that he was finally directing, producing, and starring in a movie in his home town, his focus was tighter than ever.
Still, none of that stopped him from wondering about what lay beneath Valentina Landon's armor as he grabbed a roll of paper towels from the kitchen then got down on his knees beside Summer to help her clean up the mess the poodle puppy had made of his rug.
~ THE END ~
Don’t miss the first five books in Bella Andre’s Sullivan family series ~ out now!
THE LOOK OF LOVE
(Chase & Chloe, The Sullivans #1)
FROM THIS MOMENT ON
(Marcus & Nicola, The Sullivans #2)
CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
(Gabe & Megan, The Sullivans #3)
I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
(Sophie & Jake, The Sullivans #4)
IF YOU WERE MINE
(Zach & Heather, The Sullivans #5)
Watch for Book #7 coming this Winter!
COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
(Smith Sullivan’s story)
* * *
Please enjoy the following excerpts from Bella Andre’s books...
IF YOU WERE MINE
Zach & Heather – The Sullivans #5
© 2012 Bella Andre
Can two people who have both sworn off love find forever in each other's arms?
The last thing Zach Sullivan wants is to take care of his brother's new puppy for two weeks. Until he meets the dog trainer, that is. Heather is bright, beautiful, and he can't stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, she just might be the only woman on earth who wants nothing to do with him.
Heather Linsey can't believe she's stuck working with one of the city’s top dogs, auto-shop tycoon Zach Sullivan. Especially when his focus is clear from the start—not only to learn how to deal with his temporary puppy...but also to make Heather his. Having sworn off love at seventeen when she realized it was nothing more than a pack of lies, she has stuck to her vow never to fall for a charming man.
But as Heather's determination to push Zach away only fuels his determination to get closer—and the sensual and emotional connection between them grows more and more undeniable—will the biggest Sullivan bad boy of all tempt her into believing in love again?
Enjoy the following excerpt for IF YOU WERE MINE…
There were half a dozen girls in bikinis waiting in Zach’s garage, but the woman laughing with his dog in her arms, wearing a sweaty, long-sleeved T-shirt and muddy shorts, with a messy braid trailing down her back, put them all to shame.
He couldn’t think of a time he’d ever seen eyes that color, brown with so many flecks of gold that he couldn’t look away. And, Jesus, that mouth of hers, rosy and full, made a man want to do crazy things...like grab the puppy and kiss it all over its drooly, disgusting little face for bringing Heather here today.
He’d been pissed off at Gabe and Summer for dumping the dog on him for two weeks. Now he realized he should thank them, instead.
Unlike most women, however, he could tell Heather wanted nothing to do with him. Fortunately, her dog didn’t seem to have any of the same qualms, especially when he sniffed the glazed sugar on Zach’s fingers from the donut he’d been eating for breakfast.
“Hey, mutt,” Zach said, thinking fast, “I left the rest of my donut on the counter inside. You want it?”
The huge dog’s ears twitched as if he understood, but he didn’t move. Instead, he looked up at Heather for approval.
Clearly, she was gearing up to refuse. But, man, that huge dog could play up the puppy dog eyes when he wanted to. Zach was impressed. He’d have to remember how to do that in the future.
Her dog let out a low whine and Heather finally sighed and said, “Okay, fine. Go.” As she let go of his leash and the enormous dog loped off toward the garage, she followed him, still carrying Cuddles.
“I get that you weren’t prepared for a puppy, but I can’t leave her with you if you’re going to put her in a crate all day. She needs to understand how to stay with you so she doesn’t get hurt by something in the garage. You’re going to need to work on training her to understand your commands. And you’re going to have to do it without yelling at her.” She shot him a hard look. “Ever again.”
He would agree with whatever Heather said just as long as she stayed long enough for him to convince her to give him a chance. He couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman this bad, this fast.
“Hey Chase,” he told his brother, “I’ve got to call off the shoot.”
The models looked at his brother in confusion and Chase told them to take five before saying, “Chloe is going to have the baby any day now, and then I’m out of commission for a while. You sure you want to reschedule?”
Despite her ongoing protests that she was fine, Zach was already kneeling in front of Heather and gently wiping at the open skin on her knee with an antiseptic wipe from a nearby First Aid kit.
“I’ve got to clear my schedule for puppy training.”
“Seriously?” Heather blinked at him like he was driving on three wheels. “That’s why you’re sending everyone home? Isn’t your boss going to be mad?”
“Agnes didn’t mention my last name, did she?”
Her eyes widened with disbelief as she looked from him to the sign on the wall, then back again. “You’re the Sullivan in Sullivan Autos? This is your garage?”
“Don’t worry, I know cars a lot better than I know dogs.”
But he knew women best of all. And, he thought as he slid a Band-Aid strip over her left knee, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on more than Heather’s knees. Because even as he cleaned and bandaged her cuts, her skin was so warm, so soft, so responsive to his touch.
After he slid another Band-Aid strip over her silky smooth skin, he held out his arms. “Now that the shoot’s off, I’m all yours to train.”
Most women would have been pleased by the sensual undertones in his words, or would at least have blushed, but she simply glared at him with icy cool eyes.
Cuddles yawned and curled closer into her chest. What Zach wouldn’t do to be where the puppy was.
She shifted her legs out of his reach. “You can’t cancel your photo shoot. You’ll lose too much money.” She stood up and grabbed her dog’s leash again. “Atlas, it’s time to go.”
Damn it, she was going to leave. Panic gripped him, even though he’d only just met her, even though he could easily find another woman to have sex with. “Heather—”
She frowned as she looked down at where he was still kneeling on the cement floor. “Since you can’t keep Cuddles here while you’re—” She paused to look at the models chain smoking and talking on their cell phones in the parking lot. “—working, I’ll take her to my office. When she wakes up, she can play with Atlas until you get there for our first session.”
She told him the address, then made a clicking sound that had her huge dog following her out of the garage with an adoring look on his furry face.
Zach understood exactly how the dog felt. One sign from her and he’d happily do the same thing.
His brother moved beside him and, together, they watched Heather leave, her long braid swinging behind her, her legs strong and tanned in her shorts.
“Who’s that?”
Zach grinned. “My new dog trainer.”
And, hopefully, a hell of a lot more than that real soon.
...Excerpt from IF YOU WERE MINE by Bella Andre ©2012.
Buy IF YOU WERE MINE
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I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
Sophie & Jake – The Sullivans #4
© 2012 Bella Andre
Sophie Sullivan, a librarian in San Francisco, was five years old when she fell head over heels in love with Jake McCann. Twenty years later, she’s convinced the notorious bad boy still sees her as the “nic
e” Sullivan twin. That is, when he bothers to look at her at all. But when they both get caught up in the magic of the first Sullivan wedding, she knows it’s long past time to do whatever it takes to make him see her for who she truly is...the woman who will love him forever.
Jake has always been a magnet for women, especially since his Irish pubs made him extremely wealthy. But the only woman he really wants is the one he can never have. Not only is Sophie his best friend’s off-limits younger sister...he can’t risk letting her get close enough to discover his deeply hidden secret.
Only, when Sophie appears on his doorstep as Jake’s every fantasy come to life—smart, beautiful, and shockingly sexy—he doesn’t have a prayer of taking his eyes, or his hands, off her. And he can’t stop craving more of her sweet smiles and sinful kisses. Because even though Jake knows loving Sophie isn’t the right thing to do...how can he possibly resist?
Buy I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
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CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
Gabe & Megan – The Sullivans #3
© 2012 Bella Andre
Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire...and can't stop thinking about.
Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving - and losing - a man with a dangerous job again.
Only, when Gabe and Megan meet again and uncontrollable flames of desire ignite between them, how can he possibly ignore her courage, determination, and beauty? And how can she deny not only his strong bond with her daughter…but the way his sweetly sensual kisses are challenging her to risk everything she’s been guarding for so long?