BEASTLY LOVE BOX SET: Romance Collection

by Lindsey Hart

  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.

  He’d watched the rehearsal. He couldn’t say what possessed him to go to Minnie. He’d watched Howard caress Leena’s cheek. He himself didn’t know the softness of that arch. He watched Howard stare at Leena’s lips. Lips that he himself had never tasted. She was his wife. His wife, damn it!

  His fingers flew over the keys, forgetting, always forgetting. He worked himself into a place of escape, the place inside himself where the music took over everything else. The rest of the world ceased to exist. There was no Howard, no Hannah, no past, no future, no feeling. There was no Leena.

  And then, there was. Her emerald eyes, soulful and wide, flooded with unshed tears as she stared at him bewildered, not understanding, the unbearable light of emotion he couldn’t even begin to unravel, flashed through the notes. He played harder, beads of sweat dotting his brow. His long blonde hair became soaked with the effort of it He played and played, his fingers cramping, his back aching, his head pounding.

  And still, she was there.

  Leena. Her face. Her name. The wounded depths of her dark eyes. Wounds he had put there, he was sure of it, though he’d never realized it before.

  The pressure on his shoulder, gentle, but firm, brought him out of whatever trance he’d worked himself into. He started and whirled, nearly knocking over the intruder in the process.

  People knew not to touch him. Everyone knew it. He couldn’t believe someone had come into his room, his sanctuary, and dared to lay a hand on him.

  He knew what he must look like, hair a sweaty, tangled mess, shoulders heaving, eyes flashing, blazing, rage twisting up his features. He knew he was fearsome, but he did nothing to abate the sudden anger that rose swift in his chest and choked off reason and good judgment.

  “Leena,” he hissed. How ironic that the very person he couldn’t banish from his mind should happen to materialize right in
front of his eyes. “You know very well not to disturb me when I’m working,” he bit out the angry words, glaring at her.

  She took a halting step back, hand outstretched in front of her as if to ward him off. “Dallas… I’m sorry. I didn’t think I was going to disturb you.”

  “You touched me- what did you think was going to happen? If you wanted something, you could have just asked or stepped to the front where I could have seen you. How many times have you been in this room before? How many days have we spent together? We’ve worked together for a long time. You know how I am. You know my routine. You know that you should never, ever try and take me out of the music.”

  “I know, but-”

  “There isn’t anything to say. Just get on with it. Spit it out. Whatever was so important that you had to come in here?”

  Leena’s brows arched together as the flawless, alabaster skin of her forehead knitted into a frown. “I just came to tell you that I was sorry for snapping at you earlier. I didn’t mean to be harsh.”

  “And you couldn’t have waited with your apology for a better time?”

  “I talked to Minnie. We’re going to get the thing with Howard sorted out. I wanted to apologize too if you thought it was inappropriate. I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable.”

  “Or what? Jealous?” He could tell it had been on the tip of her tongue to say it. “Don’t worry, we both know that’s never going to happen. I just didn’t feel it was appropriate to have a man with his hands all over another man’s wife where everyone could see it. If it leaked, it would give the theatre a bad name. We survive on the sales of my music, here and to others. We both know it was my money that bought this place and it’s my name at risk.” His harsh words gave away nothing of the jolt of feeling that flooded his chest.

  “The fact that I share it as well is of little consequence, I assume.”

  He ground his teeth together, temper flaring. The image of Howard, tall, dark, incredibly handsome and talented, with his hands all over Leena, bending to kiss her, flashed through his brain. Something bitter and acrid, dark and feral rose in his chest. He didn’t like the unfamiliar sensation or his reaction and it made him harsher than he ever should have been.

  “From now on, you’re not going to be making all the decisions. It’s my coat tails you’re riding. If no one wants to come see my plays or buy my music, then it won’t be long until we’re living out on the street.”

  “You have millions of dollars, Dallas.”

  “All of which you have free access to.”

  “Meaning what?” Leena crossed her arms over her chest. She shook her head slowly and tendrils of her fine dark hair skimmed around her face. “Never mind. Don’t answer that. We’re done here for now. I came to apologize, but I can see that you’re not in the mood to think clearly. We’re not going to get anything productive carrying on like this. How about you sit down and continue on with whatever you were doing, and I continue on with what I do. Everything. Everything, Dallas. Before you go leveling accusations at me about being the one to make us homeless or about squandering your money, you should think again. You should think about everything I’ve done for you. Everything. All the times I’ve cleaned up after you, fed you, bathed you, dressed you, combed out your damn hair. Until you learn how to deal with the damn basics of life, don’t tell me how to live mine.”

  Leena turned to go. Dallas saw red. Freaking red. In all the years he’d known her, she hadn’t so much as raised her voice. It was shocking to hear her swear at him let alone hear the outright anger and disgust in her tone.

  “Don’t walk out on me, Leena. We’re not done here.”

  “Oh really? I think we’re done. We’re done because you’re not being rational. Just go on and play your music. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

  “You’re not! Don’t stand there and smirk at me or look at me like I’m some fucking invalid you’ve sacrificed your entire life for.”

  “Haven’t I?” Leena’s mouth fell partway open. He chose that moment to realize how pink and soft her lips looked, how damn feral and attractive she looked when she was blazing angry. He’d never seen her so worked up, which was probably why he’d never noticed. The fact that he did take notice only further fuelled his annoyance with himself which fuelled his anger.

  “Hardly,” Dallas scoffed. “You think you’ve done things for me? You’ve done nothing. I’ve made you what you are. I’ve given you every opportunity in the world. We both know without me you would be nothing. Just some subpar actress hoping to find another free ride with someone else. You were always just tagging along with Hannah. She was the one who had everything. She was the one who should have made it.”

  “You mean survived.” Leena’s voice broke and tears welled in her eyes. “You mean fucking survived, don’t you Dallas?” Her voice rose to a shrill level, almost a scream. She backed away from him when he took a step forward.

  “No…” He slammed his damn mouth shut before he could do any more damage. A strange, sharp twinge ripped through his chest like it was going to cave in on his lungs. He felt a stab or true regret and real sorrow, for something and someone other than himself for the first time in a very long time.

  “Yes, you did!” Leena’s eyes were wide with pain. She put up a hand again, to stop him. Silvery, shiny tears coursed down her sharply carved white cheeks. They dripped off her petite chin. Her face was completely white, utterly colorless. “I know how you feel. I know how you’ve always felt. I’m not stupid.”

  “Leena…”

  “Just stop. You don’t have to say anything. You’ve said more than enough.”

  Before he could get out words he wished he had the courage to say, to even form or think, Leena turned and fled. The door banged shut harshly behind her and echoed through the room. The sound and the resounding silence following, pulsed through Dallas’ skull.

  He wanted to call her back or go after her. He hadn’t meant to imply… he hadn’t even thought- had he? His head pounded violently. He could hardly think past the screaming in his skull. And then came the notes, a deluge of music that swept him up and tangled him under and refused to let him go. It was like a deadly undertow that sucked a person down into a watery grave; unseen but always there.

  The music was so loud in his head it was deafening. Dallas threw his hands up over his ears. He wanted to make it stop, but it was there, a symphony rising into a crescendo. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

  The studio room was lined with windows on the far side of the wall. The shades were almost always carefully drawn. Dallas staggered over to the first window and gripped the sill to keep from going down to his knees. He pulled on the window covering so hard it nearly ripped off its mooring at the top.

  He knew Leena would leave. She would take the exit out the back of the first floor. The hallway was right under them and the set of stairs that led to their second story living quarters ran right past the music room. She would have fled down and out the back door.

  In silent supplication, Dallas raised a hand to the window. The glass was cold and sweaty from the heat of the radiators in the room mingling with the chill of the outside weather. “Come back,” he croaked, his voice broken and alien sounding, even to his own ears.

  Of course, she didn’t turn. Leena hurried on, through the alley and out into the busy street. And then, as though sensing that he was there after all, watching her, wishing that she’d turn around and come back inside where the cold of the Philadelphia winter couldn’t get to her, she slowly pivoted and stared directly at the window he was standing at.

  He saw the car approaching. It slammed on its breaks and then the horn blared. The street was icy with a fresh dusting of snow. The car slid wildly, out of control.

  Leena turned at the last second, right as a horrified scream built up in Dallas’ throat. The car struck her and sent her flying. She collapsed on the street like a broken doll, bent and contorted.

  The scream lodged in Dallas’ thro
at. He closed his eyes and lost his grip on the windowpane. He sunk down to the floor, the blackness already closing in, the never-ending symphony in his head taking control and blacking out everything else.

  He needed to call. He needed to get help. If only he could move. He tried so hard to force himself to get up, to wake up, to stay alert, but the blackness closed in. His last thought, shoving its way through the horrible regret of the way Leena had left, was that he felt like, with his thoughtless words, words he didn’t even mean, he’d somehow caused her death.

  CHAPTER 3

  Leena

  She was dreaming. It was a painful dream with strange voices, horrible smells and blackness, always the blackness. It was like a dark tide pulling her under, sucking her into an endless vortex in which she spun round and round.

  Once the dark fog cleared and she saw bright lights. It wasn’t a tunnel or anything. She knew she wasn’t dead. She was in too much pain to be dead. Every bone in her body ached. Once, she’d fallen off the edge of a stage and landed hard on her right side. She’d just winded herself. She felt like that now, but a hundred times worse. Her neck felt like someone had wrenched it back and slammed it forward right after. Her right arm throbbed up into her shoulder. Her tailbone- well- she was pretty sure someone had taken a steel-toed boot to her ass, missed and hit her in the lower back instead.

  Strange voices drifted through the blackness. Sometimes there were beeps. Sometimes other voices, male and female and some she couldn’t quite make out. She was hot and then she was cold. She was lifted, and she felt like she was floating. The voices never stopped. There was a sharp pain in her hand and then the darkness was complete.