by Michele Hauf
“Wow, that’s amazing.” Kennedy slid her hand over Hawk’s. “He knows.”
“He knows what.”
“That our baby is in there,” she said.
“Our what is in where?” Hawk jerked his hand back. “Baby? In there?” He pointed toward her stomach. “My baby. In your belly?”
“That’s why I’ve been feeling sick. And this one…” she scratched Marvin’s ears. “…has been so protective of me. He knows there is a little person growing inside me.”
Hawk stood and walked over to the dresser. “I was going to do wait and do this next weekend on the cruise but fuck it.” He took something out of his underwear drawer. Next thing she knew he was on his knee next to the bed, holding out the biggest, shiniest, diamond ring she’d ever seen. “Kennedy, I love you. Please, I beg of you. Will you marry me?”
“Yes. I’ll marry you.” Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “Who knew that your big favor would turn into a colorful happy family.”
About the Author
Welcome to my World! I'm a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.
I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.
I'm currently enjoying the next phase of my life...the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.
Sign up for my Newsletter (https://dl.bookfunnel.com/6atcf7g1be) where I often give away free books before publication.
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Also by Jen Talty
BRAND NEW SERIES!
It’s all in the Whiskey
JOHNNIE WALKER
GEORGIA MOON
JACK DANIEL’S
Search and Rescue
PROTECTING AINSLEY
PROTECTING CLOVER
NY State Trooper Series
IN TWO WEEKS
DARK WATER
DEADLY SECRETS
MURDER IN PARADISE BAY
TO PROTECT HIS OWN
DEADLY SEDUCTION
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS
NY State Trooper Novella
HIS DEADLY PAST
Brand New Novella for the First Responders series
A spin off from the NY State Troopers series
PLAYING WITH FIRE
PRIVATE CONVERSATION
The Men of Thief Lake
REKINDLED
DESTINY’S DREAM
Other novels
JANE DOE’S RETURN
THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS
The Aegis Network
THE LIGHTHOUSE
HER LAST HOPE
THE LAST FLIGHT
THE RETURN HOME
Coming soon!
THE MATRIARCH
The Collective Order
THE LOST SISTER
THE LOST SOLDIER
THE LOST SOUL
Coming soon!
THE LOST CONNECTION
Special Forces Operation Alpha
BURNING DESIRE
BURNING KISS
BURNING SKIES
BURNING LIES
BURNING HEART
BURNING BED
REMEMBER ME ALWAYS
The Brotherhood Protectors
ROUGH JUSTICE
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
ROUGH RIDE
ROUGH EDGE
ROUGH BEAUTY
The Twilight Crossing Series
THE BLIND DATE
SPRING FLING
SUMMER’S GONE
WINTER WEDDING
Witches and Werewolves
LADY SASS
ALL THAT SASS
Coming soon!
NEON SASS
PAINTING SASS
Boxsets
LOVE CHRISTMAS, MOVIES
UNFORGETABLE PASSION
UNFORGETABLE CHARMERS
A NIGHT SHE’LL REMEMBER
SWEET AND SASSY IN THE SNOW
SWEET AND SASSY PRINCE CHARMING
PROTECT AND DESIRE
SWEET AND SASSY BABY LOVE
CHRISTMAS AT MISTLETOE LODGE
THE PLAYERS: OVERCOMING THE ODDS
CHRISTMAS SHORTS
CHRISTMAS DREAMS
Novellas
NIGHTSHADE
A CHRISTMAS GETAWAY
TAKING A RISK
WHISPERS
Celebrity by Melinda De Ross
Book Description
Within twenty-four hours, Kendra Kensington’s life changes drastically. She lands a million dollar contract for her latest novel, now on the road to becoming a movie, catches her boyfriend in bed with another woman, and decides to move across the country from Chicago to California. But the City of Angels harbors more demons than she had imagined.
When she meets Blake Tyler, the famous movie star she’s secretly crushed on for years, she thinks her attempt to rebuild her life may just be on the right track. However, the past and the present seem to be conspiring against her and happiness may be harder to achieve than she thinks.
Dear Friends,
As Charlie Chaplin said, “A day without laughter is a wasted day.” The world has had enough drama. We only have to watch the news to get depressed, because the ugliness of reality beats any thriller or horror novel. The world needs laughter and escape in cute, lighthearted books that brighten the days.
This is why I’ve written the Bookish & Sexy Collection, a series of romantic comedies featuring sexy booklovers and the heroes who love them. Forget about formulas and prototypes. Each of these stories is different, but they all provide a nice, relaxing, heartwarming experience, a few steamy moments, and some great laughs.
The books may be read in any order. I hope you have as much fun reading them as I did writing them!
Melinda
Praise And Awards
USA Today Bestselling Author
"An enchanting tale of travel, adventure, and love." - InD'Tale Magazine
"If you enjoy Jackie Collins, you will love CELEBRITY!" - Editorial Review
1
When the phone rang in the middle of the night, I had no idea that call was going to change my life forever.
I fumbled in the dark keeping my eyes closed, since I knew by the ringtone it was Danny, my agent. The silly tune was a Donald Duck voice that quacked: “Don’t answer, don’t answer, don’t answer! What if it’s somebody?”
I was tempted to ignore it, but since Danny never called at such an ungodly hour, I thought this might be an emergency.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?” I asked, my voice sounding rusty with sleep.
“Do you have any idea what great news I have?” he countered in his perfectly articulated, slick businessman’s voice.
My ears pricked. “It better be damn good for me to lose my beauty sleep.”
“You know you’re beautiful anyway. But this, my dear, is going to make your day. No, actually it will make your career.” He paused for dramatic effect, knowing that habit drove me crazy. Then he said, “Miss Kensington, I just got you a contract for The Diary with MBM Movie World.”
I sat up straight in bed, shoving waves of tousled hair off my face. “Get out! You didn’t.”
“Oh, yes I did,” he said smugly. “As we speak, I am in cloudy London and hav
e just finished a late breakfast with Marie Bell, the producer. I’ve no idea what time it is in Chicago right now…”
“It’s five in the morning,” I supplied.
“… but I thought this was important enough to bother you at any hour.”
“God, you bet your ass it is.” I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to control the mad thumping of my heart as the monumental realization struck me. My novel was going to become a movie!
Danny said, “The deal is this: the movie is going to be produced by MBM’s Los Angeles subsidiary. It’s lucky that I live in L.A, because next week I want to meet with the director, assistant producer, and so on. But first,” he added with emphasis, “you will need to sign the contract and receive your advance.”
“How much?” I whispered, holding my breath.
“A million dollars.”
I think my heart actually stopped for a second or two. My mouth worked like a fish’s for several moments before I could scream, “Holy shit! Holy crap. Are you serious? A million?”
I could hear the satisfaction in his voice. “Yep. One million, darling.”
“Oh, my God!” I let out a long breath to steady myself. I switched on the bedside lamp and stretched my hand in front of me. It was shaking. My whole body was shivering with excitement.
“Jesus, Danny, I never… I never thought we could pull this off. All those rejections, of all my novels and scripts… I couldn’t even write for the past months. I was so discouraged,” I said, still breathless. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“O, ye of little faith. Didn’t I tell you I was going to sell your script? You’re a good writer, Kendra. I knew that the first time I read your work. And even if you don’t believe it, good stuff always prevails. Well, most of the time,” he amended. “And only if you have me as an agent.”
Laughter vibrated in my chest, and I found I couldn’t stop the happy giggles. I let myself fall back in bed and did a little happy dance with my legs in the air. I probably looked ridiculous, but I was so delighted I didn’t care.
“Danny, this is the happiest day of my life,” I said when I could finally speak. “You’ve done something unbelievable for me.”
“And for me too, darling. My biggest problem right now is how to spend my fat commission.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way,” I replied, laughing again. “So, what now?”
“Now you get back to sleep, then you book the first flight to London. I want you here ASAP to sign the contract. I’ve revised it and it’s okay, but we need to discuss some terms. Anyway, I hope you can be here tomorrow.”
“I will be, even if I have to sprout wings and fly.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you when you get here. Oh, and, Kendra… Congratulations,” he said seriously.
“To you too, Danny. You made this possible. Thank you.”
I put the phone on the nightstand, still feeling as though I was in a dream. A marvelous dream that overshadowed all the misery and agony of the past months, when I’d struggled with my self confidence, with the impression that all I wrote was crap, with writer’s block and all the nightmares every artist has to overcome. But now I felt like a new person. It wasn’t just the one million dollar advance—though that would surely improve my lifestyle drastically and get me out of the small apartment I rented on a month-to-month basis in downtown Chicago. It was the euphoria of having my work appreciated, turned into something tangible to reach millions of viewers.
A movie! I lay back with a heartfelt smile that stretched my face and made my chest expand with joy and fulfillment. I wondered what actors the producer would cast to play Hunter—the broody, sexy cameraman with a troubled past, and Serena—the feisty but ingenuous broadcast journalist. I smiled to myself, remembering the short summary of the script word for word: A captivating modern-day romantic suspense tale set in Transylvania—a love story is born on a background of fierce history, in a ruined castle formerly belonging to The Blood Countess— the most prolific female serial killer in history. The two strangers assigned by a TV network to make a documentary about Countess Báthory embark on a journey of mutual discovery, then stumble upon murder and horror.
It could be a spectacular movie with the right settings and actors. It was all about atmosphere, and chemistry, and tension. I had done a ton of research about Countess Báthory when I’d written the novel, then the script (urged by Danny, who said it was brilliant and very filmable).
When I wrote, I always imagined my characters in 3D, saw their faces, saw them moving, speaking, heard their voices. I frowned a little. What if the movie didn’t exactly capture my vision of the story and the characters? What if they chose actors I didn’t like, or didn’t find suitable for the roles? Danny would say that for a million bucks I shouldn’t give a damn, but I did. After all, it was my story and no one could bring it to life better than I. I had to make sure I was involved in every aspect of the production process. But the movie was to be produced in L.A… I hoped they could at least find a real castle, not just improvise a studio set. Oh, well. I gave a little mental shrug. I’d always wanted to visit L.A., and now I could afford it.
I had to tell Richard. Just as I reached for the phone again, I stopped. This wasn’t just some piece of ordinary news to be told on the phone. This had to be told in person and celebrated with mad sex and gallons of champagne! I rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Richard would get an early wakeup call, but I doubted very much it would bother him.
Twenty minutes later I was rushing down the two flights of stairs, my hair fluttering behind me, still damp from the hasty shower. I stood on the sidewalk waving at taxis, careful not to get splashed by the puddles of a rainy April. To my relief, a cab rolled to a stop in front of me. I bent to look inside through the open window, and saw a middle aged woman with thick eyeglasses and gray hair pulled back in a bun.
“Are you free?” I asked her.
“Sure am, hon. Hop in! Where to?”
I gave her Richard’s address as I fastened my seatbelt, trying not to bump her considerable bulk with my elbow.
“We’ll be there in ten minutes, hon,” she assured me, skillfully slaloming the car in the busy traffic. “Is that where you work? You’re so pretty, I reckon you must be a model or something. You kinda look like Morticia Addams, especially in that tight black dress and red lipstick.”
I laughed lightly. My mother always said she’d given me an exotic name because she knew I would inherit her exotic looks. Mostly I had, but I always thought of myself as a more washed out version of her gypsy-like beauty. My eyes were the color of dark chocolate, while hers seemed black as pitch. My hair was falling straight over my shoulders, unlike the unruly mass of curls I envied my mom for. Our coloring was different too, because while she resembled a caramel statue, I had my father’s pale, translucent skin. It worked for me though. Actually, the cab lady was right. I liked to think of myself as a more telluric version of Morticia Addams—sans the gorgeous, passionate Gomez, and the zillions.
“Thank you,” I said. “No, I’m not a model, just a writer. And this is where my boyfriend lives.”
“He’s a very lucky young man.”
“I hope he feels the same.”
Richard was no Gomez, but in the twelve months or so since we’d been dating, he was a nice alternative to loneliness. Like me, he was thirty, single and weird. We had a comfortable relationship and, although we didn’t exactly have much in common, we didn’t spend enough time together to let that bother us. We went out three or four times a week, sometimes spent the night together—though each of us valued our privacy and we weren’t pushy or clingy. I guess anyone would find this kind of relationship boring, but it worked for us.
As a matter of fact, I should start spicing up things between us right this morning, I thought, smoothing my dress over the thigh-high black lace stockings I wore underneath. I had a key from Richard’s apartment, so I intended to just let myself in, and into his bed.
When
we reached his building, I paid the driver—adding a generous tip—and climbed out. Richard’s neighborhood was a scale up from mine, with well-groomed buildings and a lot of polished windows. However, there was always a shortage of parking places. This was the reason I’d opted to take a cab instead of my ’95 POS Volvo—which stood for Piece of Shit, and did not match my glamorous appearance this morning.
I walked into the building and took the elevator up to the 9th floor. I knew Richard wasn’t supposed to be at work before nine, so we had plenty of time. His job as a criminal lawyer kept him busy and decently paid, especially since he’d opened his own practice.
When the elevator stopped, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror and stepped out. I took Richard’s key out of my purse and inserted it into the lock as silently as possible. I was sure he was still asleep, but I didn’t think he’d mind being awakened earlier.
As it turned out, I was wrong in both assumptions. The moment I entered the apartment I realized two things: Richard was not asleep, and he was not alone. Judging by the noises coming from the bedroom, he was either watching a porn flick, or he had company. I stood motionless, struck dumb and still by this discovery. I even stopped breathing, while my heartbeats accelerated madly.
Then I was jarred out of my shocked stillness by a particularly high-pitched moan. Feeling as though clouds of steam were coming out of my ears, I walked to the bedroom and pushed open the door. For a moment, I just stared stupidly at the way Richard and his blonde, huge-breasted partner were tangled. It crossed my mind that he’d never been this inventive and… energetic with me. Then the adrenaline kicked in, and with it, a wave of fury that made my pulse and breathing go into overdrive.