Author: Heather Leigh
Release Date: October 26, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads
SYNOPSIS
Drew Forrester is a regular guy from Boston, MA with an unusual job. His work keeps him from getting close to anyone, unwilling to give his trust, especially after a terrible betrayal when he left home at nineteen to pursue his dream.
He throws himself into his work and his favorite way of releasing his frustrations, Brazilian Ju Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts. He resorts to short term hook-ups, figuring he'll be alone forever.
When a gorgeous redhead literally falls into his life, he decides that it's fate and pursues her relentlessly. But this girl is seriously damaged, and keeps secrets that he doesn't understand and can't get her to reveal. Her lack of trust and seeming paranoia about letting anyone get close to her leads Drew to keep some secrets of his own.
This is a companion novel to Relatively Famous, told from Drew's point of view.
***Purchase Links***
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CARIBBEAN VACATION
We land on St. Bart’s on a terrifyingly short runway with the bright turquoise ocean gleaming at the end. Gail opens the door and the salty smell of the sea surrounds us as we walk down onto the hot pavement. It’s perfect here. Warm, ocean breeze, gorgeous girl on my arm… I couldn’t be happier if I tried.
Chad’s caretaker, Philippe, gets out of his Mini-Moke, a Jeep-like car I’ve heard about but never actually seen in person. Chad was supposed to tell this guy not to act weird around me or say anything about who I am, so he better not fuck this up.
Philippe introduces himself to Sydney then to me, shaking my hand just a little too long for me to be a normal person. The dude is super-cheerful, with short tufts of gray hair, and is way, way too tan. He grabs our stuff out of the plane and I help Sydney into the back seat of the open top Moke. I can’t ride around in this thing without my disguise, so I get my Sox hat out of my bag and pull it down low.
When I climb in next to Syd she bursts out laughing at the sight of my hat. Nice, she thinks I’m an idiot with hideous fashion sense, which I find quite charming. I grin at her. “What? I know you said I don’t need luck, but it can’t hurt.”
Philippe starts the Moke and takes us to Chad’s villa. He describes a bunch of stuff about the island, but I could care less. I’m too busy watching Sydney take in the surroundings, her long auburn hair whipping around her face as we wind through the tropical greenery. When Philippe points out some wild peacocks, I think Sydney’s going to fall out of her seat she’s so excited. I chuckle at her reaction. She’s so happy and carefree, as if the island has lifted a huge burden from her weighted down shoulders. Her outright joy is contagious.
I’m so fucking gone on this girl.
When we pull into the gravel driveway of Chad’s house, the nervousness from this morning comes back full force. What if this Philippe guy left movie shit all over the house? If Sydney sees it, she’ll freak out and he seems like a little bit of an idiot.
I hear a banging sound and see Philippe struggling, he’s already opening the front door and bringing our bags into the house. It’s like this guy is on speed or something he’s so damn quick. I need to get him alone and make sure he took care of everything.
Sydney and I step into the huge open kitchen behind Philippe, who’s nowhere in sight. While she’s looking at everything I lean in and give her a quick kiss. “Wait here a minute, I’m going to chat with Philippe.” She nods and I hurry after the caretaker and find him in the master bedroom, placing our bags on the bed.
“Hey, Philippe, can we talk for a minute?” I corner the really tan, really happy guy in the bedroom.
“Of course, Mr. Forrester, what can I do for you?” He stands there looking way too fucking delighted to listen to me bitch at him.
“I need to make sure all of Chad’s movie stuff is out of sight. He said he explained to you the importance of getting rid of it all.”
Philippe nods and starts to leave the bedroom. Fuck dude! I can’t talk about this shit in front of Sydney. “Yes, I got all of it. No worries.”
Like I’m not going to worry that the fate of my relationship with the woman I love is in this weirdo’s hands. “You’re sure you got all of it?” I ask, trailing after him down the hall.
“Yes, yes. All of it.” Philippe responds as he continues to walk back toward the kitchen.
“And you put it all in the office, correct?”
“Yes.” He stops to give me a funny look, clearly starting to think I’m either OCD or crazy as he hurries back to Sydney. I watch him pull a key out of his pocket and place it on the countertop. Then he quickly shows us a map of the area. “Here are some additional phone numbers you may need.” Philippe points to a list on the refrigerator. “The fridge and pantry are stocked, let me know if you need anything, day or night. My number is on the list.” He shakes Syd’s hand then mine and leaves.
“Well, Philippe is…” Sydney says.
I want to say ‘a twitchy fuck’ but I stick to saying, “Interesting?” instead.
“That’s one way of putting it, I suppose,” she responds. We both crack up at Philippe’s expense.
I hold out my hand and ask her if she wants to see the house. She takes it without hesitation, and threads her fingers through mine. I have to admit, Chad has great taste. The house is massive, with comfortable furniture. My favorite part is the huge deck. I start imagining all the things I can do with Sydney on one of the plush double lounge chairs.
Gently tugging on her hand, I lead Sydney across the hardwood deck. “This is even better than I imagined,” I tell her as I yank her down with me onto one of those tempting chairs, making her squeak in surprise.
“You’ve never been here?” She asks, looking somewhat confused. Did I tell her I’ve been here before? I don’t think I did, but she’s acting like I have.
“No, I haven’t. Why?”
“I’m not sure, I just assumed. You said the owner was a friend, I don’t know why I thought that.” Oh, she made her own assumptions because she never asked me any details about this house or the trip. Just like she never asks me any other questions. Or answers them.
“The owner is a friend, as well as a business partner in some of my investments. But I work a lot, and haven’t had the opportunity to just take off and come here. I don’t get to take a lot of vacations.” I don’t need to tell her that she’s the first girl I’ve wanted to spend this much time with since I was a teenager. It would probably freak her the fuck out.
“Yet you’re here with me, I assumed you brought all the girls you date here.” She gives me a fake smile to hide her embarrassment.
Now this line of questioning makes sense. She wants to know if this is something I do a lot, seduce beautiful women and bring them here for a weekend of sex. “No, no other girls, Sydney. Just you. You make me want to take time off from work.” I push her down on the poolside chair and roll her hot little body underneath mine. My tortured cock responds immediately.
“Miss Allen, I do believe we’re wearing too many clothes for this tropical heat. What do you say we fix that?”
I can’t wait any longer to have her. Sitting next to her for four hours on that plane nearly killed me. My fingers are literally itching to touch her skin. I lean my head down and bite along her slender neck, her scent, amplified by the hot sun is driving me mad with lust.
She moans and throws her head back so I can have better access to her throat. Her voice is raspy and needy, “Mr. Forrester, I couldn’t agree more.”
SHOWER
I look out of the back wall of the villa, the glass doors are pushed open allowing the deck and the surrounding trees become part of the house. Sydney is sitting by the pool, cradling her morning coffee like it’s a cup of liquid gold. I’ve noticed that about her, she can’t really function without her morning fix. It’s adorable.
Yep, fucking pussy-whipped, just like Damien said.
I put my lucky Red Sox hat on and head out across the deck to see her. She hates my hat, I’m not an idiot, but if we’re going out today I have to have it on to keep people from recognizing me and ruining everything. Fuck if I know what she’d do if she found out about my job. I don’t want to go there yet, not until I know how she feels about me.
Shit, thinking about feelings and crap. I’m such a fucking girl.
I take the seat next to her. “So, snorkeling, hiking, jet skiing, sailing, what would you like to do today, Sydney?”
She turns her head lazily in my direction, a dreamy look on her face as she puts her hand up to block the bright morning sun. “Those all sound wonderful. Anything would be great.”
Chad said his crew is discreet and that his new sailboat is amazing, I guess it’s time to test it out. “Well, how about we take out a sailboat, and if we want to, we can snorkel, otherwise we’ll just relax onboard and enjoy the day?”
And hopefully everyone on the boat keeps their mouths shut and treats me like a normal guy.
I see her eyes flick up to my hat and her nose wrinkles a little at the sight of it but she doesn’t say anything. Knowing that she finds it repulsive and is too polite to tell me makes me smile.
She starts to get up from her lounge chair. “Sounds great, I’ll just go shower off so we can go.”
Fuck, Sydney naked in the shower? Absolutely, but first I have to make sure the crew understands the rules.
Sydney walks past me and I grab her arm gently to stop her. “I just have to make a few calls to arrange the boat and I’ll join you in a minute, don’t finish too quickly.” The intonation in my words is clear, and she doesn’t miss it.
I watch her eyes widen a fraction before her lids drop and she smiles seductively. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you wash my back.” She turns and disappears into the house, leaving me with a throbbing dick in my shorts.
Shit, I need to hurry.
Once I hear the water start in the outdoor shower, I pull out my phone and call Philippe. He answers on the first ring.
“Mr. Forrester, what can I do for you?”
“Philippe, we need the sailboat ready in an hour, is that possible?”
“Of course, I’ll call the captain right away.”
“Philippe, you need to make sure they understand very clearly, that they do not do or say anything to indicate that they know who I am.”
“Certainly Mr. Forrester.” His tone is joking, as if my request couldn’t possibly be serious.
Fuck, this guy isn’t getting it. Now I’m getting pissed. This weird, hyperactive, too-tan guy will not fuck up my shit with Sydney.
“I mean it, not a word Philippe,” I snap rudely.
“They are very discreet, I promise.” He’s being more respectful now that he knows I’m dead serious.
“Yeah? They bettah be. I’ll have anyone who fucks up fired. I don’t want Sydney to see anything that insinuates that I’m anything othah than a regulah guy.” I rant at him, knowing I’m being a dick but not giving a shit about his feelings.
“Are you serious? She doesn’t know who you are?”
“Oh, I’m very serious. She bettah not heah or see a thing? Got it?” I bark at Chad’s caretaker.
“Yes sir, one hour correct?” Philippe seems to finally understand me on this matter.
“Yes, an hour.”
“Yes sir. I’ll be up to get you in 45 minutes.”
“Okay.” I hang up and toss the phone on the outdoor table, dragging my hands down my face. This had better not be a bad idea, it seems as if disaster could sprout up from where I least expect it.
Done with that, I head into the master suite and quickly strip. Worries about the boat and crew are suddenly gone, replaced with visions of a naked Sydney rubbing soap all over her delectable body.
“Everything okay with the boat?” she asks as I step into the shower with her.
I freeze under the spray, forgetting how loud I can get when I’m pissed. I’m left to wonder how much of the phone call she overheard. She probably wouldn’t tell me even if she heard everything, she’s so fucking secretive.
If she’s going to pretend she didn’t hear everything then I’m going to act like she didn’t hear everything. I slip my arms around her waist and press my hard, willing, cock against her wet body.
“Everything’s great babe. Philippe will be here in less than an hour.”
She looks at me and the corner of her mouth curls up. I see a wicked glint in her eyes. “Well then, let’s hurry, shall we?” she says as she begins to stroke my aching shaft with her soapy hands.
Jesus. I throw my head back as she skillfully rubs my cock, a slow burn beginning to ignite in my groin. When she reaches down and lightly tugs on my balls I just about lose it right there and then.
My head snaps up and I grab her wrists, pinning them to the wall behind her. She gasps at my sudden movements and I dive in to taste her parted lips. I can feel her trying to wriggle out of my grasp but I hold on tight, plunging my tongue into her mouth roughly, taking not asking.
Deftly, I switch my hold so I have both of her wrists trapped in one of my hands leaving one free to run up her wet slit.
“Fuck, you’re always so ready for me babe,” I groan into her mouth, devouring her in another brutal kiss.
I reach under and lift her ass with one arm, still holding her wrists with the other. Somehow knowing what I want without needing words, Sydney wraps her legs around my waist so I can plunge deep into her willing heat.
Finally, I let go of her hands and she immediately snakes them around my neck and threads them into my hair. When she gives my scalp a sharp yank and her nails claw at my shoulder, it stokes the fire into a passionate explosion of intense need.
“Fuck,” I moan as I grip her ass and pound into her over and over as she shrieks in ecstasy.
It only takes a few minutes for her to spiral into a searing climax, pulsating around my cock until I come to my senses and quickly pull out, my come jetting between us, coating our bellies before it’s washed away by the shower.
Breathless, I pant out an apology to Sydney. I was so caught up I nearly forgot that we weren’t using protection.
“What are you sorry for?” she asks as I lower her legs and she regains her footing on the wet, pebbled floor.
“I didn’t think it through. There are no condoms in the shower.” I give her a quick kiss before reaching past her to turn off the water.
“Oh.”
That’s all she says, ‘oh’. What the fuck does that mean? Doesn’t she know I’d rather cut off my own arm than hurt her? I almost come inside her in the fucking shower!
Sydney wraps herself up in a towel and heads back inside the house, brushing by me without making eye contact.
Knowing her dislike for deep conversations, I figure now isn’t the time to tell her about how my girl can expect to be treated. It’d probably make her run like hell in the opposite direction. But bareback fucking with no birth control and without her permission? Never gonna happen no matter how fucking incredible it feels.
I pull on my shorts and T-shirt while she gets ready in the bathroom and sit on the bed to think about her. She likes being bossed around in bed. I found that out last night. Would she be frightened by my protective nature? My sister Allie says I’m a control-freak or, when she’s pissed at me, an overbearing asshole.
I can’t help it. If someone threatens one of my family or friends, it’s like a haze of red-hot rage surges through every molecule in my body, shutting down the logical side of my brain. After Matt died, then my girl was pretty much raped at a party when I wasn’t watching, I felt a lot of guilt. I know I couldn’t do anything about Matt, but my girl? That shit was my fault, I should have looked out for her, protected her from it.
Years later, my mom had to quit her job because of the psychotic women that kept breaking into her school to meet me. When I found out, I destroyed an entire kitchen’s worth of glassware and spent three days straight in the gym pounding the crap out of anyone who would spar with me.
It pisses me off so badly when I can’t protect my loved ones from shit. Especially shit caused by my job. Fucking fame, if people only knew what misery it can bring.
“Ready to go?”
Sydney’s sweet voice pulls me from my dark thoughts and back to the present. I drop my scowl and force my Andrew Forrester smile onto my face, pulling her close. “I just have to get my hat.”
She giggles, and my fake smile becomes real. I’ve forgotten everything I was thinking about and there’s only her.
~AmzUS~AmzUK~
Absolutely Famous (Famous, #2)
~AmzUS~AmzUK~
Extremely Famous (Famous, #3)
~AmzUS~AmzUK~
I grew up in New England and currently live outside Atlanta, GA with my husband, two kids, a French Bulldog and a pug.
I'm a full-time procrastinator and a part-time everything else.
I love the Red Sox, chocolate, and traveling.
When I'm not writing, I'm dealing drugs legally as a pharmacist.
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