E-Book, Englisch, 100 Seiten
Andre Sweeter Than Ever: The Sullivans (Honeymoon Novella)
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-945253-33-1
Verlag: Oak Press, LLC
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark
E-Book, Englisch, 100 Seiten
ISBN: 978-1-945253-33-1
Verlag: Oak Press, LLC
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark
Bella Andre's New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and she has sold more than 7 million books so far! Known for 'sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance' (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine 'Red Hot Reads' twice and have been translated into ten languages. She also writes sweet contemporary romances as Lucy Kevin. There are more than 50,000 5 star reviews for Bella Andre's books on Goodreads!
Autoren/Hrsg.
Weitere Infos & Material
CHAPTER ONE
Smith Sullivan was the luckiest guy in the world.
Just hours earlier, he’d pledged his forever love to Valentina Landon in front of their family and friends in an intimate wedding ceremony at Summer Lake. She’d given him her heart, all of it—the light, the dark, the whole, the broken, the sweet, the edgy—and he would never stop being amazed by his wife.
Wife.
No word had ever been sweeter.
Smith had waited thirty-six years for her, and hadn’t actually thought a woman existed who wouldn’t want him only for his fame, his success, his money. But Valentina had blown away every worry, every fear.
The moment he’d met her, back when she was still managing her sister Tatiana’s acting career, he’d known. Valentina was special.
From the first look, the first word she’d spoken, the first time she’d touched him, kissed him—she’d gotten beneath his skin. Down to the real Smith Sullivan that he rarely let anyone but his family see.
She hadn’t wanted him to woo her, hadn’t wanted anything to do with an actor, had been horrified at the thought of ending up in the spotlight. But he hadn’t been able to let her go. There was no fight he wouldn’t fight for her. No lengths he wouldn’t go to prove his love to her. He wanted her with a passion that ran so deep, so true, it rocked his world every time they made love.
Miracle of miracles, she felt exactly the same way about him.
“There it is.” He pointed through the trees to the cabin in the woods where they were going to spend their honeymoon.
“It’s perfect.” She squeezed his hand, and the smile she gave him lit him up from the inside out. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” And he was dying to be alone with her.
Completely alone for once.
Between the time they spent with their families—they had nearly enough relatives around the world to fill a stadium with a family reunion—and the casts and crews of the films they wrote, produced, and directed, they were constantly surrounded by people. People they liked a great deal, fortunately, but it still meant that the two of them didn’t get nearly enough time alone.
One week together in the Maine woods felt like the greatest gift possible. And he wanted to make the most of every single second.
Smith worked to tamp down his impatience by reminding himself that the flight on his private jet from the Adirondack Mountains of New York into the Bangor, Maine, airport had been smooth and fast. Traffic on the road heading toward the cabin had been lighter than usual, as if the other drivers knew not to mess with the newlyweds tonight. The cabin’s windows and porch light glowed in the darkness, making the cabin look as though it belonged in a fairy tale.
Everything was perfect so far. But it was going to be so much better once he had Valentina inside the cabin. Once he could strip away her clothes and show her with his body what he’d said with his wedding vows. Yes, he knew they were going to have a lifetime together, but he’d still been wanting her, needing her more and more with every second that had passed since the ceremony.
He pulled their rental car up beside the cottage, turned off the ignition, then jumped out and quickly moved to the passenger side to yank open the door and scoop Valentina into his arms.
She looked slightly dazed by how fast he’d reached her when she’d barely undone her seat belt. “On our first night together,” she said in a soft voice as she wound her arms around his neck, “you did the same thing after we returned from Alcatraz.”
“All I wanted was to make you mine.” He kissed her, stealing one tempting taste that wasn’t nearly enough to make a dent in his desire. “Now you are. Finally.”
“I’ve always been yours. From the first moment we met, you’ve had my heart.”
As he took her mouth again, he was tempted, so damned tempted to lay her down on the bed of pine needles beneath the tall trees and make love to her. With only the night sky and the smell of the nearby ocean around them.
Only, he knew better. Knew that for someone in his profession, with his level of fame, there might be a drone watching, filming, intruding, no matter the safeguards he’d put in place. He didn’t believe in wasting his life moaning about the difficulties of living in the spotlight, and neither did Valentina, but right about now, he damn well wasn’t happy about them either.
Kicking the car door shut, he took long strides toward the cabin’s entrance. Toward the utter and total privacy that they would have once they were inside. He already knew they wouldn’t make it to the bedroom, that they’d be ripping off each other’s clothes as soon as he locked the door behind them.
God, he couldn’t wait. Even the thirty seconds remaining between putting the key into the lock and shoving the door open felt like an interminably long time.
Smith didn’t so much as glance at the interior of the cabin before closing the door, turning the lock, and lowering his mouth back to Valentina’s. The way her tongue slipped and slid against his—and the little sounds of pleasure she was making—told him that she was just as eager for these seven precious days and nights with just the two of them to begin.
He swore time slowed as he slid her down the length of his body and pressed her back against the door. Her hazel eyes had gone a dark green with desire. Her golden skin was infused with a rosy glow of passion. And her breath was coming as fast as his.
She was beautiful in a navy striped top and jeans, the clothes she’d changed into after their wedding reception for their trip to Maine. He made a mental note to replace them after their honeymoon as he took a fistful of cotton in each hand and prepared to tear her shirt off.
“Smith?” The voice—a very unexpected one—came from behind them. The woman cleared her throat. “Valentina?”
Smith barely bit back the curse about to fly from his lips. Valentina, though also clearly frustrated by having the lovemaking they’d both been dying for interrupted, put her hand on his cheek and gave him one more soft kiss, before stepping out from behind him with a smile on her face.
“Cassie.” She headed toward the kitchen, her arms outstretched as she met Smith’s cousin for a hug. “Thank you so much for offering to let us stay in your cabin for our honeymoon.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Cassie said, looking sincerely apologetic and more than a little embarrassed. “And can I just say how stupendously sorry I am that I didn’t get out of here before you arrived? I shouldn’t have parked my car around back. At least then you would have known I was still here.”
Smith needed a couple of seconds to deal with his frustration, before finally turning around and going over to give his cousin a bear hug.
Over her shoulder, he finally noticed what a great job she’d done setting up the cabin for them. There was an enormous vase of lilies of the valley on the dining room table, a flower that held deep meaning for them, along with a chilling bottle of champagne and several other bottles of wine, a huge bowl of fresh fruit, and countless other touches meant to make the newlyweds feel completely at home.
“You didn’t need to go to all this trouble, Cassie.” That was when it hit him. “You must have left the wedding early to come back to do this for us.”
“I wanted everything to be perfect for you. Which should have included,” she said with a wry grin, “your cousin not being here to kill the mood. So on that note—” She headed back into the kitchen to pick up her bag. “—I’ll say congratulations one more time, and wish you both a very happy honeymoon.”
“Don’t go yet,” Valentina said. “We don’t see nearly enough of you. Stay awhile longer. Please.”
Cassie looked at Smith, her silent question clear: Are you sure you can handle some more family time right now?
But that was the thing: Smith hadn’t just fallen for Valentina because of her exotic beauty. He hadn’t just gone head over heels for her because of her incredible intelligence and talent. Nor was it simply that she was hotter and wilder than anything he’d ever dreamed when they were making love.
He’d completely lost his heart to her because family meant as much to her as it did to him.
“Valentina’s right—we haven’t been able to catch up with you in far too long. Why don’t we open a bottle of the wine you so thoughtfully brought, and then you can bring us up to date on everything.” He was already working the corkscrew in as he asked, “How are things going with your candy business?”
“Good,” she said as she went to get three wine glasses from the cupboard. “Busy.”
“I’m really glad to hear that,” Valentina said as they headed into the living room, where Cassie had lit a fire for them. “You’re so talented. I show everyone the pictures of the treasure chest you made for our last film, and no one can believe you spun it out of sugar.”
As they sat on the couch, Valentina curled beneath his arm, warm and sweet smelling. Pushing back his impatience to be alone with her, he asked Cassie, “And what about that guy you were seeing?” He tried for the name, but came up blank.
“Trust me,” his cousin said in a wry tone, “I’ve happily forgotten his name too. I’d much rather spend the night with a bunch of sugar than with him.”
Smith was as protective of his cousins as he was of his sisters. “If he hurt you in any way—”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “It was nothing.” She frowned,...
