Enjoy the following excerpt for COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER…
Gravity was
the story Smith Sullivan had been waiting his entire career to tell.
It wasn’t a big-budget, smash ’em up blockbuster. Nor was it a
period film with impeccably researched costumes and accents. Instead,
it was a pure, honest story about love and family and what really
mattered.
And he was staking
his entire reputation on the deceptively simple story.
If ever there was a
time for focus, for pure and total concentration, it was now and
through the next eight weeks of filming. He couldn’t afford to let
anything—or anyone—distract him from making the best movie he had
in him.
Only, as he
followed Valentina to his trailer, her waist, hips, and legs gorgeous
in her form-fitting pencil skirt, he already knew holding that
intense focus wasn’t going to be easy.
Valentina Landon
had attracted him from the start with her exotic looks which she
downplayed into cool, businesslike reserve. He couldn’t miss the
slightly seductive tone to her voice, or the fact that her scent was
pure, rich sensuality. If she thought she was putting anyone off with
her suits, soft golden hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, and
the thick-framed glasses she slid on when she was poring over
contracts, she was way off base.
Didn’t she know
that all those carefully constructed conservative elements made a guy
like him want to find out just how deep her passions ran? Especially
when she was so intent on hiding them. Not, of course, that she’d
even come close to letting him find out the answer to that question.
During rehearsals,
she was always either with her sister or making her way out of a room
the second he walked into it. He’d been impressed with her business
acumen during the past weeks with regard to Tatiana’s career, as
well as how well she took care of her sister on a personal level.
Valentina didn’t hover, but at the same time, she was there
whenever Tatiana needed her.
As the
second-oldest brother in a family of eight siblings, Smith knew just
how hard it was to watch over his brothers and sisters while also
letting them spread their wings and live their lives without his
constant interference. Family meant the world to him, but he craved
his independence, and his work, too. It was a constant balancing act,
but one he wouldn’t have given up for all the peace and quiet and
spare time in the world.
From the beginning
of his career just after college, he’d started with whatever scraps
he could get and built on from there. He knew people thought he’d
been handed his acting career, that his looks had paved the road with
gold bricks and Hollywood stars. In truth, those looks had made being
taken seriously so difficult that after the first couple of years of
countless auditions, he’d almost taken one of the dozens of
underwear commercials he’d been offered. Until, finally, an older
actor had given him his chance to prove that he was more than just a
pretty face. Smith had grabbed that chance with both hands, and when
the movie was a box office hit, other doors finally started to open.
It was one of the
reasons he’d been so interested in casting Tatiana Landon. Yes,
Valentina’s younger sister was beautiful. No question, she was
going to be a star, one way or another. But when she worked, he saw
several qualities in her that he recognized and admired.
Determination. Concentration. And joy.
Yes, he thought, as
Valentina threw open his trailer door without waiting for him to let
her inside, there was much to admire about the Landon women.
Particularly the older sister he hadn’t been able to get out of
his head since he’d met her in that initial casting meeting two
months ago.
Talk about
determination and concentration. Valentina had clearly taught her
sister everything she knew. And when Valentina was with Tatiana, when
they were laughing together the way sisters did when they were very
close, her own joy rang out loud and clear.
Smith had just
stepped inside and closed the door behind him when Valentina turned
and faced him down.
“My sister is not
going to become one of your little playthings.”
Momentarily taken
aback, Smith simply echoed, “Playthings?”
Valentina didn’t
have the obvious, more conventional beauty of her younger sister, but
to Smith that made her face even more alluring. A man had to look
under the surface with Valentina, but once he did, he was paid back
richly with the contours of high cheekbones, incredibly long,
unpainted lashes, eyes that tilted up slightly at the corners, and a
cupid’s bow on full lips that couldn’t help but whisper of sex
and heat no matter how tightly they were pursed.
Just the way they
were right this second, in fact.
“Tatiana and I
have been in this business for ten years,” she said in a frosty
voice. “I know exactly how this world works, Mr. Sullivan.”
He had to cut her
off, then, if only because he hated the way she used the Mr. as
yet another way to keep distance between them. Not another damn
person on his set called him Mr. Sullivan. He wouldn’t let her do
it, either, whatever her reasons for wanting to keep her distance.
“Call me Smith.
Please.”
Her mouth tightened
even further, her eyes flashing yet again even as she nodded and
said, in a very soft voice, “Smith.” Her long, slender fingers
twisted in her grip as she stared back at him. “You’re older.
You’re successful. You’re extremely good look—”
She stopped just
short of the full word and it was all but impossible to keep himself
from smirking just a little bit. And from saying, “Thank you,
Valentina. I’m glad to know you think so.”
Her eyes widened at
the way he spoke her name, with more than a little heat. Any woman
looking for his attention would have noticed she had it weeks ago.
Then again, she hadn’t been looking for his attention—had stopped
just short of running from it, in fact.
Valentina was the
opposite of every woman he knew in Hollywood. Instead of trying to
draw attention to herself, she worked to keep it away. Smith had
transformed himself into so many different characters over the course
of his career that he knew all it would take were a few simple
changes to her hair, clothes, makeup, and the way she held her body
as she stood across from him, to shift her message from back off
to come closer.
She was an
incredibly intelligent woman. Only, despite that, he didn’t think
she realized just how much the mystery of her was drawing him in,
making him want to discover who she really was. And why she was so
intent on deflecting the male attention she deserved. Especially his.
Nor did she realize
just how refreshing it was to finally meet a woman who wasn’t
beyond eager and ready to throw herself at Smith Sullivan’s
feet. Especially just when he’d been worried there wasn’t a woman
alive who could see beyond his fame and all the shiny things that
came with it.
Now, as he watched
her work to bank her anger, it occurred to him what an excellent
actress she would have been. Emotion simmered just beneath the
surface of her eyes, her mouth, her skin, all covered with an outward
calm that could fool even the closest observer. A shared family
trait, though one Valentina had perfected for real life, whereas her
sister merely played it out for the camera.
One sister so
contained, the other so open.
Smith couldn’t
help but wonder—had Valentina sacrificed her own openness so that
her sister could have such freedom?
She gestured to the
pile of phone numbers that littered his desk, her upper lip curling
slightly. “You have plenty of women falling for you. More than
enough for any man to enjoy making his way through.”
If he hadn’t been
in a hurry earlier that morning, he would have thrown the numbers
away instead of just dumping them on his desk. With anyone else, he
likely would have explained just that. But he found he didn’t like
having to defend himself to Valentina, especially when he hadn’t
done anything wrong.
“I meant it when
I told you I wanted you to come to me if anything was wrong,” he
said in an even voice. “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to
pull me aside this morning, but I’m afraid I don’t yet understand
what’s bothering you.”
“I’ll tell you
exactly what’s bothering me: You and I both know the power you
hold. We also both know that my sister is perfect in this film.”
He nodded in
agreement. “You just heard me tell her that.”
“And it meant the
world to her.” But instead of looking happy about it, a flash of
deep-seated worry crossed Valentina’s face. “Tatiana looks up to
you. She has never been so committed to a production. All she wants
is to do her best for you, and I know she’s going to give a
thousand percent to do just that.” Her gaze was direct, unblinking,
as she said, “And in return, I want you to give me your word that
you will not cross any professional lines with her.”
Damn it, he hadn’t
signed Tatiana to star in his film with nefarious plans of seduction.
He’d signed her because she was a great actress who was going to
get better and better.
Were it not for two
unfounded accusations in the span of minutes, he would have taken the
time to answer Valentina more carefully. But as it stood, she’d
been questioning his honor since the first second he’d met her
sister. Silently, perhaps, but it had been there nonetheless.
His honor was
everything to him, and now he felt like a bear poked one too many
times by a long stick, coming out of his lair grumpy and with teeth
bared in warning. Which was why he gave her an answer he knew was
bound to aggravate more than soothe.
“Your sister has
already signed the contracts.”
Instead of backing
off at what many people would have construed as a warning, Valentina
came closer to him, so close that he could smell the lavender in her
shampoo.
“I asked around
about you before we signed on for this movie. Everyone told me you
were different.” Her eyes slid again to the phone numbers on his
desk, then back to him. “But you’re just the same as everybody
else, aren’t you?” Fire leapt to new heights in her eyes as she
told him, “I don’t give a damn what she’s signed. If you do one
single thing to hurt my sister, if you dare toy with her emotions or
her body, I’ll—”
“Damn it,
Valentina,” he said in a voice loud enough to break through to her,
“I’m not going to seduce your sister!” He had to work to gentle
his voice as he said, “Tatiana is young and beautiful and I’m
going to work like hell to make sure she wins an Oscar for her
performance in my movie. But I don’t want her.”
And yet, even as he
reassured her about his intentions toward her sister, there was no
way for him to keep the silent words I want you from hanging
in the air between them.
He was sure that
was what had her taking a step away from him as she said, “I saw
the way you grabbed her and kissed her after the scene. And I saw the
way she looked at you—like you hold the key to the secrets of the
universe.”
It was because he
had two sisters and a mother he loved that he realized just how badly
he’d misplayed this situation with Valentina. Instead of going on
the defensive and throwing the signed contracts in her face like the
big bad movie star who only had to snap his fingers for the world to
fall at his feet, he should have done whatever he could to reassure
her that Tatiana was in safe hands.
“Your sister did
such a great job with the first scene that I got excited, and I
wanted her to know how thrilled I am to be working with her. But I
honestly don’t think she took my enthusiasm for her performance in
the way you thought she did.”
He could see that
Valentina was still wary, but she took a deep breath and finally
backed down enough to say, “I sure hope not.”
He’d thought her
eyes were a dimmer green than her sister’s, but now he could see
that they were a beautiful hazel, a clear green on the inside, deep
brown on the outside. Smith had never been much interested in
perfect, even less so after so many years in Hollywood where people
hired doctors to rip them open and put them back together until they
looked like the dolls his sisters had played with as kids.
He was also finally
close enough to see the slightly dark smudges beneath the delicate
skin under her eyes.
“It’s got to be
exhausting being your sister’s watchdog all the time.”
“I’m not her
watchdog. I’m her sister and I love her. I—” She sighed,
letting her exhaustion come through for a moment. “I just need to
make sure she’s safe. Always.”
“Your sister is
lucky to have you to protect her, Valentina. But who’s protecting
you?”
Her eyes met his
again, wide with surprise...and an answering desire that she could no
longer effectively mask as her hazel eyes dilated until the green
near her pupil pushed out all of the brown along the rim.
Hot damn if he
didn’t want to kiss her beautiful mouth as she lifted her chin and
her eyes flashed at him one more time.
“I don’t need
anybody to protect me.”
She walked out of
his trailer without a backward glance.
...Excerpt from COME A
LITTLE BIT CLOSER by Bella Andre ©2012.
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