Sullivans 06 - Let Me Be the One

Series!”
    Even the animals quieted down as Ryan looked in for the sign from the catcher, shook off the first two, then nodded yes to the third. He went into his windup and broke off a slow curve that split the plate in half. The batter was completely fooled, the bat frozen on his shoulder.
    “Strike three!”
    On the screen, even as the Hawks' players charged out of the dugout then jumped on each other like little boys in a sandbox, Ryan's entire focus was on Vicki as he blew a kiss up to her in the stands.
    Lori hugged Megan and Summer. Chase and Chloe danced with baby Emma between them. Marcus and Nicola used the win as yet another excuse to kiss each other. Zach and Heather tried to calm down their overexcited dogs while Summer’s poodle puppy peed in the middle of one of Smith’s priceless Aubusson rugs. A very pregnant-with-twins Sophie and Jake stayed right where they were on the couch and everyone came over to hug and high-five them.
    Smith danced his mother, Mary, into the kitchen. Together, they pulled several bottles of Marcus’s finest champagne out of his wine refrigerator, along with a couple of bottles of sparkling apple juice for Sophie and Summer.
    More cheers rang out as they popped open the corks. Once every glass was filled high enough for bubbles to skid across Smith’s kitchen counter and everyone had a glass, Lori said, “To Ryan for winning the World Series!”
    “And for winning Vicki’s heart, too,” Sophie pointedly added.
    Everyone clinked to that, then relaxed back into their seats.
    “So,” Chase asked as he put down his glass and bounced his adorable little girl on his knee, “how’s casting going?”
    “Good,” Smith said. “We’ve just signed Tatiana Landon.”
    “She was amazing in Midnight Lake ,” Chloe said.
    “And she seems so sweet in her interviews,” Heather added.
    “I think she’s pretty,” Summer said. “Can I meet her?”
    He ruffled her hair. “Of course you can.”
    His family was right. Tatiana was a talented, sweet, and beautiful twenty-one-year-old actress. Funny, then, that he hadn’t given her a second thought since they’d signed the contracts.
    No, it was Tatiana’s older sister he couldn’t stop thinking about.
    Valentina Landon was a watchdog for her younger sister...and she clearly didn’t trust him—or like him—one bit.
    Smith had never let a woman distract him from his work. And given the fact that he was finally directing, producing, and starring in a movie in his home town, his focus was tighter than ever.
    Still, none of that stopped him from wondering about what lay beneath Valentina Landon's armor as he grabbed a roll of paper towels from the kitchen then got down on his knees beside Summer to help her clean up the mess the poodle puppy had made of his rug.
     
    ~ THE END ~
     
    Don’t miss the first five books in Bella Andre’s Sullivan family series ~ out now!
     
    THE LOOK OF LOVE
    (Chase & Chloe, The Sullivans #1)
     
    FROM THIS MOMENT ON
    (Marcus & Nicola, The Sullivans #2)
     
    CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
    (Gabe & Megan, The Sullivans #3)
     
    I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
    (Sophie & Jake, The Sullivans #4)
     
    IF YOU WERE MINE
    (Zach & Heather, The Sullivans #5)
     
    Watch for Book #7 coming this Winter!
    COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
    (Smith Sullivan’s story)
     
    * * *
     
    Please enjoy the following excerpts from Bella Andre’s books...
     
    IF YOU WERE MINE
    Zach & Heather – The Sullivans #5
    © 2012 Bella Andre
     
    Can two people who have both sworn off love find forever in each other's arms?
    The last thing Zach Sullivan wants is to take care of his brother's new puppy for two weeks. Until he meets the dog trainer, that is. Heather is bright, beautiful, and he can't stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, she just might be the only woman on earth who wants nothing to do with him.
    Heather Linsey can't believe she's stuck working with one of the city’s top dogs, auto-shop tycoon Zach Sullivan. Especially when his focus is clear from the start—not only to learn how to deal with his temporary puppy...but also to make Heather his. Having sworn off love at seventeen when she realized it was nothing more than a pack of lies, she has stuck to her vow never to fall for a charming man.
    But as Heather's determination to push Zach away only fuels his determination to get closer—and the sensual and emotional connection between them grows more and more undeniable—will the biggest Sullivan bad boy of all tempt her