Part 13 (2/2)

As Laura shook their hands, she privately thought that might be the best arrangement. Shane's hair was perfect, not one strand out of place. Mandy's pink s.h.a.g sort of made it look like she'd been caught in a windstorm. In a convertible. But her makeup and clothes were very cute.

KT said, ”Hold on just a sec, Bob. Let me go ahead and tweet this. Gotta keep the fans interested, you know.”

Laura glanced over her bare shoulder to see KT bound down the stairs, pause, snap a picture, and then type something on his phone before shouting about taking down the electronic display in the corner. Lucky would not be happy about that. As KT waved his arms dramatically and the director nodded, Laura smiled at the two girls. ”Guess I'm dismissed.”

They laughed, and Laura turned to skirt their table as she reached for the drink tray. Being unable to move, like her feathers had attached themselves to the floor, was her first clue that something had gone horribly wrong. And when KT Masters b.u.mped into her, sending the tray skidding into the sodas she'd just delivered, she knew exactly who was responsible. She tried to whirl around to give him a piece of her mind but spun in place and then heard a loud rip just before she b.u.mped into the table and sent two gla.s.ses cras.h.i.+ng to the floor. She might have followed them, but KT wrapped a hand around her arm to steady her. His warm skin was a brand against her chilly flesh.

The only sound in Viva Las Vegas was the tinny plink of electricity through one million bright white bulbs. Every eye was focused on the drama taking place at the foot of the stage. Before she could really get a firm grip on the embarra.s.sment, irritation, shock, and downright anger boiling over, Laura shouted, ”You ripped off my feather!”

Even the light bulbs seemed to hold their breath at that point.

KT's hand slid down her arm, raising goose b.u.mps as it went, before he slammed both hands on his hips, and Laura s.h.i.+vered. The heat from that one hand made her wonder what it would be like to be pressed up against him. Instead of the flannel robe, she should put a KT Masters on her birthday list. She wouldn't have to worry about being cold ever again.

”Yeah, I did you a favor. This costume has real potential”-he motioned with one hand as he looked her over from collarbone to knee-”but the feathers get in the way, so . . . you're welcome!” The frown looked all wrong on his face, like he didn't have a lot of experience with anger or irritation, but the look in his eyes was as warm as his hand had been. When he rubbed his palms together, she thought maybe she wasn't the only one to be surprised by the heat.

They both looked down at the bedraggled pink feather, now swimming in ice cubes and spilled soda under his left shoe. No matter how much she hated the feathers or how valid his point about their ridiculousness was, she wasn't going to let him get away with this. He should apologize. Any decent person would.

”What are you going to do about it?” She plopped her hands on her own hips, thrust her chin out, and met his angry stare.

He straightened and flashed a grim smile before leaning down to sc.r.a.pe the feather up off the floor. He pinched the driest edge and held it out from his body. ”Never heard 'the customer's always right,' have you?”

Laura s.n.a.t.c.hed the feather away. ”In what way are you a customer? I only see a too-important big shot who can't apologize.”

His opened his mouth to say . . . something, then changed his mind and pointed a finger in her face instead. ”Oh, really? I bet if I went to have a little talk with the manager or Miss Willodean, they'd have a completely different take on what just happened here and who needs to apologize.”

Laura narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. ”Oh, really? I'll take that bet.”

An Excerpt from

THE RIGHT BRIDE.

BOOK THREE: THE HUNTED SERIES.

by Jennifer Ryan.

The Hunted Series continues with this third installment by Jennifer Ryan . . .

1.

Sh.e.l.ly swiped the lip gloss wand across her lips, rolled them in and out to smooth out the color, and grinned at herself in the mirror, satisfied with the results. She pushed up her b.o.o.bs, exposing just enough flesh to draw a man's attention, and keep it, but still not look too obvious.

”Perfect. He'll love it.”

Ah, Cameron Shaw. Rich and powerful, s.e.xy as h.e.l.l, and kind in a way that made it easy to get what she wanted. Exactly the kind of husband she'd always dreamed about marrying.

Sh.e.l.ly had grown up in a nice middle cla.s.s family. Ordinary. She desperately wanted to be anything but ordinary.

She'd grown up a plump youngster and a fat teenager. At fifteen, she'd resorted to binging and purging and starved herself thin. Skinny and beautiful-boys took notice. You can get a guy to do just about anything when you offer them hot s.e.x. By the time she graduated high school, she'd transformed herself into the most popular girl in the place.

For Sh.e.l.ly, destined to live a glamorous life in a big house with servants and fancy cars and clothes, meeting Cameron in the restaurant had been a coup.

Executives and wealthy businessmen frequented the upscale restaurant. She'd gone fis.h.i.+ng and landed her perfect catch. Now, she needed to hold on and reel in a marriage proposal.

2.

Night fell outside Cameron's thirty-sixth-floor office window. Tired, he'd spent all day in meetings. For the president of Merrick International, long hours were the norm and sleepless nights were a frequent occurrence.

The sky darkened and beckoned the stars to come to life. If he were out on the water, and away from the glow of the city lights, he'd see them better, twinkling in all their brilliant glory.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken out the sailboat. He'd promised Emma he'd take her fis.h.i.+ng. Every time he planned to go, something came up at work. More and more often, he put her off in favor of some deal or problem that couldn't wait. He needed to realign his priorities. His daughter deserved better.

He stared at the picture of his golden girl. Emma was five now and the image of her mother: long, wavy golden hair and deep blue eyes. She always looked at him with such love. He remembered Caroline looking at him the same way.

They'd been so happy when they discovered Caroline was pregnant. In the beginning, things had been so sweet. They'd lain awake at night talking about whether it would be a boy or a girl, what they'd name their child, and what they thought he or she would grow up to be.

He never thought he'd watch his daughter grow up without Caroline beside him.

The pregnancy took a turn in the sixth month when Caroline began having contractions. They gave her medication to stop them and put her on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy.

One night he'd come home to find her pale and hurting. He rushed her to the hospital. Her blood pressure spiked, and the contractions started again. No amount of medication could stop them. Two hours later, when the contractions were really bad, the doctor came in to tell him Caroline's body was failing. Her liver and kidneys were shutting down.

Caroline was a wreck. He still heard her pleading for him to save the baby. She delivered their daughter six weeks early, then suffered a ma.s.sive stroke and died without ever holding her child.

Cameron picked up the photograph and traced his daughter's face, the past haunting his thoughts. He'd spent three weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, grieving for his wife and begging his daughter to live. Week four had been a turning point. He felt she'd spent three weeks mourning the loss of her mother and then decided to live for her father. She began eating on her own and gained weight quickly. Ten days later, Cameron finally took his daughter home. From then on, it had been the two of them.

Almost a year ago, he'd decided enough was enough. Emma needed a mother.

<script>