by Alexa Aston
“You . . . you don’t hate me?” she asked.
“Why would I hate you, babe? You’re my whole world.”
“But I . . . but I . . . I came here today. Wake saw me. That . . . that put Herc in danger.”
Suddenly, Dash understood. “Oh, honey, I don’t blame you for anything. Wake Marshall is the one to blame. You didn’t do a thing wrong. I could never hate you. I love you.”
“You do?”
“You bet I do.” He paused. “Some people may think I’m sucking up to my boss but you and I know what’s real. You and me, Syd. We’re real. What we’ve got is real. We belong together. I can’t imagine a day—even a minute—without you in my life. I want to wake up with you every day and sleep with you every night.”
“Even if I steal the covers?” she teased.
“Especially if you steal the covers,” he assured her, “because that’ll give me a reason to snuggle closer to you. I want to work with you. Play with you. Make love to you. I want to climb mountains with you by my side. I believe in me because I believe in us. Together. I love you, Sydney Harper Revere. I want to marry you and have forever with you. Do you want to marry me?”
Her smile was like warm sunshine radiating to his very soul. “I love you so much, Dash. I want to marry you and have your babies and live a life together with no regrets.”
He smiled. “I like how you worked in that ‘no regrets’ part.”
She grinned. “That was pretty slick, huh?” Her hands cupped his face. “My answer is yes, Dash DeLauria.”
Dash kissed his fiancée deeply. The soul-shattering kiss confirmed just how right things were in his life.
Suddenly, he became aware of applause and broke the kiss. Bruce and his team surrounded them, along with two squad cars. Even Tim had gotten out of bed, his arm around Brenda as they looked on.
Herc jumped up and down, clapping away.
Dash motioned Herc over and he came running. The three of them held on tightly as they embraced.
“Are we going to be a family, Dash?” Herc asked hopefully.
“We are, Herc. We sure are,” Dash confirmed.
EPILOGUE
One year later . . .
Sydney looked out from their high perch on the top of the Arc de Triomphe and gazed down the beautiful Avenue des Champs-Elysees. She and Dash had walked some of the boulevard yesterday when they left the Louvre, stopping in the Jardin des Tuileries to sit in chairs beside a fountain. An hour had passed as they sat quietly, holding hands, happy to be in one another’s company.
Today, they started at the western end of Place Charles de Gaulle, studying the names inscribed on the monument of valiant Frenchmen who’d fought in the country’s revolution and in the Napoleonic Wars. Sydney was impressed by the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which honored the memory of the unknown dead lost in both world wars. History had always fascinated her and she’d learned over the past year the same held true for Dash. They had planned several trips to take in the future in order to feed their passions for it.
Their shared interest in history was nothing compared to the passion they held for one another.
The past year had been the best of her life, even if the occasional nightmare about Wake woke her from a deep sleep. When it did, Dash’s muscled arms and legs would wrap her in a blanket of warmth and security. Her husband was the most caring man she’d met—with an insatiable appetite for making love. Sydney had learned hers equaled his and they continually discovered new wonders about each other.
“Ready?”
She nodded. They returned to the inside of the monument and proceeded back to ground level. Dash threw an arm around her shoulders as they began the journey back down the most famous street in Paris.
“Let’s cut through here,” Dash said, leading her into the Jardin des Champs-Elysees.
They strolled through the public park and found a remote area along Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt called Vallee Suisse. The quiet section of the public park seemed far from the busy boulevard. Sydney loved when they stumbled upon a stream that passed under a weeping willow tree and Dash led her to it.
“Wanna cop a squat?” he asked, referring to a line in Pretty Woman, one of her favorite movies.
Sydney had never expected the fairy tale—but she’d gotten it all the same—just as Julia Roberts’ character had. Millionaire Edward Lewis had seen something in streetwalker Vivian Ward and made her an offer that finally included marriage and living happily ever after.
Sydney and Dash were doing just that.
They claimed a spot on the ground, the green grass thick beneath them. Dash leaned against the weeping willow while Sydney sat between his legs, her back resting against his chest as his arms came around her and held her close.
“I could sit here all day with you,” he said. “This is a perfect day. Because I’m with you.”
Dash threaded his fingers through hers and softly brushed his lips against her temple. “Glad we’re spending our birthdays in Paris, babe?”
“Of course. You promised we would. I knew you’d make it happen.”
It had taken some juggling of their schedules but they had ten days to spend together in the City of Lights before they had to be back in LA. The past year had flown by. They’d married quickly and quietly after Wake’s arrest. Rhett and Cassie had served as their attendants at a small wedding in her dad’s backyard, with only a few family and friends present. Filming had concluded on No Regrets, and Sadie Sistern’s editing had pulled the picture together beyond what Sydney had imagined. The film released Christmas Day and won an Oscar for editing and sound. Cassie’s screenplay had been nominated and Keely Kennedy earned a Best Supporting Actress nod, as well. Dash’s career had taken off and he’d recently completed a straight drama—no action or adventure in sight.
When they returned to California, Sydney would helm another of Cassie’s screenplays. This time, Rhett and Dash would share equal billing. Casting had been completed and rehearsals would begin when this second honeymoon ended. Sydney already had the shooting schedule outlined. They would finish two weeks before Thanksgiving.
In plenty of time for the birth of Baby DeLauria in January.
Sydney was only three months pregnant but a definite bump was starting to show. Maybe it had something to do with the rich French food of the last few days that made her all of a sudden pop but she’d definitely need to start wearing some maternity jeans with a stretch panel when they got home. Since Cassie had given birth on Valentine’s Day to a baby girl, she’d told Sydney she was welcome to wear any of her mommy clothes.
Dash released one of her hands and splayed his fingers possessively across her belly.
“I can’t wait until we can feel her kick.”
“Or him. It could be a him, you know.”
He rubbed his hand against her stomach. “I know but I want a miniature Sydney to spoil. One with your auburn hair and green eyes and kickass attitude.”
She grew still. “I’ve wanted to tell you something but I didn’t know how.” Sydney sat up and turned to face him.
Dash cupped her cheek. “You know you can tell me anything.”
She nodded. Working up her courage, she said, “I was pregnant before. When I was married to Craig. We were only married four months when the drunk driver hit us.” She swallowed. “I was six weeks along. I miscarried in the hospital.”
His thumb slowly stroked her face. “I’m so sorry.”
Sydney exhaled a long breath. “It was probably for the best. The baby would never have known Craig. And I was so young. I worried about getting pregnant again.”
“Now, you are. We are.”
Dash brought his mouth to hers in a tender kiss that made Sydney feel treasured. Then he playfully outlined her mouth with the tip of his tongue, sending chills through her. She readily opened for him and soon their tongues mated with heat and desire. He broke the kiss and sprang to his feet, pulling her up next to him.
“
We could see a few more sights today,” he began, his face serious. “Or we could go back to the George V and finish what we’ve started.”
“Are you flirting with me, Mr. DeLauria?”
A smile lit his features. “I think I am, Mrs. DeLauria.”
“Well, I’ve always been one to start what I finished. I would not want to leave this particular task undone,” Sydney said. “Je t’aime Paris . . . and I love you, Dash. With all my heart. I always will.”
As she entwined her arms about his neck and gave in to his kiss, Sydney knew that with Dash, she had found a home and a purpose. But most of all, they’d found love.
About The Author
Alexa Aston
Award-winning and internationally bestselling author Alexa Aston lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She’s a binge fiend (The Crown and Ozark are favorites) who enjoys travel, sports, and time with her family.
Her historical romances bring to life loveable rogues and dashing knights, while her contemporary romances are light and flirty and sometimes contain a bit of suspense.
Hollywood Name Game
Meet the men of Hollywood and the women they fall for in Alexa Aston’s new contemporary romance series, Hollywood Name Game—five romances sprinkled with humor and a few laced with a bit of suspense—but all guarantee a satisfactory, happily ever after for these couples.
Anything can happen in Hollywood . . .
*Each book in the series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.
Hollywood Heartbreaker
Being late to an interview lands her the biggest job opportunity of her life.
He may be rich and successful—but he’s just this side of miserable.
Can a wannabe be The One for the biggest star in Hollywood?
Cassie Carroll came to Hollywood with big dreams that never materialized. Acting isn’t even on the back burner anymore—it’s completely off the stove. Working for a third-rate agent, Cassie hopes to land a new job that will give her credibility, as well as help pay the rent. Late to her interview, she swerves to avoid hitting a dog—and totals the car of Hollywood’s leading action superstar. Surprisingly, she walks away from their encounter with a job—as the sexiest man alive’s personal assistant.
Rhett Corrigan is bored with the movies he makes and the drop-dead gorgeous model he’s dating. He’s afraid that Hollywood has typecast him—and that he’ll never be able to break out of his action mold and try new acting challenges. When Cassie Carroll literally slams into his life, she brings a breath of fresh air and common sense to his world. She pushes him to be a better actor and a better man.
Can these friends become lovers—and can their love survive—in a tabloid-happy town that thrives on rumors and backstabbing?
Hollywood Flirt
She’s Hollywood royalty whose trail vanished a dozen years ago.
He doesn’t do relationships and thinks commitment is a four-letter word.
They Google each other . . . and sparks fly . . .
Sydney Revere, the daughter of a famous movie couple, left Hollywood behind over a decade ago. Christened The Wild Child by the media, she reinvents herself as a serious student who becomes an attorney and marries a safe, predictable man. When her husband cheats on her and the law loses its glitter, Sydney returns to Hollywood. Her father hires her to storyboard his upcoming movie, No Regrets—and then stuns Sydney when he offers her the job as his assistant director.
Dash DeLauria is a rising actor who hasn’t trusted a woman since his mother left. He’s now the guardian of his mentally-challenged brother. Dash is looking to grow professionally and after he wins the lead in No Regrets, he finds he’s lost his heart and soul to Sydney. With both their careers on the upswing, life is sweet.
But Sydney’s ex-husband isn’t finished with her yet. Discovering who she really is—and that she’s wealthy—he tracks her to California, ready to start over with her again.
No matter what it takes . . .
Hollywood Player
She has zero friends . . . and is wary of men, living life as a recluse.
His only friend is 90 and when she dies, he’s adrift.
Can a dyslexic actor and a shy loner find happiness together?
Famous from the time she was fourteen, London Russell lands the cover of Sports Illustrated to cap off her modeling career. Leaving the fashion world behind, she follows her dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. Thanks to an ex-boyfriend’s vicious attack on her, London becomes a recluse who turns out hits but never tours—and can’t trust a man. Her life changes course when she encounters a Hollywood screenwriter and director and agrees to write the theme song for their next movie.
Knox Monroe grew up as America’s darling, a child actor featured on several popular television series. After his mother’s betrayal, Knox drops out of sight, returning years later to make the successful transition to adult roles. A known womanizer and loner, Knox meets London by chance. Through her connections, he winds up with the lead role in a new movie.
Will London be able to open her heart and move past Knox’s player reputation? And will Knox knock down the emotional fortress that he’s built around his heart?
In Hollywood, anything’s possible. . .
Hollywood Double
She’s a Hollywood leading lady who’s never found love – except with Jax, her Basenji.
He’s divorced from a cheating wife and refuses to ever give his heart away again.
Together, their smoking-hot chemistry leads to movie magic . . . and murder . . .
Mac Randall’s life turns upside down when he walks in on his wife and her lover. He finishes his tour of duty overseas and leaves the army, becoming a popular stuntman in Hollywood. When the actor Mac doubles for is murdered, Mac is surprised to find himself cast as the film’s leading man—at the suggestion of the actress who will play opposite him.
Keely Kennedy has built a solid career in Hollywood, rising from supporting roles to leading lady, but she’s been unlucky in love. She becomes close friends with Mac Randall, her new co-star, while she helps him prepare for his first on-screen role. Friendship blossoms into love during their shoot and despite several mishaps on the set, she knows not only has she done the best work in her career on this film, but she believes Mac will become an instant star.
Before production is complete, though, the murderer surfaces—ready to kill the film—and its two stars.
Hollywood Enigma
She’s a legal shark—sleek and deadly—but doesn’t trust anyone beyond her small circle of family and friends.
He’s internationally famous—and yet a mystery to the world as he cloaks himself in privacy.
Can they shed their fears and open their hearts to one another?
Actor Wynn Gallagher is at the peak of his fame, playing superhero Carbon Man in the Alpha Tharra Universe film franchise. While the role has made him wealthy, he’s ready to move on to newer challenges—but his ironclad contract will keep him tied to the role for years to come. Seeking legal advice, he approaches Scarlett Corrigan, one of the top entertainment attorneys in Los Angeles.
Scarlett is the younger sister of Hollywood’s highest paid actor, Rhett Corrigan, but she’s made a name for herself in entertainment law. She thrives on challenges and readily accepts Wynn as a client, but she puts the brakes on the strong attraction between them, not wanting to mix business with pleasure.
Eventually, Wynn and Scarlett become involved but tragedy strikes not once, but twice, threatening to end their relationship before it has a chance to grow and flourish.
Can Wynn and Scarlett overcome overwhelming odds and find lasting love?
Books By This Author
To Heal an Earl (Soldiers & Soulmates Book 1)
Both wronged by their families . . . two souls alone in the world . . .
Instead of making her come-out during the upcomin
g London Season, Lady Charlotte Nott finds herself tossed from her home after her father’s untimely death by a vengeful half-brother. Penniless, she makes her way in a world new to her, first serving as a companion and then governess to the three children of Lord Crampton. When the earl dies moments after hiring her, Charlotte takes on the running of Gray Manor’s household and estate until the children’s new guardian arrives.
Guilt weighs heavily on Major Danforth Grayson, having lost too many men under his command over the years. When he receives word of the death of the brother who wronged him, Gray returns home, bitter with the hand life has dealt him. He intends to hire competent people to manage the estate and care for his nephew and nieces and retreat to a solitary life in London—until he meets the inimitable Miss Nott.
Charlotte is drawn to Gray but knows she is no longer of his world. When he suddenly becomes the new Lord Crampton, she knows it’s time to leave her charges behind—for what woman would care to watch the man she loves wed another and start a family as she suffers in silence? Yet Charlotte knows Gray is a broken man and her leaving might shatter him forever.
Can Charlotte walk away from a flawed man who desperately needs her, or will she leave before she loses her own soul?
