âI donât want you falling in love with me and then one day waking up and realizing Iâm not the man you wanted me to be.â
âSo where does that leave us?â she asked, her tone tinged with defiance.
He shrugged. âWeâll still work together.â
âI meant where does this leave us personally? Youâre convinced Iâm some delicate flower who canât handle being involved with you. But youâre wrong. I can handle anything.â
He smiled at her bravado. And her choice of words. He should probably just calmly walk away from that innuendo, but, damn it, he couldnât.
âAm I to assume you want to handle me?â
Dear Reader,
Itâs always a thrill to work on a continuity. For starters, itâs a huge honour to work with so many of the authors whose work I admire. Working on a continuity also helps me stretch and grow as a writer. For example, the hero of this story, Ward Miller, is a musician. Rock star is not a profession I would have picked for a hero all on my own, yet I ended up having a blast writing about Ward.
I live near Austin, Texas, which is known as the Live Music Capital of the World. One of my favourite local musicians is a guitarist and singer named Monte Montgomery. When I gave a voice to Ward, it was Monteâs music that I heard in my mind. If you want to hear Ward ⦠um, I mean Monte, check out âLove Come Knockinâ â or âWhen Will I.â Theyâre all available on iTunes.
I hope you enjoy this book and the whole continuity. As for me, I canât wait to read all the books in the series!
Emily McKay
EMILY McKAY has been reading romance novels since she was eleven years old. Her first Mills & Boon>® novel came free in a box of Hefty rubbish bags. She has been reading and loving romance novels ever since. She lives in Texas with her geeky husband, her two kids and too many pets. Her debut novel, Baby, Be Mine, was a RITA>® Award finalist for Best First Book and Best Short Contemporary. She was a 2009 RT Book Reviews Career Achievement nominee for Series Romance. You can hang out with her online at the Mills & Boon>® site, JauntyQuills.com or her website, www.EmilyMcKay.com.
This book isâquite naturallyâfor all the musicians whose music I love and listen to obsessively in the final stages of writing my books. In particular, Nancy Giffith, for her poignant lyrics and her ability to tell a story with more emotional resonance in three minutes than I can tell in two hundred and forty pages. And Monte Montgomery, for giving a sound and voice to Ward.
Donât miss a single book in this series!
The Takeover
For better, for worse. For business, for pleasure.
These tycoons have vowed to have it all!
Claimed: The Pregnant Heiress by Day Leclaire
Seduced: The Unexpected Virgin by Emily McKay
Revealed: His Secret Child by Sandra Hyatt
Bought: His Temporary Fiancée by Yvonne Lindsay
Exposed: Her Undercover Millionaire by Michelle Celmer
Acquired: The CEOâs Small-Town Bride by Catherine Mann
The last thing Ana Rodriguez needed in her life was another preening, self-indulgent star. Mere weeks ago, sheâd walked away from her successful career as a costume designer in Hollywood for precisely that reason. So when her best friend, Emma Worth, had suggested she apply for the job as the director for a charity starting up in her hometown of Vista del Mar, Ana had jumped at the chance.
A fresh start was just what she needed. Away from the drama of Hollywood. Away from stars who would make her life miserable just because she didnât put out.
Since then, sheâd found out sheâd be working with Ward Miller, a musical superstar who glowed brighter than anyone sheâd known in Hollywood. In her experience, the bigger the name, the bigger the ego. Only now, instead of merely dressing the megalomaniac, she had to pander to his every need, listen to his opinions, take his advice and generally make sure he was thrilled to be the celebrity face of the charity, Hannahâs Hope.
With a critical eye, she scanned the charityâs humble front office. As their mission statement said, they provided âmentoring and resources for disadvantaged individuals.â Which was a fancy way of saying âWe help poor people.â In general, Ana wasnât fond of fancy ways of saying things.
âYouâre stewing,â a friendly voice chided.
Ana looked over her shoulder to Christi Cox, her assistant director. âIâm not stewing. Iâm mulling.â
Which was just a fancy way of saying âstewing.â Ana uncrossed her arms to toy with the delicate trio of golden loops that comprised her earrings.
The furnishings of the front room were clean, but strictly utilitarian. Functional worktables supplemented with used chairs and bookshelves sheâd picked up on Craigslist. The conference room, offices and kitchen in back were even less chic. Sheâd sent Omar, Hannahâs Hopeâs third employee, out to the grocery store to buy coffee. But she doubted even the most gourmet of brews would impress Miller.