Dangerously Close Read online

  Dangerously Close

  By Dee J. Adams

  Bad-boy rock star Seger Hughes hit rock bottom after a near-fatal tragedy at his concert. He hates how his life has spun out of control. After changing his appearance and his name, he transforms into a different man: Mel Summers. Now he just needs a place to hide out from rabid fans and paparazzi.

  An isolated cliffside mansion is perfect. Ashley Bristol, his only neighbor, is blind—and her assistant is a classical music fan. They have no clue who he really is, but someone else does and she’s waited her whole life to be with him.

  Struggling to find her way after an accident that took her sight, Ashley is determined not to feel anything. Yet she gets to know Mel and can’t help falling for him. When her assistant mysteriously disappears, Ashley must rely on Mel more than ever. But then his past comes back to haunt them both, and just when they must pull together to avoid danger, betrayal and lies threaten to tear them apart…

  106,000 words

  Dear Reader,

  Inspiration comes from the strangest places. Every month, I whine a little when my coworker in charge of production, Jenny Bullough, emails to tell me it’s time to write a new Dear Reader letter. “But, but, I don’t know what to write about,” I say. This month, I added to my whine, “People have been telling me they actually READ these letters. Now there’s PRESSURE.” To which Jenny replied:

  My usual offer still stands ;)

  Dear Reader,

  Angela is busy sunning herself on a beach somewhere; we’ll return to our regularly scheduled dear reader letter in August. Meanwhile, enjoy this book!

  ~Jenny Bullough

  Unfortunately, since I write these letters months in advance, while this particular letter is going in the July books, and you’re perhaps reading this during the summer, the truth is, right now I’m dealing with allergy season, and not beach season. Though I did get to visit a beach in Florida a few weeks ago during a conference. Ahhh, memories…

  But I hope, for your sake, as you’re reading this, you are sunning yourself on some beach. With a tropical drink or frosty beer in hand. And a good-looking cabana person of your choice serving it. Oh, and no biting insects (our beach has biting insects and they hurt!).

  Still, I thank Jenny for the offer, and the inspiration to help me start off this letter. I have to admire the dedication of our authors who, every month, use their inspiration and write such fantastic stories that make great companions on the beach, by the pool, or even in your favorite reading spot indoors. This month, we have another creative and diverse group of releases for your reading pleasure.

  Kicking off the month is a sweeping historical romance from Laura Navarre. By Royal Command offers everything you’re looking for in a great historical read: rich historical details, sweeping passion, intrigue and, I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying this, an amazing happy ending! Joining Laura in starting off our month of releases is debut author Kait Gamble with her fascinating science-fiction romance Liar’s Game. Meanwhile, KC Burn keeps readers in the detailed science-fiction universe of Spice ’n’ Solace with her follow-up super-hot-and-spicy erotic m/m novella Alien ’n’ Outlaw.

  Longing for a particularly delicious erotic romance to turn up the heat inside, while it’s hot outside? We’ve got you covered this month. In addition to Alien ’n’ Outlaw, check out erotic romance offerings from Delphine Dryden and Karen Erickson with The Theory of Attraction and A Scandalous Affair, respectively. And we’re proud to announce debut erotic romance author Samantha Ann King with her ménage novel Sharing Hailey, and debut author Zaide Bishop with her erotic historical novella Eliza’s Awakening.

  Meanwhile, Michelle Garren Flye offers a compelling and emotional contemporary romance, Where the Heart Lies.

  Also this month, join Allegra Fairweather in another paranormal adventure in Island of Secrets by Janni Nell. And make sure you check out Jeffe Kennedy’s Rogue’s Pawn, which kicks off her new fantasy romance series!

  Other returning Carina Press authors this month include Natasha Hoar with The Ravenous Dead, the next installment in her Lost Souls series; Dee J. Adams’s Dangerously Close, which continues the high-octane Adrenaline Highs series; Anne Marie Becker, bringing you another slightly creepy and very suspenseful romance in Avenging Angel; and Hunter Raines with the paranormal m/m romance Sight Unseen.

  In addition to Samantha Ann King, Kait Gamble and Zaide Bishop, we’re proud to introduce another debut author, R.L. Naquin. If you enjoy your urban fantasy with a cheeky edge and a sense of humor, while offering the urban fantasy and romantic elements you love, make sure to check out Naquin’s debut novel, Monster in My Closet.

  I hope you these July 2012 releases as much as we do. And that you really do have a cabana person to wait on you ;)

  Remember, we love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.

  Happy reading!

  ~Angela James

  Executive Editor, Carina Press

  www.carinapress.com

  www.twitter.com/carinapress

  www.facebook.com/carinapress

  Dedication

  This is for Mom and Dad, for your support when I left the nest and wanted to fly. You gave me the freedom and independence I needed to find my way, but I always knew you were there with a net in case I needed help. I’ll always love you both.

  Acknowledgements

  I have to thank Holly Jacobs, Suzanne Brockmann and Laura Wright for tremendous support and much appreciated friendship. My respect for you all knows no bounds.

  As always, thank you to Kate Willoughby and Lynne Marshall for your ideas and support. Without you cheering me on, I wouldn’t be here.

  Thank you to Dr. Stanley Postar for telling me about wet macular degeneration due to head trauma and the medication that can treat it.

  Enormous thanks to Tony Banks for answering so many questions about rehabilitating from a serious head injury. T, you are without a doubt the most amazing human being I know. Your humor and will to live humble me after all you’ve been through. Love you.

  My huge gratitude and thanks to Kate Wilkosz for your time and effort, not to mention your patience in answering all my drug-related questions.

  Thank you to Brad Fernquist for putting outstanding music to the lyrics of Always Believe. I really appreciate you taking the time you did to answer all my questions and for giving me a peek into the life of a musician on the road and in the studio.

  Huge thanks go to Julie Goldstein and Rob Eastman for your unending help and constant support. You both have been so wonderful with your priceless advice and I can’t thank you enough.

  As usual, I have to thank Melissa Johnson for being an awesome editor. The whole Carina Press team is terrific, but I’m really lucky to work with you the most.

  Thank you to all my family and friends who have been cheering me on for so many months and years. Your support means the world to me.

  Last, but never least, thank you to Sean and Katelyn for your loving support and constant ability to keep me laughing.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapte
r Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Malibu, California

  November

  Present Day

  Bright California sun glinted off the Pacific Ocean and sent shards of light dancing in Ashley Bristol’s eyes. She adjusted her sunglasses for the tenth time, surprised at the intensity of the November sun. Ignoring the hazy feeling swimming in her head, she dug her bare feet into the warm sand and leaned her head back on her small beach chair. Maybe if she relaxed and tried some breathing exercises, the oncoming headache would go away.

  “This is the life,” her best friend, Ellie Reynolds, muttered next to her. “A cliff-side mansion, the beach anytime you want it and perfect sunsets every day.” Her sigh drifted with the breeze. “You’re tempting me to move back to L.A., you know. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

  Ashley smiled. “Yes, that’s me…devious to the bone. I found an irresistible place, then waited until you got married and moved to Indiana before cunningly trying to lure you back. Genius to the core.” She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly.

  Splayed next to her like a sun goddess in a pink bikini, Ellie chuckled.

  Ashley suppressed a sigh. She didn’t take her life for granted. Not anymore. On the contrary, she relished her new house and the picture-perfect scenery of the ocean and sand. Life should have been ideal. But, pretty soon, Ellie would go home and Ashley would be all alone with everything. And nothing. She’d been alone in this house for almost a year, careful to keep herself occupied with remodeling. Ellie’s visit had been both a reprieve from the loneliness and a chance to feel human. She’d changed so much in the past two years that it was hard to come to grips with her new life. But now was not the time to dwell on this, not when her old roommate was in town. She took another deep breath and let it out.

  Distraction. She needed a distraction.

  “Finish telling me about the premiere last night,” Ashley said. At least then she wouldn’t have to think about her lack of a life or the feeling that these breathing exercises weren’t doing a damn thing. “I want all the details. I read that every who’s who in Tinseltown made an appearance.”

  Dangerous Race, an action/adventure/love story, had its Hollywood red-carpet debut. As the star’s stunt double, Ellie had been invited to the movie’s premiere. Though she’d relocated to Indiana a year ago with her new husband, Ellie used the premiere as a good excuse to visit.

  “You should’ve been there,” Ellie chided. “Everyone asked about you.” She went on to list a half-dozen people that Ashley had met during the movie’s production, including the couple the movie was based on. “They all thought you were coming with me since Quinn couldn’t make it. Oh, by the way, Quinn says hi, too.”

  “How is your studly husband?”

  “He’s fine. Good. Gorgeous.” The girl was all but purring.

  “Stop gloating.” Ashley chuckled, but she loved that Ellie was so deliriously happy. No one deserved it more. Ellie still lived in Newlywed Land and hadn’t come off her honeymoon high. But who would have being married to a handsome, hunky, rich guy who also happened to worship the ground you walked on?

  “He wants to know how his Honda is running,” Ellie said.

  Ashley heard the smile on Ellie’s face, but didn’t bother opening her eyes to see it. Opening her eyes meant she might see spots. If she didn’t see spots, she could pretend this was a run-of-the-mill headache about to happen and not a migraine. “His Honda…it’s my Honda,” she huffed. “He gave it to me fair and square. I didn’t ask for it.” She had been in a coma when Quinn gifted her with the car. Although she’d played it off when she woke up and found out, secretly, she’d been floored by his generosity. The man was in love with her roommate, not her!

  Ellie chuckled again. “You know he’s going to give you shit about it for the rest of your life. He loves to tease you.” She flicked Ashley’s arm. “He’s especially glad that you’re alive to tease.”

  “Hey! Ow!” Ashley laughed and rubbed her bicep. “Yeah, well, one of these days I’m going to ship it to Indiana wrapped in a big bow with his name on it. But first I’d have to get a new car,” she admitted. “Unfortunately that’s not in my current budget.” A very strict budget that had allowed her to purchase an unbelievable deal on a Malibu cliff-side.

  “He’d be hurt if you did that, Ash,” Ellie said seriously. “He’s as worried about you as I am.”

  “What’s to worry? I’m living the California dream, right?” She had the world at her fingertips, but she couldn’t reach out and grab it. She had all the money she needed and she’d accomplished her main goal of setting up her mother in a house. Her original plan to become a lawyer had fallen through as quickly as the accident had happened. The only reason she’d gone into law in the first place was to make enough money to take care of her mother. With that done, she could move onto her next step, but part two of her dream—traveling the world—had disappeared with her sense of adventure.

  What happened next? She was asking herself that question more frequently as the renovations on the house drew to an end. Once the last two rooms were finished, she’d have no excuse to stay at home. Of course, Ellie would be back in Indiana and never know the difference. But Ashley still couldn’t get used to the person she’d become, a very different woman than she used to be.

  “If you’re living the California dream, why didn’t you come with me last night?”

  Fear of the sky falling. Fear of a migraine. Fear of living life. Ever since that scaffolding had collapsed on top of her, she had so many fears to choose from that narrowing it down seemed as impossible as swimming from one end of the Pacific to the other.

  “What happened to the party girl?” Ellie persisted.

  “I’m still trying to get comfortable in my skin,” Ashley said, shooting for honesty but hoping also to alleviate Ellie’s worry. A breeze blew her sarong and she adjusted it back over her legs. “It’s been two years and I still look in the mirror and see someone else.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you, you’re beautiful?” Ellie said. “You can’t let that scar dictate how you live your life. Look at Trace Bradshaw. Her scar is giant and she doesn’t let it stop her.”

  “Her scar is also covered one hundred percent of the time with clothes. Besides, I’ll bet that scar isn’t nearly as bad as the movie made it out to be. Mine is front and center and the first thing people see when they look at me. You can’t compare the two of us.”

  “You don’t look that different.”

  Not if makeup covered the scar on the side of her face. Every morning she woke up and it stared back at her from the mirror. Considering what her face had looked like after the accident, she was lucky. She knew that. It still didn’t take away the odd feeling of looking at herself and seeing some kind of stranger. “Look, I didn’t feel all that great last night.” That was the truth. “Not a hundred percent. I don’t like going out when I’m not—”

  “—a hundred percent. I know,” Ellie finished for her. “Are you feeling better today?”

  Ashley lifted her head and felt the all-too-familiar fuzziness that occasionally plagued her since coming out of a two-month coma two years ago. She tipped her sunglasses down her new nose and watched the waves hit the beach. Dark spots blocked out some of the white caps and confirmed what Ashley already suspected. Staying in denial wasn’t going to keep this migraine at bay, so it was time to get off the beach, find some soft sheets and sack out until the stupid thing passed.

  “Crap. I have to go in,” she said, grabbing her beach bag and dropping her sunscreen and book inside. “You can stay, but I’m on borrowed time with th
is migraine. I’ve got about ten minutes before I won’t be able to see a damn thing.” That was being generous since she’d stayed out longer than she should have. She downed the remaining ice in her cup and chomped it as she tossed the cup into the bag too.

  “Another migraine?” Ellie sat up next to her and gathered her stuff. “That’s why you weren’t feeling well last night. Can you usually see them coming that far in advance?”

  “Not usually,” Ashley admitted. “But sometimes.” Better to let Ellie believe that than the truth, and the truth had become very clear to Ashley. She was afraid to go out. The party girl extraordinaire was afraid to live life. She’d worked hard for so many years, going through law school and working at the firm that planned to hire her when she passed the bar. Hard work had deserved hard play. Odd, how the two things now seemed to work in tandem. No work and no play. The irony should’ve been funny. It wasn’t.

  Ashley folded her beach chair and headed for the stairs against the rock retaining wall/cliff where sixty feet above, her home overlooked the ocean. Ellie didn’t immediately follow. Her gaze scanned the top of the mountain in front of them. “Something wrong?” Ashley asked.

  Ellie shook her head. “No. I guess not.” She trekked forward. “Ever get the feeling you’re being watched when you’re down here?”

  “Only by the flies and seagulls. You can turn off the eyes in the back of your head, you know. You’re on vacation.”

  “I know. I just had the same feeling when that psycho Hank was after Quinn.”

  Ashley shivered at the mention of Hank. He was the one who’d changed her life. The one who nearly killed her while trying to get to Quinn. It had been the settlement against Hank’s estate that had bought her this place. Odd, how life worked so mysteriously. Still, one run-in with a nut job was one too many. Ashley didn’t bother scanning the vicinity with Ellie. Her vision was spotty enough already. “No one’s watching. No psychos in the neighborhood, the realtors promised,” she joked. “We’re the only ones here. Remember, I paid beaucoup bucks for a private mountain.” It wasn’t as if people couldn’t walk on this part of the beach—they just had to scale some tough rocks to do it. It was a good deterrent, which made the place so perfect. She started forward again and set her chair against the wall.