Heartthrob (Hollywood Hearts, #1) Read online

  HEARTTHROB

  Hollywood Hearts #1

  Belinda Williams

  © BWrite 2016

  HEARTTHROB

  HOLLYWOOD HEARTS BOOK 1

  Can an average girl survive Hollywood?

  Ally Valenti doesn’t belong in Hollywood. Not like her friend and actress, Lena Lyons. Lena’s convinced Ally to pursue her dreams of fashion design, starting with some gowns for the awards season.

  Which Ally will get around to creating as soon as she can stop looking at Jacob Swan, Lena’s latest co-star. Not that she’s staring. Ally’s skeptical of anything celebrity and it’s not like she’d be pathetic enough to fall for a Hollywood heartthrob.

  Then Ally learns there’s more to Jacob than his good-guy, all-American persona. She finds herself torn between the desire to get to know him better and her determination to stay out of the limelight.

  Of course the media has other ideas—and someone doesn’t like all the attention Ally’s getting. When threats aimed at destroying her fashion career go too far, Ally’s convinced she’s living in crazy town.

  The sensible thing would be to retreat home before it all ends in spectacular fashion. But will Ally be leaving more than her dreams behind if she says goodbye to Hollywood?

  This glamorous, fast-paced contemporary romance that will make you smile, is perfect for fans of Rachel Gibson, Victoria Dahl, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Liliana Hart.

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  Lena’s story, HEARTBREAKER, Book 2 in the Hollywood Hearts series, is due for release in 2017.

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

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  Acknowledgements

  Also by Belinda Williams

  About Belinda Williams

  For my leading man.

  Dress like you’re already famous.

  Chapter 1

  I’d lost my mind. How else had I let Lena convince me to do this?

  I made my way through the swarm of people in Terminal 5 of LAX. Everyone was in a rush. Except for me. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. Ever since I’d fastened the seat belt with a decisive click on the flight leaving Providence, time had seemed to slow down and all the voices in my head I’d been trying hard to ignore had surfaced.

  Would Mama be alright without me? How was I going to design not one, but two dresses for Lena to wear to the Hollywood awards ceremonies when I hadn’t designed anything in years? And what chance did I have of creating something that compared, even remotely, to world-renowned designers? What was living in Los Angeles going to be like? It was the same country but it may as well have been a different world to me. It was as far from Providence as I could get, literally and figuratively.

  Why couldn’t Lena have lived in New York? I could have handled that. I’d have been able to visit Mama and everyone else much more easily.

  I caught my runaway thoughts and inhaled a deep breath as I hitched my carry-on baggage higher on my shoulder. I recognized the exhausting stream of questions for what they were: fear and loneliness. Blame it on being part of a big Italian family. I was an only child but I’d hardly noticed it. With twenty-one cousins I’d never had the chance to be lonely.

  Unlike Lena.

  Lena was an only child, too, and she’d lost her mom to cancer when she was a teenager. She’d been standing on her own two feet since then, but even when she was married, that lonesome quality had never quite left her.

  Which was why I was here.

  I could damn well manage to leave the safety of my overprotective family to support a friend in need. Going through a separation and divorce was hard enough without it being all over the media. It came with the territory, though. As one of Hollywood’s hottest actresses, Lena’s separation from her internationally renowned producer husband, Duncan Moore, was bound to make headlines.

  It didn’t help that he was the man who catapulted Lena’s career. On paper it read predictably: stunning actress falls for distinguished producer twenty-five years her senior.

  There was a lot the papers didn’t know, though. Like the fact Duncan and Lena had been passionately devoted to each another for the last five years. They’d become a Hollywood power couple, and no one had seen it coming. Least of all Lena.

  Now the media was spreading rumors about Duncan returning to his first wife, a grandmother in her early sixties, who Duncan had split from to be with Lena. If it was true, that had to hurt. But I had no idea if that was what had happened or not, and I wasn’t about to press Lena for details.

  So if I felt more than a little scared or alone at this exact moment, I’d just have to get over it.

  Lena needed me right now. Not that she’d shown it. In typical Lena style, her request for ‘help’ came in the form of an offer. She seemed determined to give me a shot at my dreams of becoming a fashion designer—something I’d never be able to pursue if I remained nestled in the warm but stifling bosom of Valenti’s restaurant.

  It was a dream I was reluctant to believe in again, but I wasn’t telling her that. I was happy to let her think otherwise. As far as I was concerned, Lena’s well-being was my priority right now, not some difficult to achieve career goal that continued to elude me due to circumstances out of my control.

  Somehow I’d made my way to the baggage collection area without really knowing it. My bag was one of the first to appear so I went to the conveyor belt to grab it.

  “Hey!”

  I leapt toward a man who had picked up my bag like it weighed nothing, but upon properly taking in his appearance, swiftly reconsidered.

  The African American man set the bag down beside me and looked me up and down. He wore a tailored black suit and I felt sorry for the suit. It was doing a valiant job of holding it all together, but one thoughtless bicep flex and it would be ripped to shreds.

  He tilted his head and surveyed me. “I’m surprised you could pick it up.”

  “It’s OK. I can manage.”

  Doubt pressed lines high into his forehead toward a neatly trimmed buzz cut. “Maybe. But I’ll carry it for you.”

  I didn’t have time to stare at him in disbelief and was forced to hurry after him. “Excuse me! That’s
nice of you, but I’ll do it.” Who was this guy, anyway? Lena had said she’d send someone to pick me up from the airport, but I hadn’t envisaged this hulk of a man as my welcoming party.

  I thought I heard him say something, but it was hard to tell because every step he took carried my bag further away from me.

  “What did you say?” I called.

  Just as I was about to reach him, he slowed and turned to face me. I bumped into his chest with an ungraceful ‘oof’ and he reached out to steady me with both arms. I rubbed my nose and looked up at him. Wow, he was tall. And seriously, was the man made of concrete? His chest was an impenetrable wall, but I guessed that was an advantage in his line of work.

  “You’re Ally, aren’t you?”

  “Yes—”

  He was already marching away with my bag in tow before I could say anything else.

  The man tossed me a look over his shoulder as he went. “You coming?”

  “What?” I scampered after him but was having trouble keeping up with his long strides.

  “Hurry up, woman. Or am I going to have to drag you to the car myself?”

  The man walked back to my side and gripped my arm firmly. “Ain’t you ever been in a big airport before?”

  “Of course. I flew via New York.” My feet skittered on the polished floor as I stumbled along beside him.

  He shot me a look like he didn’t believe me. “Those big brown eyes of yours tell me you’re not a big-city girl.”

  “My big brown eyes don’t tell you anything!”

  “Yeah, they do. Don’t feel bad. You small-town folk don’t need to be switched on like we do.”

  “I’ll have you know I’m very switched on.”

  “In a small-town kinda way, huh?”

  “Providence isn’t Hicksville.”

  “But it’s not LA, is it?”

  I let my shoulders drop. He had me there. “I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. “Maybe I am a little freaked out right now. And then you came along all tough and take charge and it took me off guard. I mean, maybe next time you could introduce yourself first? That might help. I assume you work for Lena?”

  “Who’s Lena?”

  I stared at him.

  After a painfully long pause in which I suspected my big brown eyes were giving me away again, a wide grin split his face, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. He laughed at me. Actually, he was practically hooting with laughter, those big, broad shoulders jostling up and down like boulders in an earthquake. He certainly looked more approachable when he wasn’t acting all ‘tough guy.’

  “That’s just mean,” I told him.

  He tugged my arm to indicate we should keep walking, apparently not all that sympathetic. “I’m Jay. I’m in charge of Lena’s security.”

  “Well, you’re not doing a very good job, are you?” I shot back, still smarting at his poking fun at me.

  “And how in the hell would you know that?” he asked, taking the bait.

  I shrugged casually, trying to pretend I wasn’t ever so slightly worried by the fact I might have pissed off Lena’s tough-looking security guy. “I don’t see Lena anywhere around here, do you?”

  “She’s in the car.”

  “She is?” I squealed, and resisted the urge to jump up and down. Something told me Jay wouldn’t go for that. When Lena had told me she’d have someone pick me up from the airport, I hadn’t considered that she’d come along for the ride. Or that she’d send someone who looked like a big, badass superhero. Then another thought occurred to me. “And you’ve just left her by herself? Isn’t that a bit unsafe?”

  Jay let out a deep sigh, probably not used to strangers questioning his professional decisions. “She’s with Tim. He’s her driver.”

  “Oh.” Right. So she had a security guy and a driver. Nice. I supposed things had changed a lot since I’d last visited her in LA. How long ago had that been? Almost five years? She’d only been a small name then.

  “Something tells me you gotta lot to learn,” he muttered.

  “I’m a quick study. And surely Hollywood isn’t that different to the rest of the country.”

  “Oh, man.”

  “Oh, come on, it can’t be that different. We’re still in America, aren’t we?” I joked.

  “Let me put it this way: I knew where I stood better when I served time in Afghanistan.”

  I didn’t have time to reflect on the unsettling revelation that Lena’s on-site head of security was actually a real-life superhero. We’d arrived outside and I realized, due to the time difference, it was still nighttime. Jay raised an arm the size of a small tree trunk and waved. I watched as a very ordinary sedan pulled out and made its way toward us. The only sign there was something different about the car was the dark tint obscuring the view through the windows.

  “I’ll take your bag. That is, if you’re OK with that?”

  I offered him a bright, friendly smile, determined to make up for my initial reaction. “That would be great.”

  “Now hop in. You don’t want anyone to see you.”

  I stared at him for a long moment. Maybe his time in the forces had made him paranoid.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked with a distinct hint of impatience in his voice.

  “You know I’m not famous, right?” So far from it, unless you counted my popularity as a babysitter among my cousins. Due to my single status, I was the go-to girl for childminding in my family. I’d even had a couple of cousins express their concern over the impact to their social lives my moving away would cause.

  Jay guided me to the rear of the car. “Lena’s the hottest thing in Hollywood right now, and you will be by association if you don’t keep your head down. Hurry up and get in the car.”

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Me, hot? The idea was laughable, but I did as I was told and got in the car anyway.

  As soon as I met Lena’s cool blue gaze I forgot all about her overzealous security guy and squealed.

  I was pretty sure I saw the driver wince.

  “Welcome to Hollywood, Allegra.”

  Chapter 2

  I chuckled at my childhood friend. “Allegra?” People so rarely called me by my full name that it always sounded like it belonged to someone else.

  Lena leaned back and met my eyes. “Yes. Ally to me, of course. But to everyone else? You’re Allegra Valenti, fashion designer. I think it has a certain ring to it.”

  I shook my head at my best friend’s faith in me. “Whatever you say, Miss Hollywood Superstar.”

  In classic Lena style she reached over and embraced me delicately. If I wasn’t mistaken she held on a little longer than was usual. I squeezed her tightly because that’s what I did, movie star or no movie star.

  She eased back and I surveyed her appearance, looking for signs that she may have lost weight. My gaze immediately dropped to her feet, which were exquisite like the rest of her. They were adorned with a pair of strappy red stilettos that made me want to drop to the floor of the car and examine the shoes close up, they were so beautiful.

  “Like you need to be taller.” I complained. “You’re practically a skyscraper as it is.”

  Her wide mouth twitched and she wiggled her painted red toes. “I wore these during the filming of my latest movie so they’re work shoes. Cute sneakers, by the way,” she teased.

  I was too busy taking in her appearance to worry about my own very un-Hollywood jeans and T-shirt ensemble. Her floaty, sleeveless red dress highlighted the fact she was all arms and legs. Lena claimed in junior high she’d been called ‘praying mantis’, but that was before her modeling days. To my relief, her slender figure hadn’t reached waiflike proportions on account of her separation.

  Satisfied, I sighed theatrically. “It must be so hard being subjected to constant hair and make-up, not to mention being forced to wear disgusting shoes like those. I’ve no idea how you put up with it.”

  She grinned at me. In the dim light of the car, Lena’s pale northern E
uropean features appeared otherworldly. Her wide-set eyes looked almost violet, but I knew it was a trick of the light; they were a deep blue. She’d painted her lips with her signature bright red and added some darker blond highlights to her platinum hair since I’d last seen her.

  “How are you?” It was a demand instead of a polite question.

  Her smile faded. “Always so direct.” Her voice held a note of wistfulness.

  “That’s why I’m here and we both know it.”

  She tilted her head to study me thoughtfully. “I don’t know what it is about you, Ally, but you always keep it real for me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You mean I’m a normal person?”

  “Exactly.”

  “You know I’m not going to fit in here,” I reminded her, echoing my initial reservations when we’d first had the conversation about me coming to stay with her in Hollywood. My experience with Jay hadn’t exactly made me feel sure of my decision either.

  “You’ve never needed to fit in and that’s what I love about you. It’s why we click.”

  I smiled to myself, remembering our time together in senior high. Lena had moved around with her dad’s job a lot and landed in Providence, Rhode Island, when she was sixteen, spending two years at my school. Best damn two years of my teenage life. We were the misfits of our graduating class but we couldn’t have cared less.

  “Hollywood’s a lot different to being a senior in high school,” I replied. “The girls don’t hate you for your beauty anymore, so having a nobody like me hanging around isn’t going to look good.”

  “It is when they discover I’m unearthing the hottest new designer to hit Hollywood,” she said firmly.

  My short laugh sounded brittle. “Wearing my unconventional designs may have gotten us grudging acceptance as teenagers. Doing it now might land you in the worst dressed columns of the tabloids.”

  “Stop it. You’re hugely talented. You couldn’t help that your father got sick when you were about to move to New York and start your fashion design course.”

  I turned to look out the window. Outside, an inky sky held a sliver of an autumn moon. It appeared fragile, much like the dreams I was refusing to dust off and let the starlight twinkle some of their light on.