Crazy in Love. Crystal B. Bright

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      LYRICAL PRESS

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Copyright

      Lyrical Press books are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 2017 by Crystal B. Bright

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

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      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      119 West 40th Street

      New York, NY 10018

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      Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

      First Electronic Edition: October 2017

      eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0468-0

      eISBN-10: 1-5161-0468-4

      First Print Edition: October 2017

      ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0471-0

      ISBN-10: 1-5161-0471-4

      Printed in the United States of America

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated to anyone afraid of taking a chance on the unknown. Sometimes trying something new and different is a good thing.

      Acknowledgements

      Thank you to Renee Rocco and Martin Biro for taking a chance on me again. I submitted Crazy in Love as a single title. I was shocked when I was asked to make this a series. Thank you for seeing more in me as an author than I see in myself at times.

      Thank you to my new editor, Mercedes Fernandez. Hope we have a long-lasting working relationship.

      Thank you, always, to Jim Stark. You may be tone deaf and often make up lyrics to songs when you sing them, but you are always music to my ears. I love you.

      Author’s Foreword

      I came up with the idea for this story—of a sexy R&B singer falling for someone who doesn’t seem like her type—back when Beyoncé was dating Jay Z. I didn’t understand how those two people could be together and, ultimately, fall in love. I wrote Crazy in Love to explain the attraction, but instead I changed the hero to a country singer. I liked the idea of mixing the two different types of music and how it doesn’t matter when it comes to making great music.

      Hope you all find a bit of harmony in this series.

      Keep reading,

      Crystal***

      Chapter 1

      “Up. Don’t mess up your makeup.” Her manager tapped Shauna Stellar’s shoulder.

      Shauna shivered at his touch. On a day like today, she needed the comfort and resented it. She stared at a picture on her large, rectangular phone. Her mother with her wild mane of chocolate-brown hair and wide, expressive dark eyes smiled in the shot. If Shauna inhaled deep enough, she could smell her mom’s flowery scent.

      Moments like this, she missed having her mother sit by her side to tell her everything would be okay. Then again, with Shauna’s busy schedule, it had been a while since her mother had been able to do that. Now, she would never get that chance again.

      Shauna knew Craig would stay around her, hovering, until she complied with his directive. Until she sat up and looked him in his eyes, he wouldn’t move on to his next task. Shauna waited a beat before connecting her gaze to his through the mirror.

      “Good girl.” The large man in an expensive suit winked at her.

      She started to open her mouth, wanting to scream at him for so many things right now. Why wouldn’t he let her be for a moment? Why did she always have to appear perfect? Why did she have to sing today? Why couldn’t she say no?

      He held up his finger. “You open that mouth of yours for hot tea or vocal warm-ups. Nothing else until show time. You know the rules.”

      Yes, Craig George’s rules. Shauna pressed her lips together.

      “You need tea?” He didn’t even look at her when he asked the question. His stare stayed on his diamond-encrusted Rolex.

      No. Having tea before a performance СКАЧАТЬ