His Uptown Girl. Liz Talley

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      Life doesn’t follow rules

      Jazz pianist Dez Batiste knows this all too well. It’s taken him years to return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina swept away what mattered most. His musician’s soul is still lost in the wreckage, but he’s after a brand-new future by opening an Uptown jazz club. Too bad the distractingly sexy Eleanor Theriot is getting in his way. Sure, she may be protecting her community, but there’s passion underneath that upper-class exterior of hers.

      With a little seduction from Dez, that passion sizzles to life and soon they’re enjoying an exclusive friends-with-benefits arrangement. The intensity between them reawakens his music and Dez knows they’re more than temporary. Now to convince Eleanor to bend those rules she lives by…

      “You know I want you.”

      Eleanor took a step toward Dez. “You’re almost too beautiful to be human, but you’re like a doughnut. I love doughnuts and I want to eat them every day, but I can’t because I’ll get fat.”

      “Yeah, but what would life be without the occasional nibble on a doughnut? Maybe just a taste.” He wanted her to say yes, wanted her to toss away those crazy inhibitions that held her back.

      “I could so easily, you know.”

      “I won’t hurt you.”

      “That’s what they all say,” she whispered.

      “Let’s make a deal.” Dez cupped her jaw, studying those delicious lips. “If things feel too much, too serious, we walk away.”

      Eleanor closed her eyes with a harsh laugh. “You can’t walk away when the heart gets involved.”

      “You’re thinking too damn much,” he said.

      Then he slid his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. He was tired of talking. There were better ways of convincing Eleanor this thing between them was worth exploring.

      Dear Reader,

      In a city crumbling, weathered by time and the waters surrounding it, music is a living, breathing entity. If you’ve ever visited New Orleans, you know exactly of what I speak. The melding of Spanish, French and African cultures creates an essence unique from any other place, a gumbo of food, music and a way of living that’s slower…and yet full of energy. It’s easy to fall in love with New Orleans.

      This book is a Hurricane Katrina book, yet not. His Uptown Girl is about healing, forgiveness and finding courage…discovering beauty among ruin. These characters grabbed hold of who they were and ran with it—they’re likely the most complex and interesting ones I’ve written.

      So come with me to New Orleans—to Uptown Magazine Street and Downtown Frenchmen Street. Listen to the rat-a-tat beat of jazz, blues and soul mixed with a hint of bounce. Taste the stuffed crab and andouille sausage…and don’t forget a cocktail. It’s the Crescent City, the Big Easy and the place where Eleanor will learn to love again, Dez will find his mojo and a young sax player will discover dreams don’t fade…even when you bury them in your soul.

      I hope you enjoy His Uptown Girl. For more information on my books and to contact me, visit www.liztalleybooks.com or write to P.O. Box 5418, Bossier City, Louisiana 71171.

      Happy reading!

      Liz Talley

      His Uptown Girl

      Liz Talley

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      From devouring the Harlequin Superromance novels on the shelf of her aunt’s used bookstore to swiping her grandmother’s medical romances, Liz Talley has always loved a good romance. So it was no surprise to anyone when she started writing a book one day while her infant napped. She soon found writing more exciting than scrubbing hardened cereal off the love seat. Underneath Liz’s baby-food-stained clothes, a dream stirred. She followed that dream, and after a foray into historical romance and a Golden Heart final, she started her first contemporary romance on the same day she met her editor. Coincidence? She prefers to call it fate.

      Currently Liz lives in north Louisiana with her high-school sweetheart, two beautiful children and a passel of animals. Liz loves watching her boys play baseball, shopping for bargains and going out for lunch. When not writing contemporary romances for the Harlequin Superromance line, she can be found doing laundry, feeding kids or playing on Facebook.

      To two of my favorite uptown girls:

      Phylis Caskey and Cindy Lott.

      You’ve taught me about the finer things in life, but most importantly you’ve taught me the value of friendship. So glad to have both you classy ladies in my life.

      And to the city that never gives up, that continues to find the beauty beyond the destruction.

      I know what it means to miss New Orleans.

      Contents

       Prologue

       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

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