Relentless (Relentless #1) Read online

  RELENTLESS

  Copyright © 2016 by Alyson Reynolds.

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information contact :

  www.authoralysonreynolds.com

  Book and Cover design by Alyson Reynolds

  Edited by Ella Emerson

  ISBN: 123456789

  First Edition: April 2016

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  To my husband,

  Thank you for chasing me relentlessly

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty One

  Twenty Two

  Twenty Three

  Twenty Four

  Twenty Five

  Twenty Six

  Twenty Seven

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  God she was gorgeous. The dress she wore accentuated all her perfect curves. I tried hard not to stare at her sexy lips and lush breasts. It wasn’t just her looks though; something about her confidence drew me to her. Violet Montgomery was different.

  I sipped my whiskey as I watched her from across the room. Glancing around, I noted I wasn’t the only man in the room staring at her. Surely she understood the effect she had on every man here. She was fully focused on the person in front of her though. It impressed me that she could ignore everything else and give her full attention to whoever needed it in the moment.

  Violet looked up and her gaze caught mine. Her hazel colored eyes reflected something similar to what I felt going on inside me. Her mouth parted, and she bit down on her bottom lip. I sucked in a sharp breath as I watched heat flash in her gaze. Did she feel the same pull that I did? The reaction she was having certainly indicated so, but I wouldn’t trust that alone. Women had fallen for my looks before; I wanted to know if she felt like she had known me forever like I did her.

  I started to walk in her direction to go introduce myself, but before I took two steps a man came and placed his hand on her lower back. It was a proprietary mark if I’d ever seen one. Not that I blamed him if she were mine I would make sure everyone knew. His face looked familiar, and I racked my brain to place him. His name was Scott Turner. I had worked with him on a movie a few years back. He was real asshole back then and I doubt he’s much better now.

  Why was Violet here with him? She deserved better than the likes of him. Fuck this; I wasn’t going to sit around all evening pining after a woman I had never even met. I downed the remainder of my whiskey and relished the burn it caused in my chest. My hand tightened around the glass before I sat it back down on the bar.

  I couldn’t stay here and not stare at the beautiful woman all night. Something about her called out to me and it would be torture to ignore her siren’s call if I stayed. My gaze caught Violet’s one last time before I walked out the door of the large ballroom. Regret filled me as I broke our eye contact. She couldn’t be thinking the same things I was. I was fooling myself if I thought she would be the least bit interested. Her boyfriend was standing right next to her.

  Shaking the thoughts from my head, I walked into the refreshing night air. I needed to get away for a while and forget all about Violet Montgomery. Maybe I would go back home to Australia for a visit. It had been almost a year since I’d seen my brother. By the time I got back, the sexy brunette wouldn’t exist to me anymore.

  My phone rang in my purse and I frantically searched to dig it out from the depths of hell. I pushed the gum wrappers and receipts out of the way as I tried to find it. Triumphantly, I gripped it in my hand and pulled it to the surface. Laura’s name flashed across the screen and butterflies took residence in my stomach. Before I could even say hello, she screeched, “Vi, you got the role!”

  “What do you mean I got the roll? Not a callback?” I asked, excitement slipping past the professional demeanor I typically had with her. The sound of traffic passing by assaulted me as I walked down the street. This wouldn’t work. New York was so loud. I ducked into a small coffee shop I was passing by so I would be able to hear.

  “Nope, as in the part is yours. They didn’t even ask anyone else to come in to read for a second time. The producers loved you, and they want to know how soon you can start. They said the sooner the better.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Hold on, I’m still trying to take all this in. Are you being serious right now?”

  “As a fucking heart attack, sweetheart. Can I tell them you can start next week? They want to start reading the script like yesterday.”

  “Um, let me get back to you. I will need to find a place to stay on the coast and I need to get everything finished up in New York.”

  “I’ve emailed you the contract details, but you don’t have to worry about the money. The deal the studio is offering is phenomenal. If you want more, I can negotiate because they really want you for this part. And we can always ask for an advance so you can get a place closer to the set. You’ll be filming in a house off the beach.”

  “You said a house? Why not a studio?”

  I feel like an idiot parroting everything back she’s saying, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around what she’s telling me.

  “The producers are going for an indie vibe. This movie should be a huge blockbuster hit and great for your career. There are several very nice pieces of man candy for you to stare at too. I’ll text you with the names of people you’ll be working with when we get off.”

  “I need a drink,” I said laughing. “You’ve thrown way too much at me right now. I can’t believe I got the part.”

  “You know that it’s 10:30 in the morning, right?”

  “So I’ll drink mimosas. Don’t judge. You would do the same damn thing.”

  “I’ve already popped a bottle of champagne, honey. Have one for me and call me back when you sober up.”

  A huge grin spread across my face and I jumped up and down in a celebratory happy dance. People around me stared, but I couldn’t care less. The role of my dreams had just fallen into my lap and I was pumped. The first thing I needed to do was call Lexi, Emmy, and Taylor to tell them the good news, but right now I wanted a drink.

  After the past two years of my life, I was excited to finally have something go right. This role was important to me, more important than anything I had ever worked on before. The role would be tough, and playing the center of a love triangle was going to be challenging, but this book had so much meaning behind it. My fingers itched to get ahold of the script to read lines.

  I finally felt like I was free from all the shit my ex-husband had put me through. Aaron had tried everything in his power to keep me from divorcing him. Looking back, I have no idea how I stayed in the relationship with him for so long. He had been amazing in the beginning and I thought we would be happy, but in the years we were married, he tried to ruin me. He said nasty, horrible things that sh
ould never be said to someone you claim to love.

  Not only was Aaron verbally abusive, he cheated on me several times before and after we got married. As only the young do, I blindly trusted him when he denied it, but the final straw was when he knocked up his receptionist. She was supposed to be one of my friends, but she was nothing more than a gold-digging home wrecker. He was surprised when I filed for the divorce, and my parents were disappointed. My mom wanted me to stay with him to keep up appearances and make things right for the family’s sake. But, I told her that it wasn’t happening. Things got nasty in the year it took me to leave Georgia before everything was settled.

  We lived in a small town outside of Savannah for our whole lives. The only problem was it was the kind of place where everyone knew anyone’s business. Our relationship had been dissected by that town so many times it wasn’t funny. When you grow up with money in that kind of town, your fate is sealed before you even get the chance to figure it out. And when your relationship fails in that kind of town, you either have to move or move on quickly.

  Aaron bad mouthed me to every reporter he could find, making it hard for me to work or go to school. My name was featured in every horrible gossip column across America. All the tears were worth it to get this part though, and he couldn’t take it away from me.

  I took a sip of the sweet orange juice and champagne cocktail that the waitress put down in front of me. My lips smacked at the tart and sweet concoction. Victory had never tasted so sweet.

  I lowered my foot into the water, testing the temperature. As I glanced over my shoulder, one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever seen was staring straight at me. My lips turned up in a shy smile and I dipped my head. He smiled back, a little embarrassed that he’d been caught staring. When we made eye contact, a shiver ran up my spine. I sat down on the side of the pool, dangling my feet in the perfect water soaking up the California sunshine.

  From the size of our group, the casting director had been busy. Most of the people I knew from working with in the past, or because they were big Hollywood names. I wasn’t surprised to see the production team hadn’t wasted time or money getting this project started. This was our first official team meeting and I couldn’t wait to see who would show up.

  Gage Baker was one of the big names that the productions studio had wrangled. His dark sexy, brooding looks and piercing grey eyes let him get away with anything he wanted in life apparently. He made a few hit movies and his career exploded. Unfortunately for me, he was also an asshat. Laura warned me he would be my main romantic interest in the movie.

  I had briefly reconsidered accepting the part for a few moments when she told me, but the role was too awesome to pass up. Working with Gage in the past had proven to be difficult; he was a sexist pig that believed every woman in the world wanted to fuck him. On set, the animosity between us goes both ways though because we can’t get along to save our lives. I wasn’t looking forward to working with him. The loathing between us would make for some long days ahead.

  Amanda Connelly was another big Hollywood name. She must be my best friend in the movie. Everyone who has worked with her says she’s a sweetheart. With her honey blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she’s literally the girl next door. They say she’s shy and quiet off-screen; not what you typically run into with actors, but I hoped we would get along well.

  That left the hunky guy for the second half of my love triangle. His name is Jaxon Garrett, but he’s kind of an unknown. He’s Australian, which is sexy as hell in my book. A few years ago he moved to the states only to be discovered on the beach by a producer or director. I looked through my lashes at him and tried not to drool over his golden tan skin, amazing abs, and awesome tattoos. The script on his chest, swoon.

  I had also heard he was funny and one of the nicest guys around. His emerald green eyes were mesmerizing, even from across the patio I could see the gorgeous color. The crew had nailed the perfect actor for the part he would be playing. It wouldn’t be a hardship to act with him at all. To have his lips on me. To be pressed against him. Why couldn’t I stop staring at him? Oh fuck, I was in trouble. And I needed to stop before I got myself all worked up. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I might have met him before. Racking my brain, nothing came to mind.

  The only person missing had to be Amanda’s love interest. None of the other guys were gravitating towards her, so I assumed it wasn’t any of them. I hoped the casting director had picked someone easy going, because with Gage being cast opposite of me, I would need someone to help lower the tension. There were a few guys I had worked with in the past that had been cast as extras. I waved at the ones I recognized and said hello.

  I lost track of time as I soaked in the warmth of the sun. Someone called my name, pulling me out of my embarrassing daydream about Jax. It was way too early for those thoughts to be circling around in my head, but here we were.

  Hands grabbed my shoulders and acted like they were going to push me in the pool. I grabbed onto the legs behind me, because if I was going in, so were they. When I looked up, golden brown eyes stared into mine. Stephen’s jet black hair hung down in his eyes like normal. We had been friends for as long as I could remember. Even though I was semi-retired, Stephen wasn’t and his career was better than ever.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m in the movie. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.” He smirked at me and I wanted to smack him.

  “Smart ass. When did you even audition and why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It was a last minute thing. I didn’t think I would get the part, so I didn’t bother. You don’t tell me about every audition you go on.” He stepped back, and I craned my neck to look at him. “Tell me this, how did you get the leading role without a callback or the casting director even considering someone else? Who did you fuck to get the part?”

  “Not funny, Stephen. Someone’s going to hear you and think it’s true.” I looked around to see if anyone was listening. “You know how attached I am to the book. I guess it just came through in my audition.” I shrugged, trying to blow off his question.

  The scene I chose for my audition was the hardest to portray out of the whole book. I’m so obsessed with the characters that all the emotions came naturally.

  Stephen held out his hand to help me up. Once he pulled me to my feet he wrapped me up in a huge hug. He was attractive with his perfect smile and chiseled body, but I had never noticed him that way. He just didn’t do anything for me, which was a good thing considering his sister was one of my best friends too. Casting a glance over at Amanda, I told Stephen we should go introduce ourselves. He nodded, and we started across the patio.

  Before we even got three feet in her direction, Gage stepped into my path,

  “Well, well. Looks like I won’t be getting any since your fuck buddy showed up. Too bad, Vi; I know how much you like to screw your co-stars.”

  I shared a look with Stephen. Of course Gage thought we were sleeping together, most people did. Apparently it’s weird when a guy and a girl can be friends without having sex. Gage wouldn’t understand the sentiment.

  “Gage, unless I’m being paid, I don’t want to deal with you. By the way, you know that the role you’re playing is supposed to be a gentleman, right? I can’t believe they even let you audition for it,” I mumbled under my breath.

  “He also fights and beats the shit out of people.”

  “That’s his job, not his personality. Harper and Brandon have this amazing connection and it’s because of the way he treats her.”

  “I’m an actor right? I can fake it.”

  “That’s what she said,” Stephen said under his breath and I tried not to laugh.

  “Sure Gage. Let’s just hope it transfers on camera.”

  I brushed past him and started towards Amanda, dragging Stephen behind me. Jax stood next to her talking and my steps faltered as our eyes met. Stephen stopped short, trying not to run into me. His deep chuckle sounded and he leaned
down to my ear. “Seriously? Pull it together, Vi. You have sex scenes with this guy remember?”

  I scowled at him as he stuck his hand out to introduce himself to them. Amanda asked Stephen a question, and it gave me the opportunity to study Jax up close. He was paying attention to what Stephen way saying, so I peaked up at him through my lashes. The striking green of his eyes was even more breathtaking up close than it was in photos. Jax turned his head, and I turned away quickly, praying I didn’t just get caught staring.

  “Isn’t that right, Vi?” Stephen asked. I could tell by the smirk on his face, he was intentionally trying to make me look like an idiot. The asshole knew exactly what he was doing.

  “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention, you blabber too much.” Amanda laughed, and I changed the subject. “Does anyone want to get in the pool? It’s hot out here and the water looks amazing.”

  Jaxon snorted a laugh. “I’ll go with you if you want to get in. We should probably get to know one another.”

  The smile that lit up his face made my knees weak. I was in serious trouble here. If I couldn’t even take him smiling at me, what in the hell was I going to do when we had any of those sex scenes that Stephen mentioned before?

  Jaxon’s hand rested on my lower back as he guided me to the edge of the pool. The air crackled from the electric attraction between us. His touch felt like it would burn my skin and his sharp intake of breath told me he was just as affected as I was, but he didn’t pull his hand away. I looked up at him from under my lashes. He awkwardly shoved his hand in my direction.

  “I’m Jaxon Garrett, but everyone calls me Jax.”

  I stifled a laugh. “I’m Violet Montgomery.” As his hand touched mine, another shiver ran up my spine. “So do you actually want to swim, or were you just humoring me? Stephen was being a dick, so I wanted to get away.”

  “I thought the Gage was the dick?”

  “He definitely is too, but my friend is winning right now.”