Kayla Perrin - Heart to Heart

One more shot at the real thing...

With her recording career on the slide, Deanna Hart heads home to Cleveland to search for new inspiration. What she finds is a man who has never stopped thinking about her. Eric Bell is now the principal at their former school, and he’s never been shy about trying to get her attention. Down-to-earth and downright sexy, Eric is about to open Deanna up to new possibilities.

But just as soon as they find each other, a crushing Hart family secret could end Deanna’s dream of starting over. Will she be able to capture the kind of love she has never believed in, the kind that lasts forever?

Though there was no need for him to continue touching her, he didn’t remove his hand. Deanna stared up at him, feeling her internal temperature rise.

And then he did something she didn’t expect. He lowered his hand to her waist, then put his other hand on the other side of her waist.

Deanna didn’t need the jacket to keep warm. Not at all…

“I never forgot about you,” Eric said in a low, throaty voice.

Dusk had turned to dark since they’d arrived for dinner, and the streetlights provided the only illumination as they stood on the sidewalk. But Deanna wouldn’t have needed that to see the heat swirling in Eric’s eyes.

“I…” She didn’t know what to say. This moment was surreal. Certainly one she’d never expected to experience. Not after she had run from Cleveland and left everyone and everything here in the rearview mirror.

“But truly,” Eric went on, “this is what I thought about. Wondered about. Wished I’d gotten the chance to do.”

“Hmm?” Deanna asked, not understanding.

But a moment later, Eric’s comment became crystal clear when he placed a finger beneath her chin, tilted her head toward his, brought his mouth down onto hers and kissed her.

KAYLA PERRIN

has been writing since the age of thirteen and once entertained the idea of becoming a teacher. Instead, she has become a USA TODAY and Essence bestselling author of dozens of mainstream and romance novels and has been recognized for her talent, including twice winning Romance Writers of America’s Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year Award. She has also won a Career Achievement Award for multicultural romance from RT Book Reviews. Kayla lives with her daughter in Ontario, Canada. Visit her at www.KaylaPerrin.com.

Heart to Heart

Kayla Perrin

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Dear Reader,

If you’ve been reading my Harts in Love series, I hope you’ve thoroughly enjoyed Callie’s and Natalie’s stories. This is the final book in the trilogy, featuring the middle sister, Deanna.

Have you ever had a male best friend? He’s the one you felt comfortable telling everything to, sharing all of your problems with. But…he’s your friend. And though he has all of the qualities you want in a partner, you don’t want to risk losing the friendship by taking a chance on love with him.

Sound familiar? Sometimes, we fear losing a friendship with someone who would otherwise be ideal for us. It’s amazing how often we let fear stand in the way of what we want and need.

That’s the dilemma Deanna faces. And just like those faced with this scenario in real life, she’ll have to make a decision—cling to the friendship, or take a chance on love?

I hope you enjoy Deanna’s journey!

Kayla Perrin

This book is dedicated to my parents’ love story.

Forty-five years ago, they met each other and knew.

Sadly, my father’s recent passing brought an end

to their forty-two-year marriage.

But one thing is certain:

Love never dies.

Cling to that, Mom.

Remember the love you shared.

In this world full of breakups and divorces,

you had something special and rare.

And it will never die.

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

Epilogue

Chapter 1

The woman’s scream pierced the air. The room was dark, and she was struggling with the man, trying to escape his strong grasp. But the more she jerked and fought to free herself, the rougher he was with her.

She screamed again, a blood-curdling cry. And then the man slapped her. Slapped her so violently that she fell to the ground.

“Nooo!”

Deanna Hart awoke, bolting upright in the bed. Her chest was heaving, and her pulse was racing. And the sheets were damp with her sweat.

It took no more than a couple of seconds for her to realize that she’d been dreaming. That the last scream came not from the woman in her dreams but from her own lips.

Deanna drew in a deep breath, the image still fresh in her head. She’d had this dream before. And it was always the same. The man roughing up the woman. The woman being slapped and falling to the ground.

Every time, that’s when Deanna woke up. As the woman fell to the floor in the dark room.

Her heart still beating rapidly, Deanna hugged her knees to her chest. She’d been having this dream ever since Brian James had hit her when she tried to end their relationship six months ago.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was just after three in the morning. The house was quiet and still. But she could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears.

Deanna was at her uncle Dave’s house in Cleveland. She was out of harm’s way. And yet, whenever she had this dream, she felt distinctly unsafe.

There are thousands of miles between you and Brian, she told herself as she lay back down and snuggled up against her pillows on the opposite side of the bed, where the sheets were still dry. Besides, since that night, you haven’t heard from him. There’s no reason to fear him anymore.

Her mental pep talk helped ease her mind. He had hit her only once, but it was a truly ugly exchange that Deanna never wanted to experience again in her life.

We’re better off as friends, Brian. I realize that now.

You’re breaking up with me?

We shouldn’t have mixed business with pleasure. Things have become complicated. Let’s finish my album first—

That was when Brian had violently grabbed and shaken her, and Deanna had been seized with fear. But she wasn’t about letting a man terrorize her, so she had wriggled and pushed against him, struggling to get free of his grip.

“You think you’re going to walk away from me?” Brian had screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. And as Deanna had continued to tussle with him, he had smacked her. Smacked her so hard that he’d busted her lip and drawn blood.

Seeing the blood, he had immediately looked horrified. Then he had apologized. Apologized over and over again, as if that would absolve him of what he’d done.

Deanna now understood how some people suffered post-traumatic stress for long periods of time over one life-altering event, because something about Brian’s attack had left her with a disconcerting feeling. Even though she had cut off all contact with him, had not returned his calls and had not heard from him since April, here she was, away from Los Angeles for four months, and she was still dreaming about the attack.