Mask (Strategies of the Heart Book 2)

Easy-going Lil Reed is nearly bouncing off the walls as she prepares to meet her first Hollywood A-lister. After all, Grey Richards is the world's most wanted bachelor. But Lil quickly learns Grey is nothing like the charismatic and charming characters he portrays. This heartthrob is surly, arrogant, and completely closed off.

With no patience for gossip-reading fan girls, Grey is far from interested in the youngest Reed sister. And a guy like Grey would never date outside the elite Hollywood circles. That would be career suicide. But when it becomes clear someone wants them dead, Grey is compelled to protect the spunky and adorable woman who somehow wiggled her way into his heart.

With danger closing in, Grey vows to protect Lil while proving there's more behind the glamour and glitz of his persona. But will she ignore the fake tabloids for a chance at real love?

The plane touched the tarmac with a soft bump, and Lillian Reed opened her eyes to glance out the window. The visit to L.A. for some time with her older sister, Paige, served as more than a simple
three-week vacation. Paige just didn't know that yet.

Lil pinched her lower lip with an elbow propped on the armrest. Outside, the sun shone in a robin's egg blue sky
as the plane passed by rows of buildings, the sky tower, and other jets of all sizes in the distance. She yawned, her internal clock still set to Eastern Standard Time, despite the glaring sunshine outside the window. The five-hour
flight left her in a time warp. Time changes this drastic were bound to be brutal.  

She leaned back against the seat. Confirmation of Paige’s claims to being "okay" since the attack at Kellen’s apartment was the main purpose of the visit though Lil would never tell her older sister as much. But all the phone calls, texts, and even Facetime weren't enough. After all Paige had been through—after everything they had all been through—the trip couldn't be better timed. Stiffening her back into a stretch, Lil nodded as the plane taxied to the gate, the timeline rushing through her thoughts.

A little over a year since the car
accident nearly took her life.

Slightly less since the plane crash that nearly stole Paige and took half of her leg.

Lil flicked her red curls over one shoulder and crossed both arms as people scurried with belongings and children.
It'd been a long, hard year for the Reed sisters. An understatement of titanic
proportions.

The lights overhead went off with a celebratory ding and Lil waited for other passengers to disembark before gathering her bag from an overhead compartment. Chatter and laughter seemed to echo from every corner while shouts and voices boomed through loudspeakers that grew progressively louder as Lil passed through the airbridge.

She crossed the threshold into the terminal and was greeted with the smells of fast food, perfume, and perspiration as they mingled and filtered through the airport. Noise and
excitement wove together into a thrilling electricity. Her step lightened. Before leaving Detroit, she knew she was excited to see Paige again. It hadn't been more than a month or two, but still much too long. Now the excitement pulsated through her every vein. She hadn't realized how much the break was needed.

Lil stopped at a nearby newsstand and paid for a pop. She stood off to the side and unscrewed the cap, took a
good long drink. She passed on refreshments on board the flight, like she always did. In-flight restrooms were disgusting. Small, smelly things.

She screwed the cap back on and followed the signs to baggage claim. Paige's fiancé, Kellen Richards, offered
to send the private jet. As she wove through the crowds, Lil scolded herself for not taking him up on the offer. At the time, she couldn't wrap her mind
around flying on his brother's plane. Not Grey Richards. The Grey Richards—Hollywood superstar, sexiest man on the planet. Award-winning, breathtaking, ovary-crippling, crazily handsome man. The man she'd harbored the worst kind of crush for since middle school when he starred
in all the best teeny-bopper movies. His movies improved and grew up while her crush
remained foolishly intact for a man out of reach.

Now the man was destined to be her brother-in-law.

Lil almost stumbled on the first step of the escalator just thinking about it.

Language: English

Number of Pages: 400 pages

Estimated Time to Read: 5 hours

Word Count: 68,640

Series & All Books in Series: Strategies of the Heart (Impact, Mask, Stricken)

Formats: ePub & Mobi

Devices:Kindle, Apple, & Android Devices, Nook & Kobo Readers, Computers

Delivery Time & Method: Instant delivery to domestic and international readers via the email address provided at check-out

Also available at:Amazon, Nook, Apple, Google Play, & Smashwords