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  A Beautiful Taste

  Beautiful Series, 6

  by Lilliana Anderson

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2015, Lilliana Anderson

  All rights reserved

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without the prior written permission of the author of this book.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various places/products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission and is by no way sponsored by the trademark owners.

  SYNOPSIS

  The Beautiful Series are standalone romances, each with their own HEA. They can be read in order or on their own.

  New Adult romance, for 18+ only due to sexual content and adult themes.

  It's never easy to go back. That's something chef, Bradley Rae, is sweating bullets about as the date of his kayaking team’s reunion draws near. When his old school friend and teammate, Elliot Roberts, convinces him to go, he thinks he'll be fine going back there. After all, chances are, she won't be there at all. It’s been seven years. Maybe she’s moved away. Maybe he won’t see her at all...

  Dakota Morgan is a girl with many regrets, and Bradley Rae is on top of that list. You see, she didn't wait five minutes, and that tiny amount of impatience changed the course of her life forever.

  When her father sets up a fundraising reunion for their family owned kayaking club, her heart beats out of control when she sees Brad's name on that list. Part of her wants to refuse to go so she doesn't have to face him. But a larger part of her needs to see him, even if it's just a window into what might have been...

  When Brad and Dakota meet again, will sparks fly, or will the past remain firmly in the past? And what about secrets? Can they survive the reality of what that one split decision, made all those years ago, has done? Or will they let it all go again?

  Beautiful Series Reading Order

  A series of Standalones and companion novellas (The Beauty in Between). Each story can be read on its own. Although, for readers wanting to follow the series from the beginning, it can be read in the following order -

  Too Close – The Beauty in Between

  A Beautiful Struggle

  Phoenix – The Beauty in Between

  A Beautiful Forever

  Commitment – The Beauty in Between

  A Beautiful Melody

  A Beautiful Rock

  Devotion – The Beauty in Between

  A Beautiful Star

  A Beautiful Taste

  CONTENTS

  Synopsis

  About the Beautiful Series

  Dedication

  Foreward

  Acknowledgements

  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

  Twenty- Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty – Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Chat or connect with the author

  Books by Lilliana Anderson

  About the Author

  DEDICATION

  To every woman who has overcome suffering to find joy

  Foreward

  Brad has been on my mind a lot since writing A Beautiful Star, as I knew his story and wanted to show you all what a wonderful man he is. Personally, I’d like a little Brad for myself to keep in my pocket to pull out and hug occasionally.

  In Star, Sandra’s mum made a comment that he sounded like Superman, and I guess that was quite a good definition of his character. Brad is a protector at heart who wants to keep everyone he loves safe and with him.

  What I struggled with in this story was how to show his love interest, Dakota’s, struggle with her past. It wasn’t an easy headspace to be in, and for those of you who have had any sort of abuse in your past and need a trigger warning, this is it. For those of you who can handle reading about a girl who overcomes adversity–then please read forward and meet Dakota, as a young naïve girl who falls hopelessly in love with a boy three years her senior, before circumstances pull them apart then bring them back together seven years later.

  Brad and Dakota are strong and sweet together. I love her innocent mind and his need to be strong, and I hope you all do too.

  Oh! Before I go, you’ll see one of our favourite Beautiful Series characters as a teenager in the beginning scenes. Enjoy xoxox

  Acknowledgements

  AS ALWAYS, there are people to be thanked! Many sets of eyes go in to the creation of each of my books, and I am very grateful to every person who takes time out of their lives to help create each and every one of them.

  But first up, we have a couple of birthdays to acknowledge – Sunshine Lykos and Ellen Christensen – Happy Birthday!

  Thank you to my beta readers for working so hard for me. Marion of Making Manuscripts, I thank you for your detailed guidance after the first draft. Tammie, as always, you are the biggest champion of my work, and I love you for it. Mary, glad you figured it out! Haha. Kristine, thank you for being a speed-reader and being the first to let me know this doesn’t suck, lol! And Billie, thank you for always being available with your helpful feedback.

  Thank you all so much. I know I say this a lot, but your input really is invaluable to me, because I’m a very doubtful writer without it. Thank you! Thank you! I love you all!

  Thank you to my editor, Maria Johnson ([email protected]) for trawling through my manuscript for errors and giving me great feedback on the story.

  Thank you to my special ladies who are my constant support, Cj Duggan, Frankie Rose/Callie Hart, and Jessica Roscoe/Lili Saint Germain. You have been listening to my constant doubt and pushing me forward throughout the whole writing process. I don’t know what I’d do without you all in my life!

  To every author and Facebook friend who chats with me when I need a break, I thank you.

  To every blogger who has an ARC or has signed up to post my release day blitz – I thank you too.

  Also, a big thank you to my husband for putting up with my bitching and moaning, and his unending support, his plot help, and his encouragement.

  Thank you to my street team. We are tiny. But we make a difference.

  I’d also like to thank the wonderful team at Apple and Smashwords, who set up all of my preorders and trust me to upload my books on time – I truly appreciate your support!

  Thank you to my kids. I love that you all come and sit in my office quietly, just to spend a bit of extra time with mummy!

  And of course – thank you to all of my readers. Without you, I would be writing to the crickets.

  Mwah! xoxox

  “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you mad
e it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.

  ― Haruki Murakami

  Chapter 1

  TEN YEARS AGO…

  Brad

  “I think it’s going to be strong enough,” I say, pulling back on the rope I’ve just tied around the tree branch I’m sitting on. I look down at my new group of friends. “Hey, Elliot, swing on it. If it can hold you, it’ll hold us all,” I laugh, teasing him in a good natured way because he’s the biggest and most solid out of all of us, and I know he won’t take my comment to heart.

  “Aw, fuck off!” Elliot grumbles, before laughing as he walks toward the rope. He pulls at the oversized t-shirt that covers his slightly rotund build. I don't think he should care as much as he does, and My Aunt Sara says it’s just ‘puppy fat’, and that he'll grow into ‘a very tall¸ very good looking man’. I think it's creepy that she's nearly eighty, and she's looking at a sixteen year old like that, but she reckons it's just an observation.

  “Just do it, Eli!” one of the other guys yells, even though Elliot is already preparing to test the rope’s strength.

  “Looks good to me,” Elliot says, hanging onto the rope and lifting his feet off the ground.

  “Bounce up and down,” I call down to him, and he does. The branch doesn't even move. I tap the smooth grey bark of the eucalypt and swing down. “Thanks buddy.” I slap Elliot on the back and take the rope from his hands, preparing to be the first one to swing into the water just in case it does break at the last minute – I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.

  It’s a stinking hot day in January, and I’m about a week into this summer program at the local kayaking club that my Aunt Sara enrolled me in ‘to keep me out of trouble’. I don’t know how effective that’s been, because as a group of sixteen year olds, we find plenty of mischief to get up to in our downtime.

  I stand as far back from the water’s edge as the rope allows, and everyone counts down from ten before they yell, “Go!” and I lift my feet.

  “Whooohooo!” I yell, as I swing through the air until the rope reaches its apex then I let go and backflip into the water, feeling a great sense of joy and freedom in my actions.

  As the water envelops my body, it feels like heaven against my heated skin. When I surface, I pump my fist in the air and hear a cheer from the bank. Then the next person uses the rope and swings into the water, splashing in not far from me.

  There are eleven of us, and we spend the next hour taking turns with the rope and seeing who can land the furthest, or do the most outrageous flip into the water. Well, all but one joins in – the coaches daughter, Dakota, is the only one staying out of the fun.

  “It’s awesome,” I say, holding my dripping wet hand out to her, as I smile and pull at my lip ring with my teeth. It’s a bit of a habit I’ve had since getting it when I finished school last year, and I notice her big brown eyes shift down to watch. Then she licks her lips, and I feel really good about that. I like the way she looks at me. I raise my eyebrows and glance at my offered hand then she slips hers into my palm, and it feels comfortably warm against my cool flesh. “Come on, sweetheart, you’ll want to have a turn of this.” I pull her up from the dry patch of grass she was sitting on then release her hand.

  “I’m not wearing my bathers,” she says suddenly, gesturing down to her denim shorts and the pink stretch tank top she has on.

  My eyes move slowly down her curvaceous body. “That’s no problem. It’s over forty today–you’ll dry in no time.”

  Her friend Stacey runs over to her, sopping wet and giggling. “Are you finally having a turn?” she asks excitedly.

  “Looks that way,” Dakota laughs.

  Stacey grabs her hands and pulls her toward the rope so they can wait their turn. I stand back and watch them as they talk and laugh to each other, while Elliot comes and stands beside me. “Was that a cock block I just saw?” he asks quietly.

  “Shut up,” I laugh, jabbing him in the side with my elbow. He grunts a little from the pain, but laughs along as well.

  “You sure you want to pursue the coach’s daughter? It seems like you’re asking for trouble to me.”

  “Who says I’m pursuing her?” I fold my arms across my middle and watch as she takes a hold of the rope then steps back, cautiously over the muddy ground.

  “It’s pretty obvious you’re into her, dude. But if I’m wrong and you really aren’t, you won’t mind if I ask her out on the weekend.”

  I glare at him. “Don’t.”

  He grins and slaps my shoulder. “That’s what I thought.”

  Rolling my eyes, I turn away as one of the other guys calls out, “Yay, Cody!” as she leans back on the rope and lifts her legs to swing into the water.

  My mouth falls open, as she loses her grip and lands in the centre of the mud with a thud. “Holy shit!” I gasp, as I race over to where she lays stiff on the ground. I think she’s had the wind knocked out of her, because she doesn’t react when the rope swings back to the bank and drags a long line of mud up the centre of her body. Most of the others laugh at her.

  “Stop laughing you bastards. She might be hurt,” I yell, as I crouch down beside her. She squeezes her eyes shut tight and mumbles under her breath.

  “Wake up, wake up, wake up.”

  “What was that, sweetheart?” I ask with a smile, wiping away some of the mud on her face as I reach around to cradle her head in my hand. “Did you hurt your head?” I check for any noticeable bumps, and finding none, I help her to sit up.

  Finally she opens her eyes and looks into mine. “Your eyes are so blue,” she comments.

  I chuckle. “Yours are very brown. Are you sure you didn’t bang your head?”

  She shakes her head, and I run my hand down her long brown hair, using the pretence of looking for bumps again. But really, I just wanted to touch it.

  “I’m fine. I think I just need a shower.”

  I slide my arm around her waist. “Are you OK to stand?”

  She nods, and I help her up, although her legs are shaky so I ask again if she’s OK. She just looks at me.

  “Cody? Did you hear me?”

  “Huh?”

  “I asked if you can stand on your own.”

  “Oh, oh sure,” she stutters, placing her hand on my chest to steady herself. She leaves behind a muddy handprint. “I’m so sorry!” She looks stricken, but I just laugh.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing a little water won’t fix.”

  She looks down at herself. “I think I’ll need more than a little.”

  “That, I can do,” I say, searching the ground. Eucalyptus trees are always dropping branches, and I spot a nice thick one and pick it up, breaking it over my knee.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, as I tie it into the rope.

  “Do you trust me?” She nods, and I smile. “Put your feet on that then hold onto the rope.”

  She does as I say, and I hold my arm around her, as I walk us backward on the rope swing. “Are you ready?” I ask close to her ear, and she nods again. Then I reach one hand up to grip the rope above her head, and I hold tight to her waist before I let us both go, laughing as she squeals with delight. Together, we fly through the air, and I keep a hold of her waist until we hit the water and need to swim.

  As I tread water, I watch as she runs her fingers through her hair, before wiping the water from her face. She has a massive grin on her face as she swims next to me then glances back when she hears Stacey squeal and land in the water behind us. She looks back at me, still grinning. “Thanks,” she says.

  “Now you’re all cleaned up and as pretty as ever,” I tell her with a wink, before I swim back to shore while she splashes in the water with her friend.

  As I climb back up the bank, I squeeze the water out of my black hair then turn back to watch Dakota and Stacey playing in the water as
the hot sun continues to beam down upon us. Elliot moves to stand beside me. “Nicely done. No one will ever know you’re into her now,” he laughs.

  Chapter 2

  Dakota

  “So what’s going on between you and Brad?” Stacey asks, a few days later as we’re getting changed after training in the boatshed bathrooms. The program runs Monday to Friday, from 7am to 4pm, and after that, we shower and everyone goes home. Well, except me. I have to stay here until either my mum or dad finishes work. You see, my family owns this whole complex and runs the club that supports the sporting team. It’s a huge amount of work that consumes almost all of my parent’s time. It’s why I have to do this summer camp every year, even though I’ve been paddling ever since I was old enough to fit in the cockpit.

  “Nothing, why?” I ask with a smile because secretly, I’ve had a crush on Brad since he arrived on the first day. He’s beautiful to look at–tall and fit with dark hair and clear blue eyes, and he has that streak of danger about him, because he has that lip ring he’s always biting, and he’s already quit school at sixteen. Mum says he’s got some sort of apprenticeship in a restaurant, and he goes to work every night after training. He’s so dedicated, and he’s really good at kayaking too–a natural born paddler my dad says. Training seems to come easy to him, and he even has a gentle side because he helps out those who are struggling with training by encouraging them to push through. I watch him when we’re running, and he sticks with Elliot, helping to push him to keep going and get his fitness up. I think all the girls like him. I’d like to think he likes me though, but I don’t know. He could just be being nice to me because I’m the coach’s daughter…