Tales of the Were ~ Jaguar Island
The Jaguar Star
by
Bianca D’Arc
Copyright © 2021 Bianca D’Arc
Hawk Publishing, LLC
New York
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the Author.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
www.biancadarc.com
OFFICIAL BIANCA D’ARC NEWSLETTER
A tempestuous fling on a tropical island with a secretive movie star or love that will last a lifetime?
Ren is a jaguar shifter whose inner cat is very close to the surface. All the human world knows is he’s got stunning green eyes and a killer physique. The man can also portray just about any part put before him and he’s turned his killer instinct into an international career as an actor in big budget blockbusters. When his Alpha asks him to take on a project in order to raise the profile of a new director he agrees, but only because he’d do just about anything for his Alpha and his people.
Katrina gave up on acting after a few years of trying her best and went back to work at her family’s restaurant. When the director sees her there and asks her to come in for a screen test, she doesn’t want to believe she might finally be getting her big break. Cast opposite one of the brightest stars in the world, Katrina can hardly believe her luck. The film may be low budget, but it has star power and Ren is both kind to her and every bit as gorgeous in person. More so, in fact.
When danger threatens, Ren is the first to act, and when he declares his serious interest in her, she almost can’t believe it. Only…she’s feeling it, too. An undeniable attraction that goes more than skin deep. Does she dare trust this man who could have anyone? Dare she believe him when he says he’s given her his heart for all time? How far must he go to prove his love is real?
Don’t miss the previous books in this series:
The Jaguar Tycoon
The Jaguar Bodyguard
The Jaguar’s Secret Baby
Dedication
Thank you to my wonderful editor, Jess Bimberg, who did a great job with this book, and so many others of mine, over the years. Thanks also to my family, for their love and support. And, special thanks to my readers for sticking with me all these years. Love you guys!
Table of 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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Prologue
“I got the part? Seriously? You’re not pulling my leg, are you? I really got the part?” Katrina could hardly believe what she’d just heard.
Mel Lazarus, her new agent, laughed on the other end of the phone. “You really got the part, kid,” he told her again. “They want you on set next week.”
“Next week?” She couldn’t help the way her voice squeaked with excitement. “Where?”
“They’re filming in a little town in Virginia. They got some kind of sweetheart deal to do the majority of the set work there, though they’ll fly you to England for some of the location shots later.”
“England!” She could hardly wait.
Her passport hadn’t been stamped since she was a little girl, traveling with her family to meet relatives in the old country. She’d kept it current, just in case, and now, it looked like she’d finally get to use it again. All expenses paid.
Katrina Valiando had never thought she’d be paid to act in a movie. She’d given up on her thespian dreams years ago, but a chance meeting in the trattoria owned by her family had given her the chance of a lifetime, to star in a movie—albeit a low-budget one—opposite one of her favorite actors.
Rendall Smith had starred in a television crime drama when Katrina was a teenager, and most of the girls her age had immediately fallen in love with his good looks and tough guy image. He’d enjoyed the fame and fortune that had come with it, by all accounts, but then had become something of a recluse. He only showed his face for promotion of his film projects these days, and each one was met with a great deal of media hoopla.
The fact that he was starring in this low-budget movie was a bit of a coup for the female director, and rumors abounded as to why a star of Rendall Smith’s caliber would deign to participate in such a production. However, none of that mattered to Katrina. She was both intimidated by the idea of playing Maid Marian to Rendall’s Robin Hood and stunned that she had been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It was that director. Sonia Melisande was her name. She was an up-and-comer in the film world, and she’d dined at Katrina’s family’s restaurant a few weeks ago with a party of friends. The woman had spent a good portion of the meal glancing toward Katrina, who stood at her usual spot by the door, running the hostess station.
Katrina had noticed the other woman’s interest, when she had time to spare. It had been a busy night, and Katrina had been run off her feet. She did occasionally get stares from patrons of the restaurant, but usually, they were male.
