Beautiful Awakening

By Nancy Sands

Rena Winters anchors the evening news, a true American beauty. When she meets Zach Baldwin, an intoxicating bad boy, at Cam and Janie's posh English wedding, there is a strong spark and unexplainable pull. They share an intimate dance before trouble erupts.
Thus begins the ebb and flow of the unlikely union between Zach, the "reformed" playboy, and Rena, the workaholic journalist who both happen to live in Charleston.
When Rena starts reporting in third world countries, Zach becomes her bodyguard and the passion is too much to resist. The sex is off the charts, but scheduling conflicts and mutual jealousies repeatedly tear the gorgeous couple apart.
Rena and Zach make their way around the globe, sharing their fervor and breaking each other hearts. Terror attacks, network execs, music divas, hidden fortunes and life-changing secrets make for a passionate, tempestuous relationship. Will their shared love be enough for a beautiful awakening?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nancy Sands
• Release date: Sep 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463298763

Nancy Sands

Nancy and Sandy = Nancy Sands Looking to unwind from their high-powered, dead-line driven world, two writer-producers discovered their love of all things Charleston and a mutual tendency to escape with romantic, sexy novels. Excited to bring their own imaginations to life, they gave birth to a captivating romance series centered around Charleston, three beautiful couples and their up, down all around paths to finding each other. Beautiful Rescue, featuring Christina and Jack, Beautiful Journey with Janie and Cam, and Beautiful Awakening with Rena and Zach are three sensual stories about beautiful yet lost people who didn't know they were waiting for their chance at love. The dynamic writing duo has more books in the pipeline, so once you burn through this series, get ready for more. They live in Minneapolis with their husbands, kids and extended families.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Zach

She came to him twice each night.  First, on the television.  Second, in his dreams.  His ritual was to relax in front of the Global Nightly News yet watch her intently, unfocused on the events of the day and zeroed in on the look in her eyes, the tilt of her mouth, whether she looked tired or content under the stiff corporate look and painted face they gave her.

When he met her at Cam and Janie’s wedding, Rena Winters looked nothing like the buttoned-up woman he saw anchoring the news five nights a week.  Today she wore a stiff, dark green blazer paired with a blue, no-nonsense blouse.  Her hair was in an up-do and was sprayed stiff.  Her lips were outlined in burgundy and filled in with dark pink.  She had round, gold buttons in her ears, a watch and no rings on her fingers.  Her fingernails were painted pink, he noticed, as she clutched her pen and paper.  Just yesterday they had been red.

Zach chuckled at the way she shuffled paper while never looking at her notes, reading deftly from the teleprompter like the pro she was.  She’d written most of the copy, he knew, because they talked about it briefly on the lawn of Cam’s estate. 

When he’d first seen her, he couldn’t believe his eyes.  He’d been ruminating about the girl that got away—Janie, the bride.  He’d long ago given up hope for winning her heart.  The connection between her and Cam was undeniable and Zach’s reputation as a player was a hurdle.  Now, as Mrs. Sinclair, Janie was untouchable, and he felt only friendship for her. 

All his glum ponderings had blown away like dark clouds on a windy day when a gorgeous creature wearing soft pink swirls and silver bangles entered the reception.  Her hair was long, dark and glossy.  Her skin was perfect olive and her eyes a lustrous, golden brown.  She moved with the ease and confidence of someone who knew success and lived there comfortably.  Underneath the pink layers of her dress it was easy to see the curves of a fully formed woman.  She was fit, yet her hips and breasts were soft and round the way Zach liked them.

He pulled a glass of champagne from a tray and walked toward her.  She sensed him before he arrived and looked up, not bothering to hide her full perusal of him from head to toe.  A small smile appeared, and he was glad she wasn’t immune to his tall, dark and handsome presence. 

Zach Baldwin, at your service, ma’am, he said while handing her the champagne flute.

You have super powers, sir, Rena answered with a coy grin.  You can sense the need for alcohol from twenty yards away.

The term sir did not go unnoticed, and Zach’s blood surged.  One of those days? he answered, his hand lingering on hers during the champagne transfer.  He felt it.  The zing he expected, but it was stronger than he thought it would be, landing in his core and heading south.  Rena swept her fingers across his and he put his hand in his pocket, afraid he might reach out and pull her into him.

"One of those weeks, actually.  Rena Winters, thank you so much, Zach.  I’m thirsty and in need of mood alteration."  She held out her hand and he took it.  Without thinking he bent at the waist and kissed the top of her hand, pausing longer than he should, brushing his lips across her soft skin, then reluctantly returning it to her.

Do you want to talk about it?  I’m not a licensed therapist, but I do have a good ear and a long attention span.

Rena laughed.  Oh, heavens, no, she chuckled.  I’m here to forget, not recall.  I’m in the news business and this has been a week of very bad news, very tight deadlines and extremely crabby editors.  I came for Cam—and to see Jack, too, and meet their wives.  Everyone’s dropping like flies around here.  It’s tough on a confirmed bachelorette like me.

Confirmed bachelorette? Zach asked, astonished.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one of those.  What, no white knight and a house full of babies?  We confirmed bachelors are very intrigued.

Immediately Zach regretted what he said.  He was trying to move away from his reputation as a player.  He was no confirmed bachelor anymore, but it sounded like that’s what she was looking for.  No strings attached.  There was a time when he would have been doing an internal jump for joy.  Not anymore.

No, none of that for me, Rena sighed.  I seem to be married to my career.  And on top of that, I’ve been kicked in the heart a few times.  Tends to put one off the whole vanilla hearts and roses thing.

Zach held out his glass in a salute.  Well, Rena Winters, here’s to the single life.  It’s fun, simple and full of endless possibilities.

Rena clinked her glass against his and continued to gaze at him over the rim.  Here’s to endless possibilities.  At that moment, bells rang out and dinner was announced.  When they went to the dining room together, he found they were seated miles away from each other. 

Nice to meet you, Zach, she said with a smile and turned toward her table without a backward glance.  Zach was not used to such a short dismissal when he was turning on the charm.  His interest grew with her level of confidence and feistiness.  He watched her perfect ass sway as she made her way, then turned to find his own group.

For the rest of dinner, he studied Rena from afar without letting her notice.  As a security man, he was very good at this.  She was seated near an attentive Earl and a salt and pepper gentleman, both fawning over her.  Zach tried to focus on the sultry blonde who inched her chair ever closer and closer to his and licked her lips every time their eyes met.  Her breasts were pushed up and on full display.  It would be easy, but his mind was otherwise occupied.

Zach, would you like one of my carrots? she cooed while touching his arm and bringing her fork to his mouth. 

No, thank you, I’m good, he told her and focused on his plate.

When the dinner was cleared away and the band struck up, Zach asked for coffee and settled in.  He wasn’t much of a dancer, but he got a kick out of watching other people make fools out of themselves on the dance floor.  And he loved music, so he relaxed back and nursed his coffee.  He never drank much, also the hallmark of a security guy, always on alert.  The tux he wore was so far from his usual clothing, he yearned to get out of it and back into his usual dark jeans and t-shirts or thermals.

Blonde Barbie was dropping hints like mad, finally grabbing his arm, lifting him from his seat and pulling him toward the other dancers.  He was shaking his head no when he saw Rena and the Earl coming their way, his hand on her lower back.  Oh, what the hell, he told his pursuer and pushed her toward them, his arm around her waist. 

They sidled up near Rena and began to move.  Almost immediately, Carla (he thought that was her name) shimmied up and down him like he was a stripper pole.  Embarrassed, he backed away and caught Rena’s small chuckle.

Rena was moving to the music like it lived inside her.  Her hips kept time, her arms went above her head and there was a look of pure joy on her face.  The Earl was entranced, of course, but each time he moved toward her she changed positions, keeping at least a foot between them. 

When Carla positioned her ass against Zach’s front and began to shake it, he laughed and turned around.  Thankfully, the song was coming to an end.  Thank you for the dance, he told her, then turned to touch Rena’s arm as a slow tune started up.  Is your dance card full? he asked her.

Rena merely curtsied to the Earl, then unceremoniously melted into Zach, her arms around his neck and the rest of her pressed close.  An electric current flowed through Zach’s body at the feel of Rena’s warm curves pressed up against his hard body.

Thank you for saving me, she whispered in his ear and they began to move.  It was an old Frank Sinatra tune, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, one of Zach’s grandfather’s favorites.  He couldn’t help singing softly, So deep in my heart, that you’re really a part of me...

Rena leaned back, their faces so close he could almost taste her lips.  God, he wanted to.  They were lush and full, polished with a slight hint of gloss.  She smelled like citrus trees in the spring and was pressed up so he could feel her full breasts and flat stomach.

You can sing, she smiled at him while they swayed and moved. 

A little, he admitted.  "My grandmother used to make me do chores on their horse ranch outside of Aiken.  We’d put The Best of Frank on while we did them and we’d sing to forget the dreary manual labor.  It worked."

Well, Zach Baldwin, you’re just full of surprises.  Can I ask you why you’re here?  Friend of the bride or groom?

Both, actually.  But let’s go for a walk after this song, Zach found himself saying.  We can small talk then.  Right now, I want to enjoy the music and the way you feel in my arms.

My, my, she clucked while shaking her head.  I do have a seasoned womanizer on my hands, don’t I?  Then she pressed back into him, her hips pushing up against his growing cock.  If she didn’t stop that sweet movement, he would embarrass himself.  He put his hands on her hips, then moved them to the top of her ass cheeks.

"A reformed womanizer," Zach told her.

That’s what they all say, she replied skeptically. 

Wow.  This woman has been burned, Zach thought.  His recent experiences with Janie had taught him that if he really did want the love of a good, strong woman with values, he was going to have to change his ways. 

The funny thing was, he wasn’t fighting the notion at all.  He was bored with the easy women in beachy bars and all the Carla’s of the world.  He loved to fuck, without a doubt.  But just the physical release wasn’t doing it for him anymore.  He sought a deeper connection. 

Maybe he had finally grown up.  At his age, he guessed it was about time.  He wondered how old Rena was.  She seemed to have a very successful career going in journalism and that took time.  32 maybe?  34?  He knew enough not to ask that question, especially since he just met her.

The music faded, and she kissed him on the cheek while pulling away.  Thank you, Zach, she said, and he noticed a faint blush.  He also saw her dimples then, which gave her a girlish look to her otherwise womanly beauty.  I need to freshen up in the restroom, then I’d like that walk, she told him.

I’ll be waiting by the bar, Zach told her.  Jesus, he muttered while seeking a dark corner to adjust himself.  He headed for a small hallway behind the bar and ducked in to try to get himself together.  He was hard for her and yearning to taste her.  This was good practice for him, he thought as he worked to get his desires under control and act like a gentleman.

The trouble was, he knew he looked like a bad boy and women flocked to him.  He was handsome, he worked out and he had a natural way of seducing women without even trying.  His transformation was going to be tough, and he didn’t look forward to rebuffing a lot of insistent women.

While he breathed deep and thought about his security business, his cock softened.  He was ready to head to the bar when a strange scent invaded his space in the hallway.  He looked up to find Carla heading his way. 

Instinctively he put his hands in front of him in a defensive mode since she was coming at him at full speed.  There you are! she said loudly and threw herself at him.  He had to catch her around the waist so they both didn’t tumble backward.  I’ve been wanting to do this all night, Carla said and pressed her lips against his.  Immediately he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away.  In that moment he saw Rena’s startled face, then watched her turn on her heels and head quickly the other way.

Dammit, he said while gently pushing Carla aside and heading through the hallway and into the crowd, his eyes looking for pink swirls, dark hair and legs that never quit.  The estate manor was huge and over the next thirty minutes he searched every inch of it. 

No Rena.  Gone. 

So now here he was.  He watched her every day on the news, enjoyed her every night in his dreams, and plotted a way to contact her and ask her to dinner, knowing she thought he was a cad and would never agree. 

Why was he always fighting the bad boy thing?  He didn’t have a chance with Janie because she looked at him that way, and now so did Rena.  He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he knew how it looked.  What was he going to tell Rena if she ever spoke to him again?  I was hiding because you gave me such a hard on I needed a moment.  She tackled me.  Even to him, it all sounded contrived and ridiculous.  Yet it was the truth.

Zach leaned back into his couch as Rena’s crisp, beautiful voice went on about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Then it came to him.  He would concentrate on work and forget about her.  It was the only thing that made sense. 

He, Janie’s husband Cam and Cam’s best friend, Jack, had just started a premier security company that spanned both physical and cybersecurity.  Cam was the cyber guy, Zach was the physical guy and Jack was the strategist and promoter with global connections.  They had office space in Charleston, were busy from day one and were hiring whenever they could find someone qualified.  Cam came with a full staff and Zach brought in the best of his freelancers, full time.  They worked for famous Hollywood stars, politicians, wealthy CEOs and anyone else who was a target for the bad guys.

That’s it, buddy, Zach said to himself.  Time to man up and build an empire.

He grabbed the remote and turned off the TV, feeling the loss of her immediately.  Maybe if he didn’t watch the nightly news she would depart from his dreams.  The thought left him bereft.  As much as he knew he needed to move on, he didn’t want her to leave him.  He felt her and smelled her in his bed and it was both an excitement and a comfort.  The number of times he’d pumped his cock to thoughts of her was insane, even by his standards.

What’s the harm in that? Zach thought as he walked toward his bedroom.  It kept him from picking up random women.  He was almost entirely satisfied in his imaginary Rena world.

Chapter 2

Rena

Tonight is the last night I will be seated at this makeup table. I told my friend Mel, the makeup artist, Let’s just leave my hair down and eliminate the fake TV face. They might as well get used to me looking natural.  In other words, like shit. We both laughed and Mel went about her work, doing her magic while giving me a fresher, more natural face than was usual for network TV.

I was so excited I was literally squirming in my seat. I had been begging the powers-that-be to let me out of the studio and into the field, reporting on the stories that were important to me and the viewers. Finally, someone listened. After tonight’s evening news I would be having a late dinner and drinks with my new crew, toasting and planning our next adventures. I couldn’t wait to begin. The kidnapping of young girls for the sex-trade, plus stories of intense drug trafficking had to be told. My cameraman and field producer shared my passion and we were determined to go where the stories led us.  In other words, my dream job was coming true.

Instead of going over my scripts for the evening news, my mind wandered to the wedding I had attended in the English countryside. Small world. I met the groom, Cameron Sinclair and his best man, Jack Reese, when I was anchor on Good Morning, Charleston! My position there included attending high-profile charity events. Both men were part of Charleston society and confirmed playboys. Imagine my surprise to meet Jack’s lovely and demure wife, Christina, and Cameron’s beautiful and feisty wife, Janie.

There were very few single people at the wedding and I was feeling a bit melancholy, missing my on-again off-again boyfriend, Nate Abrams. Nate was a rising star at the network, based in New York. We fought constantly about my career. He wanted a wife and a mother to his