Paradise Disguised

by Liliana Hart

  Dylan looked over and finally noticed the Sheriff standing next to Anna. “Good afternoon, Sheriff. What brings you out here?”

  “Well, I was actually just asking that question myself when you drove up. I take it you two are headed out tonight?”

  “We don’t have reservations until seven thirty, so there’s no rush,” Dylan said. He could tell by the way Anna was avoiding his eyes she didn’t want him to know why she’d called the sheriff, but it was too bad because he wasn’t going to budge.

  “Now Anna, tell me again about these threats you’re getting,” the sheriff continued.

  “You got another one?” Dylan asked.

  “Yes, but this time it wasn’t a note. They got my private cell number and called me. I’ll start at the beginning sheriff,” Anna said, sitting next to Dylan.

  “I received the first note a little over three weeks ago, when Dylan and I first met. I found this note under my windshield wipers when I left Dylan’s office,” she said handing him the slightly crumpled note.

  Sheriff Haney read the note and shook his head. “Looks to me like someone doesn’t want you two to see each other. What were you doing at Dylan’s office that day if you’d just met?”

  Anna colored slightly, remembering exactly what they’d been doing at their first meeting. She cleared her throat and said, “Dylan’s building my house for me. I was there for the preliminary meeting.”

  “Hmm…” Sheriff Haney said, “I heard you were moving out. I drove by there a few days ago. Looks like it’s going to be a grand place.”

  She made a noncommittal sound in her throat because the truth was, she hadn’t laid eyes on the place since they’d broken ground. She’d let Mel handle anything that came up just to avoid Dylan.

  Everything in Paradise moved slow, conversations, courtships and investigations included. It was the way of a small southern town, only Anna was tired of moving slow.

  “Then what happened?” the sheriff asked when he realized he wasn’t going to get any interesting gossip from Anna.

  “Well, that same day on my way home a black sedan tried to run me off Hollis Bridge. It came right up on my back fender and then came around to the side really fast. The windows were tinted dark, so I couldn’t see who was driving. They kept swerving closer, so I slammed on my brakes and turned hard. I barely stopped skidding before I was on the edge of the bridge. One more inch and I would have gone over. By the time I looked up the car was too far down the road for me to see a license plate.”

  “Why didn’t you report the incident then?” Sheriff Haney asked.

  “After it happened, I decided that I wasn’t going to see Dylan anymore. I didn’t think anything else would happen.”

  Dylan snorted at the reminder that she’d run from him.

  “Looks to me like you changed your mind,” the sheriff said.

  “I was persuaded to change my mind,” Anna said, smiling at Dylan. “I’ve been out of town for a while and I haven’t received anything else until today.”

  “You said you received a call on your cell phone,” Sheriff Haney said. “What did they say?”

  “They just said that if I didn’t stay away from Dylan the next time they’d make sure I ended up in at the bottom of the river.”

  “Did you recognize the voice?”

  “No, I couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman. The voice was deep and gravelly.”

  “What was your response? Were you able to get them to say anything else that might jog a memory or recognition of the voice?”

  “Umm…No not really,” Anna stuttered. “I might have made whoever it was a little upset. They slammed the phone down in my ear.”

  “What did you say?” Dylan asked, his face a mask of disbelief and anger.

  “Basically, I said I wasn’t going to stop seeing you. I might not have used those exact words though.”

  Both men had identical expressions on their face. Apparently, the consensus was she was an idiot, much like the conclusion she’d come to herself after hanging up the phone.

  “Would you mind if I took your cell phone in?” the sheriff asked. “There are things we can do to retrieve the number. Maybe we’ll get lucky. In the meantime, be careful. You should have come to me before. You might also see if the two of you can come up with someone who could be doing this.”

  “We’ll do the best we can. Thanks for coming out Sheriff Haney,” Anna said, shaking his hand. “Oh, and sheriff, I’d like to keep this just between us. I don’t want my father to worry.”

  He grunted in what seemed like ascent and turned to Dylan. “Dylan, you had a little trouble with a fire around the same time Anna started getting threats. Could be both of you need to be on your guard.”

  “I didn’t think the incidents were related at the time, but I’ll keep an eye out,” Dylan told him.

  “Oh, and Anna” the sheriff said before getting into his cruiser, “Let’s try to keep from causing any more public disturbances in the middle of town. You haven’t been back more than a few hours and my phone’s been ringing off the hook about you all afternoon. I don’t know how your father puts up with the stress.”

  “Shut up,” Anna said to Dylan when he started to laugh. “It was all your fault and your name never comes up when people are dealing out the blame.”

  “What can I say? The public loves me,” he said getting his first real look at her outfit. He let out a long wolf whistle and looked over the length of her. “You look amazing.”

  “You don’t look so bad yourself. I have to say that a suit and tie agrees with you.”

  “Well, I didn’t always work in Paradise you know,” he said leading her to his car.

  “No, I didn’t know,” she said. “Which I guess is the point of this date, isn’t it?”

  “Partly,” he said with a lascivious wink. He threw a box of seventy-two condoms in her lap, making her roar with laughter.

  “My, don’t we have high aspirations,” Anna said, putting them back in his bag.

  “I take it our past mistakes have been overlooked?” Dylan asked, referring to their previous trysts without the aid of a condom.

  “Everything’s great,” Anna said.

  The silence lapsed as the made their way out of Paradise, both thinking private but similar thoughts. Would love be easier for them to grasp with a child involved?

  “Hopefully, we’ll find out a little bit about each other on this outing,” Dylan said, breaking the ice. “I already know that you love cars, which I might add happens to be a love of mine as well. You made a good choice when you bought your little beauty.”

  “I can’t imagine where we could be going that could do justice to your car or how we amazing we look,” Anna said. She smoothed her hands over the plush seats and inhaled the smell of leather.

  “Actually, I meant to ask you about that. How do you feel about flying?”

  “I’m amicable to the idea,” Anna said, raising her eyebrow in question. “Why?”

  “You’ll see,” Dylan said, speeding across the city line. “I think we’ll leave Paradise behind for tonight.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “This is so cool,” Anna said, looking down at the clouds below. “I had no idea you owned your own plane.”

  “Let’s just say that business has been good over the years.”

  “Ah, yes. You said you haven’t always worked in Paradise. What did you do before you opened Maguire Homes?”

  “Well, you might have heard of a little business called TexAmerica Real Estate?”

  “You own TexAmerica?” Anna asked in awe. TexAmerica was the biggest name in Real Estate in the southwest.

  “No, I used to own TexAmerica. Well, Mitchell and I owned it together, and then we sold it for a lot of money. I decided I liked the more hands on approach to the business. He poured two flutes of champagne and handed her one.

  “Mitchell and I met in college, and we both knew exactly what we wanted to do with our lives. He majored in arc
hitecture and I majored in Engineering, and when we graduated we opened TexAmerica and hired a few hungry Real Estate agents. Most of them aren’t hungry anymore. We got tired of the city life, sold the business and moved to Paradise.”

  He conveniently left out the series of events that had led to their escape. Denise, his ex-wife, had left him for a doctor when she’d thought the company was going to go belly up. She was cutting her losses she’d told him in the divorce hearing. Then Mitchell’s wife had died in a horrible car crash. Both of them were looking for a way to get out.

  “Wow, so you’re filthy rich,” Anna said.

  “Pretty much. I hope that’s not too much of a turnoff.”

  “I won’t hold it against you if you don’t hold it against me,” she said, toasting him with her full glass.

  “It’s a deal. I took the liberty of having an overnight bag prepared for you. Mel was more than willing to help.”

  “Ah, bless her,” Anna said. “I can only imagine the gossip tomorrow if I returned in the same dress I left in. Where are we going, by the way?”

  “No place too far. We should be landing in Dallas in about thirty minutes. We have plenty of time to check into the hotel and freshen up before dinner. Now why are you sitting so far away from me?” he said, patting his lap playfully.

  “Do you have any idea how long it took me to get ready for tonight? I don’t want to check into a hotel looking like I just rolled out of bed,” Anna said, taking his hand and sitting across his lap as he directed her.

  “I promise not to muss you up too much,” Dylan said, biting the back of her neck.

  Anna shivered at the touch of his lips and teeth against her. It had been so long since she’d felt his touch and if she was honest with herself, she’d missed him terribly in the time she’d been away.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said, echoing her thoughts. He traced his fingers lightly along the outline of her body. “And I’ve wanted you every day that you’ve been gone.”

  “Mmm…” Anna moaned as she felt the zipper of her dress slide down slowly. “What about the pilot?” she asked, worried that he’d come out of the cockpit and find them.

  “His orders are to stay in the cabin and leave us our privacy, but we don’t have long before we land.” He helped her stand and slipped the column of turquoise silk to her feet. “Oh my God. You have the most amazing underwear I’ve ever seen.”

  “You can thank Mel for that, too. She picked it all out for me.”

  “Remind me to buy her something nice.” He stood up behind her and removed his tie and shirt, never taking his eyes of her scantily clad body. She looked like an underwear model with her toned body and high heels.

  “I can’t believe you hid this body under all those ugly clothes. Think of all the months we’ve wasted.”

  “I shudder to think,” she said, unable to take her eyes off his own fantastic form. It was the first time she was able to really see his body in the light. Their previous time together had been fast and furious, lust and heat and fulfillment found by groping in the dark.

  “Yummy,” Anna said, licking her lips. “You’re not too shabby yourself.”

  Dylan brought her close, so their bodies barely touched, and kissed her passionately, their lips melding in perfect accord. The intensity grew and the kiss became softer, slower, deeper, until he was sure he’d die with the taste of her on his lips.

  Anna slipped her finger just under the edge of his slacks, touching the sensitive skin around his middle. She unhooked them so they pooled around his feet, and she found him ready for her, heavy with arousal.

  “I need you,” she said, kissing the underside of his jaw. She hitched herself up and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. The only thing separating them was the thin swatch of lace that covered her mound. Her hands skimmed up and down his back, and her nails bit into his shoulders as she felt her bra slip away, leaving her totally bare before him.

  Dylan kissed her again, this time hotter and harder than before, branding her with every stroke of his tongue. The scent of her was everywhere, clouding his mind with the haze of lilac and desire.

  The sun was setting and the last rays of light reflected off her golden skin. He couldn’t help but kiss his way down to her breast and sample the sweetness there. He trailed his fingers over the arch of her back as she leaned across his arm, her legs still wrapped around him firmly, and he devoured the sensitive flesh.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said as the sun’s final light illuminated her body. He lifted her higher so she arched over the back of a leather recliner on the private jet, and he ran his fingers just inside of the black lace panties she wore.

  He left the soft flesh of her breast and nuzzled his way down to the taut skin of her belly, making her muscles quiver, and then jump as his lips closed over the thin lace.

  “Oh, God…” Anna moaned out at the feel of the wet heat of his mouth against her core. “Mmm…”

  Dylan moved her to the chaise lounge and laid her down gently. He removed her panties and looked at the petals before him, glistening with need and desire for him. He placed his palm over her heat and watched as her eyes clouded with surprise as he drove her up to a fierce peak.

  He replaced his palm with the tip of his tongue and stroked her gently, watching as she went up in flames again, sobbing out his name until she went limp with pleasure.

  He’d never wanted another woman as much as he wanted Anna, and now he knew he never would. He was determined for her need to be as fierce as his own, for her love to mirror his. Love. There was that word again. He was tired of fighting it.

  “I need to touch you,” Anna said, reversing their roles. She pushed him over so she rose above him and devoured him with her mouth and hands, desperate to feel him against her.

  “Let me. Let me touch you,” she begged desperately.

  He was so hard beneath her touch—hard and hot enough to set them both ablaze with one embrace. She skimmed her mouth down his body with wet kisses and then finally took him in her mouth.

  The breath hissed out of his lungs at the feel of her mouth circling him, stroking him until he knew he wouldn’t last a minute longer with any more of her sweet torment.

  “God…stop,” he begged. “I won’t last.”

  She needed to be joined with him, more than she’d ever needed anything. She straddled his lean hips and prepared to take him to the hilt.

  “Not yet,” he said as he flipped their positions once again, rolling her onto her stomach. “I want to feel you under me.”

  “God. Please. Please Now,” she yelled. She was mad with want, and she felt the control leave her body as she hurtled toward insanity. She gripped the head of the chaise in a fierce grip as he bit the back of her neck in passion, like a stallion ready to mount his mare.

  “Now,” he echoed as he plunged into her.

  He seized her hips in a hard grasp and rode her hard, spurred on by the little cries she made in the back of her throat. He felt her close around him in a tight grip, her silky sheath made especially for him, and cry out a scream of ecstasy in her release.

  “More,” Dylan said as he turned her back over to face him.

  He slipped back into her easily, her flesh swollen and clasping him tighter in its embrace. She arched into him, the rise and fall of their bodies like a sinuous dance, as flesh met flesh. He watched her turquoise eyes as they clouded over with pleasure, and he hoped with all his heart it was love he saw shining in their depths.

  She pulled him to her tightly, gripping fiercely with her arms and thighs, as she came in a violent climax that left her shattered.

  “Dylan.”

  The sound of his name coming from her lips brought forth his own climax, and he emptied himself inside of her with the promise to love her forever spoken from his lips.

  ***

  Dylan felt her stiffen beneath him and knew he’d spoken the words from his heart aloud. He wasn’t about to take them back though. They were spared f
rom having to talk about it by the captain coming over the intercom announcing they’d be landing in the next few minutes.

  Dylan got up slowly on shaky legs and helped Anna into an upright position. He watched her as she kept her gaze down and gathered up her clothes.

  “I’m going to clean up in the restroom and get myself put back together,” she told him, never making eye contact and closing herself in the bathroom.

  He pulled on his clothes, thoughts weighing heavily in his mind. This wasn’t the way he’d imagined love between two people. He didn’t really have anything to compare to since his first marriage had never come close to experiencing the emotion. But Anna was different. He loved her, and the pain piercing his chest told him it was real because surely if it was only lust it wouldn’t make him feel as if his heart had been ripped out when she didn’t reciprocate the feelings.

  He sat down in his seat and downed the untouched glass of champagne he’d poured Anna earlier. The plane touched down in Dallas with little fuss and he grabbed both of their bags and headed to the bathroom door.

  “Are you ready?” he yelled through the closed door. He felt they were miles apart instead of mere inches. He’d been taking one step forward and threes steps back since the beginning of their relationship.

  Anna stepped out of the restroom with a forced smile plastered on her face, but her eyes were wary and a little scared. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Dylan seriously doubted the statement, but followed her out of the plane and into the waiting car anyway.

  Chapter Twelve

  The Mansion on Turtle Creek was a five star hotel and restaurant Dylan had frequented often when he’d lived in the city, for business and for pleasure, and he’d wanted to give Anna a memorable experience on their impromptu trip. So far, memorable was definitely an apt description.

  “Good evening Mr. Maguire.” The bellman greeted Dylan like an old friend and took the two bags from the trunk of the rental car.

  “Nice to see you again, Maurice. It’s been a while,” Dylan said, discreetly palming a tip into his hand.