Mia's Heart (The Paradise Diaries)

by Courtney Cole

  She pushed his hand away.

  “Again? I think not. I have to replenish my energy. Just because you’re tireless, doesn’t mean everyone in this room is.”

  She batted her eyes playfully at him as she inhaled her second slice of pizza, enjoying the forbidden grease and cheese combination. The carb count alone would be enough to give her mother a heart attack. But Sydney couldn’t help but love it. No one in their right mind could ever say that Chicago had bad pizza.

  “You know,” Christian said thoughtfully as he watched her eat, “I think you’re the first girl I’ve ever dated that actually eats in front of me. And you eat a lot. I don’t know how you stay so skinny!” He leaned toward her. “Except for here. And here.” He brushed against her curves with his hand.

  “Christian! Is that all you ever think about?” she demanded in mock exasperation, knocking his hand away.

  He just laughed. They both knew full well that she was far from aggravated; that it was only a matter of time before her appetite was sated and she responded to him again.

  “Why, yes. Yes, it is. But at least I’m honest.” Christian’s face was impish as his cobalt eyes twinkled at her. Those were eyes that a girl could get lost in. She sighed.

  “Yes, at least you’re honest. Now calm yourself down and let me eat! Take a cold shower or something.”

  They were both laughing until a third, unexpected voice startled them both.

  “Mr. Price?!”

  The Price’s housekeeper was frozen in the arched doorway with a look of utter shock on her creased face. Sydney couldn’t help but giggle. And then she was promptly embarrassed as she remembered that she was only wearing Christian’s shirt. She immediately looked down to make sure that her rump was covered, tugging on the hem a little bit just to be on the safe side. This was one situation in which her long legs were not a blessing.

  “Hi, Fran. Miss Ross here couldn’t wait to get to the table, so we decided to eat right here. She’s got a very voracious appetite.”

  He waggled his eyebrows at his double meaning and Sydney’s cheeks burned. Christian’s humor was apparent and Sydney just hoped that Fran hadn’t caught the entendre.

  “Don’t stare, Fran. You don’t want to make her uncomfortable.”

  He winked at the maid, who was still staring at them in cliché-like astonishment. Her mouth was even hanging open a little bit. Sydney hid another giggle. She couldn’t help it. She laughed when she was nervous. It had gotten her into trouble more than a few times in her life.

  “And I don’t think my father needs to hear about this, don’t you agree? In fact, why don’t you take the rest of the evening off? You deserve it. You work too hard. And have I mentioned that you look beautiful today?”

  Christian winked again and Fran shook her head, finally smiling at him, even though having a half-dressed girl in the house was clearly against the rules. Even if the girl was Sydney Ross. Actually, probably especially then. His parents wouldn’t want him involved in any kind of political scandal.

  “Mr. Price, your shenanigans are going to get me fired yet!”

  The disgruntled housekeeper turned on her heel and left the room, her gray curls still shaking and muttering under her breath, but leaving them alone. Christian turned to Sydney with a perfectly straight face.

  “Is shenanigans a word?” he asked her and then grinned.

  Sydney shook her head, even though she couldn’t help but smile at the same time. Christian’s humor was infectious.

  “You know, this does put her in a tough spot. You really could get her fired one of these days and I’m sure she needs her job. I should go.” She started to get up.

  He grabbed her arm. “No, don’t. You know she’s been with us forever. My parents would never fire her and she won’t bother us again tonight. Please? Stay a while longer?”

  His eyes were beseeching and Sydney felt herself relent. Once again. She couldn’t seem to help herself. She wasn’t good at telling him no. She let herself sink back onto the floor.

  “How do you know that she won’t bother us again tonight? How many other girls have you had here like this?”

  Sydney was only half-joking. Christian definitely had a reputation for being a playboy. That was something she had been quite aware of when she started dating him. For some reason, it had been part of the allure… to see if she could get him and keep him. It hadn’t taken her long, which surprised her. And they had been together for five months now, a record for both of them.

  “What?” His voice was full of exaggerated innocence. “Me? You’ve got to be kidding. Sydney, you’re my first.”

  The over-emphasized expression of outrage on his face cracked her up and she reached over to trail her fingers through his dark hair, which he interpreted as an open invitation and moved closer to her. She promptly shrugged out of his reach.

  “Um, right. Seriously. How many other girls has Fran seen you with?”

  “Well, that’s a difficult question, really. She’s getting older and her eyesight is getting bad…” He stopped talking as he pushed her over and gently pinned her down, nuzzling the side of her neck. “Besides, that doesn’t matter anymore. I’m with you now. And you smell really good…what is that? Chanel no. 5?” His voice trailed off as he kissed further down on her neck.

  “Close. It’s Chanel Mademoiselle and it matters to me, Christian. You were my first. Girls always remember that. It’s special. I want you to remember me, too. I don’t want to be just another girl that Fran walked in on.” She sighed as he nuzzled even further down on her neck toward her breasts. “I can’t focus if you keep doing that.”

  He chuckled and mumbled, “That’s sort of the point, Syd.”

  She closed her eyes as his hands slid over her hips. She’d worry about it later. The stone tiles of the foyer were rough against her back, but she was oblivious to it. All she concentrated on was the warm, delicious weight of Christian’s body as he moved against her.

  * * *

  Sunshine flooded her bedroom, filling every possible crevice with light, just like it did every other afternoon. It was cheerful, optimistic and really, really bright.

  Sydney squinted as sat up in her bed and then promptly clutched her stomach. It rolled harshly as her mother continued opening the blinds. She was sure that if she looked into a mirror, her skin would appear gray. In fact, she felt like the epitome of the word ‘ashen,’ as nausea and dizziness overwhelmed her and she groaned.

  “Sydney? You cannot lie around in bed all day. We’ve got a photo-shoot for your father’s new campaign mailing in an hour. You’ve got to move.” Jillian’s eyes did a quick once-over of her daughter and she paused mid-step.

  “Are you ill? You’ve got dark circles.”

  It was clear that she was more appalled than concerned. If Sydney was sick, she wouldn’t photograph well. They needed to portray the perfect all-American family for the photos, just like always.

  “I don’t feel well at all,” Sydney moaned as she fell back against her pillows. “And it won’t go away. I’ve had this stupid bug ever since I was at Christian’s a couple of weeks ago. At first, I thought I just ate too much or the pizza sauce was bad or something but that can’t be it. I’ve had it too long. And I’m tired constantly. Maybe I have something like mono. Is that possible?”

  She looked at her mother questioningly. “I should probably go to the doctor.”

  “Oh, that would be just perfect, Sydney. Then I would have to explain to the world how you got Kissing Disease.”

  Her mother was curt and unsympathetic as she stalked into Sydney’s closet to yank clothes off the rack for her daughter to wear.

  “Pull yourself together. You need to shower. You look like death.” She tossed a cream colored v-neck sweater and a pair of linen slacks on the foot of the bed.

  “Ugh. I feel like death, too.” Sydney groaned as she stared up at the ceiling.

  She swallowed hard to battle the waves of nausea that threatened to overtake
her. It didn’t help. Saliva was pooling in her mouth and her breath smelled sour. The room started spinning around her and she suddenly couldn’t contain it. She lunged out of bed and barely made it to the bathroom before she started heaving. When she was finished, she curled up into a ball and rested her cheek on the cool marble floor.

  “Mom?” She croaked hoarsely. “I don’t think I can do the photo shoot today. I feel awful.”

  Jillian loomed in the bathroom door for a moment before tentatively approaching Sydney. She quickly laid the back of her elegant hand on Sydney’s forehead. “No fever. Do you have a sore throat?” As she asked, she backed quickly away, as though Sydney might have the plague.

  “No. I just feel like I’m going to die any minute. I’m so nauseous!”

  Her mother suddenly froze mid-step as a thought occurred to her.

  “Sydney, last month, when you were taking antibiotics for that ear infection, did you and Christian use condoms? And don’t try telling me that you don’t have sex. I’m not an idiot. I’ve seen the birth control pills.”

  She gestured toward the innocent looking little pink and white packet sitting innocuously next to Sydney’s bathroom sink.

  Sydney was instantly uncomfortable, feeling as though she was five years old instead of seventeen.

  “Since I’m on the pill and we’re only with each other… no. We don’t use condoms.”

  She faltered as she saw the glacial look on her mother’s face. “I know that’s bad, but-”

  “Sydney, when was your last period?” Jillian interrupted in a voice that dripped icicles.

  Sydney stared at her mother in shock at the implication of the question.

  “I don’t know. I’m not very regular. It’s been a couple of months, I think.”

  Her mother’s face hardened into stone, her mouth a straight, creased line.

  Sydney was quick to add, “But that’s normal for me. Like I said, I’m not regular. And I’m on the pill. I’ve never missed taking one.”

  “You’re an idiot, Sydney. How could you be so careless? Antibiotics can negate the effect of the pill. Wait in here. Do not come out of this room.”

  Her mother’s voice was so icy, that Sydney didn’t bother to assure her that she wasn’t going anywhere. She couldn’t if she wanted to. She felt too ill to stand up. She simply lay with her cheek pressed pathetically against the floor until her mother returned thirty minutes later.

  She sat up shakily as Jillian roughly thrust a small box into her hands, trying to ignore the fact that the room was spinning.

  “Here. Take this. I’ll wait out here.”

  Her mother turned her back on her and stalked out without another word.

  As Sydney hovered over the toilet, trying to pee on the plastic stick and not her fingers, her sole humorless thought was that wagging her butt over a toilet was definitely not the behavior of a senator’s daughter. She sat back down on the cool floor to wait, her head leaned back against the wall and her slender arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

  Barely two minutes later, her mother burst back through the door to find Sydney staring in blank fixation at the urine saturated stick in her hand.

  “Well?” Jillian demanded impatiently.

  Sydney wordlessly turned the pregnancy test toward her.

  There were two blue lines.

  To read more of Princess, you can find it on Amazon here

  You can find the entire list of Courtney’s books on Amazon here

  For a more mature (more sexually explicit) book,

  You might want to check out New York Times Best-selling Author M. Leighton’s,

  Down To You

  One girl. Two brothers. The love triangle…that’s not.

  Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white.

  But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins.

  Cash is everything she’s always loved in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her.

  Nash is everything she’s ever wanted in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together.

  Both brothers set her heart on fire. Both brothers are off limits.

  Black and white turns to shades of gray, however, when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love.

  With both of them.

  And now they both want her.

  CHAPTER ONE- Olivia

  My head is spinning lightly, but happily. I can’t even remember the name of the drink Shawna keeps ordering for us. I just know they’re delicious. And potent as hell! Wow!

  “When’s the stripper coming? I’m ready to get my freak on!” Ginger shouts. She’s the crazy, outspoken, cougar-of-a-bartender we work with at Tad’s Sports Bar and Grill in Salt Springs, Georgia. She’s wild enough in her natural environment, but stick her in a strange new place in city like Atlanta and she morphs into a full blown tiger. Rawr!

  She looks at me and grins. Her bottle-blond hair looks urine yellow in the low light and her pale blue eyes are twinkling devilishly.

  I’m instantly suspicious.

  “What?” I ask dazedly.

  “I talked to the manager ahead of time. He’s gonna make sure Shawna has to help the stripper get out of those pesky clothes he’ll be wearing.” She giggles maniacally. I can’t help but laugh. She’s a mess.

  “Ryan would kill her if she stripped another man’s clothes off, bachelorette party or not!”

  “He’ll never know. What stays in the VIP room happens in the VIP room,” she slurs.

  “Don’t you mean what happens in the VIP room stays in the VIP room?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  I snicker. “Oh, okay.” I giggle as I watch her take another sip of her neurotoxic drink. I opt for my water instead. Somebody has to remain semi-lucid. Might as well be me. Tonight is all about Shawna anyway. I want to send her off into married life with the best party possible. I doubt that includes her having to carry me home or clean vomit off her shoes.

  A knock at the door to the private room has us all turning our heads in that direction. The girls immediately start laughing and hollering and cat-calling.

  Dear God, I hope it’s the stripper and not a cop or something!

  The door opens and in walks the most incredibly handsome guy I think I’ve ever seen. He looks like he’s in his early twenties, really tall, and built like a football player—wide chest and shoulders, thick arms and legs, tiny waist in between. He’s dressed in solid black from head to toe. But it’s his face that’s most impressive.

  Sweet hell, he’s effin’ gorgeous!

  His short hair is dark blond and his face is chiseled perfection. I can’t tell what color his eyes are as he scans the room, but I can see that they’re dark. He’s just opened his mouth to speak when his eyes finally make their way to me. They click to a stop on mine and he stares.

  I’m completely mesmerized. As I look into them, I still can’t determine a color, but the orbs look nearly black. Even in the light spilling through the door behind him, they look like pools of ink. Just barely, he tilts his head to one side as he watches me.

  It makes me nervous. And excited. I don’t know why. I have no reason to be, but he makes me feel twitchy. Squirmy. Warm.

  We’re still staring at each other when Ginger gets up and dr
ags him further into the room, flinging the door shut behind him.

  “All right, Shawna. Come kick your single life to the curb the right way!”

  The other girls start squealing and cheering her on. Shawna’s smiling, but shaking her head. “No way! Not this girl!” The bridesmaids-to-be get more insistent, two of them coming around to take her by the hands and haul her to her feet.

  She leans back, away from them, shaking her head more vigorously. “No, no, no. I don’t want to. One of y’all do it.”

  She starts wiggling her arms to free herself, but the girls have a death grip on her thin wrists. When she looks at me, her wide brown eyes tell me all I need to know. She’s totally freaked by the idea.

  “Liv, help!” I raise my hands in a gesture that says what do you want me to do? She nods toward the hunk hulking behind Ginger. “You do it!”

  “Are you crazy? I’m not stripping a stripper!”

  “Please! You know I’d do it for you.”

  And she would. Dammit.

  How the hell does the world’s clumsiest shy girl get wrangled into doing things like this?

  As I so often do, I answer myself.

  Because she’s a pushover!

  Taking a deep breath, I stand and turn toward the Hot Hulk, purposely jacking my chin up another notch. He’s still watching me with those smoky coal eyes.

  When I take a step toward him, he very slowly raises one eyebrow.

  Heat washes through me.

  Must be those dangerous drinks, I think. It has to be.

  I feel flushed and a little breathless, but I take another step anyway.

  Hot Hulk takes a step away from Ginger and turns to face me fully. He crosses his arms over his chest and waits, that one brow still raised in curiosity. He’s not going to make it easy. He’s leaving it all up to me, just like Ginger asked them to do.

  As if on cue, the music that’s been pumping into the room all night gets louder. It’s a sexy song, heavy on the bass. It’s mood music for sure. It seems to punctuate every intense beat of my heart as I get closer and closer to those velvety eyes.