In Paradise (6 page)

"I've never been anybody's best time."

"You're up for it, and trust me, he is. I don't know how he's been able to walk with the hardware he's packing. Ever since he walked in to see you like you look tonight he's conspicuously shown his appreciation. And just look what you've gone and done to yourself. Let me see if I can fix it."

Raul reached for the tissues and began to dab at the streaks
of make-up running down her cheeks.

When Raul eventually finished,
Di squared her shoulders and gave him a smile. "I can do this." She meant it. Even if she only had one more night with Jake Forman, she would make the most of it.

CHAPTER 7

When
Di reached over to free his cock, Jake almost ran the Jeep off the side of the road. She stopped what she was doing to turn her face up and look at him. It was too dark to clearly see her expression.

"Am I doing something wrong?"

Jake gave himself a mental slap up side the head. "No. There was a turtle in the road. I didn't want to hit it."

"Oh."

Then suddenly her lips touched his cock and he nearly swerved a second time. Lord only knew what would happen if she took him all the way in her mouth!

She rained kisses along the length of him and he could
barely stay quiet. His mind was saying,
Open wide, baby. Take me in your mouth. You're teasing me
. Then she did. Her mouth was so warm and inviting, he wanted to shout.

Now the man
tra changed from
, Open wide to suck me, baby. Suck.

And then she did. The pull of her mouth was soft and
tentative, but enough to make his balls start to tighten. When she suddenly became little Miss Kirby, he nearly unloaded.

"Easy."

She stopped and turned her face upward. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"You're killing me, but that's a good thing. I only wanted
you to go a little easier on me since I was about to..."

"I'll try something different."

This time, when her mouth surrounded him, she took him farther in. Then farther. Oh, Lord, that feels so good. Watch the road! So good.

When she started to swallow, he wondered if he should
pull over.
Damn, it feels incredible. I don't even want to think what this woman could do with some experience. I don't want to think what she could do to someone else.

Jake leaned back into the seat to enjoy the best midnight ride he’d ever taken.

"I swallowed!"

"Yes, you certainly did." Jake questioned if he'd ever be
the same.

"I always wondered what I'd do if I ever got the chance."

"You did a remarkable job."

"Thank you. Maybe I should do it again. Practice makes
perfect."

Jake mentally pinched himself. Was she for real? "You're
going to spoil me."

"I am? I can do that? This is empowering. If only..."

"If only what? What were you about to say?"

"Nothing important. Would you mind if I tried that a
second time. I mean...you made it almost too easy the first time. I'd like to start from scratch."

Jake hit the brakes and pulled to the side of the road.

* * * * *

Di
leaned back in the seat feeling perfectly smug as they drove into the town of Kona, according to the sign. Even late at night, the road seemed crowded.

Jake shifted, then his hand slipped onto her leg. "My turn."

"But people can see inside the Jeep. We're coming into a town."

"I'll keep moving fast enough no one will know."
He slid his hand up her leg. "You forgot your underwear again, woman."

Di
wanted to reply, but he touched her clit and she couldn't speak.

"Spread your legs wider."

She willingly did as he asked and watched his hand moving against her. "What has happened to the old Di Stowe? Ohmigod, this feels unbelievable. Ohmigod."

"No, I'm mortal, but thanks for the compliment."

Di opened her legs wider against his hand as the pressure built. The sight of his large hand working his magic electrified her. Each circle of his finger took her higher, until she was perched on an invisible cliff. "Yes!"

"Red light."

"Yes."

He started to pull his hand away and she grabbed it back.

"Red light," he repeated.

"So what?" she hissed as she strained against him.

"Okay." He pulled to a stop and leaned over to kiss her as his finger took her over the edge. She exploded into a thousand pieces of tingling bubbles of pleasure Once. Twice. And unbelievably a third time. She screamed into his mouth.

The aftershocks kept coming, but the sound of clapping
and cheering interrupted her concentration. Di pulled her lips free to look over to her right where a convertible had pulled alongside them. Four teenage boys leered at her salaciously, while making several lascivious remarks.

"I told you we were coming to a red light," Jake whispered
into her ear.

"Just go."

"Can't. It's a long light. Do you want me to cause an accident?"

"You did this on purpose. Is this the thanks I get for giving
you two blow jobs?"

"Lady, you're killing us."

"Why can't I find someone like you?" one of then shouted.

Di
looked over at the boys. "Check out the local library. Women who read books give the best blow jobs."

One of the boys gave her the thumbs up just as Jake hit
the gas.

"Good recovery." Jake gave her a salute. "I'm going to
turn around and head back to Kauai. It seems neither of us is too much interested in the drive. I'd like you to come home and spend the night with me, what's left of it. I want to wake up in the morning with you next to me."

"I'd like that, too," her mouth said, but her head was
telling her to slow down. She might not want to believe it, but her heart was at risk.

Jake made a U
-turn and they got caught at the same red light again. He leaned over and took her chin into his hand. "I'm fall—" He kissed her.

Di
wanted to ask what he was about to say, but in the fraction of the second it took to formulate the question, the kiss changed to something she'd never experienced. He deepened it. Pulled her against his chest.

Jake kissed her like he wanted her to remember this kiss
for the rest of her boring life. He awakened a part of her she'd only dreamed about. Love floated out of her heart and into the kiss.

It was so real she gasped and Jake groaned. Did he
feel it too?

Somewhere the sound of a car horn stopped them.
Di pushed away with the knowledge she'd just changed forever with that kiss in the middle of the road. No matter what happened to her in the future, she'd just given her heart away.

But it was just her h
eart she was risking, wasn't it?

* * * * *

"Sit still."

"Don't yell at me, Raul."
Di nervously twisted the plastic apron she wore.

"Honey, it's going to take all the magic I have to whip you into shape. You're a mess. Your eyes are so puffy, they make you look ten years older."

"Just what every woman wants to hear. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Tell me something I didn't already know. Like, did you tell Jake you think Boyd has something to do with you mother's paintings hanging in the gallery?"

"No. I don't know that for sure and I didn't want to spoil everything. I still haven't heard from my mother or Boyd."

"Will you quit wiggling? You're already late."

"Can you drive me again?"

"Honey, you know I will. I wouldn't miss this night for anything."

Di looked up at Raul's reflection in the mirror. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Now would I keep anything important from you? Sit still and let me finish."

By the time she arrived at the hotel where the gallery had rented a room for her speech, she was twenty minutes late.

The gallery owner rushed out of the room to stop her. "This
way." He grabbed her arm and propelled her in the direction she'd just come. "There's a door by the stage for you. Where have you been? You're late. People were worried."

Di
wanted to ask, "What people?" Jake might wonder, but she didn't know anyone else.

Just then Jake came barreling down the hallway straight in
her direction. His face twisted into a tight frown as he drew nearer. "I don't care what Boyd has done. I want you. I think I've fallen in love with you. No, damn it, I know I have. I'll kill him if I have to this time."

This time
? What did that mean? Kill Boyd? "You love me?"

Jake
’s face softened. "I love you."

"We don't have time for this nonsense," the gallery owner
insisted. "You have a room full of people waiting for you."

"I have a room full of people waiting for me," she
repeated.

"You have me waiting for you, too."

Di walked through the door and toward a podium in the middle of the stage. He loves me? Loves me, Di Stowe?

"Hello, everyone, my name is
Di Stowe and I'm here to speak about... Mom?"

What in the world?

How?

Di
stared at her mother sitting in the front row not believing her eyes. No way! Her mother never left the house, despite being perfectly capable of getting around with her cane.

The sound of a curtain opening behind her made her look
around. Di stared at her worst nightmare come to life. "Mom, how could you?"

Behind her, positioned on easels of various heights, were a
dozen more paintings executed by her long deceased patriarch. Not just any paintings. Di wanted to die. How could her mother do this? And so publicly?

The sound of her mother's cane on the wooden floor drew
Di's attention from the horror show. By the time she looked back to the audience, her mother was by her side at the podium.

"My daughter is displeased to have this exhibit go public,
but it's high time. I've allowed her prudish temperament to persuade me to keep these treasures under lock and key. But no more. These paintings and others painted by my great grandfather need the audience they deserve. If any of you are offended, use the door at the rear."

Di
expected a mass exodus, but no one got up to leave. At the same time, the majority of those in attendance started to applaud. Loudly. And they didn't stop.

After the applause died down,
Di looked up from her strappy high heels to see Jake standing off to the side of the stage. His face was unreadable.

"I think I have some explaining to do," she said into the
microphone. She may be speaking to an entire audience, but she looked at Jake and her words were for his ears alone. She could care less what the rest of the world thought at this point. Especially since he'd told her he loved her.

"I grew up in a household where the human form, male
and female, was on display in every nook and cranny. My great-great grandfather's paintings are very popular, but what most people don't know is he painted dozens and dozens of nudes we've not made available to the public.

“
In all honesty, it's my fault. I didn't want people to think badly of him. One of the women he painted in the nude was a local Hawaiian woman, and it caused a big rift in his marriage."

Her mother inclined her head to access the microphone.
"That island woman was Boyd Hatcher's great-great grandmother. He came across some old love letters written by Theodore Raduski and contacted me. That's when I realized, with his help, these paintings were not just a part of our family history, but they are Boyd's and this island's history.

“
So the paintings will go on tour. Boyd is now the proud owner of two of them, and he'll see to exhibits for the rest of them."

Boyd walked onto the stage to join them.
Di kept her eyes on Jake, expecting him to walk off in huff. However, he didn't appear to be angry. "The other paintings here will be offered for sale by the gallery, with the stipulation they not leave the island. These paintings should find homes here where they originated."

Di
listened to mother in awe. Her mother was right. The paintings should be here, instead of locked in the attic. What had she been thinking all these years when she refused to let the public know of their existence? She'd lived a life of poverty to avoid bringing them to light.

"Now I'll let my daughter talk."

Di stumbled through her canned presentation. When it was time to leave the stage and mingle, she wanted to slip out unnoticed. What would Jake say now? Would he still love her?

Jake headed toward her as she stepped away from the
podium. At the same time, Boyd and her mother walked toward her from the opposite side. Di did not want to be in the middle of Jake and Boyd.

"I promise I didn't know about Boyd's involvement," she
said to Jake, searching his face for evidence he believed her.

"This will be some story to tell our grandkids."

It took a second for Jake's words to register. "Our grandkids?"