In Paradise Read Free

moment myself to say my prayers. I hate this part of flying, the landing."
    Jak e continued to stare at the back of the young woman's head. She had mousy, dirty-blonde hair, kinky and fighting to escape the funny little bun on the top of her head.
    He couldn't tell if it was long. She was probably fifteen to twenty pounds overweight. What had possessed him to do what he'd done?
    He settled back into his seat, remembering the way she smelled. It was that and the way she'd snuggled against him, awakening his long-dormant desires. He'd begun to wonder if he needed professional help since he hadn't even been interested in a woman in almost a year.
    And yet, this one had him risk being caught in a public place . Some might find that exciting. Not him.
    The condom he'd used had been in his wallet for almost two years, hopefully no longer. With a bit of luck, it did the job it was made for.
    And the way she'd returned his kiss...her taste, he would remember the sweet taste and feel of her plump lips for a long time. Movement caught his eye and he turned to see her looking at him before she jerked back to the window.
    Was she really so plain, or was it the lack of any makeup that made her appear washed out?
    Jake gave himself a mental slap. What a first-class jerk!
    She'd given herself to him and, from her demeanor, it hadn't been an everyday occurrence for her either. What a jerk he was to find fault with her.
    When the elderly lady began to fold her blanket, she did, too. Once again, her alluring fragrance came to him. Just like earlier, he started to get hard.
    Impossible! No way. Was the woman a witch?
    And he didn't even know her damned name!
    When the plane landed, Jake stood back to allow the women to go ahead of him. As she stood, he couldn't help but notice she wasn't dressed like someone who could afford to travel in first class. Her wrinkled sundress did nothing to accentuate the curves he wished he could have explored at leisure.
    She was taller than he expected, which, in retrospect, had probably made the fit so perfect. He estimated her to be only about four inches shorter than his six-foot-three, tall for a woman. With skin so white, she looked as though she rarely saw the light of day.
    The elderly woman tugged at her, but for some reason she didn’t want to move. Then he saw why. Her underpants were on the floor by her foot. He dropped his bag and scooped them up before anyone could see.
    Her expression of horror stopped him. What did she want him to do with them? He shrugged and shoved them into his jacket pocket.
    She gave a squeak and closed her eyes. The pesky old lady turned back. “Are you coming, dear. You’re holding up the line.”
    Jake followed her closely and hoped for an opportunity to return her undies. He didn’t want her to think he taken them as a trophy or something. The attendant, the woman he'd once dated, waylaid him.
    "I have the morning free, Jake. Why don't you wait on me?"
    Jake stopped, since it would be rude to keep moving and tell her he wasn't interested. "Sorry, Lori, but I already have plans. Nice to see you again. Take care."
    "You, too." Lori looked away, dismissing him.
    He continued down the stairs, where she was several steps ahead. The way she crowded near the backs of people in front of her told him she might be trying to avoid him.
    Too bad. No way was he going to let her get away without at least discovering her name.
    Once her feet touched the blacktop, she sped around the crowd and stretched into a long stride, just short of a run. He smiled. If she thought she was going to get away, she had another thing coming.
    As he walked through the doorway leading to the luggage lanai, a familiar face brought him up short. His nemesis walked straight toward the woman he’d fucked on the plane. It was a day for surprises and this one didn't sit well.
    “Paradise. Good to see you again."
    There was no doubt. The woman stopped as Boyd Hatcher spoke. Damn.
    "Did you have a good