Those 365 Letters

by Ford, Mia

  Landon reached over the side of the boat and stretched out his hand towards me. I continued locking eyes with his beautiful gaze and I grabbed his hand in mine. We paused a moment before he gave me a slight pull and began pulling me up onto the boat.

  Once aboard I wrapped my arms around his neck and we danced side to side listening to the music in our heads for just a few seconds.

  “I love you,” Landon said. He kissed me briefly, an affectionate, sweet kiss and I kissed him back.

  “I love you so much more,” I said.

  “I don’t think you understand the magnitude of the love I have for you. It is way beyond your simple human understanding. It is like… super love…”

  I tried not to laugh and stay in character, but Landon always won these exchanges. He had a way of taking something as simple as love and breaking it down to small steps that he could build on until you almost couldn’t out logic him with it.

  “Ok, you win,” I said. “You love me more. That makes me the boss. And I order you to drive us back to shore. I’m hungry.”

  Landon bowed his head. “Yes, boss.”

  He laughed as he plopped back behind the wheel and fired the boat engine back up.

  We had a good lunch at a fine Italian restaurant and then we went back to the hotel for a little bit of relaxation and just ate some desserts and watched some movies. After realizing we were wasting a lot of time sitting around, we decided to get moving again, even though most of our trip we’d been pretty busy.

  When we first arrived, we got settled into our rooms and then decided to start exploring the resort. El Refugio. The Haven, was the translation of the sign I believe. It was a beautiful resort with everything you could ever think of right at your fingertips. You didn’t have to leave the comfort of it for anything, but if you were more adventurous you could traipse off into the city to go exploring some of the bars and clubs, to see a bit of the local culture. It sounded interesting, but for the most part we decided to stay at the resort and take in all it had to offer.

  The place was like some fine Island destination, like I’d always seen in the movies growing up. Ever since I was a kid, I’d always pictured vacationing, or even honeymooning on some fancy island resort with beautiful beaches, sexy people all around, sensual music everywhere you went, and fun filled activities with new and old friends. Real life isn’t quite like that, but from what I’d seen of this resort in Puerto Vallarta, it was pretty close.

  “Wow, I could never do that!” Landon howled later on that night when we were watching a fire show on the resort. These two local men were doing tricks with long torches, including one trick that involved swallowing the flame and holding it in his mouth for several seconds. And then he would bring the stick out of his mouth, pulling it all the way up, and the end would still be lit in a brightly glowing torch. It was spectacular.

  “How do you think that is done?” I asked Landon when we were walking back to our room.

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m sure there is some trick to it, but it’s still probably very hard and very dangerous. I mean, one slip up and it’s all over, right?”

  “Yeah. I’m glad you don’t do crazy things like that,” I remarked.

  “Really? You don’t think it’s hot or sexy?”

  I grimaced. “No. That’s entertaining, but also so risky that it is just not worth it.”

  Landon put his arm around me. “I believe back in the early days of mankind, that sort of thing would have been considered erotic. It was like a warrior thing, just like the tribal tattoo thing is today. That’s why so many women think guys with tattoos are sexy. They remind them somewhere in their long forgotten early DNA, that these men originated from tribes of warriors. These guys had been successfully vouched for, and passed from boyhood to manhood.”

  “Wow, somebody’s been watching the History Channel.”

  Landon laughed. “Well, yeah, but I have actually read and studied most of that. You knew I was a History buff, right?”

  “I knew you were… buff…” I teased.

  Landon stopped. He turned to me and wrapped me in his arms. “Oh, yeah? You think I’m buff? Well, how about I take you back to the room and show you exactly how buff I am?”

  “I’d like that.” He kissed me softly, and we walked hand in hand back to our room.

  Epilogue

  Cora

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” Landon replied impatiently. “You aren’t peeking are you?”

  “How am I peeking? You have me blindfolded.”

  “Good,” Landon said. “It’s just a bit farther.”

  I thought heard him take a few sips of coffee. He had insisted on stopping at Starbucks first to get a coffee and when he came out he then insisted that I wear a blindfold he suddenly produced from inside his jacket pocket. What was with this man?

  At first I thought he was joking. “I’m not putting that on.”

  “Please, trust me,” Landon said. Then he gave me that little boy, puppy dog look.

  I couldn’t help smiling. That look always got me. “Why? Where are we going? Just tell me.”

  “If I tell you, then it’s pointless for you to wear the blindfold.”

  “This is weird. People are going to think I’ve been abducted. They will call the cops. Why are you being so weird?”

  Landon ran his hand through his hair. “Just trust me. I have a surprise in store. I know you are going to love it and you will thank me for the idea of blindfolding you. But you have to trust me, babe.”

  I groaned and grabbed the blindfold. I put it on and tied it behind my head as he instructed. Landon even checked the knot to make sure it was tight enough.

  And now we’d been driving for at least fifteen minutes. It might have been closer to ten, but being blindfolded it seemed longer. I wasn’t sure how close we were to town. I didn’t hear any of the sounds of town, but the radio was humming softly in the background. It might have been able to drown out a few things.

  “We are almost there,” Landon said. “Just a bit longer.”

  “You keep saying that, but as of yet, I still don’t believe you. You need to do something quickly to prove me wrong.”

  “Don’t worry; you will be more than amazed.”

  “Oh, I’ve never been more than amazed before. I guess that will be something new. Just like riding along in a car for twenty minutes with a blindfold like a moron.”

  “No one is paying attention to you. Hell, there is hardly anyone on the roads. You are fine.”

  “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. Nice to know if I ever really get abducted that no one will notice.”

  I was having a bit of fun busting his chops, and Landon was being a good sport about it. I thought it was really sweet the way he had gone so far out of his way to plan something special and probably what he considered romantic. I would do my best not to disappoint him with my response to it. He did try hard. He was such a great man.

  It had been three weeks since we’d gotten back from our honeymoon, which had been magical. It was like some tropical paradise and I never wanted to leave to come back to the real world again, not even to the amazing lives we lead.

  But back we came and right back into the world of work we both went. It was exciting and fun, but it was also grueling and exhausting. Everything that mattered in life was. That was just the deal.

  And I’d made peace with that deal a long time ago.

  I felt the car slowing down. A few minutes later we were stopped.

  “Ok, this is it,” Landon said. “Wait, and I’ll come around to get you.”

  “Can’t I take this thing off now?” I asked.

  “No.”

  Landon’s door shut and I heard him scurrying around to my side of the car. My door opened up and I felt Landon’s hands on me.

  “OK, gently step out babe,” Landon said.

  He guided me out of the car. He shut the car door and then walked a
few steps with me. I felt myself being turned around.

  “OK, you can take it off,” Landon said.

  I removed the blindfold and my heart stopped.

  I was standing in front of a beautiful house. It was two stories tall, wide at the base and growing narrow as it climbed in height. The bottom of the house was lined in brick and then the rest was all wood, giving it a rustic almost log cabin like feel, but I could tell the interior was all very modern.

  It was beautiful.

  As I stood there staring at it, I had an odd feeling of Deja Vu. This house looked very familiar to me. It was almost too familiar… where did I know it from?

  It took me a few seconds but finally it clicked. I’d designed this house.

  “No way…” I muttered. “No way…”

  “Yes, it’s yours baby,” Landon said.

  “I designed this house…”

  It was one of the designs I’d originally shown Landon during one of our first dates. He liked it then and he liked it now, enough to actually build it. I’d come up with the idea when I was barely eighteen.

  “I can’t believe it,” I said. “It’s beautiful. It’s even better than what I’d envisioned.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way,” Landon said. “Because this is our new house.”

  I turned around and looked into his eyes. He had to be kidding.

  “What?” I asked. I hit him on the shoulder excitedly. “What?”

  Landon laughed and hugged me tightly. “That’s right, baby. This is our new house. I hope you enjoy it. You deserve it.”

  Landon held me in his arms tightly. He kissed me and snuggled with me lovingly.

  I was in the perfect moment with the perfect man. I couldn’t understand how all of my dreams had come true and I was still alive and breathing to enjoy them all. I kept thinking about all the choices I’d made all along, the choices that had led to me being there with Landon and both of us being there about to step foot into our new house, and I realized that it was all meant to be. In the end, I couldn’t deny it. Some things are meant to happen.

  But you just can’t force the time.

  That’s how I liked to think of my life; as a series of beautiful choices.

  I hope you enjoyed your time with Cora and Landon! If you love Billionaire Second Chance Romance’s with some HOT steamy scenes, keep reading for an excerpt from my latest Amazon TOP 100 steamy romance novel ACCIDENTAL MEETING.

  Excerpt

  I wanted her the first time I laid my eyes on her.

  I don’t know what it is about her, but I need her to be mine.

  She’s in trouble and needs my help.

  But I don’t do commitments,

  And I don’t help for free.

  She’ll have to give something in return.

  It was just supposed to be a one night stand,

  Until things quickly changed in the bedroom.

  Actually, everything changes.

  And now, I want to give up my playboy lifestyle…only for this girl.

  I need her to be mine forever.

  But life isn’t that simple, is it?

  She’s got questions that are difficult to answer.

  Could our Accidental Meeting lead to our future together?

  Chapter 1

  Tia

  “No, no, no!” the director yells. He’s getting angrier by the second, I can tell by the redness of his cheeks and that angry vein popping out of his forehead. “You can’t say it like that, it needs to have emotion.”

  Humiliation and shame rushes through me. A heat creeps up from my toes and a coolness trickles down my back. It feels like all eyes are upon me and everyone in this room hates me for making yet another mistake. The funny thing is this isn’t aimed at me. I’m not the star here, just another extra in the background, but it’s the first real scene that I’ve ever been involved in and I hate the fact that it isn’t going right. Yes, I’ve done other acting jobs back in my home town, that’s how I know that I do have a bit of talent, but since moving to Los Angeles, Hollywood to be exact, this is my first job. A small, teeny tiny stepping stone, to what I hope will be bigger things. I need it to make it to bigger things. This has to work for me, I honestly don’t know what I’ll do if it doesn’t.

  “I am putting emotion into it,” the main star, the semi famous but a complete diva, Olivia, whines.

  “No, you aren’t.” The director remains firm. “Don’t bullshit me. I can see right through you here.”

  “Well then I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.” Olivia throws her hands up in dismay.

  I do. I could easily tell her what she’s doing wrong, she isn’t becoming the character. She’s bored, distracted, probably having personal problems. It’s so obvious. But I can’t risk alienating the sort of person who I eventually want to become my equal now, can I? Actually, the dream is to overtake her. I’m not fame hungry, wanting the paparazzi following my every move, but the idea of being that successful really speaks to me.

  I want to leave my mark on the world, and this is the only way I can do it.

  “Stupid bitch,” the hard faced woman next to me comments in a much too loud whisper. She grabs everyone’s attention and I feel that shame washing over me again. I feel guilty, even though I didn’t say it, so I probably look like I’ve done something wrong too. If only I could defend myself, but that will probably only make it worse.

  “You!” The director points right at me. “The blonde one. Come here.”

  Shit, shit, shit. My eyes flicker down and hit the ground. I need to find a way to explain that wasn’t me without making things even worse. I don’t want to anger the other extra either. We might come across each other again.

  “Ye… yes,” I stammer. Now all eyes are definitely on me. “Is… is everything okay?”

  “I need you to shove into Chloe…” It takes me a millisecond to realize he means Olivia in her character. “And mumble something sarcastic at her. Rile her up a bit which might make her drag some emotion out.”

  “Just… now?” I stare at Olivia who is giving me daggers. Great.

  “No, when the cameras are rolling. We might as well film it. It might even make the cut.”

  The cut? Oh my God, I might actually become part of this movie. How wild would that be? As nervous as I am, I really need to nail this. It might actually be a bigger stepping stone than I originally anticipated. I don’t know why the hell this has happened, what made him pick me, but this is good. Really good as long as I don’t blow it. I just need to stop my vision from blurring quite as violently as it is so I can turn this opportunity into something positive. I nod and try to hold myself together piece by piece while I focus. All the acting training that I have ever had in my life flies violently out of the window but I’m still going to do it.

  “Stand here.” The director rests his hands on my shoulders and angles me. I’m staring at Olivia who is looking at me like she despises me. Like I’m a piece of dirt under her shoe. And I have to think of something snarky to say to her. I haven’t even been given directions. This is going to kill me, how the hell can I make it happen?

  I suck in a couple of deep breaths and try to calm the ice cold anxiety darting around in my stomach. It’s churning, sickening, but deep down in there I feel anticipation too. This could be something incredible.

  “Okay and… action.”

  I dart my eyes towards the director, checking that he really means me and he nods firmly. There’s a determination under his gaze, I feel like he wants me to nail this so that’s what I need to do. For some reason out of all the extras, he has chosen to give me a chance and I need to make him proud.

  The next time I look towards Olivia I see right through her so her nasty gaze can’t affect me. I suck in deep and I walk with solid, purposeful steps. The pressure weighs heavily on my shoulders, it sinks into me, my heart pounds so heavily I’m afraid it might burst from my chest, I can barely breathe because I can’t seem to get enough air into
my lungs, it almost crushes me, but I keep on going all the way until I bang into the ice queen’s shoulder.

  “Watch it, you idiot,” I mutter, glaring at her. She wants to make me wither but I won’t. I turn my head away and continue on walking. She starts yelling, actually showing some emotion and I shake my head.

  “Cut!” the director yells, destroying any confidence I just had. “Extra, you were great, but Olivia, I need more.” Relief floods me, at least it wasn’t my fault, but that does still mean that I need to do it again. “Once more.”

  I have a feeling that this is about to turn into a very long day…

  * * *

  I sigh loudly and slump at the bar nearest to my apartment. I was right, it was a really long day. Who would have thought that smacking into someone over and over again would be so tiring? But it was. And now Olivia really hates me. It didn’t help that I kept getting compliments and she was getting a hard time. I could tell that she didn’t like it by the way that she kept barging into me over and over again, getting harder each time.

  “What can I get ya?” the sweet looking barmaid asks me with a Southern twang.

  “White wine please.” She asks me which and I shrug. “Any, thank you. It’s been a long day.”

  “Yeah?” She pops some gum. “Anything you want to talk about?”

  “No thanks. Maybe not yet. I might after a couple of drinks.”

  “Okay, well let’s sort you out then.”

  I take the drink from her and sip it down rapidly before asking for another. I don’t want to get wasted but I do need to block the day out. I’m not needed on the sets tomorrow but the director asked me to be around over the next week in case they want me back. Yes, that was a really good sign but I’m dreading it too. Mostly, seeing her.