Heart’s Paradise
by
Olivia Starke
Heart’s Paradise
Copyright © 2015, Olivia Starke
ISBN: 9781940744667
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.
Electronic Publication: February 2015
Editor: Kelly Anderson
Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs
eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Back Cover Copy
Can Phoebe trust Jonathon with her biggest and most precious secret?
Phoebe Heart struggles to keep the bills paid with her survivalist training courses while raising a preteen daughter. When a producer approaches her about starring on the survival show Paradise she’s hesitant. Hasn’t she spent a lifetime trying to stay out of the spotlight of her famous mother? But the money is too good to pass up, and Phoebe will do anything to provide a stable future for her child.
Billionaire playboy Jonathon Breck is always up for a new adventure. When he’s offered a starring role on Paradise he jumps at the chance. In return for spending twenty-five days on a tropical island, using only his wits to survive, he’ll receive a nice big check, which he plans to donate to his favorite charity. So with two months training under his belt, he’s dropped off on a lush oasis. He knows it’ll take skill to find food, water, and shelter on the deceptively beautiful island.
Each of them expect to be on the island alone, so they’re shocked when they discover the producers have thrown in a surprising twist. Phoebe and Jonathon find themselves teamed up. Jonathon is intrigued by the sexy woman, but he can’t shake the feeling he’s met her before. Phoebe is appalled she’s paired off with the man she had a drunken college one-night stand with.
Passion ignites while they share in the trials of Paradise, but disaster strikes, leaving them facing life or death. And Jonathon learns the truth that Phoebe desperately hoped to keep hidden from him—they share a child.
Now Jonathon faces the biggest challenge of his life—convincing Phoebe to let him be a part of their daughter’s life. Can Phoebe trust the notorious playboy with her young, impressionable daughter’s heart? And can she trust the feelings she has for the charismatic billionaire?
Content Warning: contains graphic language and explicit sex
Dedication
This is dedicated to all of the heroes and heroines I’ve fallen in love with over the years.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank all of my readers for their incredible support in my writing efforts. It’s because of you that I continue to work in the career I love, which is being an author.
Prologue
Eleven years ago…
“He is so totally checking you out. Go talk to him.”
Phoebe Heart scowled at her roommate. “Are you kidding me?” she shouted over the loud thump of the speakers. “What’s a guy like him going to do with a science nerd?”
Katie shook her head before flashing Phoebe a megawatt smile. “I’d say he’ll probably do a lot with you.”
Phoebe’s face heated. She was glad her roommate wouldn’t be able to see the telltale shade of red coloring her face. Around them drunk college kids clustered, plastic cups and beer bottles in hand, while awful pop music blasted from giant speakers set against the walls. The frat party was in full swing, the first one she’d attended since starting college three years ago, and never had Phoebe felt so out of place. Not that she hadn’t been to a few raucous parties in her life—her mother threw ones that had been known to last for days.
At least this time she wasn’t the curious daughter of a famous pop singer. The awkward teen with braces and a bad complexion hiding on the outskirts while her mother tried to draw out her introverted offspring. She was simply Phoebe, who nobody in particular seemed interested in, because nobody cared about the awkward offspring of famous parents here. They were a dime a dozen. The kids of movie stars and politicians alike rubbed shoulders at an East Coast university—one of the top in the nation for academics.
She was happy being nobody. That was until this guy had shown up. He did seem to be looking her way, even now as she met his light colored eyes. They glowed beneath black lights suspended overhead, giving him a vampire-ish quality. Little shivers raced over her skin. She had a thing for vampire movies as of late. A new secret addiction to help her deal with the stressors of studying.
“You know who he is, right?” Katie shouted, breaking into her thoughts.
Phoebe dug around in her brain, coming up empty. She shook her head, trying her best to look casual and not ogle Mr. Hot Across The Room.
“It’s Jonathon Breck. His family is super wealthy.” Katie gave her an even broader grin, stretching her pretty face until she looked like the Cheshire Cat. “Big shot oil people, sort of like that show Dallas from back in the day.”
Phoebe lifted a shoulder. She’d grown up with money. Cash didn’t impress her, but Jonathon’s looks did, she couldn’t deny that. Tall, with broad shoulders, a clean-cut look, and eyes that could melt Antarctica—more shivers raced over her skin. He wore a dark colored polo shirt and slacks, a preppy look many at the elite university carried. He lifted his beer bottle and nodded at her. She felt her face flame hotter and she quickly looked away, wanting to vanish in the shadows. Unfortunately, Katie was there to run interference.
“Go talk to him.” Her roommate gave her a gentle push.
Phoebe balked, no way would she approach a guy like that. Sure, Cybil could, her mother would’ve been in bed with the guy by now, but Phoebe wasn’t nearly so brave.
Katie pushed harder, and Phoebe staggered forward then froze. Jonathon was heading her way.
Oh my God! More people had poured into the house, crowding around her, corralling her in place even as she sought an escape route. Maybe he wants to talk to Katie instead? she briefly considered. After all, Katie had modeled to help pay her tuition. But Phoebe just as quickly realized that those glowing eyes were focused solely on her.
Maybe he recognized her as Cybil’s daughter? A knee-jerk thought that left behind a bitter taste. How many friends and boyfriends had she lost over the years for that same reason? Too many.
Jonathon stopped in front of her then flashed a smile which dimpled his chin and made her hands tremble. He leaned down, close to her ear. “Hi there.”
His baritone voice easily carried over the music. Warm breath brushed her earlobe from his words, and her nipples hardened in response. Phoebe swallowed. She blinked, staring at his chiseled features, gawking like a deer in headlights.
“I’m Jonathon,” he said.
Her mouth opened then closed, a similar greeting lodged in her throat. Jonathon’s lips drifted down slightly as she peered into his face like an idiot.
“Can I get you a drink?” He lifted his beer bottle.
“Phoebe,” she blurted out. He gave her a quizzical look. “My name is Phoebe, and I don’t drink,” she stuttered in a voice much too high.
He looked down at the cup she’d nursed all evening. Some fruity mixed drink that stank of vodka. He lifted an eyebrow. “Fair enough. Why don’t we find someplace a bit quieter so we can chat, eh?”
She looked over her shoulder, searching for Katie, needing a reason to escape this gorgeous man’s attention. But Katie had vanished into thin air. “Great,” Phoebe muttered to herself.
Then, as if she didn’t need another reason to be uncomfortable, My Sexy
Teddy Bear blasted through the room. Excited shouts filled her ears, and Phoebe wanted to melt into the floor. It was her mother’s latest release, a graphic song about her recent cougar exploits. God, who wanted to hear their parent crooning about great oral sex?
“Where do you want to go?” she asked, wanting out of the mob of dancing people.
Jonathon reached out and took her hand. “Upstairs.”
Their fingers laced together, and Phoebe’s heart rate kicked up. Maybe he’ll think my damp palm is condensation from my cup? She followed along behind him, up a flight of stairs, and down a long hallway.
“Hey, Liam,” Jonathon said to a passing guy carrying a duffle bag. The other man only frowned and gave a brief nod in reply as he passed by them.
Jonathon tried a couple of doors, finding them locked, until he came to the last door down the hall. It appeared locked as well, but Jonathon jiggled the knob until she heard a click. The door opened.
“I’m sure he won’t mind us using his room to hang out in.” Jonathon glanced down the hall behind them. “I really should tell him about this broken lock sometime.” He looked down and shot her a wink. “All the better for us though, eh? We could use mine, but it’s a mess with graduation and moving out. I’m not sure where the floor is at this point.”
They walked into the room, and Jonathon closed the door. Phoebe stared around the intimate space. A desk was placed in one corner with a computer and printer. Notes were tacked to a corkboard behind it, while near the opposite wall sat a neatly-made bed. Her gaze darted from the bed, and all the illicit things it suggested to her overactive mind. A painting leaned on an easel. Yellow, black, red, and gray coated the canvas. A street scene of some sort. She studied it, distracted. Jonathon placed his hand on her shoulder and she jumped.
“If you’re not comfortable with this, we can leave,” he said. “I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything to be alone with me.”
She looked up, finding his smile in place, along with the adorable dimple in his chin. A lamp glowed by the bed, and though his gaze had lost its unearthly radiance, it still sent waves of heat through her body. She’d never seen gray of quite the same color in someone’s eyes. His tanned complexion and dark shag of hair heightened the effects.
She licked her lips. “No, I’m okay. I’d rather be here than downstairs to be honest,” she replied. She took a deep breath, inhaling his clean, masculine scent. A reprieve from the obnoxious mix of alcohol, BO, perfumes and colognes downstairs.
Jonathon walked over to the bed and sat on the mattress, crossing an ankle over his knee, adopting a casual pose. Though his eyes were anything but casual. God, they burrowed right into the heart of her, igniting a slow burn that settled deep within her core. Eyes like his were made for seducing women.
“Tell me about yourself, Phoebe,” he said.
Stage fright hit, and Phoebe found herself staring at him like an idiot again. Honestly, she’d expected him to maul her once they stepped into the room and shut the door. That way she could be sorely disappointed with all men, rebuff his drunken advances, and be on her merry way, a bit more jaded in life.
“Uh.” She cleared her throat. “Like what?”
“What’s your major?”
She licked her lips, her heart racing. “I’m, uh, um… I’m a biology major,” she stammered out. Her face heated for no other reason than needing to voice her nerdiness out loud to someone like Jonathon. “What about you?” she asked.
“Cultural anthropology. I’m graduating in a few days.” His gaze drifted down her body, leaving fire in its wake. “I’m heading to London in a month.” His eyes found hers again. “Smart women are a turn on for me.”
She swallowed hard, and the drink sloshed in her cup. Her ears still rang, and the walls and floors barely muffled the music thumping from below.
Jonathon’s tongue darted out, moistening his lips, and she squeezed her thighs together. She should leave now, before it was too late and she made a giant fool of herself. After all, she had a secret not even her roommate knew about. A big secret her mother often teased her about.
She caught sight of her reflection in a mirror on the wall. A platinum blonde pixie hairstyle which didn’t belong on her, wide eyes shining with the truth beneath too much eyeliner. How did he not see what was written all over her face?
“You’re a beautiful woman, Phoebe,” Jonathon said, pulling her from her rambling thoughts. The rumble of his voice slipped inside her, left her trembling with rising desire. “I won’t lie, I’d love to touch you right now.”
A squeaking sound escaped her throat, and the room drifted around her in a slow circle. Perhaps she was a bit tipsy after all. “Really?” passed her lips and she cringed at the silly response.
He purred, an obscene sound that set off fireworks within her libido. “Really,” he replied. “With my hands and my mouth. From your lips, to your toes, and back up again, stopping at all the interesting places in between.”
Boom boom boom went her out of control pulse keeping pace with the bass downstairs.
He waited, and she realized he wanted her to make the first move.
Phoebe couldn’t deny it—she wanted to touch him. Everywhere. She sipped the watered-down drink in her hand, hoping to get some kind of liquid fortification. The vodka taste slammed into her tastebuds and she stifled a gag. She glanced around, finding a shelf to set it on. Afterward, she rubbed her hands together.
Jonathon’s sizzling gaze invited wicked thoughts that involved a lot of nudity. “Come here, angel,” he said, a gravelly whisper which tugged her forward several steps.
This was a Cybil moment—alone in a room with some hunky guy she’d only just met, ready to do the deed while not far away a party blared. But oh God, look at him! And best of all he hadn’t once brought up her famous mother, perhaps he didn’t even know who she was. Though the niggling fear she was some conquest tugged the back of her brain. What better bragging rights than scoring with the daughter of Cybil Heart? A woman who’d worn on stage a pair of leather chaps over a g-string.
“Do you know who I am?” she blurted out, needing to know for sure. She watched his face closely for some deception—another excuse to flee from this irresistible man.
Confusion clouded his perfect face. He cocked his head sideways. “You’re an angel who has blessed my last dull days of college exams,” he replied, slick as silk.
Smooth words. Phoebe had spent a lifetime proving she wasn’t anything like her mother, yet in that moment she wanted to be exactly as brazen as Cybil. She wanted to gobble up his lines like he hadn’t passed them off to dozens of other women to get his way. Pretend she’d done this exact same thing time and again without a second thought or backward glance.
Her feet carried her closer to the bed, alcohol loosening at least a bit of her stodgy resolve to resist temptation. Alcohol...yeah, right. If truth be known, she’d suffered the biggest rejection of her life recently. The whole reason she’d thrown caution to the wind and attended her first frat party. A part of her had been broken, and she’d wanted some way to patch the fragile spot back together. At twenty-one she’d lived a lifetime already beneath the shadow of Cybil. She’d risked reaching out to the other half of herself, a stranger she’d longed to know forever, and the wound in her heart from that effort still ached.
Phoebe stopped in front of her suitor and stared down at him. Jonathon’s easy confidence, his knowing of what would follow between them left her a nervous wreck. Might as well give him fair warning…
“I should tell you first…” She swallowed over the lump in her throat, her mind warning her not to divulge her secret shame. “I’m a virgin,” she finally blurted out.
His gray eyes widened a bit. A virgin at her age? she could almost hear his mind question. What’s wrong with her? And she waited to hear those words. But he didn’t laugh, or give her a look of total disbelief.
“Are you sure you want to be in here with me then?” he asked in a near w
hisper. Blatant lust faded in his gaze, replaced by a kindness she hadn’t anticipated. Especially from a man who looked to have had several beers down him, he was obviously on his way to being properly drunk.
Why did the gentle look on his face make her want to cry? Her vision blurred, and her throat ached as emotion overwhelmed her. She blinked rapidly and spun away from him, swiping her palms over her face. They came away with some of the makeup she’d layered on to hide beneath.
He was behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did I do something to upset you?”
She shook her head, embarrassed by her minor breakdown. She wished he would’ve been an ass to her, given her fuel to use to strike out at him. Wasn’t that why she was there? To lash out against life in general? Throw herself into the moment, damned the consequences? “No, I’m stressed about classes. Finals,” she lied.
“Come here.” He spun her around, and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “My mom always said a good hug can fix anything.”
Phoebe buried her face in the front of his shirt, inhaling the clean scent of laundry detergent and aftershave. It was wonderful, comforting, and she indulged in the physical affection for as long as she dared. He stroked a hand over her back in small circles.
A total stranger seemed to care more for her than her own estranged father had when she’d finally found the courage to meet him a few weeks before. She gripped Jonathon’s shirt, battling her tears, determined not to let them get the best of her. Crying for someone who had never bothered to seek her out was wasted time.
Tonight was her night to forget the bastard, and determination steeled her spine. She reached up, grabbing Jonathon’s head, and pulled his mouth to hers. His resistance lasted half a heartbeat before he returned the kiss. His lips parted hers, his tongue drawing hers into a sweet mating dance. Heat swelled, leaving her dizzy and clutching his shirt. He grabbed her hips, pulling her close, his erection pressed into her stomach. She’d kissed guys in the past, but never had it felt so intense. So erotic. She wanted to be consumed by him.
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