The Dark Paradise Trilogy Box Set

by Heather C. Myers

  Andie let out a content sigh through her nose as her lips curled up into a deeper, more prominent smile. She could feel Jack’s rough fingertips caress patterns into her side, and knew that he was just as awake as she was. Things like that helped her forget her troubles, at least for a little while. She turned around in his grasp in order to face him, and her small, upturned nose brushed his chin. His grip on her tightened, pulling her even closer to him and tucking her head underneath his chin. Andie’s hands slid up his bare chest, loving the feel of his skin molding with hers.

  “How was last night?” she murmured, as she slipped an arm around his torso, pressing against him. Though she didn’t say it, he knew she was asking about his night outside the manor, as Black Wing.

  “…usual,” he mumbled back, sleepiness evident in his low, soft-spoken voice.

  “Did you get hurt?” she asked, her eyes opening, trying to see any new wounds on his body she should be wary of.

  “No,” he said, inhaling the sweet, soft scent of her hair, and burying himself deeper into her locks. “I mean, I’m sore,” he continued, and here, Andie detected a smirk in his voice, “but I don’t think that had anything to do with Onyx City.”

  Though Andie was quite familiar with what Jack meant, she still blushed, hiding her eyes underneath her long eyelashes and pressing her cheek against Jack’s chest, despite the fact that she was as close to him as she could possibly get. “We can’t let that portion of time slip away from us again,” Andie murmured against his skin, the vibrations of her voice causing Jack to break out into goose bumps.

  “Promise,” he said, nuzzling against her. “Even if we’re really busy with work or other stuff, we should be with each other… two, three times a week.”

  “At least,” Andie added. “Even if it’s quick.”

  Jack chuckled, a genuine smile slipping onto his face. Andie wished she could see it; ever since the stress of losing a portion of his capital, Jack wasn’t exactly offering up smiles as easily as he once was. “Even if it’s quick,” he promised.

  “You know what I think?” she asked, finally deciding to tilt her head back so her eyes could look over his beautiful facial features. When their eyes met, Jack pushed his brow up and an amused smile broke out onto his lips, humoring her. “I think you should call in sick today, and I’ll call in sick today, and we just stay in bed, sleeping and bringing back up our quota.”

  This time, Jack laughed full-on, holding tighter onto Andie’s frame. Andie bit her lip, a brilliant smile eclipsing her features. She absolutely adored making Jack laugh out loud, let alone smile, and her eyes captured every facial expression hoping to memorize it. She knew the days before them would get long and tumulus; Jack was incredibly stressed right now, and because of her intimate knowledge of him, she wanted something simply blissful to look back on.

  “Oh, how I wish I could,” he murmured, breathing her essence in deeply. He squeezed her, hoping to convey his sincerity. “But I have an important meeting with my investors just after lunch.” He paused. “Does this have anything to do with your sister’s unexpected visit?”

  Instantly, her guard was up. “No,” she snapped, without malice. “Keirah’s going to do whatever she wants. Why would she listen to me?”

  “And” – he began but she cut him off.

  “Good luck,” Andie said, wanting to change the subject. She knew Jack didn’t exactly believe in it, but whenever she knew he had important meetings, she would always say it. “What do you think is going to happen?”

  He let her. “Well, I called the meeting to inform them of an interested investor,” Jack said lightly, his fingertips brushing her bare sides in nonsensical patterns once again. “So I think it’ll be a good meeting. In fact,” he continued, looking down into her green eyes and interlocking his fingers around her, resting his hands against the small of her back, “I have dinner plans with her tonight.”

  “Her?” Andie asked, pushing her brows together. However, her smile revealed her delightedness. “Finally. All the investors you do have are all old guys.”

  “Old, rich guys,” Jack pointed out, his jade green eyes sparkling in amusement. “I think she would really like you, actually. I was hoping that you would come to dinner with us.”

  “Hmm,” Andie said thoughtfully. She wanted to make sure she had no late business meetings, no dinner plans with friends, or anything else. She made a note to call Reese and Carey after her time with Jack. She didn’t realize she needed girl-time until that moment. “Yeah, absolutely,” she said finally, after realizing she was completely free tonight. In fact, now that she had made plans with Jack, she was really looking forward to it. The last time she and Jack had last gone on a date was a few weeks ago. Since then, they’ve both been ridiculously busy. “Who is she, exactly?”

  “I’m not sure,” Jack answered. “She said she worked for Barnes & Barreys, which is a firm I’ve been familiar with since college. My father had dealings with them in the past, but since his death, there was a mutual, friendly separation. Anyways, she said that there was a renewed interest in Phillip Enterprises and wanted to schedule a dinner meeting to talk schematics and whatnot.”

  “Sounds super exciting!” Andie teased.

  “Hey!” Jack said, pinching her side, causing Andie to squeal. She was quite ticklish. Jack’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped a fraction, his lips making an ‘o’ as though he just realized how ticklish Andie was. Andie, however, could see through his little act. The man knew her for more than several months now; of course he knew she was ticklish. Like, duh.

  “Don’t you even think about it, buddy,” Andie warned, immediately recognizing that dark glimmer residing in his velvet orbs. She had thrust her finger at him and touched the tip of his nose in warning.

  “I don’t think you’re in a position to be making threats, Andrea,” Jack said with his easy, almost arrogant smirk on his face. His fingers tightened their grip on Andie’s side, and he cocked a brow, daring her to push him to begin an onslaught of tickles. However, before Jack realized what was happening, Andie pushed her lips on a very sensitive place on the column of Jack’s throat. The man was temporarily surprised, and as a result, his grip all but released her. Andie grinned in triumph and quickly moved out of the way, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and bending down to grab the white shirt she had worn the previous evening.

  Instead of going after her, Jack watched as Andie slid on the shirt, masking her beautifully long back. She stood after a moment, and Jack’s eyes flicked down to her legs. She wasn’t necessarily tall, but given her stature, her legs were rather long. They weren’t scrawny, like most of the models he had dated had, but healthy. God, he loved her legs.

  Andie turned then, buttoning up the shirt, her messy strawberry blonde hair spilling around her. Jack’s gaze raised up and up, passed the curves of her body, passed the ample view of the swell of her breasts to rest on her slender collarbone, up to her graceful neck, and then finally upon her heart-shaped face. Her freckles were always more prominent in the summer, and they made her appearance more youthful. Her full lips were obviously worn from the previous night’s excursions, and though her eyes looked tired, there was still that sparkle that had enchanted him upon their first meeting together.

  “You’re beautiful,” he told her simply.

  Andie glanced over at him, and a light blush decorated the top of her cheeks. He loved seeing her blush, but even more so, he loved being the one to make her blush. His eyes managed to pry away from her to glance over at the alarm clock as Andie turned around to glance out their window. 8:24. Upon seeing this, he pushed himself off the bed and walked around so he could wrap his arms around her, resting his cheek against her neck. Though she was now adorned in his shirt, she could still feel the warmth of his chest press against her back, and though she tried not to, she realized she was becoming flustered.

  “You know, I think nobody would mind if we showed up late to work,” he murmured against Andie�
�s throat before softly kissing a trail down until he reached the base of her neck.

  A knowing smile arrived onto her face as she felt her body lean into his touch on its own accord. “I think you’re right,” she said softly in reply, and allowed Jack to lead her back to the bed.

  5

  When Reese hung up her cell phone, she felt a tugging feeling pull at the inside of her stomach. She set the phone down on the surface of the small dining table – probably bought at WalMart – and took a rather ungraceful seat in the chair.

  She should have told Andie about her and Jack. She should have told Andie about the meeting she scheduled with him tomorrow afternoon. Henry had arranged it after both she and Ollo agreed that teaming up with Black Wing–Jack Phillip, himself–might be the best compromise they both were willing to make.

  Well, Reese was all for it. Ollo, on the other hand, was adamantly against it, but even he had to agree that he couldn’t continue to hold her back from the person she was supposed to become. Her brow furrowed the more she thought about it; why was he so against her fighting in this war? Did he not think she was capable of doing what it was that she needed to do in order to protect Onyx? Did he think she was not ready yet? What more did he need from her in order for Reese to prove herself? He was her trainer,if he didn’t have faith in her, how could she expect regular citizens to?

  Tugging at her lip, Reese wondered why she let it bother her so much. She knew the sacrifices she made in order to be the savior. Noir saving Keirah by taking a bullet for her might have been the official catalyst that ended the war, but it was her family’s death that pushed her to realize she could be more than what everyone expected her to be. She could be more than a sorority girl who modeled for Victoria’s Secret.

  And Ollo had been right there by her side, encouraging her to be greater. Now that she was ready–and she knew she was ready–he hesitated, pulling her back, keeping her locked away and hidden like some princess that needed protecting. He was sending her mixed messages and she hated it.

  She didn’t want to be that girl, but she really did care what Ollo thought about her. She was in love with the guy, after all. It hurt her to think that he didn’t believe in her when she needed his faith.

  “I would be okay without his faith,” she murmured in a low voice so only she would hear.

  Not that it mattered; Ollo and Henry left together to make certain preparations for tomorrow night went smoothly. Reese wanted to come too, but they were both insistent that she stop training and to get lots of rest. She would need it, apparently. Instead of arguing–which was exactly what she wanted to do–she bit the inside of her lip and nodded her head once, watching them leave. When she had been certain they were gone, she put a to-go order in at the bar and then headed upstairs to shower, change, and maybe watch some trash television. Andie had called her after the shower but before the television.

  Reese needed to go get her dinner.

  She hated eating alone. She couldn’t explain why, but now that her family was gone, the mere act of eating a meal reminded her just how alone she really was. The feeling left her raw, empty, and hollow.

  At first, she picked at her food, but a voice that sounded suspiciously like Ollo’s reminded her that she needed the sustenance. So she forced herself to eat the green beans, the mashed potatoes, and the meatloaf lathered with gravy. When she was finished, she threw the Styrofoam plate in the trash–she would have to remind Ollo to take it out soon–and brushed her teeth. Then she changed into her pajamas and fell asleep to the sound of the silence.

  She dreamt of her brother. He looked exactly as she had remembered him: curly brown hair, blue eyes, freckles, good bone structure. When he saw her, his eyes weren’t guarded, nor were they filled with disgust. They reminded her of the way they used to look at her, before he thought Ollo was her boyfriend and didn’t approve, before he wanted nothing to do with her when she chose to be with Ollo.

  “You’re being stupid, you know,” he told her in his usual know-it-all, deep voice. “We’re fine. But you don’t need Ollo’s faith to be the greatest savior you can be. You don’t need anyone but yourself. And if you ever forget that, just remember that even though I’m gone, you still have me. And Mom. And Dad. We know you’re going to be great, Reese. Don’t worry about anyone else. Just worry about you. Have faith in yourself. Because we do.”

  She woke up with tears in her eyes but warmth in her heart.

  Reese’s meeting with Jack was the next day at 1:30pm at the Dowager’s Café. Ollo insisted that he tag along, which really didn’t surprise her, so the two left the apartment and drove fifteen minutes south to the high-end café. Ollo had Reese take her Mercedes rather than taking his pickup truck because it was much more suited for the neighborhood, and the god got uncomfortable if there was a chance he would unnecessarily stand out. Reese didn’t mind; driving gave her something to focus on rather than last night’s bittersweet dream of her brother or the guilt gnawing away at her insides for still not telling Andie about her meeting with Jack. For her to do that, she would have to explain just who she was, and at this point, she didn’t think she was ready for that. Would Andie even believe it, or would she think Reese was crazy? She didn’t want to risk it, not when Andie was one of the only friends she had left.

  “You’re awfully quiet, darl,” Ollo murmured from the passenger seat. He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt – some weird quirk he had about being strapped into a moving vehicle. “Are you certain you still want to go through with this?”

  “Absolutely.” She sounded more confident than she felt.

  Reese pulled into the back parking lot, and the two made their way into the Dowager’s Café. It was a large café filled with a lunch crowd that consisted of stay-at-home wives dressed in pressed pastel colors and businessmen looking to close potential deals. Everything was lightly-colored, lots of whites and tans that went well with the spring season. It was a place Reese’s mother frequented a lot during her lunch breaks from the district attorney’s office, but Reese hadn’t had the chance to experience it with her.

  She glanced up at Ollo to get her mind off the thought, and found that while he had made sure to dress for the occasion, he wasn’t entirely comfortable in a place like this. He was wearing a simple white collared long-sleeved shirt rolled up to the elbows and brown slacks–she ironed them for him herself–and he had even brushed his hair and placed it in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. Reese could see many of the women notice Ollo standing with her as they waited to be seated, and without thinking about what she was doing, reached out a squeezed his hand. It was to reassure him, she told herself, but she did not let go of him until they were led to a small, circular table next to a window with a view of the back garden.

  It certainly was nice to be in Jack Phillip’s circle.

  It didn’t surprise Reese when Jack Phillip strolled through the door fifteen minutes late, completely nonchalant as though he was right on time. He was dressed much like Ollo was, with his buzzed chestnut brown hair slicked back from his face, but he exuded so much confidence, wealth, and power, his presence was easily detected. He didn’t stop his stride in order to be seated. Instead, he seemed to know exactly where he was going and didn’t hesitate. Everyone, including the wait staff, stopped what they were doing in order to watch Onyx’s resident bachelor, but he didn’t even notice them.

  Even Reese was transfixed by the sight of him, and she had to shake herself out of her stupor before he finally reached their table. She had lived in Beverly Hills, for chrissake. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had rented the house next door while Angie directed a movie, and Reese had never stared gap-mouthed like some ugly fish. She seriously needed to get herself together.

  The only person in the whole café who hadn’t been in awe of him was Ollo, who was currently giving Reese a Not you too look and shaking his head. Reese frowned and looked down at her shiny, empty plate.

  “Good afternoon,” Jack said, breaking her eye contact w
ith the porcelain. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Reese sprung up so quickly she nearly spilled her small, round glass of ice water. What had gotten into her lately? She was never this clumsy.

  “Thank you so much for meeting with me, Mr. Phillip,” Reese said, shaking his offered hand. It was cool and rough.

  “Call me Jack.” He took his seat facing the garden while Reese and Ollo resumed their seats across from each other. He grinned at Ollo. “Good to see you again, Ollo.”

  “You too, Jack.” There was genuine warmth in Ollo’s tone, and Reese realized the two of them must have known each other for a long time.

  “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Reese,” Jack said to her before he poured himself some coffee. “Andie speaks so highly of you.”

  “Oh.” Reese felt herself blush. “Well, she’s amazing, so thank you.”

  Jack nodded in agreement. “Yes, she is,” he murmured. He drowned the black liquid in half and half before stirring it and taking a long sip. Once he placed the cup back on its saucer, he fixed his jade green eyes on Reese. “I’m sure you’re aware we can’t speak freely, but when Henry called and explained the dilemma you’re in, I wanted to do everything in my power to assist you because you are so crucial to this war.”

  Reese wasn’t sure how to respond so she pressed her lips together.

  “I want to help,” he continued in his soft-spoken voice. “You know who I am and I know who you are, and I think it would be beneficial if we merge our interests in order to gain knowledge and experience from each other.”