Visions Of Paradise (7 page)

“You’re going to regret that, friend,” Perry said as he picked himself up off the pavement. “I’m going to sue you for everything you own.”

“Try it, you piece of shit and I’ll have this entire town on the stand insisting that you swung at me first.” Jonas glared at him. “No one insults
my
woman.”

“So she’s your woman now?” Perry shook his head and rubbed his jaw. “It didn’t take long, did it? That should tell you something.” He turned around and started barking orders at people before Jonas had the chance to land another punch against his jaw.

Jonas turned and stared at Milla for a minute. She couldn’t read his expression and she wondered if he didn’t want anything to do with her now. After all, he was in his seventies and, she was sure he had antiquated values. He probably saw her as used goods now and didn’t want to have anything to do with her.

Milla tried not to feel disappointed. After all, he might not actually be too young for her, but he certainly looked like he was. No wonder Perry thought her some sort of slut. She looked as though she was pulling some sort of cougar stunt. Not that she thought there was a damn thing wrong with it, if that’s what a person was in to.

“Come on,” Jonas said as he took her arm and pulled her toward her SUV. “We’re going to my house. Something tells me that he’s just waiting for you to check into the lodge. He can’t get to you in my home. You’ll be safe there.”

Sure she’d be safe from Perry, but would she be safe from Jonas and Mel? Milla slid another surreptitious glance their way. For some reason, she hoped not.

Ten minutes later, they stood on a wide walkway looking at a huge house with a wraparound porch. The white siding set off the blue of the shutters and door. The wide porch held two swings and several rocking chairs along with two chaise lounges. It looked more like it could be his grandparent’s house than a bachelor pad.

“Nice house.” She couldn’t help but stare at it. It was the kind of house she’d dreamed of owning most of her adult life. It was also the kind of house Milla knew she would never own. After all, she was just a carnival psychic. Carnies didn’t own nice places like this. If they were lucky, they would get a chance to stay in one for a couple of days. Apparently, she was lucky.

“It was my grandmother’s,” Jonas said as he strode up the front steps and opened the double front doors.

I knew it!
Milla pressed her lips together and willed herself not to laugh for calling it. No wonder it looked like a grandma’s house. It
was
one!

“What?” Jonas asked when she stood staring at him, unable to say anything for fear of giggling.

“Nothing. It’s just that I thought it looked like it could be someone’s grandparent’s house when I first saw it. That’s all.”

Mel took her arm. “We should go inside. We don’t want your
friends
reporting anything back to Perry.” He stared down at her for a minute, his expression unreadable. “You didn’t say that you two were lovers.”

“First off,
that
is none of your business and second, I didn’t mention it because it’s not something I’m proud of. I’m not sure why I even did it. I knew he was a jerk, but somewhere along the line he became the man of my dreams and I just couldn’t stop myself.” She shrugged. “After a while, he grew tired of me, or something, and he changed again. He once again became the bully that we all knew and hated. So I left him and tried to carry on as though nothing had happened between us.”

She let Mel lead her into the house. The air conditioner was obviously set on a low temperature because goose bumps rose on her arms after they entered and her nipples hardened. It had to be the cold. The men certainly had nothing to do with it. They barely even touched her.

“How did he feel about that?” Mel asked.

Milla tilted her head and thought about that for a minute. “He seemed okay with it. In fact, he’d been seeing other women, sleeping with other women and generally acted as though I didn’t exist for the last ten years. It wasn’t until I left the carnival that he even seemed to notice that I was no longer in his bed.” She frowned. “It was weird, really.”

“Maybe he didn’t want you, but doesn’t want others to have you.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve dated and slept with at least three other men in the last ten years and he didn’t seem to mind it at all.” Milla blushed at her confession. Would they think less of her for the amount of lovers she’d had throughout the years?

“I hope you don’t—” She licked her lips, nervous. “I know it doesn’t look good to you, but I’m not a loose woman. Really, I’m not.”

Jonas smiled down at Milla as she stood before them, her heart on her sleeve and told them that she wasn’t one to sleep around. He couldn’t help himself. One second he was smiling down at her, the next, he had her cheeks cupped in his hands as his mouth slid over hers. He hoped she didn’t slap him again, but if she did, it would be well worth it.

Much to his surprise, she kissed him back, her arms sliding around his neck as he dropped his hands and pulled her deeper into his embrace.

She felt like heaven pressed tight against him, her lower stomach pressing against his hard cock. The warmth of her body seeped into his. Dropping his hands, he cupped the soft cheeks of her ass in his hands and squeezed. Gods, he loved a woman with an ass.

The scent of her arousal rose up and he drew her in. His cock pressed tight against his jeans and he was sure the damned thing had a mind of its own and tried to break free of the material’s restraint.

His stomach clenched as he lowered his head to her neck. Her scent wrapped around him, drawing out his beast and bringing on the heat of the
el calor.
He would go mad if he couldn’t have her soon. He knew this, yet he didn’t press her. He couldn’t do that to her. Not tonight. He would give her this night and possibly the next. He wanted her to feel safe in his home. He
needed
it on some unknown visceral level and damn it all to hell, he wanted Mel here, too.

Apparently, the gods, in their infinite wisdom, saw to pair him with that imbecile. Who was he to fight their choice in mates? Besides, if he fought the presence of one mate, he might lose the other. He didn’t want that.

Jonas had waited a lifetime to get his mate. Now that he’d found her, he had no intention of letting her go. She was perfect for him, just what he’d hoped for in a mate. He would be an idiot to do anything but thank the gods that he would finally have a family of his own.

Whatever his and Mel’s differences were, they paled in comparison to the perfection that was his Milla.

Ending the kiss, he pulled back wary. “Are you going to slap me again?” he asked holding her as she swayed in his arms.

“Uh…no.” Milla licked her lips and opened her eyes. “I…uh.” She cleared her throat. “Do you expect me to stay here with you?” Her voice came out almost a squeak. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. So far you’ve had a difficult time keeping your hands to yourself.” She glanced at Mel. “
His
house might be a better idea and you stay here.”

“
His
house is a room at the boarding house. He doesn’t have an extra room for you to sleep in.”

“You’re going to give me my own room?” She smiled. “For some reason, I half expected you to drag me to your room by my hair and have your way with me like some caveman.”

“Darlin’, if I’d decided to have my way with you, you’d already be in my bed and, I promise you, I wouldn’t have to drag you there.”

Milla’s cheeks darkened with a blush at his announcement. She didn’t argue though, and that surprised him.

“Let me show you to your room.” Turning, he led the way up the stairs and showed her to the room he’d used as a child. “We’ll put your things in here.” He turned to Mel. “Help her bring in her things, if you don’t mind. I’ll go see if I can find something to fix for dinner. Also, you might want to go to the boarding house and bring some of your things over. You should stay here, too. I think she’s going to need all of the protection she can get. The last thing I want is for that blond giant to think he’s got a chance of getting away with breaking into this house.”

“I’m right on it.” Mel turned to Milla. “Show me what you want brought in and I’ll carry it up for you.”

Jonas followed them back down to the first floor and made his way to the kitchen. He hoped he had something in the fridge to fix for dinner. Otherwise he was making a grocery run before the store closed for the night.

Opening the refrigerator door, Jonas glanced into the large, but almost empty, interior and sighed. “Great. It looks like I have something to fix, after all.” Warmed over pot roast might not be the best dinner in the world, but considering it was a meal he’d purchased from Sarah at the diner, he knew it was something good enough for his mate.

He’d just set the food on the counter and started to uncover it when someone banged on the kitchen door. Looking up, he saw Merrick there with three of his deputies. Immediately he thought back to Perry and that punch he gave him and groaned. The man had sworn out a warrant for his arrest after all.

Striding to the door, he pulled it open and turned back to the food on the counter. “So, gentlemen, what fresh hell have you brought me?”

“We need to talk to you about that asshole Perry.”

“What about him? He didn’t look like anything we couldn’t handle.”

“Apparently, he’s been using your mate to blackmail humans, somehow. We’re not sure how, yet. We’ll let you know when we figure that out. We just want to warn you that you’re going to have your hands full keeping him from her.”

“Don’t worry about that, gentlemen. Taking care of that asshole will be
my
pleasure.

Milla woke the next morning, resigned to the fact that she couldn’t stay here. As much as she liked the idea of staying in Paradise and making a life for herself, she knew it was nothing more than a dream. Her life wasn’t a dream. It was more of a nightmare, much like the one she’d had last night.

Tossing the covers back, she got out of bed and headed for the shower. Though she’d bathed the night before, she felt used and dirty. She usually did after Perry invaded her dreams. She didn’t know what it was about the man, but he seemed to sneak inside her dreams every time he was near. Milla was certain it was her subconscious mind telling her that she’d never be free of the overbearing jerk.

“Why? Why can’t he just let me go?” Why was having her so important to him? It wasn’t as though he loved her. He could care less about her, just so long as he kept her near and traveling with him.

Reaching out, she adjusted the water to hot and stepped beneath the spray. Maybe the near scalding water would drive the man from her brain. She stood beneath the spray, letting the water wash the oily, violated feeling from her skin. Resting her hands against the wall of the shower, Milla bowed her head and cried.

Why did he seem to find his way into her dreams over and over again? She knew it was a dream from which she couldn’t wake, yet she couldn’t banish him from her mind. Almost every night he’d managed to find his way inside her head while she slept. That was one of the main reasons she’d left. For some reason, he didn’t plague her mind when miles separated them. It was one of the reasons she kept running.

The man was a freaking menace! It was just too bad that she hadn’t figured that out before she slept with him. She might have saved herself some heartache. Then again, maybe not. She’d started dreaming of him before she’d become his lover. The dreams were one of the reasons she’d thought him the one for her—for a short time, anyway.

It was just too bad she didn’t see through him before she slept with him. She might have saved herself a boatload of heartache if she had.

After thoroughly scrubbing every inch of her body, Milla turned off the water and stepped out onto the thick, lavender rug. She loved this house with its beautiful wood floors and this bathroom with its ivy-trimmed walls and lavender accents.

Wood and chrome towel racks gleamed when she pulled the fluffy towel down and dried herself. This really
was
the kind of home she’d dreamed of owning one day. It was too bad that Perry couldn’t leave her alone to live her dreams. Instead, he followed her around, constantly turning her dreams to nightmares and her wishes to dust.

Milla was still damp when she stepped out of the bathroom. The cool air of the bedroom hardened her nipples, making her shiver. Gooseflesh rose on her skin as she hurried over to her suitcase and rummaged through it, looking for something to wear.

She pulled a Navy blue button down blouse and a pair of jeans from the case along with a blood-red bra and panty set. She never felt sexier than when she wore her matching underwear.

After donning her clothes, she looked out her window and into the backyard. Jonas didn’t have any close neighbors. The privacy fence he had would hide her from prying eyes if she decided to use the hot tub she saw in the gazebo or the kidney-shaped swimming pool. Milla sighed. She didn’t want to think about leaving so soon, but she knew she might have to leave Paradise.

If she did, it wouldn’t be today and it definitely wouldn’t be before she attempted to seduce two certain were beings out of their clothes. She might be too old to throw herself at two hot guys but, by god, she was going to do it. She deserved a little happiness and she was determined to get it, even if it was only for a few short nights.

Striding to the bathroom, she looked at her hair, wondering if she should bother to dry it and take an iron to it, or not. Taking care of her hair was something she’d grown accustomed to over the years. Instead, she decided to go natural. If the two men couldn’t accept her with her wild hair in its natural state, it might make it easier to leave.

Taking a deep breath, Milla turned to face the door. “Here goes nothing, girl.”

With her spine straight and her chin in the air, Milla opened the door and stepped out into the hall. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered again as she headed for the stairs.