Paradise Disguised(2)

Anna thought about what he'd said and knew he was right. Hell, it was  what she'd been thinking before he'd mentioned it. It was the perfect  time to make some changes in her boring life.

"You're right, dad. It's time I made some drastic changes to my life. I  don't know why I haven't done it before now," she said, taking off her  work gloves and laying them on the shelf half-way filled with power  saws. She enjoyed working in the store because it was an easy way to be  apart of small town life, without actually being a part of it.                       
       
           



       

"That's my girl," he said with relief. "I was hoping you'd at least give  it a try. If you hate it, there will always be room with me."

Anna gave her father another hug, but her mind was already thinking of  the future. "Can you get our attorney to purchase some property in the  area? And have him call Mr. Maguire and set up an appointment for two  weeks from Monday. That should be plenty of time for the new me to be  presentable."

"Why don't you give Mel a call? I bet she'd like to be a part of the new you, too."

Anna thought of her childhood friend and smiled. Amelia James, was  called Mel by everyone except her own mother, and she was Anna's  complete opposite. She had a bubbly and outgoing personality that drew  in anyone around her and a witty sarcasm that could cut people off at  the knees without them knowing it.

She was petite and willowy next to Anna's more statuesque figure and she  was in constant motion. Anna realized she'd like Mel's company very  much. She'd neglected her friends like she'd neglected herself, but that  was about to change as well.



Dylan Maguire sat at his desk and thought about the sexy brunette he saw  every week at Hollis Tools. She had a great body that she kept hidden  under layers of clothing. The only reason he'd found out the secret of  her curvaceous figure was because he couldn't take his eyes off of her  when he was in the store, and he'd just happened to catch denim and  cotton stretch in strategic places as she reached up to a shelf.

He'd made a stop by the hardware store at least once a week for months  to get a glimpse of that sexy body she tried so hard to hide. He'd have  to be a saint not to notice a body like hers, lush and round just the  way a woman should be. And everybody knew that Dylan Maguire was no  saint. He genuinely appreciated all facets of a woman, whether they were  twenty or one-hundred twenty, thin or plump, homely or beautiful, they  were just fascinating creatures. Of course, one that was twenty might  hold his attention for a different reason.

Sometimes he had to make up excuses to stop in Hollis Tools, but it was  always worth the trip. He also stopped by for the useful pieces of  information he was able to get out of Jack Hollis. Dylan knew the girl  was Jack's daughter and that she'd been extremely withdrawn since her  mother's death. He also knew Jack was trying to get her to come out of  her shell.

Dylan had casually mentioned he was in the middle of his slow  season-though the truth was the opposite-just to see if Jack would tell  him some more information about Anna. He'd hit a gold mine.

Jack had come up with the idea of Anna getting out on her own, and he  thought Dylan was just the person to help her out. Jack would probably  have changed his mind if he'd known the only thing he wanted to help  Anna out of was her clothes and a good bit of her innocence.

The woman had a body that wouldn't quit, and she'd caused him plenty of  uncomfortable nights since he'd first set eyes on her several months  ago. Anna was a natural beauty, and there was nothing she could do to  hide the fact. He'd spent many a night fantasizing about what it would  be like to unravel her braid slowly and run his fingers through her  thick hair. He could imagine it curly and untamed, spread out on her  pillow as he made love to her gently, and he could imagine it wrapped  around his fist as he took her from behind with harsh, fast strokes.

He'd take those horrid glasses off her face that hid the most beautiful  eyes he'd ever seen and throw them in the trash. He'd seen her staring  at him one too many times out of the corner of his eye, and he also knew  she was just as attracted to him as he was to her. All he had to do was  walk by to feel the sexual tension crackling through the air, and his  cock automatically hardened every time he imagined stripping away those  layers of clothes she wore like a shield..

His sexual appetite could be voracious at times, and he knew that Anna's  shyness could be a problem. But God. . . he hoped she was open to a  little adventure. It had been too long since he'd been truly satisfied  by a woman.

He heard two knocks before his architect and best friend, Mitchell Casey, walked through the door.

"Whoa buddy, from the scowl on your face am I to assume you're having woman trouble?" Mitchell said, good-naturedly.

"No, you're the only annoyance I'm seeing right now," Dylan said.

"Well, from the size of the boner you're sporting, consider me flattered."

Mitchell just laughed at the obscene gesture Dylan shot him and sat down  in the empty chair in front of the desk. "So who's the lucky lady this  time?"                       
       
           



       

"I'm not saying a word," Dylan said adamantly. "I haven't even had a conversation with her yet."

"Ahh . . . Lust at first sight. My favorite."

"You're a degenerate. No wonder you have a hard time finding a date,"  Dylan said, even though he knew women were practically taking numbers to  go out with The Mitchell Casey. He was the ultimate  love-em'-and-leave-em' man.

The two of them had become friends in college, and they'd been working  together ever since. Mitchell had helped him through his divorce several  years ago, and he had helped Mitchell survive after the death of his  wife.

Of course, Mitchell had turned into a hardened, cynical man, and it was  obvious to everyone but Mitchell that he went through women like water  to drown out the pain that was still smothering him. They owed each  other a great deal, and they'd decided the best place to start anew was  Paradise, Texas. What could be better than that?

The buzz on the intercom brought his thoughts and body under control as  he reminded himself that he was at work. His secretary buzzed a second  time, and he picked up the receiver ready to get back to the grindstone.

"Yes, Janet," he said.

"Mr. Hollis is on line one. He said that he'd talked to you earlier  about building a house for his daughter," Janet said, curious as always.

"I'll take the call on my private line," he said, knowing that would  pique her interest even more. He couldn't help having a perverse sense  of humor.

Janet Porter was in her early thirties and reminded him of a modern day  pin-up girl from the forties. She had bleached blonde hair, a curvy  figure and a kewpie doll mouth she kept painted bright red. She was more  cute than anything, and he'd always been surprised he'd never been  attracted to her, but he knew she was the one that kept the office  running smoothly. They'd eventually become friends, and he was satisfied  to leave it that way.

"Aha. Jack Hollis. That explains everything," Mitchell said. "The only  place you've been today is to Hollis Tools, and I know just the brunette  who could put that look on your face. I've never thought much of her  face or the frumpy clothes, but she does have the type of body that  could make a man crawl."

Dylan looked at Mitchell sharply, warning him with a glance that he'd  better stay clear of Anna. "And how would you know anything about her  body," Dylan growled.

"I'm a professional observer of all women. Believe me, I know what a  woman looks like without her clothes on no matter how much she tries to  hide. But don't worry, my friend, I've looked, but she's not my type,"  Mitchell assured him with a dimpled grin. "I like my women with a little  more flash."

Dylan shooed a laughing Mitchell out of the office and answered the phone.

"Mr. Hollis?" Dylan asked.

"Call me Jack, son. I'm glad I caught you in the office. I've talked to  Anna, and she's agreed to meet with you and get started on a new place  of her own. I thought she'd put up more of a fight, but I hardly had to  prod her at all."

He worked fast, Dylan thought to himself. Either that or Anna was more  anxious to meet him than he'd thought. Boy how he'd love to be the one  to break her of her shyness. He had a whole new world to introduce her  to.

"I've had a nice piece of property tucked away that I bought some years  ago. It would be the perfect spot for Anna. It's full of trees and a  little creek runs along the property line. I'm going to sign it over to  her as a surprise."