Paradise Revival Part 19
Chapter Thirteen.
Morgan lay snuggled tight within Tony's arms, never having felt more content than she did at this moment. Listening to his heart thrum steadily against her ear, she sighed and scooted closer, rewarded when he grasped her tighter against him.
He'd long ago fallen asleep. After their lovemaking, after he'd held her, kissed her, made sure she hadn't suffered any ill effects from being restrained. After they'd returned to the resort so she could tie up any loose ends, and after they'd returned home and made love once again.
Ill effects? On the contrary, she'd found more pleasure in those moments with Tony than she'd experienced in her entire life. That's when the realization hit her-she was in love with him. It didn't matter that she'd told him point blank there could be no emotional involvement between them. Nor did it matter that he was leaving tomorrow.
How had it happened? How had this foray into s.e.x turned into something deeper, so deep the thought of losing him carved a hole in her heart, making her ache with the loss already?
And more importantly, should she tell him how she felt? She could imagine the results if she did. He wouldn't be able to pack fast enough. He'd made it quite clear he wasn't interested in a long-term relationship with her, that his life, his love, was traveling the world to get the next story.
Tony's story about Morgan was over. It was time for him to move on.
And because she loved him, she was going to let him go. She didn't want him leaving with any regrets that he'd hurt her, that he'd somehow misled her into thinking he felt more than he actually did. Her feelings for him were of her own creation, and she'd deal with it on her own.
After all, she'd been on her own for years now. She'd adjust to life without him.
Yeah, right.
Now wide awake, she quietly slipped out of bed. It was very late, but she might as well do a little picking up while insomnia took hold. Maybe start some laundry.
She could sleep after he was gone.
What else would there be to do?
The house was so quiet as she tiptoed through the rooms, picking up things and gathering clothes. She stepped into Tony's room, figuring she'd wash his clothes with hers.
The beep of his personal fax machine caught her attention. A pile of papers had slipped off the machine on to the floor, and she bent to pick them up and lay them on the desk.
She hadn't meant to look, but her eyes strayed to the sender. The subject line made her shake all over.
The fax was from a Delbert Watkins, Private Investigator. The subject was ent.i.tled "Detailed Investigation on Morgan Brown."
She put the paper on the desk and stared down at the cover page, unable to believe her eyes. It was marked "Highly Confidential, for Tony Marino only." She shouldn't read it. Then again, it was about her. But what about her?
Unable to resist, she turned to the next page and read until she'd finished. By then her stomach rolled and she felt like she might be sick. Every sordid detail of her past, including David's full name, his family background, her family background, even former addresses and childhood friends was listed there.
He'd found everything about her. Everything. The man was thorough, she had to give him that. Every one of her dirty little secrets. Tony had found everything he'd come looking for, and then some.
And in the meantime, he'd skillfully gained her trust, even f.u.c.ked her. Wouldn't this story look great in the tabloids?
She'd fallen in love with him, and he'd used her to gain information, to get a f.u.c.king story! How could he do this to her? He was no better than David had been. Manipulating her, bending her, twisting her inside out only to whip her raw.
Despite the humidity she shivered, completely cold inside. Remembering the times Tony had so easily taken her any way he wanted to made her want to crawl under her desk and curl up in a ball.
Her immediate thought was to run. Pull up stakes and take off where no one could find her, least of all David. Once the news leaked out he'd have access to her again. Even David had no idea where she was. Neither did her family. Soon, everyone would know.
She fought back the tears, letting the fury take over. Grabbing the fax off the desk she stormed out of his room.
She'd been screwed once, and let it happen. Never again.
Tony sat upright in bed, his hand immediately reaching for Morgan but finding the
s.p.a.ce next to him empty.
Where was she? He glanced at the clock. Three in the morning. Maybe she was outside. He stepped outside but didn't see her. The house was dark, no lights were turned on either in front or in back.
So where the h.e.l.l was she?
He heard noises in the kitchen and found her slamming a cup and bottle of rum onto
the counter, then spilling half the contents as her shaking hands poured the liquid into the gla.s.s.
"Morgan?" he asked.
She didn't answer.
"What's wrong?"
"As if you didn't know." She turned and grabbed a handful of papers from the
counter and thrust them at his chest. He reared back, unprepared for the venom in her words, and scanned the papers she'd all but thrown at his face.
He felt the blood drain from his face and sat down in the nearest chair. Watkins' report. f.u.c.k. He'd forgotten all about sending out queries for investigating Morgan's background. He should have called the investigator, told him to cancel his search. He'd been so wrapped up in Morgan he'd forgotten all about asking Watkins to investigate her.
"I can explain this," he began.
"Don't bother. I'm pretty d.a.m.n smart and I can read. I know exactly what that is."
"No, I don't think you do." He stood and stepped toward her. She stepped back.
Okay, explain first, touch her later. "Morgan, I asked for that report before I knew
you, before I-" s.h.i.t. He'd almost said "Before I fell in love with you." Doubtful
she'd believe that right now. He could hardly believe it himself.
"Before what? Before you manipulated me, used me, f.u.c.ked me in more ways than one?"
"No, that's not what I was going to say." He had to tell her, had to make her understand that he would never hurt her.
She crossed her arms and smirked. "You know what? I don't really care what you have to say. But you can listen to me. Pack your stuff and get out of my house. Now."
No. It couldn't end this way. He wouldn't let it. He stood and reached out for her. "Morgan, let me explain."
But she backed away and folded her arms across her middle. "Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me again. Pack. Get out. Now. I'll be waiting in the cart. You can stay at the resort until the bus comes tomorrow to take you to airport."
Tony inhaled and blew out a breath, hurt and frustrated that he couldn't make her believe he hadn't meant for this to happen. As he watched her closed expression, he knew no amount of arguing would help. He left to go pack, throwing on clothes and jamming his things into his bag. He didn't have much so it didn't take long. When he came out Morgan, true to her word, was waiting in the golf cart, refusing to even look at him.
They drove to the resort in silence. When she stopped in front and waited while he retrieved his bags, she said, "I already called ahead. There's an available office for you to stay in until mid morning when the bus comes."
"Fine." He started to step out but then stopped and turned to her, ignoring the fact she wouldn't even turn her head in his direction. "I'm sorry I asked Watkins to investigate you. I want you to know that nothing in that report will ever be printed."
"Right."
"It's too bad you don't trust me enough to believe in me. I thought we were way past that point in our relationship. I guess I was wrong."
She hesitated for a second before saying, "We don't have a relationship, and no, I don't trust you. You've given me plenty of reason not to."
Nothing he could say or do would convince her. He already knew that. "I'm sorry, Morgan. I'm..." Useless, he reminded himself. He stepped out of the cart and headed up the stairs to the lobby, refusing to turn around when he heard the cart drive away.
Morgan fought back tears that had threatened to fall for hours, determined that she'd shed not a single one for a man who would so callously hurt her as Tony did.
She'd thought she'd loved him. Loved him! What an idiot. Would she never learn that men were not to be trusted? That there was no such thing as the man of her dreams, or true love?
How could she have been such a lousy judge of character? Why couldn't she see through people to the lies underneath? Was she so desperate for love and affection she'd been blind to Tony's true nature? It just didn't seem possible that he was that good an actor. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe she'd just seen what she wanted to see.
Either way, it was over, and once again she'd learned a very valuable lesson. She'd come to Paradise to live alone, so that men like him couldn't hurt her. For the rest of her life she'd remember there was a reason she'd chosen a life of solitude.
Glancing at the fax on the corner of her desk, she chewed her lower lip, wondering why Tony had left it on her kitchen table, and what had possessed her to s.n.a.t.c.h it up and bring it here to work? Why hadn't she given it back to him before he'd left?
Left. She glanced at the clock on the wall across from her desk. By now Tony should be back on the mainland, no doubt rushing to write his story and meet the deadline so he could dish the dirt on Morgan's past for the world to see.
He'd make a fortune publishing that story in the tabloids. David Randall was a prominent New York lawyer. The scandal would be huge. And then David would come after her, to punish her, to make her pay for breaking their bargain.
She grabbed the fax and forced herself to read it again, clutching her stomach as the pain stabbed at her. When would the story hit? Tabloids were done weekly, and with a hot topic like this one it wouldn't surprise her to see it in next week's National Inquisitor.
She'd be ruined. Paradise would go down the tubes, no one would want to come here, and worst of all, David would find her and develop some way to torture her, even though he'd promised he wouldn't.
David's promises meant nothing. She'd been lucky to live in peace for the past three years. Once he found out where she was, she knew he wouldn't be able to stay away. He owned her, he'd told her that often enough.
Dropping her head into her hands, she thought long and hard about what she could do, then an idea hit. She picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number of the investigator listed on the fax cover sheet.
A sharp voice answered, "Watkins here."
Morgan swallowed back her nervousness and said, "Delbert Watkins?"
"Yeah?"
She paused, then managed, "I need to speak with you about this fax you sent Tony Marino about me."
"Who is this?"
Cringing at his angry tone, she replied, "Morgan Brown."
Now it was his turn to pause. "I see. What can I do for you, Ms. Brown?"
"I want to know where you got the information you reported to Tony."
"I don't reveal my sources. Anyway, it doesn't-"
"I don't care whether you reveal them or not, " she interrupted. "I want to know. There are facts in here that no one but my ex-husband and I know about."
"Look, Ms. Brown," he started, his voice now calmer and much more friendly, "You know I can't reveal my sources. And anyway, as I was about to explain, I already got the word from Tony."
"What word?"
"He called me in the middle of the d.a.m.n night to tell me to shred the report, that he wasn't going to use it. So your follow up call isn't necessary. The data is history now."
Morgan sat stunned, unable to speak. Her limbs shook and her throat went dry. Finally, she managed, "He what?"
"I thought you knew. He said to shred the doc.u.ments. It's all gone. Nothing will ever be reported about you. And you know d.a.m.n well that as an investigator I can't reveal any information unless my clients want me to. So you're safe, Ms. Brown. Tony took care of that."
"I see. Thank you," she said quickly and hung up, not knowing what to make of that conversation.
She sat back in her chair and chewed her lower lip, her gaze repeatedly falling to the fax.
Tony had enough information on her and her past in that fax to write an entire book about her. Why wouldn't he use it? She didn't understand. Trying hard to recall their conversation last night, she seemed to remember he'd said he'd asked the investigator to dig into her background before he knew her, before he- Something. But she'd cut him off and he never did finish his sentence. Before he what? Before he fell in love with her?
Ridiculous. Tony didn't love her, he couldn't. He wouldn't. He'd made it perfectly clear he wasn't interested in becoming emotionally involved with her. The idea that he'd somehow fallen in love with her was ludicrous.
As ludicrous as her falling in love with him had been? Oh G.o.d. She'd also said that love would never enter the picture, and look what had happened to her.
Did Tony love her? Correction. Had he loved her? Had he sacrificed a juicy story about her because of his feelings for her?
Her chest constricted and she fought for breath, realizing that she'd just made a huge mistake. A mistake that had cost her the man she loved.
He'd asked her to trust him, and she'd refused. He'd told her he wouldn't hurt her, and she didn't believe him. He'd done nothing to make her think he'd use that information, but her mind had been so poisoned by David that she'd refused to believe that a man could actually love her, that someone would really be honest with her.