Secrets at Parata Bay

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A grieving mother seeking revenge. A billionaire with everything to lose. A love that could destroy them both…

Cassandra Lee has lost the two people she loved most—her son and her father. Convinced one man is responsible, she vows to make him pay the only way she can: by destroying his wealth. She has nothing left to lose… except perhaps her heart.

Dallas Mackenzie has devoted his life to restoring his family’s fortune and proving he’s nothing like his ruthless father. Money may not buy happiness, but it has given him purpose—until Cassandra enters his life. She’s beautiful, determined, and hiding secrets he longs to uncover.

Drawn together by desire but divided by betrayal, Cassandra and Dallas find themselves locked in a dangerous game of seduction and resistance. But when revenge collides with love, both must confront the truth: is there any future for a relationship built on lies?

A powerful story of grief, redemption, and the courage it takes to trust again.

The Mackenzies series: heartwarming women’s fiction with clean romance, unforgettable characters, and the beauty of New Zealand at its heart.

--The Mackenzies--

A Place Called Home

Secrets at Parata Bay

Escape to Shelter Springs

What you See in the Stars

Second Chance at Whisper Creek

Summer at the Lakehouse Café

-Lantern Bay--

Yours to Give

Yours to Treasure

Yours to Cherish

Yours to Keep

Yours Forever

Yours to Love

Excerpt

The restaurant had once been a private villa. Prestigiously perched on the hills overlooking Wellington’s glittering harbor, the grand old house now catered for patrons who desired privacy and were used to the best. And Dallas often enjoyed the discretion it offered. Never more so than now, as he sat back and watched Cassandra order her dinner from the waiter.

She was an enigma and it only intrigued him more.

The usual response to an apology—especially by a new employee—would have been either a polite rejection of its necessity, or a polite acceptance. Which meant Cassandra was neither acquiescent nor polite. Despite a slightly ruffled ego, he liked that.

He also liked the way her straight, dark hair shone in the candlelight, revealing subtle highlights that couldn’t be reproduced in a hair salon. The depth of color provided a stunning foil to her pale skin and deep blue eyes. Irish coloring, he guessed. Wherever her family originated from, she was very beautiful.

He took a sip of soda water and placed it carefully back onto the table between them, as he tried to control his visceral reaction to her. He looked up and caught her gaze. He realized his attempt at control had failed; he was incredibly attracted to her. Years ago, he would simply have taken her back to his apartment and they would have made love all night. But he had the feeling one night wouldn’t be enough.

His errant thoughts of how much fun pleasuring this woman would be, were interrupted by the waiter bringing the drinks and responding to Cassandra’s enquiry about the restaurant’s history.

Dallas only half listened as his eyes wandered back to Cassandra. Her chin was tilted up as she looked at the waiter, revealing her long neck which, God help him, he had an irrational desire to lick. Her hair fell, straight as a die, down her ramrod straight back. There was a slight stiffness to her elegance as if she were conscious of every movement, not entirely at ease. When the waiter left and she turned back to catch his gaze, he could see the unease in her eyes too. She was holding something back, but he’d find out what it was. Later.

***