“Don’t do this, Anders,” Molly begged him.
“Damn it, woman. Go back upstairs.”
“Why don’t you stop for a minute and give your brother a chance to explain why he’s here?”
“Brother?” The surprised question came from April who stood behind Molly holding a sleeping toddler.
Shit. Jonas stomach took a nosedive.
“What is she talking about, Jonas?”
“You know him?” Anders dropped his hands and turned toward April leaving himself completely vulnerable to attack.
“He works for my father. He’s my, um, bodyguard.”
“You’re still working for Philip Linus?” Molly’s face pinched with confusion as she directed the question to Jonas.
He shrugged and told her the truth. “I left and came back.”
“Since when?” Anders demanded.
“A few weeks ago.”
“Brother?” April repeated, readjusting the sleeping kid on her hip as if he was getting too heavy. “Hello! Is someone going to tell me what’s going on here?”
Molly stood aside to let April come farther into the room. She slipped an arm around April’s back. “Jonas is Jimmy and Anders’ youngest brother.”
April’s big blue eyes widened. “I knew you were related, but I didn’t know how.”
Jonas straightened away from the sofa. “Who told you we were related?”
“Nobody. I just guessed.” She repositioned the kid on her hip again.
“Christ.” He might as well quit his job now, because his career was over. He rubbed his gritty eyeballs with the heal of his hands.
Anders placed the revolver he pulled on Jonas on the high counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. “You didn’t answer my question, Jonas. What are you doing back in town?”
Jonas couldn’t answer that question truthfully, so he did the next best thing and kept his mouth shut.
When Anders realized he wasn’t going to get a response, he growled in frustration and paced to the middle of the living room leaving his weapon exposed. Another amateur mistake. If Jonas had been so inclined, he could’ve had the weapon in his hand, aimed, and fired before Mr. Bigshot Superstar could’ve grinned and winked.
Anders turned around and met Jonas’ gaze. “If you’re not going to tell me why you’re back in Key West, maybe you can explain why you let me believe you went to prison when you really went to boot camp.”
Jonas’ fists clenched matching the knot in his stomach. He wasn’t interested in hurting his brother, but he would if Anders didn’t shut up. In the best blasé tone that he could muster, Jonas said, “Can’t, cause it ain’t true.”
Anders squared his shoulders, glanced at Molly, and took a step forward. “But it is true. I have connections in the government too. They pulled your file. Well, at least the part that wasn’t sealed—”
Jonas charged, grabbed the front of his t-shirt, and shoved him up against the all. “If your goal is to get me killed, brother, keep talking. You won’t have to worry about me coming back because I’ll be dead.”
Anders’ opened his trap to say something but shut it again and clenched his jaw.
The tension in the room was as thick as mud, but at least his big brother seemed to be taking his warning seriously. Jonas could feel April’s gaze carving into his back.
She was going to have a lot of questions, and she already knew too damn much.
He released Anders but kept an eye on him as he spoke to April over his shoulder. “You got everything?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
Not waiting for a response, he brushed past her on the way to the front door. He grabbed up the tiny suitcase he assumed belonged to the kid and let himself out.
Jonas opened the back door of the limo, tossed the suitcase inside, and followed it in.
A few moments later, April emerged from the house carrying the kid. His little head lolled to the side when she sat back against the seat.
“He okay?” Jonas heard himself ask.
“Yeah, he’s a heavy sleeper.”
The gray morning matched Jonas’ mood as he waited for the string of questions, he could feel buzzing around inside of April’s brain.
They were almost to Casa Linus when her tired gaze shifted his way and her soft, airy voice reached out to caress him in the confines of the limo. “I’m still trying to process all of this, but I want you to know you can trust me. I moved back to Casa Linus to help my friends. I don’t want any part of what’s going on. Promise me you’ll keep Archie and me out of it.”
His gut clenched, because he couldn’t make any promises. He had orders to get the PRIM and get out. If April was keeping her father’s secrets, Jonas wasn’t going to be able to protect her unless she was willing to work with his agency. She was in this up to her eyeballs whether she wanted to be or not.
Strain pinched her face and her loose bun balanced precariously on top of her head. Even exhausted with a drooling kid snuggled against her chest, she still mesmerized him. A different man, one capable of feeling warmth and affection, might have been seduced by this cozy little scenario, but he wasn’t that guy. He turned his head away because he couldn’t look at her and think straight.
“There’s no reason to involve you or the kid in anything.” He lied because it was his job to lie, but his conscience niggled him. “You should listen to your friend Juan though. Going back to Casa Linus is big mistake.”
“I’m going, Jonas. I have too.” She stared out the window. “I just hope it doesn’t blow up in my face.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jonas fell asleep the minute his head hit his pillow. It didn’t matter that the sun was blaring in his face through the open mini blinds, or his attic bedroom was hot as hell, or that he still had his boots on, he could have slept through an earthquake. He was out cold for about forty-five minutes when the gun fire started.
Bolting out of bed, he grabbed his gun from his nightstand and checked it as he headed for the door. The command center was at the end of the hall and he made his way there expecting to find someone on duty who could tell him what the hell was going down and where it was happening.
The room was empty.
The headset was dangling by its cord over the side of the control panel and the office chair was still rocking back and forth from the momentum of being abandoned in a hurry. The dozen small monitors on the wall rotated images of the grounds, except for number 7, which had been paused on front entry of the house.
Linus was on the ground beside his limo, a body guard shielding him protectively. Roman Leto, the thorn in Jonas’ side, turned his pock-marked face toward the camera, probably making sure everybody knew who saved the boss’s life. Several other guards closed in on the intruder who had taken cover behind a cherry red Porsche.
The office phone rang and Jonas picked up the headset and put it on. Flicking the switch, he said, “Yeah. Go ahead.”
“H-Hi, this is April Linus. I heard something that sounded like gunshots. Is everything okay?”
The quiver in her voice made every muscle in his body tense.
“Everything is under control.” His gaze was drawn back to the monitors. On screen 4, Donovan Mika popped out from behind the sports car and fled in the opposite direction. “Where are you?”
“My room. Were they really gun shots?”
More gunfire erupted. A bullet caught Mika in the leg. He stumbled. Somehow, he managed to stay upright and disappeared around the far corner of the garage.
On the other end of the line, a kid started crying and April gasped and dropped the phone.
Jonas’ heart leapt, and a foreign substance he realized was fear raced through his veins. “April?” He shouted into the microphone.
On camera 7, Roman Leto helped Linus to his feet and ushered him into the house.
According to Vera, they had orders to take out Donovan Mika. Jonas should pursue him and make sure he was dead or dying and
finish the job, but he had to check on April. A feeling of dread dug into his ass like a tick and wouldn’t let go. He made it to her room on the opposite end of the mansion in less than three minutes and pounded on the door.
When he finally heard the lock click, he shoved his way inside and bolted the door again.April stood in the middle of the room in a silver satin nightie that hugged her body in all the right places. Her long blonde hair hung in a damp braid over her left shoulder. She was trembling slightly, but that was the only indication she was rattled.
“Jonas,” she whispered. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”
She flew into his arms and hugged him. When her breasts pillowed against his chest and her arms squeezed him tightly, his first impulse was to raise his hands and say “I’m out.” But down deep, he really didn’t want to push her away.
“I’m sorry.” She retreated a step and swiped at the tear tricking down her cheek. “I heard the gunfire, and I was so afraid for you.”
“Afraid for me? Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself. Where’s the kid?” He eyed the open door to the next room.
“He’s fine.” She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s playing with my cell phone. What’s going on? Was anyone hurt?”
“Not sure. I wasn’t there.” No need to upset her until he had more information about Donovan Mika’s status. If he managed to get away, Jonas would catch up with him soon enough.
April stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and blinked at him with bleary eyes.
“You should try to sleep.”
“I don’t know if I can.” She tugged on the end of her braid. “Do you think it’s over?”
“Seems like it.” They hadn’t heard any more shots, and Donovan Mika was either dead or long gone. “You should stay here though while they sort things out downstairs.”
“I’m really tired.”
“Yeah, me too. Keep the door locked and you’ll be fine.” He turned to leave.
She caught his wrist. “Stay with me. I don’t think I could fall asleep without you here.”
The last thing he wanted to do was sit in a hard chair watching over April Linus while she snoozed in her big comfy king-size bed. “I need to get some shuteye too or I’m gonna fall over.”
Her grip tightened. “Please. You make me feel safe.”
That was a laugh. Most people didn’t trust him and with good reason. He hoped she wasn’t letting her guard down just because she knew he was an Ostergaard. He was nothing like his brothers. “I’ll leave the gun.”
“No, Jonas. I don’t want to be alone.”
And, damn it, he didn’t want to leave her alone.
“Fine.” He heard himself say and followed her blindly to the bed. When she scooted over, the hem of her short, silvery night gown rode up revealing a lot of smooth, tanned skin and a glimpse of white cotton panties. The hard points of her nipples strained against the satin fabric that clung to her melon size breasts and hugged her flat stomach. He suddenly longed to kiss her just below the belly button and work his way lower.
His groin lurched and he realized he was already hard as a brick.
She moved over and patted the bed. “There’s plenty of room.”
“The floor’s fine.”
“Don’t be silly. The bed’s big enough for both of us.”
“I’ll sleep on top of the sheet.”
Her breasts jiggled as she shrugged. “Suit yourself. Archie, Mommy’s going to take a nap.”
Shit. Was the kid really in the next room?
She draped the sheet over her body. “He might have fallen asleep. He was tired too.”
Jonas made a noncommittal sound in his throat. Resting his hands on his belly, he linked his fingers, crossed his feet, and closed his eyes.
April shifted beside him and her warm, supple breasts pillowed against his arm.
He opened his eyes.
She’d lowered the sheet to her waist so only a scrap of fabric separated them. He muttered a curse and squeezed his eyes closed.
“Jonas?”
“What?” he snapped, losing patience. This was a mistake.
“Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed the underside of his jaw. Then she snuggled against his arm and went to sleep.
Ten minutes later, while she quietly sawed away in dreamland, he still stared at the ceiling. There was no getting it on with her just to get her out of his system. He’d tried that once and it had left him wanting more. He had no business being in April Linus’ bed. Not now and definitely not back then, when he was a twenty-four-year-old kid who was put to the ultimate test of self-discipline and failed miserably.
He was returning a book he borrowed from the Linus’ library when April cornered him in the room. He’d brushed past her to leave, but she caught his arm.
“Wait.”
Without thinking, he grabbed her, spun her around, and slammed her up against the bookshelf so hard some of the books fell from the higher shelves.
The air crackled between them.
April’s eyes lit with exhilaration and her bikini clad breasts heaved. “If you’re going to manhandle me, you better be prepared to kiss me.” A wry smile twisted her lips as she rubbed against him like a cat. He was tempted to take her up against the wall of books, but they had an audience. Molly MacBain stood in the shadows on the second-floor balcony trying not to be noticed.
“Want to take this up to my room?” she whispered.
He should have headed straight for his quarters and taken a cold shower or went for a swim in the bay. Instead, he followed her to her bedroom. She had a reputation for being a tease, so he was fully prepared to be told to take a hike. And he would have left her alone, if she hadn’t invited him in.
Wearing a white bikini with a sheer cloth tied around her waist, she stood in the center of her bedroom watching him with wary eyes. “I’m surprised you came.”
“You don’t have to do this, April.” His voice was so low and hoarse, he didn’t recognize it as his own.
“I want too.” She raised her chin defiantly.
He took a step closer. When she fidgeted and glanced away, he stopped. “Are you a virgin?”
“No. Yes. No,” she said in a rush. She stopped and took a deep breath. “Not exactly.”
He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not a virgin,” she said firmly. Then she reached up, tugged on the strings of her bikini top and let it fall.
He didn’t know if she was trying to distract him or prove a point, but she succeeded in doing both. The scrap of fabric landed at his feet, and she stood before him topless, revealing a glorious pair of buoyant, ripe breasts on a narrow, gracefully feminine frame.
She untied the sarong and let it slide over the gentle slope of her hips and down her slender legs.
She was perfect. Too perfect. She was an angel and he was filthy backwater trailer park trash. He had no right to see her like this. Guilt and panic fluttered in his chest and he retreated. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here.”
“Jonas, wait.”
God help him, he stopped but didn’t turn around.
“I’ve been so desperate to lose my virginity, I let it be taken by a boy who had no idea what he was doing. I liked him, but being with him was a terrible idea. It was over as soon as it started because his little brother banged on his bedroom door. It hurt and I didn’t like it, but I know there’s more to it. At least, that’s what Greenlee says, but I want to find out for myself.”
Why was she telling him all of this? He didn’t want to hear about some spoiled rich boy who got to be with her in the way he ached to have her. He turned when she took a step closer.
“I think it will be different with you because the boy I was with never made me feel the way you do. You only have to walk into a room and I get all tingly and aware of myself as a woman. When you look at me the way you’re looking at me right now, my lower belly hums and my thighs feel gooey. When you grabbed
me in the library and shoved me against the bookcase, I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. I don’t know much about sex, but I think you feel the same way about me. And I know if you walk out that door, we’ll both regret it for a very long time.”
Forever. He’d regret it forever. He snorted softly.
“Please, it’s my birthday.”
Fuck. He closed the distance between them in two strides and covered her mouth with his as he pulled her against his chest. Her bare breasts smashed against the leather straps holding his knives. She groaned into his mouth, squirming against him as their tongues tangled.
When he tossed her back on the bed and pulled her bikini bottoms off with one tug, she gasped and giggled. “There’s a condom in the drawer.” She watched with avid interest as he undid his utility belt and set it on the nightstand.
Finding the packet beside a tube of lip gloss, he held it between his teeth as he unbuttoned his cargo pants and pushed them down low enough to free his erection. Sometimes he went commando and this happened to be one of those days. He stood between April’s parted knees watching her watch him roll on the condom.
Her big blue eyes fixated on his erection. “You’re so much bigger than—”
“Don’t say it.” He growled, not caring to hear about the size of Rich Boy’s dick.
She covered her mouth and giggled.
Intent on wiping the smile off her face, Jonas bent to place a hot kiss on her lower belly over the spot where she claimed he made her hum. Her fingers went to his head, holding him as he kissed a path to the underside of her right breast. When he cupped the globe and took the nipple into his mouth, she groaned softly. His own belly hummed when her nipple pebbled against his tongue. He licked and nibbled it before moving to her other breast. When she arched beneath him, pressing herself into his hands, he pinched her nipples and she gasped and writhed beneath him.
“You like that?” he said.
“Yes. Oh, my goodness. I want you, Jonas. Please.” She bucked against him.
Kneeling on the bed, he raised her hips and positioned himself at her entrance.
“Look at me,” he demanded and she opened her eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
Passion Punch Page 13
