Passion Punch

by Tricia Leedom

  “Come with me.” His voice was low and rusty.

  Her pulse leapt.

  She set her empty tray on the bar without taking her eyes off him. The noisy chatter, the background music, all of the people faded away as they traveled past the stage and through the saloon style swinging doors. At night, there would be chaos in the communal dressing room as the performers rushed around getting ready for their acts, but this time of day the space was empty.

  The first door on the left led to Carly’s private dressing room, but Jonas didn’t know that. He opened the door and flicked on the light switch as he went inside. He paused for a second, taking in the racks of elaborate drag costumes, wigs, and makeup and accessories that littered the room. He didn’t say anything, but turned around and shoved the door closed, shutting out the clamor from the main room.

  He seemed tense and slightly more peeved than usual.

  “Is everything okay?”

  He was so quick, she didn’t see him move, but suddenly his mouth was on hers and he was kissing her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her head spun. He cupped the side of her face, holding her still, as his tongue brushed hers with deep, lush strokes.

  He tore himself away from her and spun away to face the wall. His ragged breaths matched her own.

  “Why did you do that?”

  His shoulders slumped forward. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry.”

  The rasp in his voice made her belly quiver. She covered the spot with her hand. “What’s going on, Jonas? Does this have something to do with Chad?”

  “Who?”

  “The drunk guy you frog marched out of here ten minutes ago.”

  “No.” He shook his head.

  “Chad’s a jerk, but he’s a harmless jerk. Usually.”

  “I put him in an Uber and sent him home.”

  “What has you so on edge then? Did everything go okay when you dropped Archie off at Molly’s house?”

  His shoulders tensed.

  “You can talk to me, Jonas. It’s all right.”

  Jonas squared his shoulders and turned around. “I ran into Anders.”

  “Your brother.”

  “Yes, my asshole brother.”

  “There is no need for profanity. Talk to me.”

  Jonas glared at her but pushed the rolling chair aside and leaned back on the dressing table. Lightbulbs framed the vanity mirror behind his him Hollywood style. A row of be-wigged mannequin heads and other jazzy costume accessories lined the shelf above him. A person couldn’t have looked more out of place than Jonas did in that moment, but he was remarkably unaffected by it.

  Folding his arms across his chest, he focused on the floor.

  “Go on.” She stepped closer.

  He clenched his jaw and muscle worked in his cheek. “I’ve always had a problem with authority: my father, my brothers, my teachers, the local cops. Didn’t matter who was giving me orders, if somebody told me not to do something, I did it anyway. Even if I hadn’t planned to do it in the first place.” He glanced up and shrugged. “I landed in jail twice before I was 16. The day I turned seventeen, my old man drove me up to Mobile to the Army recruitment office. Before I knew what was happening, he’d signed the parental permission slip that allowed me to enlist under age and took the hell off. The bastard was killed in a car accident a few weeks later. He was drunk driving.”

  Jonas was an orphan. She didn’t know that. If his father had been as bad as Jonas described, he was better off without him, but still, it had to be hard having no parents. When her own mother died, it had felt like the beacon of light April had always turned toward for safety had gone out and she was lost at sea. In a way, Jonas had been adrift his entire life. He wasn’t looking for sympathy, but she ached for him.

  “I suppose my old man did me a favor by dumping me off on Uncle Sam, but it didn’t feel that way at the time. The Army strong-armed the punk-ass kid that I was into submission and taught me respect. Sometimes, though, sometimes I slip back, especially when my oldest brother starts giving me orders.”

  “Is that what happened? You ran into Anders and he told you not to do something?”

  Jonas’ hard, hot gaze answered the question for him.

  Her heart thumped against her breast bone. She moistened her dry lips. “You know, sometimes, other people think they know what’s best for us, but they don’t. If I’d listened to my father and gotten an abortion, Archie wouldn’t be here and I can’t imagine a world without that sweet, incredible little boy.”

  “It’s not the same. You were being selfless and thinking about your unborn kid. I do things for spite.”

  “My father didn’t see it that way. He had hopes and dreams for me that didn’t include getting knocked up at 19.”

  Jonas studied her with that heated gaze.

  “What?” She flushed.

  “You were very brave.”

  She shrugged. “I was terrified. I wish I was strong enough to say no to people more often. Doing what’s right all the time is exhausting.”

  “You’re stronger than you realize. Next time people start taking advantage of your good nature, you need to remember that and tell ’em to fuck off.”

  “I won’t, but I appreciate the pep talk.”

  He chuckled, and the lovely sound tugged at her heartstrings. He laughed so rarely it was special every time.

  Clearing the lump in her throat, she smiled. “Thank you for saying I’m brave.”

  “You are brave. And smart. And beautiful.” He reached out tentatively and brushed her skin as he pushed a length of hair off her shoulder. “Anders told me not to touch you.”

  “He did?”

  She shivered as his fingers skimmed her shoulder blade and the column of her throat. His hand slid under hear hair and cupped the back of her neck. He guided her closer with gentle pressure. When her hips touched the inside of thighs, he stood up and loomed over her. She swayed toward the heat pulsating off his big body.

  “You’re touching me now.” Intoxicated by his clean, masculine scent, she pillowed her breasts against his chest.

  “I know.” He gently massaged the back of her neck. “It’s not for spite this time.”

  “Yeah?”

  “But it’s all kinds of wrong. Thing is, I don’t want to stop.”

  “Then don’t.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers and held her head still as he kissed her thoroughly. April yielded to him like ball of Playdough and moaned when he slipped his arm around her waist and crushed her to his chest. She stroked his back, delighting in the way his muscles clenched beneath her touch. Her hands roamed lower and cupped his high, tight butt. He groaned and spun her around. An assortment of bottles and brushes scattered across the counter and fell to the floor as he bent her back against dressing table and fitted his hips between her spread thighs.

  She squirmed against the hard, pulsating erection straining against his pants. The knowledge that he wanted her as much as she wanted him was all the foreplay she needed. She was ready for him. Frustrated by the layers of clothing that separated them and desperate to get closer, she locked her legs around his waist and surged against him. He lost his balance, staggered sideways, and knocked over a half-dressed mannequin stand. It crashed to the floor, taking out a row of sparkly, jumbo-sized platform heels. The hot pink boa around the mannequin’s neck tore apart and exploded in a feathery firework display.

  Without breaking their kiss, Jonas placed her bottom on the counter and yanked open the top drawer of the vanity. He dug inside the drawer for a moment and pulled out a condom.

  “How did you know that was in there?” she said breathlessly.

  He shrugged. “Lucky guess.”

  Kissing her again, he tugged down the front of her bodice. A seam ripped as her breasts spilled into his hands. He took her left nipple into his mouth, and she gasped.

  “Yes!” She arched her back to give him better access and bonked her head on the mirror. “Ouch!”
r />   “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She pulled him back to her breast.

  His hands turned rough, pinching and massaging her as his mouth moved from one breast to the other, alternately licking and sucking with increasing pressure. Her lower belly tightened, and the pulse between her legs throbbed.

  She was delirious with need when he finally reached under her frilly mini skirt and removed her panties. She grabbed the straps of the leather holster crisscrossing his chest and held on as he lowered his pants and rolled on the condom.

  She tugged on the straps. “Hurry.”

  She would have been intimated by the savage glint in his black eyes if a couple of tiny hot pink boa plumes hadn’t been stuck in his crew cut.

  “You have feathers in your hair.” She reached up to pluck one out and show him.

  “So do you.” He smiled again, with teeth this time, and it transformed his starkly handsome face into something spectacular.

  Her heart thumped hard against her chest. “You’re gorgeous,” she murmured and realized she’d spoken the words out loud when his smile faded. Afraid he would withdraw from her, she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him. He took over the kiss almost instantly, ravaging her mouth for a moment before he positioned his hips and pressed forward.

  They gasped into each other’s mouths as Jonas stretched and filled her completely. Pleasure coursed through April’s blood like a drug, heightening her senses and making her feel invincible. Her body screamed for friction, but he held still, pinning her to the countertop as he gave her a moment to adjust to his size. When she couldn’t take the sweet torture any longer, she undulated against him. He kissed her sweetly and then began to move.

  The mirror attached to the vanity kept time with his quick, deep thrusts, thumping against the wall with increasing velocity. Reaching up to brace herself, she grabbed the wooden shelf above them. It tipped and an avalanche of wigs and Styrofoam mannequin heads came crashing down on top of them.

  “Don’t stop.” April shoved a wig off her face.

  He didn’t.

  She was so close to the edge, she started to slip. She bunched his shirt in her fists and stiffened beneath him as he pounded into her harder and faster.

  “Oh, god. Yes!” she cried out and flung herself over the cliff. She floated down, riding the white-capped waves of euphoria rippling from her core.

  A guttural moan erupted from Jonas’ chest as he stiffened above her and road out his own release.

  When Jonas went limp in April’s arms, she turned her face into his neck and sighed.

  “Ahem,” Carly cleared her throat from the doorway. “The nooner’s over, bunnies, and oh my god, what did you do to my dressing room? A hurricane would have made less damage.”

  Jonas turned his back on Carly to shield April’s nakedness from her view.

  “Carly!” April gasped as heat flooded her face. She’d forgotten the door was unlocked. “Give us a few minutes.”

  “I’ll give you exactly two minutes to put your panties on and get back to work. You have tables clamoring for service.”

  April’s face blazed hotter as her gaze dropped to the wadded-up ball of silk on the floor. “I’m sorry. I’ll be right there.”

  “You promised me you’d work until Charise came in.”

  “I know. This just sort of happened.” April leaned too far to the side and lost her balance. Jonas caught her and hugged her to his chest.

  Carly sniffed and reached for the doorknob. “Explain to your boyfriend, in this place, he needs to fret less about shielding your glorious bosom and worry more about protecting his own mighty fine ass.”

  Jonas stiffened.

  April reached around and pulled up his pants.

  Carly took in the room again and fanned herself, clearly trying not to get hysterical. “On second thought, I’ll cover your tables, you straighten up this mess.”

  When she slammed the door, a pink feather floated down from somewhere.

  Jonas let go of April and retreated a step.

  They had messed things up royally, and it had nothing to do with the wreckage they’d caused to the room. Neither fix was going to be an easy one. They couldn’t pretend they didn’t have sex, could they? But that’s exactly what they had to do if they were going to move forward. Nothing could come of this, after all.

  April straightened her clothes while Jonas disposed of the condom and refastened his pants. Stooping to gather the wigs they’d destroyed, she fought the urge to cry.

  “April—”

  “Stop.” She put her hand up. “I know what you’re going to say so there’s no need to say it.” She placed a Styrofoam head on the vanity and shoved a blonde wig on top of it. “I got this. You can go.”

  He didn’t move.

  She picked up the next mannequin head.

  “You don’t know what I was going to say.”

  “I don’t?” She met his gaze in the mirror. As she held his intense stare, goosebumps prickled her skin.

  “I’ll be at the bar. Come find me when your shift’s over.”

  As he left the room, a poignant ache squeezed her chest. She’d barely known Jonas the first time they’d had sex, but the silly, foolish girl she was then had thought she was in love with him. April was older and wiser now and understood the difference between lust and love, but it still didn’t make a damn difference to her heart. She still pined for Jonas Ostergaard.

  Was this what unrequited love felt like? This deep, bottomless yearning that couldn’t be satiated? Was this what Uncle Donny had felt for her mother? If so, April pitied him because Hope was lost to him forever.

  Jonas might as well have been lost to April too, because she had zero chance of having a future with him.

  Silly, foolish girl.

  Chapter Nineteen

  April stared out the backseat window as buildings surrounded by lush green jungle sped past her in a blur. Set in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, Manaus and it’s two million residents were secluded from the rest of civilization. The only other time April had visited, she’d stayed in a treetop resort where she enjoyed stunning views of the jungle canopy but no exposure to the city itself. Her father had been concerned for her safety in a town notorious for its high crime rate.

  She rode in the backseat of the black SUV with Jonas, who was sleeping or pretending to, while Roman Leto sat in the passenger seat next to the driver. April’s father rode in the identical vehicle in front of them, along with Courtney, her stepsisters, and their nanny Mrs. Feinstein. Since April had returned from Miami, she hadn’t seen Miss Vera, who hadn’t come on the trip. April assumed it was because Archie stayed with Molly and Anders and Vera’s services weren’t needed.

  Jonas was brooding again. Big surprise. He’d barely said two words to her since their encounter at Glitter. It was probably for the best, but it still stung.

  She had to get through the next three months, and she would never have to see Jonas Ostergaard ever again. He’d inevitably disappear without a trace, and she would go on with her life as she had before.

  There were no other possible scenarios for them.

  How could there be?

  Outside the city, the SUV left the paved street and turned onto a rutted dirt road. As they bumped along, she caught glimpses of the great Amazon river flirting in and out of the trees. Thirty minutes into this leg of the journey, three Brazilian men shouldering axes waved them down as they came around a bend. The SUVs stopped and Philip climbed out of the front passenger side of his car. Roman did the same and went to her father’s side.

  Jonas opened his eyes and sat straighter.

  After a few minutes of conversation with the locals, Philip appeared to shout at them as he waved his arms in anger and pointed at something in the road.

  “What’s going on?” April asked, assuming Jonas had a better view from the passenger side and could see more than she could.

  “Stay here.” He climbed out of the car and shut the door
.

  April took her phone from her purse and powered it on to check her text messages, hoping Molly had sent her a pic of Archie playing with Monte or Carly had checked in with an update on Juan.

  No service.

  It figured. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. Sighing, she turned off the phone and put it away. She never thought to ask Courtney if the compound had Wi-Fi.

  Both passenger side doors opened as Jonas and Roman returned. Jonas’ face was unreadable as he settled into his seat.

  “Well?”

  “Tree’s blocking the road. Have to take the long way around.”

  “Why was my father so upset?”

  The SUVs started moving again, taking a sharp right turn into a wall of trees and shrubs. Branches slapped the sides of the SUV as it plunged into the forest on a road that wasn’t really a road.

  Roman turned around in his seat. “The way to the compound now is through a pretty rough shanty town he would like to avoid. The locals call it Armário do diabo.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “Devil’s closet,” Jonas answered.

  “Sounds like a fun place.”

  He snorted in response to her dubious expression.

  As the SUV bounced over large rocks, April braced herself between the door and the roof. She prayed they wouldn’t get stuck. Waiting for help to tow them out would take forever, and she was absolutely not going to pee in the jungle.

  A half hour later, the vague path they were on finally opened up and became a more level dirt road. April relaxed against the seat and stared out the window. She was bored out of her mind and little hungry, but most of all, she missed Archie.

  Something in the trees overhead caught her eye.

  A tribe of seven or eight Capuchin monkeys swung from branches keeping pace with their little caravan. Excited to see some wildlife in the actual wild, April lowered her window and was hit with a blast of moist wet heat. The pungent, but not unpleasant, aroma of dirt and decaying plants saturated the air. The thick canopy overhead amplified the monkey’s playful chatter. She stuck her cell phone through the window hoping it wasn’t too dark to capture the moment on video.