Passion Punch

by Tricia Leedom

  “I never meant for this to happen.” His low, gritty voice sounded slightly breathless too. “Not the first time I came to town and definitely not this time.”

  “Neither did I.”

  “There’s just something about you, April Linus. I can’t seem to stay away.” He pinched her nipples through her swimsuit.

  She gasped and bit her bottom lip. “I could say the same about you.”

  A smile tugged the corner of his mouth, and then he bent his head and kissed her sweetly. She sank against his chest, savoring the delicious pressure of his warm lips, and thought she could kiss him like this forever.

  Her sigh must have been audible because he chuckled softly.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” He shook his head. “Are you sure about this?”

  She stared into the depths of his midnight blue eyes and stroked his spikey, wet hair away from his face. “Yes.”

  He lifted her out of the pool, splashing the water over the sides as he sat her on the edge Kneeling on the underwater bench seat, he tugged on the strings of her bikini top and let it fall into the water.

  Her wet, naked breasts, heavy and swollen from his attention, hovered inches from his face.

  “You’re beautiful.” His hot breath, tickled her damp skin.

  Her thighs clenched in anticipation. “So are you.”

  “Hmm,” he murmured and latched onto a distended nipple.

  “Oh!” She sucked in a sharp breath and her head fell back.

  As he worshiped her breasts, sucking and kneading them in turn, he removed the bottom of her swimsuit and found the throbbing pulse point between her thighs. April couldn’t stop touching him. His skin was hot and his muscles were taught with tension that matched the tension coiling in her own body.

  When she approached the edge, he pulled back and stepped out of his Speedo. Tossing the sopping wet ball of material on the edge of the pool, he climbed up on the bench seat and stood knee deep in the pool.

  “Turn around and kneel.” He guided her onto the springy ground by the edge of the pool.

  Then he moved behind her and nudged her legs apart.

  He entered her from behind with a measured thrust. She gasped as he filled and stretched her, and her legs and arms threatened to buckle. His hands gripped her waist and he drew her to stand upright in front of him on her knees facing the mirrored rock wall. She stared at her flushed reflection. Her eyes were dilated and Jonas’ face was tight with lust.

  He fondled her breasts. “Arch your back for me.”

  When she did, he began to move inside her with deep, sure strokes.

  This sublime connection she had with Jonas was unlike anything she’d ever felt with another human being. She hadn’t had a lot of experience to compare it to, but she sensed this undeniable chemistry they shared was special and rare. It was like their bodies spoke a language only they understood.

  Jonas braced her across her shoulders and hips as his thrusts grew more frantic. In the mirrored rock wall, her breasts bounced wildly as he worked over her, his teeth clenched, and his expression strained. The decadent image they created made her dizzy with lust. She reached over her head and cupped the back of Jonas’ neck. She wasn’t ready to let go of him. Not yet. The thought made her falter.

  “Easy, babe. I got you.” He reached between her legs and coaxed her closer to the edge.

  Who was she kidding? She wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to him again. How would she let him go a second time? As if she had any say in the matter. Jonas was dedicated to his job. She admired that about him. She also loved his wildness and the passion simmering beneath his hard, outer shell. She loved the kind heart he hid beneath his gruff exterior.

  She loved him.

  Jonas withdrew from her to change positions. He sat on the edge of the pool and reached for her. He guided her to straddle his lap and drew her into a deep kiss. As he made love to her with his mouth, she sank onto his erection and began to ride him. He held her tight, mashing her against him, and gently bit her shoulder.

  “Oh!” She faltered in her pace when her body quickened, and her climax drew close.

  “Shh, it’s okay.”

  The sensation that unfurled deep inside of her was so exquisite, she never wanted it to end.

  Jonas pulled back and their sweaty torsos ripped apart like Velcro. He raised one of her heavy breasts and gave it a wet kiss before he squeezed it and took control of the rhythm. He drove upward into her until he shoved her over the edge of the precipice, and her body came apart. As she convulsed around him, he groaned and bucked against her, draining himself into her until he was completely spent.

  He held her until their heartbeats slowed, and the tips of their fingers turned pruney, then he kissed her forehead and let her go. He slipped into his Speedo and retrieved the pieces of her bathing suit that still floated around the grotto pool.

  When she finished dressing, she slid into the pool again and starred at him, still hoping to memorize his face. “Promise me you’ll be careful tonight.”

  “I’m always careful.”

  “I mean it.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Okay, I promise. You ready to go?”

  Her heart hurt so much. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she simply nodded instead.

  As they headed for the exit, she waited for Jonas to cross under the waterfall first before she followed him.

  When she emerged on the other side, she discovered Jonas hadn’t gone far. He stopped in front of her, urging her to stay behind his back.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We have company,” he said.

  Roman Leto leaned against a pool cage post smirking.

  In front of him, April’s father stood by the edge of the pool his face as red as a cherry. “How long has this been going on?”

  April’s soul curdled.

  Philip’s ice-cold glare shifted away from her to Jonas. “I had a feeling you were up to something, Smith, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. I never would have guessed you were screwing my precious daughter.”

  “Leto is lying.” Jonas said in a no-nonsense voice. “We went for a swim.”

  Her father flicked his hand dismissively. “Don’t even try to deny it. There are cameras in the grotto. I saw much more than I wanted to.”

  “We both did,” Roman added with a leer.

  “You sick bastard,” Jonas snarled and started for him.

  Roman withdrew his gun and pointed it at Jonas. April grabbed Jonas from behind holding him back.

  “You let him watch?” He barked the question at Philip. “You’re as twisted as he is.”

  “Daddy, please listen. I can explain.”

  He ignored her as if she was invisible and narrowed his eyes on Jonas. “Archie has the look of you. I wouldn’t have put it together before this, but…” He laughed harshly. “And here I thought she was protecting the yard boy. Am I right? Did you father my grandson?”

  April stopped breathing. How had he figured it out so quickly? Could he really see the resemblance or was he taking a wild guess? She loosened her hold on Jonas when she realized she was practically strangling him. “Don’t answer that,” she pleaded in a whisper.

  “Yeah. He’s mine.”

  April choked on a cough as her oxygen-deprived body sought air. Why did he tell him the truth? Didn’t Jonas realize he was a dead man? Her heart raced, and she wanted to hide behind Jonas’ broad shoulders, but she moved in front of him instead. “Don’t hurt him, Daddy. He didn’t pursue me. I seduced him.”

  Philip scoffed. “I highly doubt that. Go inside and get dressed, April. Our guests will be arriving soon. I’ll deal with this situation after the party. You’ll work your shift as planned, Smith. I need the extra security detail. Tonight is a very important night.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Vera was missing. Jonas learned of her disappearance when he put an encrypted call into Wexler, his handler, to let him know he
would be coming in hot with the PRIM. Vera had been off The Agency’s radar since Sunday morning. She’d returned to Casa Linus after her excursion to Miami, but she’d missed a scheduled call with the debriefing agent and hadn’t been in contact to reschedule. The Agency deployed a search and rescue team, who were en route to Key West, but they feared the worst. Wexler urged Jonas to proceed with extreme caution.

  Roman Leto, who was acting as head of security while Linus was in Brazil, stationed Jonas by the entrance to the ballroom where he could keep an eye on him from across the room. About thirty guests mingled in the space between them waiting for dinner to be served. Above the din of conversation, a string quartet played a cover of John Legend’s “All of Me.” Jonas wanted five minutes alone with Leto to wipe that slimy smirk off his face, but he had to stay focused on the job.

  Once the guests sat down to dinner, he’d make his way to the study, get his hands on the titanium briefcase containing the PRIM, and hightail it out of there. He could take down the guards stationed in the study without too much hullabaloo but shaking Leto would be the bigger problem. He had a direct ear-com connection to Linus and, so far, he hadn’t let Jonas out of his sight. It was going to be tough to shake him, but Jonas had to if he wanted plan A to work. He really didn’t want to go to plan B, especially with April and the children on the premises, but he would if he had to.

  The weather was not on his side tonight. It had been raining since 3pm with no sign of letting up. The sticky humidity had crept into the house making the air conditioning system struggle to cool the place down. It didn’t help that a dozen or so potential buyers from around the world and their mistresses were crammed into the stuffy ballroom. The suffocating smell of too much perfume barely covered the stench of male bodies who either didn’t believe in deodorant or had sweated it off. A bead of perspiration trickled down the side of his own neck. It also didn’t help that he was suited up with an arsenal of weapons, most of them strategically concealed.

  A stir in the hall drew people’s attention, and they turned to watch Linus and his young wife enter the room. April came behind them looking like an angel in a glittery white cocktail dress. A pair of spaghetti straps barely held up the backless bodice. The sides of the dress gaped open, revealing the outer curve of her breast and the slim line of her waist, before the fabric hugged her hips and butt and fell to the floor.

  He would have appreciated the sight a lot more if a dozen other men including Roman Leto weren’t enjoying it too. A hollowness expanded inside Jonas’ chest and his stomach twisted into a tight knot. His hands curled into fists with the need to pummel every man in the room. What the hell? Since when did he care if other men ogled the woman he slept with? Damn it, he didn’t.

  April scanned the room. When their eyes met, she smiled tentatively. His stomach bottomed out, and he forgot to breath. The song changed and the string quartet started a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” and everything else fell away except for April and the sweet melody. She was perfect and he didn’t deserve her. Or the kid. Kind of ironic that the last bastard on earth who should procreate with another human being had gotten with April Linus and made a baby with her. He still couldn’t believe he’d helped create that clever, funny, smartass little boy.

  The kid didn’t seem to be emotionally scarred or whacked in the head, but April deserved all the kudos for that. Strong, beautiful April, who stood on her own and made a life for herself and their son. Why was she gazing at him now like he’d hung the friggin’ moon? He couldn’t understand the woman’s fascination with him. Maybe in some fantasyland of hers she saw them shacking up and playing house: Mommy, kid, and Daddy, the cold-blooded assassin. Now that was a real sweet picture. If the kid wasn’t messed up now, give him a few weeks with dear-old-dad, and he’d get there.

  What happened in the grotto absolutely could not happen again. This…whatever the hell it was…had to end there. It was for the best they were parting ways tonight. He didn’t want to hurt her, and if this went on any longer, she would be very disappointed. Even if he thought for a moment he deserved to be with a woman like April Linus, relationships were an Achilles’ heel in his line of work. He would never put April and the kid’s lives in danger like that. Nope. This was over now.

  When she started toward him, he steeled himself for the encounter and put his game face on. The song ended and the quartet, thankfully, paused for a break.

  “Hi,” she said, stopping close enough he could smell the exotic scent of her perfume.

  “Do you think you should be talking to me?”

  Her lips quirked. “My father didn’t shoot you dead on the spot, and he’s letting you work, so that gives me hope he’ll be reasonable about this.”

  Jonas grunted doubtfully. “Always the optimist. Where are your step-sisters?”

  “They’re in the nursery. Why?”

  “When everyone goes in for dinner, I need you to stay in the dining room, no matter what happens.”

  “Why?” She stepped closer.

  “It’s time.”

  She took a deep breath that made her breasts heave.

  He averted his gaze and caught Leto staring at them intently.

  “Shit,” Jonas muttered. “I stashed my go-bag in your room under your bed.” He gave her wrist a gentle, inconspicuous squeeze. “They’re going to know it was me, so don’t be a hero. Tell them everything you know. It won’t matter anymore.”

  “Be careful, Jonas.”

  He stroked the inside of her wrist with his thumb and focused on her delicate hand. It was so small and fragile. It gave his heart palpitations. He swallowed the thickness in his throat. “I’ve wired some money to my brother Jimmy and asked him to give it to you. It’s to help with the kid in case I don’t make it.”

  When he forced himself to look at her face again, the tears brimming her big, blue eyes sucker-punched him in the gut.

  “Don’t cry, babe.”

  “Shut up.” She sniffled. “I can cry if I want to.”

  “You’re right.” He nodded and let go of her wrist. “Promise you’ll stay in the dining room.”

  “I will, but don’t get yourself killed, okay?” She spun away from him and exited the room through the servant’s entrance.

  “Damn it,” he said beneath his breath when she did the one thing he didn’t want her to do. She’d headed away from the dining room. He couldn’t go after her though, not with Leto watching him. The last thing Jonas wanted to do was give Linus a reason to lock him up under guard.

  “Would you like a drink?” A young, female server held out her dray and offered him a tall, frosty glass of something clear and bubbly.

  “I’m working.”

  “It’s okay.” She smiled. “It’s just Sprite. Mrs. Linus requested that we offer the staff refreshments because it’s so hot and stuffy in here.” She handed him a straw.

  “Thanks.” As the server disappeared into the crowed, he stuck the straw in the glass and took a few sips of the tart, ice-cold liquid. Jonas met Leto’s gaze across the room. The loser smirked and raised his own glass in a toast.

  “A-hole,” Jonas muttered and turned away from him. He sucked down the rest of the drink and started to set it aside when he spotted a blue residue stuck to the ice at the bottom. A partially dissolved pill and the remnants of possibly several others. “What the hell?” Had he been poisoned? Or drugged? If Linus wanted him dead this was a very public way to make it happen. Then again, his life probably didn’t matter much to the sketchy cast of characters who populated the guest list.

  Jonas stood very still, taking a mental inventory of his faculties. He felt okay. Maybe a little flushed, but otherwise okay. He shook the glass, trying to see the number on the pill. The first digit might have been a 5, but he couldn’t be sure.

  He took a step and felt slightly dizzy as heat rushed to his head. Yep. He was flushed and his heart rate was elevated, but he hadn’t collapsed and could still think straight. If anything, his vision was more
crystalline, thanks to the boost of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

  Deep laughter from some party guest caught his ear. He turned toward the sound and spotted Leto again. He watched Jonas closely as if waiting for something to happen. Jonas scowled, pointed at him, and then at the glass in his hand asking if he drugged his drink.

  Leto snickered and raised his fingers in a peace sign.

  Jonas shrugged, not comprehending his meaning.

  Leto dropped his hand to his crotch and used his index finger to mimic a rising erection. He followed his antics with a lascivious wink and a thumbs up sign.

  The twisted game of charades abruptly ended when dinner was announced and Linus and his wife led the guests into the dining room. Leto disappeared too, probably because he knew Jonas was going to kick his ass the next time he got him alone.

  What kind of game was he playing? What the hell did the peace sign mean? He certainly wasn’t suggesting a truce. Maybe it wasn’t a peace sign. Maybe it was the letter V. Jonas could actually feel his blood racing through his veins searching for someplace to go. Holy shit, the jackass slipped him Viagra. How much? One pill was an unnecessary annoyance. Two or three would make him really uncomfortable for several hours, but any more than that could incite heart palpitations, a cardiac arrhythmia, or death.

  What was Leto hoping would happen? Jonas would take one look at April and pop a boner in front of Linus and the megalomaniac would flip out and chop it off?

  Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Not tonight. He was getting the hell out of there.

  Jonas hadn’t keeled over from a heart attack yet, and thank god he wasn’t erect, so there was still time to complete his mission. He needed to stay calm and act fast, which meant he would have to implement plan B.

  Slipping out of the room, he passed the guard stationed by the front door and headed toward the servant’s staircase at the back of the house. The guard’s disinterest suggested Linus didn’t view Jonas as a threat or he would have warned the rest of the security team to keep a close eye on him. That fatal mistake would work in Jonas’ favor.