The Next Play: Part Two

by Rhyannon Byrd

“It’s fine, Davey,” Jocelyn called back. “Just a friend from my work.”

  “I wanna meet him!”

  A second later, a cute little boy with a bandage in the crease of his left arm came running into the hallway, his mop of blond curls bouncing around a face whose features were so like Jocelyn’s it made him feel like he’d been punched in the gut. Holy shit, this was her kid! Jocelyn Brenna had a beautiful little boy who couldn’t be more than four or five, and Jonah blinked in fascination, wondering what the hell was going on.

  Why had she never told him? Did Gabe and Denny know? Of course they did. That’s why Gabe was being so cagey about him going to her place. But why had they never told him? And where was the kid’s dad?

  And again, why the fuck had no one told him?

  The little boy’s legs took him racing down the hallway until he skidded to a stop right in front of where they stood by the door, his little head tilting back as he stared up at Jonah with a friendly, curious smile. Keenly aware of Jocelyn watching him closely, he crouched down so that the kid didn’t topple over backward from trying to look up at him. “Well, hello there,” he said in a low voice, returning the child’s smile. “What’s your name?”

  The little boy’s smile got wider, making dimples appear in both cheeks. “I’m Davey Brenna.”

  Jonah held out his hand to the little guy, his heart giving a funny little flip in his chest when Davey put his chubby little hand in his. “It’s nice to meet you, Davey. I’m Jonah Cartwright.”

  “Hi Jonah.”

  Ruffling Davey’s pale curls, Jocelyn said, “Davey, you left the TV too loud. Please go turn it down.”

  “Okay, Mommy.” Looking at his mom and then back at Jonah, he said, “Be right back.”

  “What happened to his arm?” he asked, as soon as Davey was out of earshot.

  “He had to have some blood work done yesterday.”

  Worry had him frowning down at her. “Blood work? What for?”

  “He gets chronic ear infections due to allergies, so he’s having Tympanostomy tubes put in in a few weeks.”

  “But he’s okay?” he pressed, needing an answer.

  She gave him a soft smile. “Yeah, he’s good.”

  Thank God.

  “You’re a mother, Jocelyn. Christ, I should have known.” He shook his head, completely baffled. “How the hell didn’t I know?”

  “You never asked,” she said with a shrug, as if the answer was obvious.

  “Jace, that’s bull—”

  “I’m back!” Davey yelled, cutting Jonah off as his little feet carried him back down the hallway. “Jonah, you wanna see my toys?”

  He’d never really been around any small children before, since so many of his friends were still single, which meant he felt a bit clueless. But there was no denying that Davey Brenna was adorable. And the kid’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Sure,” he replied with a smile, shifting his gaze back to Jocelyn, “as long as it’s okay with your mom.”

  She bit her lip, looking a bit stunned, as if she couldn’t believe he was willing to give the little boy his time. Or, hell, maybe she just didn’t trust him not to act like an asshole.

  “Come on,” Davey said with an infectious laugh, tugging on his hand.

  “It’s okay,” he said quietly to Jocelyn. “I meant what I said about being sorry for acting like such an as—uh, jerk. You can trust me with him, I promise.”

  She drew in a deep breath, then gave him a little nod as she softly exhaled. “Just don’t cuss in front of him. He repeats everything he hears. And I mean everything.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, allowing Davey to tug him down the hallway and into what was a small but lovely living room. Two high windows flanked a small Oriental-looking stand with a TV on top. On the opposite wall was a small cream-colored sofa situated between two packed, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. And in the center of the room, in front of a dark gray coffee table, was an array of toys, the colorful action figures spread out over a thick, pale gray rug.

  “Davey’s already eaten,” Jocelyn murmured from the doorway, “but I was just getting ready to make some carbonara. Would you, um, like to stay for dinner?”

  “I’d love to,” he said as he lowered himself onto the rug across from Davey, who was already picking up one of the toys.

  “Okay. If you need me, just shout.”

  “We’ll be fine. Us guys are just going to sit here and be all manly with—” he paused a second to study the action figure in Davey’s hands “—some manly robots.”

  Davey giggled, and he couldn’t help but smile at the kid.

  Jocelyn turned and walked away, leaving them alone, and Davey immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled bag of M&Ms. “Want one?” he asked, holding the bag out to Jonah.

  “I’d love one,” he said, pouring a green one into his hand and then handing the bag back to Davey. “Thanks.”

  “Mommy’s got a big ol’ booty,” Davey said with a mouth full of chocolate, “so she won’t have any with me.”

  “Uh…she what?” he asked, choking back a surprised burst of laughter.

  The kid scrunched up his little nose. “I heard her tell our friend Rey she doesn’t have a hot guy because of her big ol’ booty. But I think she’s pretty.”

  “Me, too,” he agreed, doing his damnedest not to laugh. “The prettiest.”

  “Rey’s pretty too.”

  Ah, so Rey was a chick. Thank fuck for that, he thought, more than a little surprised by how possessive he was getting. He hadn’t experienced jealousy in years, seeing as how he hadn’t cared about a woman enough to give a shit about the other men in her life—but he was sure as hell feeling it now. And the woman responsible for the change was a mom.

  Okay, man, this is it, he told himself, taking a deep breath. No more wading around in the shallow end of the pool like a pathetic jackass. You’ve either got to man up or bail out. There’s no third option.

  Because you didn’t mess around with a woman and her kid unless you were willing to grow the fuck up and act with honor. And in that moment, sitting in the middle of Jocelyn Brenna’s living room, while her little boy offered him a cool-ass looking robot toy with wheels, Jonah knew exactly what he wanted.

  “Okay, Davey,” he murmured, toeing off his shoes so he could get comfortable, “show me what to do.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  As Jocelyn made her way into the kitchen, she could hear Davey laughing as Jonah spoke in some kind of growly robot voice, and despite the nerves racing beneath her skin, she couldn’t help but smile.

  After everything that had happened, who would have ever thought that Jonah Cartwright would be sitting on the floor in her living room, playing with her four-year-old son? It was as unlikely as some giant of the tech world knocking on her front door, telling her he wanted to hire her to head his design team. Incredibly awesome, but so improbable it didn’t even exist in the realm of possibilities.

  But Jonah was here—in the flesh—and she had to bite her lip as she recalled that moment when Davey had first called out for her. If she hadn’t been so panicked, she would have laughed at the look of pure shock and disbelief on Jonah’s face. It’d been priceless.

  Opening the refrigerator door, she started taking out the ingredients she’d need for dinner. With everything on the counter in her cute, but tiny “shabby chic” kitchen, she used her bare foot to gently shut the refrigerator door as she grabbed her chopping board and knife, then rinsed the vegetables and sliced them up. With that done, she opened one of the top cupboards and pulled down a pot for the pasta. Just as she started filling it with water at the sink, she looked over and saw Jonah watching her from the doorway, his thumbs in his front pockets, shoulder propped against the doorframe, and one of those ridiculously sexy, crooked smiles on his beautiful mouth.

  “A cartoon came on that snagged Davey’s attention,” he murmured, his blue eyes heavy with masculine appreciation as he took in the sight of her standin
g in her completely girlie kitchen. “Something with a green pig and a lion.”

  She slid him a shy smile. “He loves that show.”

  “He’s a great kid, Jace.” Giving her a wry look, he added, “And I have a feeling he’s the other man in your life I accused you of having.”

  The corner of her lips twitched as she returned his look. “He’s the only man in my life.”

  “He texts you, doesn’t he?”

  “Sometimes,” she said, putting the pot on the stove and turning on the burner. “My best friend Rey sends messages for him, if he misses me. She watches him when I’m at work.”

  “I feel like an ass for all the times I acted like a jealous idiot.”

  She slid him a smirk. “You always act like an idiot.”

  “Yeah, well, it was usually because I was jealous. So the two go hand-in-hand.”

  She bit her lip, having no idea what to say to that.

  He shook his head a little, and his voice dropped to a quiet rasp. “I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you didn’t tell me.”

  Taking out a frying pan, she put the packet of pre-sliced chicken on to cook and washed her hands, saying, “Why are you so surprised? It’s not like you’ve tried to get to know me. You just wanted in my pants.”

  “That’s because I have a strong feeling your pants are a fucking awesome place to be,” he husked, the sexy rumble of his deep voice making her shiver. “But just because I want in them doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the rest of you.”

  “Oh yeah?” she laughed, sliding him a disbelieving look. “Since when?”

  “I don’t know,” he drawled, shooting her a lopsided grin. “I guess you’ve grown on me.”

  “Like a fungus?” she teased, turning her attention back to the chicken she was stirring with a wooden spoon. “Sexy.”

  “All joking aside, I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s been that way for weeks. Months, if I’m being completely honest.”

  She froze with her back to him, her head falling forward as she gave a heavy sigh. “Jonah, don’t.”

  “I have to, Jace. Because you’re about the only thing I can think about. When I’m in a meeting, it’s nearly impossible to concentrate on the agenda. You’re in my head 24/7. Even when I sleep, I’m dreaming about you.” He walked into the kitchen and propped his hip against the counter, little more than a foot away from where she stood at the stove, the searing intensity of his gaze burning against the side of her face. And then he shocked the hell out of her as he quietly said, “I haven’t touched another woman since the day your sweater got stuck on your bracelet. I haven’t gone out with one. Haven't kissed one. I haven’t even flirted with another woman. And I know that was only a little over a week ago, but it feels like a hell of a lot longer, because I’ve been fucking dying for you.”

  “Oh, God,” she breathed, unable to keep from turning her head to look at him.

  “And now I know you’re a mom,” he murmured, and there was a smile on his lips as Davey’s precious laughter suddenly rang out from the living room.

  Jocelyn felt her own lips curl into a wobbly grin. “I am.”

  “I’ve never wanted kids,” he admitted, keeping his dark, smoldering blue gaze locked tight with hers. “Didn’t want to create some poor little boy or girl who was going to be stuck with me for a dad. But somehow…somehow seeing you with Davey is just making me want you even more.”

  She tried to absorb those telling words as she added the pre-cooked bacon and veggies to the chicken, then emptied the bag of fresh pasta into the boiling water, but they were impossible to take in. Her pulse was roaring in her ears, her throat vibrating with emotion, hands shaking in a way that she knew he couldn’t miss. She was falling apart here, too much happening in far too short a timeframe for her to properly process it.

  “I…I can’t do this,” she said, unable to keep her chin from quivering as the words tumbled out of her in a breathless rush. “I can’t play your games. I…to be honest, I thought about it.” Turning the chicken and vegetables down to a simmer, she sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to look him right in the eye. “I wanted you badly enough to try, but…well, you saw how that went this morning. I’m clearly not comfortable with the whole ‘multiple partners’ thing.”

  His expression tightened, and she’d never heard so much brutal emotion in a man’s voice as she did when he said, “I’m not asking you to do anything or anyone but me, Jace. Just do me. Be with me. Show me what being in deep with one person is all about.”

  A hysterical little burst of laughter fell from her lips, and she shook her head in baffled amazement. Seriously, who was this guy and what had he done with Jonah Cartwright?

  “I mean it. Fucking ruin me. Just meet me halfway here, please, before I embarrass myself and start begging again.”

  “Is this for real?” she whispered, feeling like one of those girls in a storybook who stepped into a fairy ring and found herself in a strange new world. Just that morning, he’d been pushing her boundaries, his harsh words meant to force her out of his life, and now… Now he was going full-throttle in the other direction.

  “Yeah, it is.” He reached over and turned the pasta down for her, since she’d completely forgotten about it. “It’s as real as it gets.”

  She just kept staring, terrified to open her mouth, because she had no idea what might come pouring out.

  He must have sensed that she needed some time, because he straightened away from the counter, leaned over, and ghosted a kiss across her warm cheek that ended with his lips at her ear. But instead of whispering something filthy to her, which she fully expected—because come on, this was Jonah Freaking Cartwright—she could hear the smile in his voice as he asked, “Now what can I do to help?”

  And that’s how she found herself finishing the sauce, while the most gorgeous, outrageously sexy man she’d ever known drained the pasta over her sink. By the time she was dishing up the carbonara on their plates and he was pouring them glasses of iced tea, she’d answered all his questions about the chronic ear infections that had caused her little guy so much pain, and the two of them so many sleepless nights.

  His obvious concern for Davey worked to soothe her lingering anger and hurt from his actions that morning more than any words could ever do, though there was still a lot they needed to talk about. But as they sat down at her small dining table at the far end of the kitchen to eat, she found it easier and easier to open up to him. They talked about the tech work she did on the days when she wasn’t at Atlas, and she promised to show him some of the apps and websites she’d designed. He seemed genuinely interested, even in the parts where she could tell that she’d lost him because she’d let too much of her inner geek come through.

  Davey came in and joined them for the fresh strawberries she’d cut up for dessert, and she loved how easily Jonah talked to her baby boy, asking him about his friends at preschool and what his favorite games were to play at recess. She hadn’t dated since before Davey was born, so having a man over for dinner was something new—but her son was his usual charming, adorable self, and she could tell he really liked Jonah from how much he was laughing and chattering away.

  When Jonah reached for the coffee she’d made him and caught the way she was smiling at the two of them, the sexy wink he’d shot had nearly made her fall out of her chair like a goofball.

  Wow, Jocelyn. Way to be smooth, she silently lectured herself, wondering if she was ever going to outgrow her dorky behavior around him. Needing something to do, she started collecting the dishes and carrying them to the sink, and to her surprise, Jonah got up to help her. She filled the sink with soapy water while Davey finished off his milk, and since he’d had his bath before Jonah arrived and was already in his pajamas, she told him he could play in his room for a little bit before she came to tuck him in for the night.

  “Bye Jonah!” he called out, before running back and throwing his little arms around Jonah’s right leg.


  “Night Davey,” Jonah said with a gentle smile, one of his big hands settling on top of Davey’s head and ruffling his curls. “I’m so glad I got to meet you.”

  Davey beamed, then ran off to get the rest of his playtime in, and Jocelyn moved the faucet to the empty side of the sink, switching the water from hot to cold so that she could use it to rinse the dishes.

  “I’ve got this,” Jonah murmured, coming up behind her and taking the sponge right out of her hand.

  Her eyes went wide as she twisted her head to look at up him. “Seriously?”

  “You cooked the meal, Jace. It’s the least I can do.” He jerked his chin at the empty countertop beside the sink. “You just sit there, looking good enough to eat, and use the time to answer a few more of my questions.”

  “What else could you want to know?” she murmured, already guessing what he was going to ask as she hoisted herself up onto the counter.

  And she was right.

  Quietly, his attention focused on the pan he’d started to scrub, he said, “You still haven’t told me about Davey’s dad.”

  She hesitated, tempted to tell him it was a story best left for another day—but then decided to go ahead and give him the truth. If they were going to have any chance at some kind of relationship, or whatever the hell he was looking for—then he needed to understand where she was coming from, and the demons that had shaped her, just as she needed to do for him. So she took a deep breath and told him the sordid story of how she fell for a charming, successful businessman who had hired her on as a part-time intern at his up-and-coming tech company during her freshman year at university. Their relationship had consisted of nothing more than some innocent flirting, until Michael, who was thirty-two, asked her to dinner one night, and she accepted.

  She could tell by the grim set of Jonah’s jaw that he didn’t like where the story was headed, and she couldn’t blame him. Swallowing against the lump of embarrassment in her throat, since she’d been such a naive little idiot, she went on, explaining how she’d let Michael talk her into going up to the hotel room that he’d gotten for the night—and how she'd fallen for his lies about his feelings for her…and had gone to bed with him.