by Anne Rainey
Jonas shook his head. “Christ, what an ass.”
“Exactly. Gary didn’t know the meaning of commitment. His goal in life was to see just how much pleasure he could squeeze out of everything and everyone. He paid no attention to the people he hurt in his quest for fun. Unfortunately, Gary had a temper.”
“A temper?”
Deanna nodded. “When I told him I wanted nothing to do with him anymore, he hit me.”
Jonas cursed and shot to his feet, knocking the chair backward. “Bastard! I’ll kill him,” he gritted out, fists clenched at his sides.
Without thinking, Deanna stood and went to him. She didn’t like seeing him angry. She wanted the playful Jonas back. In a gesture meant to soothe, Deanna placed her palm on his chest and smiled up at him. “This was years ago. It’s over. But thank you for the offer.”
He frowned down at her. “Where were your brothers during all this?”
“Wade was in the army at the time. Dean was busy with his construction business. It was still pretty new then.” She smacked him on the arm before moving away. “Besides, I wasn’t going to go running to my big brothers just because a guy made me cry.”
She saw a muscle in his jaw jump. “You didn’t tell them he hit you, did you?”
Give the man a cigar. “Of course I didn’t. As far as they were concerned, Gary was a nice guy. When it ended, I told them we had different goals in life.” She bit her lip and put a few more feet of linoleum between them. “Not entirely untrue.”
Jonas didn’t move. He simply stood there watching her, anger seeping from his pores. “The son of a bitch hit you, Deanna. He deserved a beating.”
Deanna felt cool air against her chest again and tugged at the lapels of her robe. Darn thing seemed intent on giving Jonas a peep. As if her robe were on Jonas’s side. “The point of the story is that I’m not a good judge of character. At least not when it comes to men I’m attracted to.”
Before Deanna could blink, Jonas was in front of her with his hands wrapped around her upper arms. “Are you putting me in the same pot as that piece of shit?”
“No. Geez, Jonas.”
He relaxed his hold. “Then explain, damn it.”
“You go to my head, Jonas!” she shouted without thinking. “You’re asking me to go away with you, and I’m afraid I’m going to make all the wrong choices. Again.”
Jonas stilled, and Deanna knew she’d said too much. He had that look in his eyes. The one that made her think of a tiger about to have lunch—and she was lunch.
“You make me crazy, Deanna,” he murmured. “For now, all I want you to do is think about my offer. Please. Take the week if you want. You can give me your answer next Saturday.”
Jonas never begged. That he was doing so now cracked the wall she’d built around her heart. “I’ll think about it,” she hedged.
“Thank you. And maybe this will help a little.” Jonas’s head lowered, and Deanna sank against him, accepting the kiss. Hell, surrendered to it. When his lips touched hers, she tasted the sweet flavor of chocolate, but beneath that was the rich flavor of Jonas. And she was certain that last part was what kept her from pushing away and ending the kiss.
His lips were soft as they coasted back and forth, barely touching hers. As his tongue darted out, a shiver of excitement raced the length of her spine. He was doing it to her again. To be in his presence was to be a living, breathing flame of desire and need. When he pulled back and stared down at her, Deanna could see the wild hunger in those deep blue eyes of his. She well understood how he felt. Her entire body was screaming for more of his taste, his touch.
He slowly released her and growled, “No dating. For either of us. Not until you give me your answer. Agreed?”
Knowing Jonas wasn’t going to be with another woman made her possessive side a very happy camper. Her answer was as easy as pie. “Agreed.”
Without another word, Jonas walked out. After she heard the front door close, Deanna moved on wobbly legs to the nearest chair and collapsed into it. One week to decide whether she was going to spend a weekend in Miami with the intoxicating Jonas Phoenix. She’d have him all to herself. Experience him up close and personal. Every sexy inch of him. The juncture between her thighs dampened.
Covering her face with her hands, Deanna let out a loud moan. Yeah, like she was really going to say no. “I’m so freaking weak.”
4
It was five o’clock on Friday, and Jonas had done everything he could to keep busy. To leave Deanna alone and let her think about his offer was killing him. But he’d promised not to push. Damn it, he was going insane. He wanted to swat her bottom for being so distant too. He hadn’t heard a word from her. Not a peep. At the same time, he was very tempted to just show up on her doorstep and beg her to put him out of his misery.
Hell, he used to love his job. When he and Wade had opened Phoenix-Wade Investigations, it’d been a proud day for both of them. It had seemed like a natural progression from their Special Forces days. Now, three years later, they had a steady stream of clients. They’d even toyed with the idea of bringing in another investigator to take some of the pressure off. And yet, Jonas couldn’t give a flying fuck about the business, the clients, the damn tax document he should’ve had finished days ago. The only thing on his mind was Deanna.
“You’re doing it again.”
At the sound of another voice in the empty office, Jonas tore his attention away from the tax document he’d been going over and swiveled his chair around. Wade was leaning against the doorjamb. He had that determined look in his eyes. Jonas hated that look. “What?”
“Snarling. You’ve been doing it all week. What’s going on?”
Jonas shook his head. “You aren’t going to like it.”
Wade frowned. “Is this about the Emerson case?”
Leo Emerson had hired them to find out if his wife was cheating on him. They’d watched the woman for the past two weeks with no sign of another man, which was good. But Emerson hadn’t been convinced, so he’d asked them to keep at it.
Grateful for the distraction, Jonas said, “It’s almost as if the guy wants her to cheat. What the hell is wrong with people?”
“Hell if I know.” Wade tossed his keys onto his desk. “I just got back from another boring trip around town. I’ve followed that woman to the dry cleaner, the grocery store, and yoga class so many times I think I could make the trip blindfolded. From what I can tell, she’s completely devoted to her husband. I’m calling Emerson today and telling him we’re done.”
“Good deal.”
“Now, onto the real issue here.” Wade pulled his chair out and sat, facing him. “What’s got you all pissy?”
“Your sister,” Jonas bit out. Wade cursed. Jonas held a hand up in the air and rushed to say, “Before you start in on me about your sweet, innocent baby sis, I might as well tell you that I asked Deanna to go to Miami with me for the weekend.”
Wade slammed his fist against the desk. “Christ, Jonas. She’s my sister!”
“Yeah, I’m aware.” Jonas rubbed his forehead. Ah, hell, he was getting a headache. Wasn’t that just the icing on the cake? “But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m attracted to her. Besides, you told me you were okay with me pursuing her. Have you changed your mind?”
“No, I haven’t changed my mind,” he gritted out. “But I also don’t want to think about you taking her to the beach house either.” Wade paused; then, in a calmer voice, he asked, “Did she say yes?”
Jonas tapped his foot against the hardwood floor as he answered Wade’s question. “She hasn’t given me an answer yet. I didn’t want to rush her. I told her to think it over and let me know.” And it was driving him mad. He wanted to get her alone. He ached to see her naked. To bury his cock inside her sweet, hot pussy. Shit, if he didn’t hear from her soon, he was going to self-combust.
“Jonas?”
“Huh?”
“Quit thinking about her!”
Jonas winced
. “Right. Sorry.”
“Have you two even been on a date?”
“Nope, and that’s half the problem. She’s too damn good at avoiding me.” His gaze shot to Wade as he ground out, “And with you and Dean always around, it’s hard as hell trying to get some alone time with her.”
“If you want an apology, it’s not going to happen. She’s our sister and we will always look out for her.”
The hell of it was he understood Wade’s feelings. “I’d be the same way if I had a sister,” he admitted. For a second, Jonas thought of telling Wade about Gary, but he nixed the idea. That was Deanna’s business. Besides, if anyone was going hunting for the asshole, it was going to be Jonas. It didn’t matter that the whole thing had occurred years ago. He never should’ve hit Deanna.
“Hell, you’d be worse.” Wade looked over at the blank tax document. “I see you’ve been hard at work.”
Jonas picked up the paper. “This should’ve been done days ago.”
“I’ll work on it—don’t worry about it.” Wade took the paper from him. “I owe you for everything you did for Gracie anyway.”
“You don’t owe me, but thanks.” Jonas had done whatever he could to help Gracie with her stalker situation because Wade was his friend and Gracie belonged to Wade. End of story. “I’ll try to get my shit together.”
“While you’re doing that, consider calling Deanna.”
“I can’t.” Jonas stood and grabbed his keys from the desk drawer. “I promised not to push.”
Wade tossed the paper onto his own desk, then crossed his arms over his chest. “And if she never gives you an answer?”
“She will. She might be as stubborn as a mule, but she won’t leave me hanging.” He just hoped like hell she gave him an answer soon.
Wade’s cell phone rang, and judging by the grin when his friend looked at the number on the screen, Jonas had to conclude Gracie was on the other end. He left him to talk with his woman in private, only marginally jealous of the pair of lovebirds.
Half an hour later, Jonas pulled into a parking spot in front of his apartment complex. As he shut off the engine and got out, he scanned the lot and tried to remember the trip there. He’d just spent the entire drive home thinking of Deanna. “If I don’t get that woman out of my head soon, I’m going to end up wrapped around a freaking tree.”
Once inside his apartment, Jonas headed straight for the fridge. A cold beer was a poor substitute for Deanna’s warm smile, but it was his only option at the moment. He popped the top and took a long drink before setting it on the counter. As he opened the cabinet and took out a box of spaghetti, he sighed. “Another Friday night spent at home alone. Yippee.”
As he was getting out a pot to cook the pasta, his phone rang. He grabbed it from the cradle on the counter and answered on the second ring, hoping it was Deanna. “Hello?”
“Jonas, it’s Mom.”
Jonas frowned. The only time his mother called was on holidays or when she was going out of town. “Hi, Mom.”
“I hope I didn’t disturb you.”
Jesus, did the woman always have to sound so formal? “No, Mom, I was just getting ready to make dinner. What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know that your father and I are going to spend a few months at our place in London.”
Jonas picked up the large pot and ran water in it. “Do you need me to check on the house or anything?”
“No, thank you. It’s all arranged.”
Having had this conversation a hundred times before, Jonas’s next response came with practiced ease. “Sounds good. Take care, then.”
“You, too, Jonas.”
After they hung up, Jonas placed the phone back in the holder, then shook his head in disgust. Each time the woman called, he got a little more sick to his stomach. She was so cold he could practically get frostbite just talking to her.
He couldn’t help but compare how different his family was from the Harrisons. Wade’s mother, with her warm, friendly nature, was the polar opposite of his mom. Hell, from the day he’d met Mrs. Harrison, she’d treated him as if he were one of her own.
On the other hand, Jonas couldn’t remember a single time his mom had told him she loved him. It was always “take care.” He wondered if she was even capable of loving someone. Money, she loved. Adored it, even. People were expendable, though. Even her own husband slept in a different room. No, what his parents had was the exact opposite of what he wanted in a marriage.
Jonas knew if he ever tied the knot, his wife wouldn’t be sleeping in a room down the hall. Nor would his children go to bed at night wondering if their parents loved them. Laughter and joy and love, that’s what he wanted in a marriage. That’s what his children would know. He would go to every single one of his kids’ games too. And he wouldn’t make excuses about being in important business meetings.
As Jonas placed the pot of water on the stove and started to turn on the burner, his doorbell rang. Could it be that Deanna had finally decided to put him out of his misery? Jonas turned the burner off and headed for the living room. He tried to tell himself that the unexpected visitor could be anyone. An ex-girlfriend. Wade. The annoying woman down the hall who kept trying to flirt with him, even though she was married.
It rang again and Jonas tore himself out of his thoughts and sprinted toward the front door. His entire body went from zero to sixty as he glanced through the peephole. It seemed to take a shitload of time to unlock the door and get it open. When he did, Jonas nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight that greeted him.
Deanna stood in the hallway wearing a short black dress and a pair of the sexiest black pumps he’d ever seen on a woman. Attractive didn’t begin to describe her. Long legs, silky dark hair spilling down over her shoulders, and curves in all the right places. His hands itched to reach out and touch.
“Deanna,” he said by way of greeting.
She planted one hand on her hip and clutched a small black purse in the other. “Are you going to let me in or what?”
Jonas grinned at her sullen expression and stepped back to give her room to enter. After she was inside, he shut and locked the door. Deanna looked around the room; no doubt the interior designer in her was hard at work measuring up his furnishings. He, on the other hand, was busy measuring her up. Such a sweet ass. What he’d love to do to that delicious body part alone. Yum.
“Uh, I told you I needed a decorator, so don’t complain if it’s not up to par.”
She turned, halting his little fantasy. “It’s not so bad.”
“It’s ugly as hell and we both know it.”
Their gazes clashed. “I didn’t come here to talk about your couch.”
Jonas moved closer, noticing the way her spine stiffened. “I was hoping not,” he murmured. “And?”
“I’ll come to Miami with you.”
She said it so fast, Jonas had to take a second before the full meaning of her words hit him. “Be sure, Deanna. Be damn sure.”
She nodded and placed her palms against his chest. “I am. I’m through denying myself.”
He kept his hands at his sides and willed himself to stay calm. “I won’t hurt you, kitten. I’m not Gary.”
“I know you aren’t, but I’m not the fling type of woman, Jonas. I don’t do casual sex.”
“Good,” he growled. “There’s nothing casual about what I feel for you.”
Jonas wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, needing to feel her curves and valleys; then he tasted her as if he had all night. He licked her lips, and they parted for him. He thrust his tongue in and fucked her hot mouth. Her soft, pliable flesh against his hard body made him crazy with need. She was a drug to him. At that moment, Jonas knew he would do anything, say anything, to be inside of her sweet heat. The idea that she had so much control over him pissed him off.
Jonas lifted his head and stared down at her closed eyes and flushed face. He took in the scoop neckline of her dress and the tops of her heaving mou
nds of flesh that were exposed. Christ, what he wouldn’t give to tug the material a few inches south, to see her tits all plump and soft and ready to be suckled. He ached to wrap his lips around her nipples and nibble on them with his teeth. Bending his knees, Jonas lifted her into his arms and strode toward the couch.
Her eyes shot open when he sat her down in the center. He saw realization dawn in their pretty depths. “W-what are you doing?”
“Giving you a taste of what you’ll get in Miami.”
“Jonas, please.”
He wasn’t certain whether she was pleading for him to continue or let her get up and leave. Jonas bent down and kissed her again, tasting her sweetness. He lifted an inch and asked, “Please what, Deanna?”
She buried her fingers in his hair and tugged him forward. “Please kiss me again.”
“Mmm, my pleasure, kitten.” He tilted her head back, forcing her to look at him as he covered her mouth with his. She let out a little whimper. “You’ve been driving me crazy,” he whispered between kisses. “I’ve been a pain in the ass all week because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He kissed his way over her chin and lower. When his lips found the jumpy vein in her neck, he licked and sucked. Deanna’s fingers tightened, pulling almost painfully at his hair. “Soon I’m going to kiss every inch of you. I’m going to fill you up.” Jonas went to his knees in front of her and took hold of the hem of her dress. “Until then, until Miami, there’s this ...”
“Jonas, what are you doing to me?” she asked in a voice gone husky with her arousal.
“I’ve been dying to taste you,” he answered. Deanna’s eyes rounded and fire sparked to life in their brown depths. “Lift up a little for me. Prove to me that you want this.”
When she quickly complied, Jonas’s dick hardened. He slipped her dress upward a few inches, not quite exposing her panties. The satin of her lightly tanned skin beckoned him. Lowering his head, Jonas kissed a little mole high on her inner thigh. “Jesus, you have the sexiest legs I’ve ever seen.” When he pushed the dress up to her waist, exposing a black, silky thong, Jonas’s dick wept with joy. “Goddamn, that’s hot.”
