Pleasure Bound (Hard to Get 2)

by Anne Rainey

  “Ah, I can’t wait, kitten,” he whispered as he began to smooth his palms over her body, massaging her aches and effectively bringing her body back to life.

  For the first time that Deanna could remember, she stopped trying to analyze Jonas’s intentions in favor of the dark-haired hunk loving her instead. When he moved away and poured soap into his hands, Deanna shuddered. As he started to wash her arms, shoulders, and all the parts in between, Deanna’s body stirred to life all over again.

  Their shower took much longer than she’d anticipated.

  11

  It was the middle of the night—or super early in the morning, rather—and they were sitting at the kitchen table eating cheese puffs. The only thing she wore was one of Jonas’s old T-shirts, and all he’d pulled on was a pair of black boxers.

  They’d both had the munchies after their shower, but Jonas hadn’t wanted to take the time for a meal, so he’d grabbed the first bag of snacks he’d come to when they’d entered the kitchen. Since Deanna was as anxious as he was to get back to the bedroom, she hadn’t complained. But the minute she’d told Jonas about her newest client, Terrance Valdez, Jonas had stopped eating, and she noticed his smile had turned into a dark, nasty frown.

  “Is that supposed to be a joke, Deanna?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, beyond confused by his attitude. “What’s the problem? Why is that a big deal?”

  Jonas pushed a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh. “Valdez is a known drug dealer. He’s bad news. Real bad news.”

  No way were they talking about the same man. “Terrance is a businessman. He buys companies, not drugs.” Deanna thought of the little, gray-haired man with the kind eyes and shook her head. “Jonas, I really don’t think we’re talking about the same person here.”

  Jonas was on his feet so fast the chair fell backward. Deanna stiffened. “Trust me, Deanna. We’re talking about the same guy. There’s only one man with that name, and he’s not even close to being a legitimate businessman. Christ, what the hell were you thinking taking him on as a client?”

  Deanna’s good mood vanished. “Wait just a damn minute here.” She got to her feet and moved around the table to better confront him. “My clients are none of your business, Jonas Phoenix. Just who do you think you are to speak to me like this anyway?” He started to say something, but she poked him in the chest and shot right over him. “You do not have a say in it. This isn’t the Dark Ages, you dork. Women don’t have to ask their ... whatever you are, for permission.”

  He took hold of her shoulders and pulled her close. “You and I are together, Deanna. That makes it my business. Especially when it comes to your safety. And trust me, you aren’t safe if you’re anywhere near Valdez.” He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “When we get back to Ohio, you’ll tell him to find a new decorator for his goddamn mansion.”

  Her eyes shot wide. “Are you even listening to yourself?”

  He dropped his hands and looked at her as if she’d grown two heads. “What?”

  “Get this straight. I decide who my clients are, not you. If Terrance turns out to be a drug dealer, which I highly doubt, then I’ll tell him to get lost. Until then, back off!”

  “You honestly believe there is more than one rich man named Terrance Valdez who lives in Zanesville, Ohio?”

  Deanna rose up on her tiptoes and bit out, “Maybe, maybe not. All I know for sure is that I’ve spent a great deal of time and worked a lot of hours to build this business of mine. Don’t even think that you can come in and start making decisions for me just because we slept together.”

  “It’s not because we slept together,” he ground out. “It’s because I care about what happens to you. I fucking care if you get shot!”

  Deanna closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she opened them again and saw Jonas’s worry, she knew he wasn’t trying to dictate her life. He was genuinely concerned. “I get that you’re worried, I do, but you’re being unreasonable. I’ve had to deal with overprotective men my entire life, and it makes me crazy. Please, don’t treat me like some silly piece of fluff who needs to be coddled and looked after. I’m begging you, Jonas.”

  Jonas’s arms came around her and he pulled her in close. He was stiff and unyielding, as if afraid to let her go. “I’m sorry.” He spoke against the top of her head. “I don’t mean to treat you that way. But the guy is a criminal, Deanna. There’s no telling what all he’s done.”

  “If he’s a criminal,” she reminded him as she pushed back and looked up at him. “We don’t even know if it’s the same guy.”

  “It’s my business to know these things, remember?”

  “Yes, I remember. But how would you feel if I suddenly started telling you how to run your PI business? Which cases you could take and all that. You’d be okay with me walking in and taking over?”

  “Of course not, but I’m an ex-soldier. You’re a decorator, Deanna. You aren’t trained to deal with guys like Valdez.”

  “I’m not trained to deal with criminals, that’s true. But don’t cheapen what I do. I’m proud of being an interior decorator. It gives me pleasure. It’s hard and demanding, but I love it.”

  Jonas plucked her right off her feet and held her at eye level. “I know and I’m sorry.”

  Well, that sure took the air right out of her sails. “You don’t play fair,” she complained.

  “No, I don’t,” he said with total sincerity. “It would be smart to remember that, kitten.”

  She squinted at him. “Put me down.”

  “Nope. Not until you accept my apology.”

  She kicked his shin. “This is not a comfortable position, darn it.”

  Jonas looked around, seemed to notice his chair knocked over, then stepped around the table and took hers instead. He plopped her onto his lap and took her face between his palms. “Say you forgive me.”

  She merely picked up another cheese puff and popped it into her mouth. Crap, it might’ve been cardboard for all she noticed. Honestly, how was a woman supposed to concentrate on food with so much hard, male flesh beneath her butt?

  Jonas kissed the side of her neck, turning her insides to mush with the little gesture. “Pretty please, forgive me?”

  When he licked her pulse, Deanna caved. “I forgive you.”

  She felt his lips curving upward and wanted to punch him, but he kissed the tender spot behind her ear, and her hands decided there were better things to do. She opened her legs to give herself access to the erection poking into her backside, then cupped him through his boxers. Jonas made a deep, gravelly sound in his chest and kept on teasing her with little tiny kisses. His hands came up and cupped her breasts through the thin T-shirt he’d given her to wear. All the sexy lingerie she’d brought along with her and he wanted to see her in one of his T-shirts. The man was constantly confusing her. Deanna no longer knew which end was up.

  She forced herself to stop fondling him, then batted his hands away. “Wait, did we come to an agreement or not?”

  Jonas coasted one hand down her belly until he cupped her mound protectively. “We’ll figure it out later.” He littered little kisses over her collarbone and nibbled on her neck. “Why can I never get enough of you? It’s never been this way for me.”

  Deanna understood all too well. “I know what you mean. There’s some serious chemistry between us, I guess.”

  “It’s more than that,” he admonished as he picked up a cheese puff and fed it to her. “It’s your strength. Your intelligence. Your feisty attitude. You’re the whole package, Deanna.”

  She liked hearing that. And for some crazy reason, she liked him feeding her too. A man had never treated her with such care. “You know, after I found out about Gary cheating on me, I thought maybe there was something wrong with me. Like I wasn’t woman enough or something.”

  Jonas cupped the back of her head and forced her to look at him. “And do you still feel this way? Even after last night?”

  “No
. You make me feel sexy and treasured. You’ve discovered a side of me that no other man even took the time to find.”

  “I like that, Deanna. You can’t know how much that pleases me.”

  She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You do?”

  His arms came around her middle, holding her tight. “I love knowing that no man has ever touched you the way I do.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I can see I’m going to have to be careful what I say. Otherwise you’ll get a big head.”

  He chuckled and grabbed a cheese puff. “Open up, kitten.”

  Deanna obeyed, letting Jonas pop the tasty treat into her mouth. As her lips closed around it, he muttered something unintelligible, and she felt his cock harden beneath her buttocks.

  “Thirsty?” he asked in a rough voice.

  “Yes.”

  Jonas picked up the bottle of water he’d retrieved from the refrigerator earlier and handed it to her. Deanna took several drinks before handing it back to him. He gulped down the rest and placed the empty bottle on the table. That’s when it dawned on her that the house had been ready for them when they arrived. Curious, Deanna asked, “How is it that this place is all spick-and-span and so well stocked?”

  “Our neighbor, Mrs. Grimly. We pay her to come in and take care of the place when we’re not using it. She’s real sweet. I called her ahead of time to let her know I was coming for the weekend and asked if she’d pick up a few things from the store.”

  “Oh. I’m surprised Wade never mentioned her.”

  “I’m surprised you’ve never used the house before. I mean, didn’t you ever ask Wade if you could come down here for a vacation?”

  She shook her head. “I knew Wade came here with women.”

  “Ah, that’s right. You said we used the beach house for our sex fests. You know, Wade usually spent time alone here. Well, that is until he met Gracie.”

  “And you?”

  “I’ve been here with women before,” he answered in a soft voice, “but it’s been a long time—and none of them were you, Deanna.”

  Jealousy sparked to life inside her as she imagined Jonas with another woman in the bed they’d so recently made love in. Had he taken other women in front of the mirror, the way he had her? She suddenly felt sick. Don’t even go there, she chided herself. You’ll only make yourself crazy. To keep from dwelling, Deanna slid off his lap and grabbed the empty water bottle.

  “I’m not sure why I asked you that,” she lied, taking the empty bottle to the recycling bin. “It’s really none of my business.”

  Deanna pasted on a chipper smile and was about to turn around when she felt Jonas behind her, caging her in. “If it makes any difference, it sends me into an ugly rage whenever I think of you with other men.”

  “Neither of us are virgins,” she stated, as if by saying it aloud it would somehow make her feel better. It didn’t.

  “True,” he admitted, “but that doesn’t mean we have to think about each other’s exes with fondness.”

  “No, definitely not.”

  Jonas nestled his semierect cock against her bottom, letting her feel the full brunt of his arousal. “So, how about I take you back to bed.”

  “To sleep,” she admonished. “I want to go to the beach and shopping tomorrow.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Later today, I mean.”

  “Later. Much later.”

  “Jonas, if you start that thing up, we’ll never get to sleep.”

  He chuckled. “Start that thing up? It’s a dick, not an engine, kitten.”

  Deanna pushed against him, and Jonas got the hint, stepping back a few feet to give her room. When she turned around and saw the hunger in his eyes, she nearly gave in.

  “It was a long flight, and we both used up a lot of energy earlier. We need sleep.” Was she attempting to convince him or herself? Deanna wondered.

  “Fine,” he growled as he steered her out of the kitchen. “But after we’re both rested and you’ve had your shopping fix, I’ve got plans for that hot little body of yours.”

  Deanna could well imagine what sort of plans Jonas had in his oh-so-clever mind. Crazy as it seemed, she was becoming pretty darned fond of said mind. In fact, if she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up falling in love with the clever, sexy, possessive, somewhat bossy man. And that would definitely be the craziest thing of all.

  12

  “Oh, come on. Guys go in this store all the time.” Deanna tugged on his arm, but he wasn’t budging.

  “No way, Deanna.” Okay, maybe he was being a pussy, but ladies’ lingerie? Really? “And you’re full of crap. Guys don’t go into those stores. They order online.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Surely you can handle a few pairs of panties and bras.”

  Jonas peered into the window. All he saw was rack after rack of frilly lace and colorful satins. “I didn’t say I couldn’t handle it, but there isn’t a single dude in there. Only women.”

  After waking in the middle of the afternoon, Deanna had fixed them both a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. Then they’d put on their swimsuits and headed to the beach.

  They’d laid out a couple of towels, then Jonas grabbed a bottle of sunblock. “Come on, kitten, I don’t want you to burn.”

  She rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the towels. “I can put on my own sunscreen, Jonas.” She plucked it out of his hand and said, “I’m not helpless.”

  He swatted her gently on the hand. “Don’t be so contrary and give me the lotion.”

  She slapped it into his palm. “Do you always have to have your own way?”

  He flicked her nose. “Only when it comes to getting my hands on you.”

  She laughed. “You’re perverted.”

  He pushed on her back. “Lie down so I can rub my hands all over that hot, siren’s body of yours.”

  Deanna moved to her side, then lay out flat on the colorful beach towel. She wore a white one-piece that came up high on her hips. Like any red-blooded male’s, his gaze went straight to her long, lean legs and the round globes of her ass. Jonas clamped his jaw tight against the need to lean down and bite the creamy flesh, swimsuit and all.

  He liked that her body wasn’t darkly tanned, but more the color of honey with a slight redness at the tops of her shoulders from the little bit of sun exposure. Her hair, swept up into a messy pile of curls on top of her head, tempted him to reach out and play with a few of the dark strands that had escaped. They were scattered around her nape and sticking to her skin. But that wasn’t what had him as hard as a damn spike. It was the barely there suit she’d chosen to torment him with. It had those little ties around her neck, all but daring a man to pull the string and find the treasures beneath. Jonas stopped his survey, wishing like hell he could tamp down his raging boner, and cleared his throat.

  Popping the top, he squirted some of the thick, white cream into his hands, then started on her back. It took only a few seconds before she relaxed and closed her eyes.

  Leaning close to her ear, Jonas whispered, “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  Deanna’s eyelids fluttered and her gaze caught his. “We’re in Miami, Jonas. There are tanned, blond beauties all over this beach. Every one of them sexier than me by far. And that’s not me putting myself down. It’s just a fact.”

  “You don’t understand, Deanna,” he said as he squirted more lotion onto his hands before starting on her shoulders and arms. “There’s more to beauty than a pretty package.”

  She closed her eyes once more. “What’s your idea of beauty, then?”

  “My idea of beauty is the way your warm, brown eyes fill with mischief whenever you think you’ve managed to get a dig in.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think. I know.”

  With her arms coated, Jonas moved to her legs, working from her feet up. “Beauty is when your pretty, ruby lips curve upward whenever I’m lucky enough to get you to smile or laugh.” He drizzled lotion over her ca
lves and worked it into her skin. “Beauty is that big, mushy heart of yours that you too often wear on your sleeve.”

  She lifted her head and squinted at him. “Are you saying I’m a pushover?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

  As he massaged her thighs, Deanna moaned and dropped her head to the blanket. “I’ll be mad at you later. Right now I feel too good to be anything other than content.”

  Jonas let his fingers drift between her legs, just barely grazing her pussy through the swimsuit. Deanna went rigid. He patted her bottom and stretched out next to her. “You want to know what else I find beautiful about you?”

  “W-what?”

  “The way your body responds to mine. A single touch and you’re ready for me, aren’t you, kitten?”

  “Don’t be smug,” she admonished. “Smugness isn’t attractive.”

  “True, but you have the same effect on me, you know. All you have to do is look at me and I’m putty in your hands,” Jonas admitted as he glared at a man walking by. He stared at Deanna as if he wanted to snack on her. When the jerk’s gaze traveled over Deanna’s body, Jonas had the urge to trip him. After the guy was gone, Jonas growled, “I’m not the only one on this beach who finds you attractive.”

  Deanna’s eyes shot open and she looked around. Her gaze came back to his and she frowned. “Seems I’m not the only woman who finds you attractive either. Guess that makes us even.”

  He kissed her sun-warmed cheek and murmured, “As long as I’m the only one spreading cream on your sexy curves, I’m fine with it.”

  “Ditto,” she said as she sat up and took hold of the bottle. When she poured some of the lotion into her palm and smoothed it between her hands, Jonas groaned.

  By the time Deanna finished, they’d both gotten a little too overheated. It’d taken all Jonas’s strength not to give in to his dick’s demands to take Deanna right there in the sand. In fact, if she hadn’t reminded him that part of the reason for the trip was to prove they could have more than good sex together, he would’ve.