“Close your mouth, Sonja. It’s just food.”
She snapped her mouth closed and her cheeks got warm. Good grief, how embarrassing, but why did he think it was okay to just show up? “I realize it’s food, James. I just wasn’t expecting you.”
He smirked and set the paper bag on the meeting table to the right. “Well, if you checked your text messages once in a while, you might’ve known I was coming.”
She glanced at her phone resting on her desk. He was right. She’d heard her phone beep many times throughout the morning, even noticed his name coming up on the alert notifications, but chose to ignore him. The way she’d been with him the other night had been on a constant loop in her mind. Sonja had been out of control in a very controlled manner; her behavior was far too out of character for her.
She rubbed her arms. But what made it worse was she enjoyed every minute of the dominant actions she’d taken with him. She’d liked it—it made her uncomfortable how much she liked it. With her lifestyle, career and daughter, Sonja couldn’t afford such reckless behavior. She had no intention of seeing him again, and hoped, perhaps foolishly, he’d simply…go away. “I was busy. Working.” She pushed away from her desk and stood, annoyance prickling her skin. “I’m surprised you’re awake, really. What is it, twelve thirty? A little early for you.”
He looked her up and down. “Ha ha ha. You say the sweetest things to me. Come on, my uptight attorney. Come eat. I bet you didn’t even have breakfast, did you?”
The look in his eyes told her he approved of her chosen work attire. Though she couldn’t care less, her skin warmed in excitement knowing she pleased him. Stay focused, Sonja. Smoothing her palm up the back of her hair, she peered at the bag of food. “You shouldn’t worry about my eating habits, James.”
“And you shouldn’t worry about my sleeping habits, Sonja.” He pulled out a several cardboard containers of Chinese food. “Unless of course you plan on being next to me while I sleep.” His eyes were wide, like an inquisitive child asking for a treat. Good grief.
The aroma of the food hit her nose and her stomach let out a growl. Okay, yes, she was hungry. Fine, she’d eat. People could eat together and have it not be a “thing”. Plus, they’d eaten together before, but then again, they ended up at his loft with her pressed against the brick wall of his studio, his thigh nestled between her legs. Sonja stifled a groan and reached for the bag. “Don’t count on it.”
James tugged it out of reach. “Sit. I got this.”
“Okay, fine. As you wish.” Sonja pulled out a chair and took a seat.
He winked and set a cardboard plate and chopsticks in front of her. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a bunch of different things. Veggie, non-veggie and a mix. Hope that works for you; I know how picky you are.”
It was sweet, even if she didn’t want to think of it that way, how he arranged the narrow paper package atop a napkin beside her plate. She didn’t want to pay attention to the endearing things he did, like how he wrapped the blankets around her when she was in his bed the other night. Sonja’s agitation melted into a warm puddle in her stomach. She clasped her hands together in her lap. “I’m not that picky.”
“Sonja, you give new meaning to the word picky.” He opened carton after carton of food. “Brown rice or white?”
“Brown, please. Can I get you a drink? Water, soda, coffee?”
“That’s the one thing you can do. Water works fine.”
Sonja nodded, stood and pulled two waters from the mini fridge behind her desk. Returning to the table, she set one in front of his plate and cracked her own, taking a healthy sip.
James deposited a large pile of brown rice on her plate. “What would you like?”
Sonja eyed the cartons. “What do you have that’s chicken?”
“Sesame chicken or sweet and sour?”
“A little of both.” She held her hand out. “May I serve myself please?”
“Can you not let someone do it for you?”
“Of course I can. But judging by the pile of rice on my plate, you’re going to force me to buy a new wardrobe.”
He held the container in his hands. “Please, like you have to worry about gaining weight. You’re perfect.”
Sonja flushed hot from head to toe. The man was delusional. She wasn’t perfect. Not too bad for her age, but definitely far from perfect. Especially compared to women his age. Sonja cringed and took the paper carton of sesame chicken from his hand. “I’m not perfect. But, thank you.”
“You’re also stubborn. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“I prefer to call it set in my ways.” She shrugged and scooped some chicken onto her plate and did the same with the sweet and sour. “You know, because I’m old. Too old for you.”
“Boo hiss. Killjoy. Age is a number and you know it.” James filled his plate with white rice, beef and broccoli and then some lo mien noodles, plus an egg roll.
Good grief where did he put it all, because Lord knew there wasn’t an ounce of fat on his delicious body. Sonja opened her package of chopsticks, split them apart and rolled them together in her hands to get the splinters off. “Everyone who’s under the age of forty says that.” When she looked up, he was beside her chair. Sonja’s breath caught in her throat.
He turned her, seat and all, toward him. Placing both hands on the arms of her chair, he leaned forward, coming nose to nose with her. “When are you going to let the age bullshit go?” His voice was a low grumble, vibrating over all her nerve endings.
Still recovering from her loss of breath, she did the only thing she could think of, she glared at him. James gave no ground. He simply glared right back. But then, instead of saying anything else, or waiting for an answer from her—the one poised on the tip of her tongue—he kissed her.
Hard, wet, hot and full of everything she hadn’t realized she was starving for. Sonja moaned into his mouth. He deepened the kiss, pressing her against the back of her chair. She tangled her tongue with his and threaded her fingers into his thick hair, pulling him closer. Have mercy on her soul, his mouth was a drug. How she had gone two-and-a-half days without it was beyond her realm of consciousness. It was ludicrous to deny herself this. What the hell had she been thinking?
James wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her up and out of the chair. A frantic clash of tongues lit an inferno inside Sonja, which traveled between her legs and sent her clit pulsing. She pressed her body against him and explored his sides and back with her hands. Finding his hair again, she tugged the thick strands and nipped his lip.
James growled. Grabbing her ass, he hiked her closer and pressed the evidence of his arousal against her abdomen. With a whimper, Sonja reached between them and grabbed for the waistband of his jeans. She needed this—wanted his shaft in her hand. She got the button free, slid the zipper down and pushed her hand inside his pants. The heat of him was like a brand on her palm.
James grabbed her wrist.
Sonja froze.
He pulled away from her lips and pressed his forehead against hers. “Fuck. Does your office door have a lock? Because I’m about to bend you over the table.”
They were both panting and Sonja had to clear her throat before she could answer. “Yes, it has a lock. But we should stop.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Then you might want to take your hand off my cock.”
Sonja yanked her hand from his jeans like she’d been touching a hot stove. She cringed, and her face flushed hot. Embarrassment filled her like a rising tide, smothering any trace of the lust-infused fire burning a mere ten seconds ago. “Sorry.”
James threw his head back and laughed. “Christ, you’re fucking adorable.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Eat, Sunny.”
Sonja disentangled herself from his hold and stepped back. “Sunny?”
He took the seat next to the
one she’d been in and dragged his food in front of him. “Yeah, short for sunshine.”
“Sunshine?”
“Yeah.” He popped a piece of broccoli in his mouth. “Sit, eat.”
Sonja took her seat and placed the napkin on her dress slacks. “I don’t do nicknames.”
He chuckled and took another bite. God, he was infuriating! Sunshine? Sunny? Really? Sonja was back to glaring at him again until she pinched a piece of chicken between the chopsticks and placed it in her mouth. With her senses back where they should be, her stomach reminded her she was, in fact, hungry. So, she swallowed her agitation along with the food he’d brought.
After a few mouthfuls, guilt settled like a cold breeze. It was very thoughtful of him to bring her lunch. She should be thanking him instead of being a bitch and picking apart his comments. However the fact she was about to drop to her knees a minute ago and take him into her mouth might’ve been thanks enough. She rolled her eyes. Sexual favors for food? Great idea, Sonja.
They sat in relative silence and ate, and Sonja was grateful for the reprieve from the constant fight with him. Talk about a mental whiplash. One minute she was agitated and ready to throw him out, the next she was ready to climb his body like a play gym, and then boom, back to agitation a second later.
Mental-freaking-tennis.
Jimmy rubbed his stomach and leaned back in his seat. Lunch had hit the spot. Making out with Sonja had hit a better one. Eating dessert first had always been his favorite thing to do. True to form, she was fire and ice for him. And he fucking loved it. He loved kissing her and feeling her go all soft and hot against him and he also loved fighting with her. In his opinion, there was nothing better. Sonja wiped her mouth before folding the napkin and setting it on the table. She had very precise table manners. And he found them beyond adorable. He pretty much found every damn thing about her either sexy or adorable.
He was, in no uncertain terms, fucked.
He took a swig of his water. “Come out for drinks with me tonight.”
“I can’t.”
“Seriously, will you ever stop telling me no?”
Sonja sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
She wore a pair of fitted black dress slacks. A pale, almost-sheer, mint-green, loose-flowing blouse with what looked to be a green tank top underneath it. And his favorite: spiked pumps. Christ, she was tall already, and those heels made her runway-model tall. He wanted to see her in those heels and only those—or any others she had—naked in his bed. “Sounds promising. Maybe there’s hope. By the way, you look beautiful today.”
She frowned, her brow creasing above the bridge of her nose. “I’m dressed for business and the courtroom. I wouldn’t classify this as beautiful.”
“Thank you, James. Very kind of you to say.” He glanced away toward the floor-to-ceiling windows in her office, then back to her. “You’re very welcome, Sunny. But really, I think you would probably look beautiful in sweats and a T-shirt, so yeah.”
“I think you may have lost your mind.” She chuckled.
“Maybe so. But at least I’m enjoying the benefits of it.”
“What would those be?”
“You. You’re the benefit, Sunny.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“No. Ha! See, I can say no just like you can.” He grinned. “So, a negative on the drink tonight. What about tomorrow?”
“Hmm, probably not.”
“Tell you what. We can discuss it when I come by for lunch again.”
“James, you can’t just come here when you feel like it. I have work to do.”
“I’m well aware you have work. And, yeah, I can. So, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He stood, gathering the trash from their lunch and folding up the lids on their leftovers. “Gonna put these few cartons in your mini fridge. That way when you stay too late tonight, which I know you’ll do, you can pick at what you want.” Sonja watched him—her gaze like a brand on his skin—as he got everything in order and stowed the remainders in her fridge. When Jimmy turned back toward her she’d gotten to her feet and was still staring at him. He stepped in front of her. “I’ll let you get back to work now.”
“Thank you.” Her lips tilted into a small smile. She raised her hand as if to touch him, but stopped herself.
Jimmy inched closer. “Go ahead. Please. Touch me, mo chroí.”
“You still haven’t told me what that means.” She smoothed her palm up his arm. “Whatever it means, it sounds beautiful.”
Jimmy pulled her against him and poised his lips at her ear. “Beautiful is the perfect way to describe it.” He pressed a light kiss to the side of her neck. Her breath hitched and her delectable breasts pressed into his chest. “I want you,” he whispered. “And I know you want me. So, think about that tonight when you’re working. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Her words, riding on her sharp breaths, caressed his neck.
He gripped her waist in his hands, pressed a soft kiss to her lips and walked out of her office.
Chapter Twenty
The next day, Jimmy made his way downtown to her office with meatball grinders for each of them. And this time he remembered the drinks. He hadn’t bothered to text her this time—just walked in her office around twelve thirty. His Sunny appeared less shocked to see him. He was gifted with a sweet smile from her when he winked and proceeded to set up their meal on her conference table.
She looked amazing too. She wore a burgundy blouse and a black fitted pencil skirt hugged her lean hips and long legs to just below her knees. But it was the peep-toe black pumps with a tall chunky heel that made his dick hard. It was all he could do not to pull that tight skirt up and bend her over the arm of the sofa in her office. Stowing his lust-filled thoughts, he managed to eat and carry on a normal conversation with her. It was good—no, it was great actually. Having basic dialogue between them was fucking priceless.
Once again, he asked her out for drinks. And once again she declined, but he was confident he’d wear her down. On his way out, he pressed a deep kiss to her lips, making sure to let her know with his tongue how much he wanted her.
She was breathless when he walked out of her office.
Fuck’s sake, he wanted her back in his bed the second after he’d woken alone the previous Saturday morning. But tomorrow was another day and another chance with her. He’d bring her lunch again. And for the rest of today and tonight, his only solace was knowing their heated kiss would keep her mind on him, with any luck, as much as his was on her.
Craving him like he craved her. Missing him like he missed her. And horny as fuck because she denied them both what they needed so badly.
Sonja exited the double doors of the courtroom into the hall. The morning had been grueling—witness after witness on the stand, testifying against her client, and Sonja cross-examining them. The afternoon would bring her defense. Not that she was worried at all. Her client had an iron-clad case and the prosecution’s was mostly circumstantial. Piece. Of. Cake.
Sonja finished in the restroom and headed back out into the hall. She had a few documents needing review during the lunch break. Heading toward the end of the corridor, her high heels clicking on the linoleum floor, she focused on her phone, perusing the morning’s emails from her assistant…and walked straight into James.
“Hiding out from me in the courthouse, I see.”
Sonja tilted her head to the side, appraising him and trying not to notice how good he looked. “Yes, that’s exactly it. I’m hiding.” She moved around him and continued to the benches by the windows. My word, he really isn’t going to give up.
“It’s lunch time. Let’s go grab something.”
Sonja took a seat and pulled the two-inch-thick file from her briefcase. “I can’t. I have documents to review before the trial convenes again. Work, remember?”
He held his hand o
ut to her. “Yes, work, Sonja. But you also need to eat. Come on, there’s a deli right around the corner. We’ll eat and you can work.”
She looked up at him. He had his sunglasses perched on the top of his head and his lips pursed, waiting for an answer from her. His hazel eyes appeared lighter than normal from the sunlight filtering through the large windows. His goatee was perfectly trimmed. Did he ever not look good? Sonja’s standard answer for him sat poised on her tongue. No. No, James, I can’t come with you to eat. No because if I say yes, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to say no to you again. But, she couldn’t say the word.
He wiggled his hand, flexing his fingers, waiting for her to grab hold of it. “Come on, Sonja.”
Do it. Tell him no. “Fine.” Crap. She stuffed the file back in her bag and took his offered palm.
James pulled her up from the bench. Still holding her hand, he wrapped their arms around the back of her waist and kissed her. Without giving herself permission, she melted into his embrace and kissed him back. She couldn’t help it. He was wearing her down, making her crave his lips…among other things.
A block away from the courthouse, Sonja settled at a small corner table in the deli and ate her grinder while studying the file for her client’s case. Or rather, tried to study the file. James was at Sonja’s right, instead of across from her, with his hand resting on her thigh. The light touch was making it impossible for her to focus.
As promised, he kept his word and let her work while he busied himself reading a discarded newspaper—however he kept touching her. In fact, he hadn’t stopped touching her since the kiss they’d shared in the courthouse hall. She’d forgotten how good it felt to be touched. She liked it. Much more than she’d ever admit to him. When a person went too long without the intimate touch of another human being, they became numb. Sonja guessed that’s what had happened to her—no longer wanting what she’d become accustomed to living without. However this man, this young, beautiful and stubborn man, had awoken what she’d long since forgotten about. In spite of her constant attempts to push him away, she secretly hoped he wouldn’t stop.
Defensive Heart: The Donnolleys, Book 2 Page 13
