by M. Malone
"You're an asshole."
"Yep, doesn't change the fact I’d like to see that fight. One of these days, I'm telling you it's gonna go all Mayweather and Pacquiao and I want a ringside seat."
"It was fine. She was JJ, as usual."
Oskar shook his head. "What the hell was she doing walking on her own anyway?"
Jonas buried the flare of anger at what could have happened to her. "I have no idea why that woman does anything. She's a complete mystery. She makes no flipping sense. Makes her even more infuriating."
"Tell me about it. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she does some of the stuff she does so we’ll notice and come along and save her. But that also doesn't jive because she doesn't have a martyr complex. That chick is tough as nails and scares me a little."
Jonas snorted. "As she should. You never know what arsenal of weapons she's hiding." Except now Jonas sort of had an idea. Her lips needed to be classified as certified lethal weapons. And he had a feeling that sooner or later, she'd be using them to take him out.
The first stop JJ made was the nursery, because she knew that’s exactly where she would find Lucia. And after the crazy that had just happened in the car with Jonas, she needed her best friend, pronto.
Lucia looked up with a smile. "Hey, I was just feeding the baby. Wanna hold her when I'm done?"
JJ nodded absently and sank down into the soft lounger that had been placed in the corner of the nursery, and Lucia raised a brow. "What's the matter?"
How was she supposed to answer that exactly?
Jonas Castillo just made my toes curl with a simple kiss?
That was the core of what was bothering her. It wasn’t like he busted out any magic tricks or anything like that. It had been a simple kiss, but it had rocked her to her core.
Her whole damn body felt like it was vibrating. This was Jonas. She didn't like Jonas. Moreover, Jonas didn't like her.
So why did that kiss just rock your world?
JJ groaned and covered her face with her hands. "So, you know how sometimes we make a stupid choice, and then have to pay the consequences?”
Lucia laughed. "Did you accidentally set Jonas’s closet on fire?" Lucia used the word accidentally with air quotes.
"No. I didn't. But I should've. Now you're giving me ideas."
Her friend laughed. "Oh no. Just don't tell him I gave you that one. You know how that man is about his clothes and shoes."
"You know, I can’t even get excited about that right now I'm so upset."
Lucia sat forward. "What's wrong? Do we need to get —"
JJ held up a hand. She knew exactly what Lucia was going to say. Get Noah in here; get the whole squad to go beat down whoever the hell had pissed her off. While JJ did like having an ass-kicking team behind her, they were very unlikely to kick the ass of one of their own. "No. This doesn't need to involve Noah or anyone else for that matter."
Her bestie frowned. "What's going on?"
"What's going on is Jonas kissed me." JJ sat back and waited for Lucia to process that bombshell.
But nothing.
Her best friend didn’t even raise a brow, purse a lip, or let her mouth hang open. None of that. "Did you not hear me? Jonas kissed me. I mean, yes I kissed him first but that was just to shut him up. I wasn’t expecting him to kiss me back.”
Lucia shrugged. "Well, it's about time. My only concern is somehow you don’t look at all happy about it, or satisfied." She leaned forward. "Oh my God, is he bad at it?"
JJ just blinked at her. "Are you serious right now? I'm telling you this catastrophic event happened and you're sitting there like you expected it to?"
Lucia shrugged. "Yeah. Because you two have been snapping around each other for ages. It's time you guys finally got the ball rolling. So if it wasn't bad, then what's your problem?"
"This is Jonas. My nemesis, remember."
Lucia giggled. "He's hardly your nemesis. He just likes to push your buttons and vice versa." Isabella stopped nursing and whacked her mother's breast with a tiny fist to let her know that she was done. When Lucia adjusted her clothing, she held the little tiny bundle out to JJ. "You want to hold her?"
That was hardly fair. Lucia was plying her with adorable baby mojo. Still though, JJ rose and took her little niece. "Hi, Angel. Maybe you'll be appropriately horrified by the fact that Jonas and I kissed."
But apparently Isabella was just as big a traitor as her mother was. She just gave JJ a happy baby smile and burped.
"Well, fat lot of good you are for advice."
Lucia laughed. "What did you expect? She’s a baby. Okay, let me get my bestie hat on." Lucia took several deep breaths and closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she slapped her cheeks. "Oh my God, you and Jonas kissed? What happened?"
JJ couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "Now that is the appropriate reaction." JJ eased down on the couch, holding Isabella as she started to fall asleep. "Okay, so I was leaving work and I decided I wanted to walk."
Already Lucia was frowning. JJ rushed to explain. "I know. I should've just taken a taxi. But you know, I've been feeling like I've been locked up in this penthouse. And I just needed a night, hell, even like thirty minutes, to myself. Is that so wrong? And before you answer that, just think about how you would feel if you were me."
Lucia opened her mouth to say something, but then snapped it shut. JJ continued. "I don't know how he found out, but before I knew it, Jonas was there, yelling at me, insisting I get in the car. Can you imagine? I’m a grown woman. I can walk if I want to."
"But it's not safe, JJ," Lucia said.
“Sometimes don’t you think the security protocols are a little too much? You, of all people, should understand that."
Lucia sighed. "Okay, you have a point. So what happened then?"
"So, we’re doing the usual thing, you know, fighting. Me threatening to relieve him of his balls."
"Yeah, pretty much like any other day."
JJ had gone over that span of five minutes in the car a dozen times already. Like a reel in her head over, and over, and over again, she could pinpoint when something had changed, when the need shifted.
That moment when all she could concentrate on was the feel of Jonas’s firm lips on hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth. The way his hand fisted in her hair, and the way he moaned when she whimpered. Like she was the best tasting ice cream on a hot summer’s day.
"I don't know what happened. But once again I was shouting at him and explaining to him how I could take care of myself. The next thing I know we’re kissing. And the worst thing is, it was like a toe-curling, slap-your-last-boyfriend-for-kissing-you-shitty kind of kiss. I mean, the man knows what he's doing. If you ever tell him that, I will kill you."
Baby Isabella just gurgled and kicked her feet, and then sighed before promptly closing her eyes. Oh yeah. Real helpful.
Lucia shook her head. "That doesn't even sound like Jonas. I mean, were you goading him?"
JJ laughed. "This is me. I'm always goading him. So how was this time any different from any other time?"
"Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. And you guys have been circling each other forever. Maybe he snapped."
"Maybe. What does this mean? Because as quickly as it started, it was over all too soon. I mean, how is the man gonna just give me a taste? It’s like he knows it’s been too long since I’ve been laid, and he’s devised a new way to torture me. I don't know what to do. Help me."
"You're asking me, but you’re not going to like my answer," Lucia said. "But maybe you just talk to him. For once, try not to snap at each other. For once, just acknowledge that you two have the hots and move from there."
JJ frowned. “You're right. I don't like that answer."
Lucia laughed. "So what are you going to do? It’s not like you can avoid him. It's not like you can pretend this didn't happen. Or that you didn't like it."
And therein lay the rub. She had liked it. A lot. Ma
tter-of-fact, she liked it so much she wanted to rub her whole body all over him. Hell, she’d arched into that kiss, practically begging him to keep touching her. And she had no idea what she was going to do about that.
Because no way in hell could she do it again.
chapter 6
Jonas held out a hand to assist his client out of the car. Normally he enjoyed these out of town jobs but not today. He glanced around them, edgy as fuck and not sure exactly why. His assignment was to keep Lindsey Meyers and her son safe and out of sight while Noah dealt with her ex-husband. This was nothing he hadn’t done before.
“Thank you,” Lindsey whispered, clutching her duffel bag to her chest as she climbed down. Immediately, she moved to the back of the car to get her son, Henry, out of his booster seat.
Lindsey had been living in Atlanta for the past year after divorcing her husband. Too bad the asshole hadn’t gotten the point.
He sighed. Goddamn he was tired. He would never make fun of Ryan for dodging these types of cases again. Domestic calls were so draining. It was exhausting trying to help people who weren’t ready to help themselves.
“Okay, so I’ve booked us into two rooms here under a false name. No one will find you here. Our rooms have an adjoining door. Please leave it unlocked so I can get to you quickly if you should need me.”
Lindsey nodded that she understood. “Thank you. I feel bad that you have to be away from home just to babysit me.”
Jonas smiled, trying to put her at ease. That was one of the most common things they heard from their female clients. Women who’d been so conditioned not to make waves that they apologized constantly for trouble that wasn’t of their own making.
“There’s no reason for you to feel bad. It’s my job. Also, I’m pretty sure Noah is going to enjoy intimidating your ex-husband while we’re here. So put on a movie, get comfortable. If you want to order takeout, let me know and I’ll have them bring it my room first.”
“Okay. I can do that.” Lindsey pushed her hair behind her ear nervously, but she looked slightly less scared than when they arrived.
Henry held tight to her hand, peering up at Jonas suspiciously. He’d never spent much time around kids this age, but Jonas supposed he would have been suspicious too if some guy he’d never seen was driving him around.
Jonas led them to the front desk where he picked up the keys to their rooms. Matthias had checked them in remotely, so after retrieving the key, they took the elevator up to the tenth floor.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Lindsey asked curiously.
Jonas froze. “No time for that. Love is too much work.”
The elevator stopped at their floor, and he wasted no time escorting them off. It wasn’t unusual for clients to ask about his personal life. Spending so much time with someone, often having your life literally in their hands, forged bonds that felt intimate. Most people wanted to know more about the person protecting them.
Only he’d found that when the clients doing the asking were young, attractive women, it could lead to uncomfortable situations and misunderstandings. So he tried to remain a mystery.
“Here we go. Room 1014.” He swiped the key and they were in. “Wait here.”
Lindsey waited by the door obediently, clutching Henry’s hand tightly while Jonas checked out every inch of the suite. The door to his room next door was standing open, as he’d requested. That room was empty, too. He came back to find them still standing next to the front door.
“It’s okay. You can go ahead and relax now. I’ll check in with the team and keep you updated.”
Lindsey’s sigh of relief was the best thank you he could have received.
She smiled at him. “You’re really good at this.”
“I hope so. I’m not much good at anything else.”
His joke made her smile. “You’re a nice guy. I hope you do find time for love one day, and that you don’t let all the bad relationships you see scare you away. Love isn’t supposed to be hard. It took me a long time to see that.”
Jonas nodded politely and then walked through the connecting door into his room. He’d already dropped his own overnight bag on the bed, but he wouldn’t be sleeping. Noah would be calling with an update soon, and he needed to be ready.
With so much time to fill, his brain inevitably went to the one thing he’d been trying to ignore all day.
JJ.
He sat on the edge of the bed and scrubbed his hands over his face. He’d been trying not to think of her. But trying not to think of her was like trying not to breathe. She was in him, deep, completely entwined with his every thought and function. That kiss, that fucking kiss, replayed over and over on a loop in the back of his mind constantly.
What the hell had he been thinking?
Not that he would take all the blame. Oh no, part of the responsibility for this clusterfuck rested solidly on JJ’s shoulders. She’d pulled him in, knowing what her tempting mouth did to him. He shook his head. She’d just been playing around like they always did. She’d kissed him on the cheek before. When she did it he was always worried she’d follow through on the threat in her eyes and bite a hole in his cheek.
But this time the crafty little vixen had gotten a little more than she’d expected. Jonas grunted, thinking of the shocked, furious, and aroused look on her face once she’d finally pulled back. It was a miracle she hadn’t slugged him. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if she even understood why she hadn’t. But he knew all too well what this kind of desire led to. It was dangerous and all-consuming, the kind that made smart men give up their careers and risk their lives.
A knock on the door drew him from his thoughts. He sprang up just as Lindsey stuck her head in.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She held up the room service menu. “Yeah, but Henry will be hungry soon. I figured we’d better put our order in now. Should I order something for you, too?”
Jonas accepted the menu she held out, and then pointed to the only thing on there that looked like a burger.
“Use my phone,” he instructed and then moved back so she could reach it. He wasn’t even hungry, just grateful for the interruption. Lindsey was a reminder of all the reasons he had to stay away from JJ. Relationships were a minefield, even when the two parties started off on solid ground.
With a past like his, Jonas wasn’t the right guy for anyone to bet on. But it didn’t mean that he couldn’t look out for her.
He would do what he did best: take care of her from afar.
JJ caught herself twisting the hem of her loose top and clenched her fingers into a fist. It was a little after seven o’clock, and she should have been well on her way home by now. Instead she was reviewing some last minute layouts for a magazine spread and waiting to meet one of the volunteers from Hope Springs.
JJ gulped. This was really happening.
It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, really. This was no different than any of the other charity events she’d worked on.
Bullshit.
JJ ignored the uneasy feeling that crept up the back of her neck. There was no use pretending this wasn’t a big deal. Very soon a woman was going to walk in here with a story that was all too familiar. Someone who understood, just as she did, how important appearances were to rebuilding your life. Wasn’t that part of why JJ had been attracted to makeup? She’d always loved how transforming her appearance could give her a confidence boost. It was only later that she’d learned how transforming her appearance could hide the evidence of her private hell.
A whisper outside her office door drew her attention.
“It’s okay, you can come right in!” JJ called.
She frantically tried to clear her desk, pulling all the papers and magazines into a neat pile on the right side. There was always someone staying late at the office. Adriana liked to work her people to the bone and there was never any shortage of things to do, especially as they drew closer to fashion week. But despite how busy the office always was, JJ knew h
ow intimidating it could be to ask anyone for help or directions.
She stood and stepped over the box of sample clothing on the floor. Damn, she needed to clean this place up. Her office was the size of a shoebox anyway, so it really couldn’t stand any clutter. Once clear of the debris on the floor, she stuck her head around the doorjamb and into the hallway.
The empty hallway.
Puzzled, she glanced both ways. She’d definitely heard someone out here. Behind her, the phone on her desk rang. JJ walked back over to her desk and snatched the receiver.
“Hello?”
There was nothing but silence but she could hear that the line was open. A hush, like someone trying not to breathe too hard.
“Hello? Who is this?” JJ demanded, creeped out and beyond angry about it. The skin on her arms prickled and she shivered, and JJ was suddenly feeling very exposed and alone, being in the office so late.
She hung up the phone and rubbed the goose bumps standing up on her arms. Her office was bordered by windows on one side, and when she’d first gotten the job, that had seemed like a perk. But now, standing in the office alone, JJ felt like she was inside a fishbowl, on display to anyone who might be watching from one of the surrounding buildings.
A knock on the door startled her, and she spun around. The young woman in the doorway took a hesitant step back at JJ’s no-doubt feral expression.
“Sorry! I’m here from Hope Springs. The guy at the front said I could come straight back.”
“Of course. Come right in.” JJ swallowed the rush of embarrassment at being caught freaking herself out in the middle of an empty office. What the hell was wrong with her?
Luckily the young woman, a studious type named Alison, didn’t seem to mind her distraction. Before long, despite her earlier hesitation, JJ found herself completely immersed in the young woman’s description of their new job program.
“This is going to help so many women,” Alison concluded. “Thank you for agreeing to help. Some people don’t understand the confidence boost that just looking better can give you. Especially when you’ve been made to feel that dressing up is flirting. That was always a trigger for my ex. Any time I wore makeup, he assumed I was using it to flirt with other men.”
