He’d never gotten to see what her breasts looked like. If he had one regret about the night they’d spent together, it was that he’d had to rush things. It wasn’t the time or the place for a leisurely exploration of a woman’s body. Most of their clothes stayed on in the process.
That was not going to be the case tonight.
Taking a step back, he drew in a lungful of cool air. He braced his hands on the washing machine, trapping her there while he took a moment to collect himself.
“What’s the matter?” she asked softly.
“Not a damn thing.” And it was true.
“Then why—”
Jonah shook his head, interrupting her question. When he looked in her eyes, he saw confusion and disappointment mixed into the emerald green. Did she honestly think he was pulling away because he didn’t want her? Nothing was further from the truth.
“Emma, I am not about to take you on this washing machine a second time. Tonight, I’m going to take my time and do it properly. I’m going to strip you naked from head to toe and press my mouth against every inch of your skin. I plan to make your body quiver and your throat go raw. So, nothing is the matter. I’m just taking a moment to keep myself from ruining my plans for tonight.”
“They’re good plans,” she replied, and let her pink tongue snake across her bottom lip. Easing up from the washing machine, she laced her fingers behind his neck and pulled him close to her again. “You should show me where your bed is so we can implement them immediately.”
* * *
Any anxiety Emma felt about this moment with Jonah vanished when he looked at her like that. He gazed at her so intently she couldn’t help but believe he would do everything he promised, and then some. That was the look of a man who kept his word, and she couldn’t wait.
He’d taken her hand and led her out of the laundry room and back into the main part of the loft. There, to her right, she saw the bed. Without all the party guests to block the view, it was easy to see the massive king-size bed along the far back wall of the loft.
It was placed in a niche between the bathroom and the closet to give it a little privacy despite it being out in the open. The plush, black velvet headboard rested against a wall of exposed, worn red brick. The comforter, like so much else in the loft, was a soft, steely gray that almost looked like liquid mercury pouring across the bed.
She couldn’t take her eyes off their final destination. This was the moment she’d fantasized about, feared and longed for. How could it ever live up to either of their memories of that night they shared? David had told her she was a wet noodle in bed. She didn’t want to be that for Jonah. She wanted to be the wild, passionate woman she’d been for him once. But how long could she maintain that facade? Was it better that she not try so hard and let him see the real Emma?
Jonah stopped in front of the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Stop it,” he chastised.
That snapped Emma out of her worried fog. “Stop what?”
“Stop overthinking it. Maybe that’s all the tequila accomplished for you. It kept you out of your head, allowing you to just feel and go with the moment.”
That may have been true. Emma found herself almost too nervous to move the more she thought about being with Jonah. She wasn’t about to make love to a mysterious, heroic stranger. This was millionaire playboy Jonah Flynn. He was a man who’d romanced some of the most beautiful women in the world. She couldn’t wrap her head around why he would want her. How could he not be disappointed with plain, boring old Emma? The thought was paralyzing.
Jonah seemed to notice the hesitation in her and compensated for it. His hands sought out the zipper on the side of her jumpsuit and pulled the tab to the end at her hip. “I guess I’ll just have to overwhelm you with pleasure so you have no choice but to stop thinking.”
His words coincided with his fingertips brushing along the sensitive bare skin of her side, making Emma gasp. He gripped the fabric at her shoulders and pulled it down. The silky material slipped over her arms, exposing her satin strapless bra, and then the slightly rounding curve of her pregnant stomach.
Emma instantly felt self-conscious about it. She had always been relatively slim, but never had the hard abs of someone who worked out at the gym doing core exercises. Jonah had seen her stomach when he was spying on her at the gym, but this was different.
He seemed to realize it, too. When he pushed the fabric of the jumpsuit over the curve of her hips, his eyes seemed fixated on her midsection. Jonah dropped down onto one knee, helping her step out of the outfit and slip out of her heels. Even then his eyes never flicked away.
When she was wearing nothing more than the bra and matching satin thong that wouldn’t show through her jumpsuit, Jonah gripped her hips and pulled her to him. It reminded her of that first night where he’d done the same thing in his kitchen, looking up at her through his mask.
This time, as he leaned in to unfasten her bra and cast it to the floor, he pressed a kiss against the swell of her stomach. The gesture was simple and sweet, so unlike the man she envisioned from the newspapers. Emma closed her eyes to hide the glimmer of tears that started to gather there. Despite her worries and fears of Jonah rejecting his child along with her, it seemed as though she’d judged him too harshly. He would be a good father. That was all she dared ask of him for now.
She felt her panties slide down her legs and was too anxious to open her eyes again. There she was, completely naked in a well-lit room for his inspection. Jonah didn’t seem to mind what he saw. He continued with his work, letting his hands and lips roam from her inner ankles up to her thighs. He stopped when he reached the exposed skin where her panties had once been. With a gentle nudge, he knocked Emma off balance and she sprawled back onto the bed with a shout of surprise.
Emma’s eyes flew open in time to see the exposed beams and ductwork overhead. Before she could sit up and yell at Jonah, she realized he was kneeling between her spread thighs. She bit anxiously at her bottom lip as she felt his hot breath against her exposed center.
“I never got to taste you,” he said. “Do you know how much I’ve regretted that?”
She covered her face with her hands to keep him from seeing her bright red cheeks. A moment later she felt one hand close around her wrists, pulling them away. He pinned them to the bed and when she finally opened her eyes, he was hovering over her. His shirt was unbuttoned now, showing off his lean, muscled torso.
“Does it embarrass you when I say things like that?” he asked.
Emma could only nod. How else could she explain that she was twenty-seven but about as comfortable with sexual topics as a twelve-year-old? She liked sex. And she’d had a good bit of it. But talking about it so blatantly? She just couldn’t take it.
“Well, then I’ll stop talking about it,” he said, releasing her hands.
Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she realized what he meant by that. He slipped down off the edge of the bed and pressed his palms against the inside of her knees to spread her legs wider.
The first touch was light, like a flicker over her skin that set off sparks under her eyelids. Every muscle in her body tensed in anticipation of the second contact. This time, his tongue lingered, moving slowly across her skin and making Emma squirm. After that, she lost count. Her hands gripped at the comforter as his lips, teeth and tongue feasted on her without showing signs of letting up.
Emma had done this before, and yet, she felt as though this were a totally new experience. Nothing any man had ever done to her had felt this amazing. She couldn’t think, not really. Not when the waves of pleasure were coming at her from all sides. The only clear realization she had was that perhaps her lack of enthusiasm in bed with other partners was more of a reflection on them than on her.
It was as though a burden was lifted from her shoulders. Yes, perhaps David was just crappy in the s
ack and she accepted that because he was the kind of man she should want on paper. Successful, respectable, boring... The fears of becoming her sister had sent her on a path of living half a life. What else had she missed out on?
Emma looked up at Jonah and realized that he could definitely be the one to show her what was missing from her life. It might not ever be love or marriage or romance, but it would certainly be something more exciting than what she’d had. With a baby on the way, she had years of 2:00 a.m. feedings and runny noses in her future. She was excited to start that new part of her life, but there was no reason why she couldn’t relish every second with Jonah now.
The thought released the last of the barricades she’d put up in her mind and she finally was able to relax and thoroughly enjoy the pleasure Jonah was giving her. She’d been holding tight to the release that was building up, somehow afraid to give in to it until now. When he slipped a finger inside of her and flicked his tongue over her swollen flesh, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
Arching her back, Emma cried out. Her whole body convulsed against her will as the pulsating pleasure radiated through her. She clutched hopelessly at the blankets as Jonah continued his assault on her body, but there was nothing to hold her down.
This wasn’t a release like she’d had before. Not even like the one he’d coaxed out of her the night of the Mardi Gras party. This blew them all out of the water and she found she couldn’t control her body while it was happening. Only once the sensations finally faded away was she able to take a deep breath and lick her parched lips. She drew her legs together and melted into the bed like butter on a warm biscuit.
“That’s my butterfly,” he soothed as he stood up with a pleased smile curling his lips.
Emma could only watch him, the energy completely drained from her body, as he slipped out of his shirt, then went to work removing the rest of his clothes. Watching him was enough for now. There was so much of him she hadn’t seen. He was lean and hard with the build of a marathon runner. Were there more tattoos he kept hidden beneath his clothes? In addition to their shared tattoo, she’d seen one peeking out from the sleeve of his T-shirts, but nothing she’d been able to study closely. Even now, she didn’t really have the mental capacity to focus too much. Her body and her mind were gelatin.
“You seemed to enjoy that,” he said. Completely nude, he offered his hand to help her sit up on the edge of the bed. “I’m anxious to hear you make those sounds again.”
“Again?” she said, bewildered. She pushed herself back until she was centered, closer to the headboard.
Jonah crawled across the mattress until his body was covering hers. “Maybe even three times,” he teased, pressing a kiss to her lips.
Emma couldn’t imagine, but she wasn’t about to argue with him while he was hovering between her thighs. With his lips still locked on hers, he pressed his hips forward, slipping inside of her with little resistance.
Now this, Emma remembered. She could hardly forget. He had been the perfect size for her, filling and stretching her body without being overwhelming. She drew her legs up to wrap around his hips and give him a better angle to go even deeper. The movement forced Jonah to pull away from her lips and curse softly with his cheek against hers. After a moment, he pushed up onto his arms with tightly closed eyes and a clenched jaw to maintain control.
“I don’t know how you do this to me,” he said as he withdrew and surged forward a second time. “It’s like your body was just made for me. Everything about you...your scent, your taste, the way you feel wrapped around me... I’ve been obsessed with experiencing this moment again. I can’t believe I finally found you.”
Emma couldn’t believe they found each other, either. Or that despite everything, they’d ended up back in this place. She wanted to savor every moment they spent together so later she could use these memories to keep her warm on lonely nights. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands. The stubble of his beard was rough against her palms. She looked into his eyes, those blue, mesmerizing eyes, and drew his face down to hers so she could kiss him again.
“Stop talking and make love to me,” she whispered against his lips.
Jonah grinned and kissed her full and hard before focusing on the task at hand. Adjusting his positioning, he settled into a slow, steady pace guaranteed to make them both crazy before too long. Resting on his elbow, he was able to dip his head down to nibble at her throat and taste her breasts, drawing hard on them until she arched her back and cried out.
He quickly adjusted his pace after that. They both knew that neither of them were patient enough to drag this pleasure on for too long. Jonah lifted her leg and hooked her knee over his shoulder. As he increased his speed and depth, Emma could only press her hands against the headboard to keep steady. That only made the thrusts more intense.
She couldn’t imagine she could come again after the orgasm he’d just given her, but she felt the buildup start in her belly. She tensed her muscles and bit at her bottom lip as the pressure increased. She whispered soft encouragements between harsh gasps and groans as she got closer and closer.
“Oh Emma,” he growled, planting a rough kiss against her inner knee.
Hearing her name on his lips was enough for her. She wasn’t his butterfly, or his anonymous lover anymore. She was Emma. The one he wanted. And she came undone with her name on his lips.
As Emma cried and bucked her hips beneath him, Jonah finally gave in to his own pleasure. With a loud groan, he thrust hard and poured into her.
With his arms quivering, he kissed her, and then rolled to her side and collapsed back against the mattress. There was a long period of silence filled by ragged breathing and the occasional sigh of contentment.
Emma was wondering if he’d expect her to make her exit soon, when he rolled onto his side and tugged her body against him. She snuggled into the comfortable nook he created for her and felt herself start to drift off to sleep.
When she was on the edge of unconsciousness, she heard Jonah’s voice whisper into her ear.
“I know you think that we’re not good together and can’t be a family. I’m here to tell you, Emma, that I worked too hard to find you and get you back in my bed again. I may not be willing to let you go this time.”
Nine
Jonah was awakened the next morning by his cell phone ringing. He untangled from his grip on Emma’s naked body and rolled over to grab his phone from the nightstand. It was Paul, his financial advisor. With everything else going on in his life lately, it was easy to ignore the fact that he was trying to cover up his brother’s embezzlement.
“Hello?”
“It’s done!” Paul said, triumphantly. “The money is in your accounts so you can move it wherever you need to.”
Perfect. Of course, now he had to do that with Emma’s eagle eyes watching the books, but what was done, was done. If he had to explain it to her, he would. He just didn’t want to until the money was back where it belonged.
“Thanks, Paul. How much did it cost me to liquidate that quickly?”
“Er...” Paul stalled. “Perhaps a conversation better suited to a weekday at my office where we can look at all the figures.”
That meant he’d taken a huge loss. “I’ll be sure to take it, plus interest, out of Noah’s hide.”
“And we can hopefully make some of it back when we reinvest the funds.”
Ever the optimist. “Okay. Thanks again, Paul.” Jonah hung up the phone and scowled at the black screen. His advisor was working under the presumption that Noah was going to pay him back. He didn’t have as much faith in his brother. Their mother would argue that he always treated Noah unfairly. Jonah would say the same of her. She coddled him, turning him into the monster that the rest of the family had to cope with.
“Is everything okay?”
Emma’s voice drew hi
m back to the here and now. “Yes, that was nothing. Just business.”
“It’s awful early on a Sunday morning for business.” Emma yawned and curled into a ball against his chest.
Jonah wrapped his arms around her and clenched his jaw to hold in the angry words that had nothing to do with her. “Luckily we can go back to sleep,” he said instead.
At first, his worry had been that Noah would screw up the Game Town deal. Covering up the stolen money had been at the forefront of his mind until he realized who Emma was. Then he’d nearly forgotten about why he was pursuing her in the first place. Now everything was different. Emma was more than an auditor; she was the mother of his child. She was the one who had held his interest, the one he couldn’t forget about, the one who could make his blood race with a simple touch. It was possible that she could be The One.
How would she feel about what was going on with Noah? If she uncovered the truth, would she question every moment they’d spent together? Could she trust Jonah knowing he had been lying to her about this the whole time?
Jonah might very well lose the Game Town deal because of Noah, but if he lost Emma... He would never forgive his brother for screwing this up for him. This was the closest thing to love he’d ever experienced before and he didn’t want it ruined by another one of Noah’s wild ideas before it even had a chance.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked softly.
“Nothing important. Why?”
She placed her palm against his bare chest. “Your heart is pounding like mad. I was thinking you were upset about something.”
He wasn’t going to ruin this moment with Noah’s nonsense. If he had to tell her, he would do it later. “Did it ever occur to you,” he said, tugging her tight to his chest, “that I just woke up to a beautiful naked woman curled against me? That can make a man’s heart pound pretty hard. As well as other things.”
Emma’s eyes widened, teasing him. “You mean you want to do it again?”
Was it teasing? He wasn’t so sure now. “Emma, I would make love to you ten times a day if you could take it and we could get anything else done. Does that surprise you? I don’t know how it could.”
Little Secrets--Secretly Pregnant Page 11
