Sterling’s brows arched. “Not all women like broke, pretty boys to spoil.”
“You keep telling yourself that, bro.”
Sterling rolled his eyes, and then paused long enough to give their waitress their drink order. “To answer your question, things are going well.”
“See a future with her?”
Sterling stiffened in his chair. “Why?”
Quentin shrugged, trying his best to look indifferent. “No reason.”
“Do I look like I was born yesterday?”
“Is that a trick question?”
“Q,” Sterling said bitingly. “What’s with all the questions about Toni and me?” he asked and then warned, “And don’t give me that ‘no reason’ crap.”
The brothers’ gazes locked for a long moment and then Quentin finally gave up the ghost. “I just noticed how Jonas reacted to your date that day at lunch. He hasn’t admitted it, but I think he may have feelings for your girl.”
Sterling clamped his jaw shut just as his drink order was delivered to the table.
“You noticed, too,” Q said.
“She said nothing was going on between them.”
“And you bought that?” Q chuckled. “In that case, I have some swamp land in Florida I’m dying to get off my hands.”
Sterling glowered.
“C’mon. You just met the girl. You’re not going to tell me you’re in love already.”
“I didn’t say that...but I am attracted to her.”
Q shrugged again. “I can see that. She’s beautiful. But you know what they say about that.”
“The beautiful ones hurt you every time?”
“Straight from the gospel of Prince.”
“Well, there you go.”
While Sterling sulked in his chair, Q studied him. “It’s not that I care one way or the other. I just thought that it’s rather encouraging to see Jonas finally showing interest in another woman. Hell, I was beginning to think he would never get over Ophelia.”
Sterling nodded, thinking.
“But,” Q continued, shrugging, “if you like her, too...”
Toni wasn’t rendered speechless often, and in this instance, she feared she would never recover. It wasn’t that she’d never been in a position where a man admitted his attraction. Hell, she had men proclaim their undying love and devotion, but none of them have been able to cause the earth to shift beneath her feet.
And though she was seated comfortably in a chair, she felt off centered, overwhelmed and even frightened.
That didn’t make sense.
“You have nothing to say?” Jonas asked.
Toni cleared her throat. “What would you like for me to say?”
He slowly cocked his head to the side and studied her. “I’d like to hear what you’re thinking.”
She shifted in her chair, hoping to right the world beneath her feet. “I’m not sure what I’m thinking.” She tried to sound caviler, but wasn’t sure it was working. “Truth of the matter is we hardly know each other.”
“That’s easily rectified.”
“And what about your brother?”
Jonas’s gaze dropped for several seconds. “I could talk to him.”
“You’d do that for little ole me?” she asked, exaggerating her southern lilt.
His gaze snapped back up. Was she teasing him-playing games?
The power ball slammed back into Toni’s court. “You know, I’m starting to think you’re only attracted to women who are already spoken for.” She watched his jawline twitch. “Do you consider me a challenge?”
“Never mind. I’ve mistaken the attraction to be mutual.”
“Oh, I’m attracted to you,” she clarified. “Just as I was months ago.”
“I wasn’t ready...to start dating-then.”
“And you are now?”
He shrugged, not liking feeling vulnerable. He was still recovering from the last time he’d left himself open for a woman.
Toni huffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not into a lot head games, Mr. Hinton.” She sat up. “My clients are willing to settle for three million.”
“And the people in hell want iced water.”
“Is that a no, Mr. Hinton?”
“You bet your ass it is.” he snapped, and then swiveled his chair around to stare out of his office window. Maybe if he stopped looking at her it would soften his aching erection.
“Don’t you think you should discuss this with your partners?”
“No.”
He listened as she climbed out her chair, but instead of her marching toward the door, she approached him from behind.
“I’m going to forget you said that since you’re obviously talking out of anger instead of common sense.”
Damn, did she have to purr when she talked? When her hand landed softly against his shoulder, he bolted out of his chair as if he’d been shot.
Toni jumped back, surprised.
Belatedly, he realized he’d overreacted, but it was too late to shift control back into his court. “This meeting is over, Ms. Wright.”
“Is something wrong, Jonas?” she asked as she stalked forward, her gait still a bit slow. “You seem edgy.”
For every step she took, Jonas retreated.
“You know, you’re an interesting man, Mr. Hinton. You talk a good game, but when it’s time to play, you back away.” She cocked her head again. “Curious about the fire, but afraid of getting burned?”
Jonas’s head jerked up, giving himself away.
Toni stopped, stunned that she had guessed it right. “You’re afraid that if something happens between us, you’ll get burned?”
“No,” he croaked.
But both knew it was a lie.
“Why didn’t you call me when I was in California?” she asked, stalking again.
This time, Jonas stood firm. “I was busy.”
“Bullshit.”
He cocked his head. “Maybe I wasn’t sure I was interested.”
“Bullshit.” She stopped when her breasts brushed against his chest and then watched his reaction.
And there was a reaction.
A spark flared in his eyes, his jaw tightened and a jolt of electricity bolted through their compressed chests.
Toni stoked the flames by sliding her hand up his chest. “It’s time to get back into the game, Jonas. Play with a little fire.” Sliding on a grin, she leaned forward and did what she should have done six months ago: kissed him.
And what a kiss.
The previous bolt of electricity was nothing compared to the glorious inferno roaring into her veins the moment their lips connected. Her bones melted within her skin and she had no choice but to slack limp against him-successfully handing the power ball back over.
Meanwhile, Jonas had never felt more alive in his life. Her soft lips and teasing tongue unleashed an animal he’d long thought had died. He deepened the kiss, widening her lips for the exploratory stroke of his tongue. His hands slid into her thick hair and his mouth slanted over hers in a hungry demand.
The kiss was not unlike a vampire’s bite, draining all he could: her soul, her essence. He selfishly wanted it all.
During his tightening embrace, Toni found it difficult to string two cohesive thoughts together. The lesson when one played with fire: you never know who will get burned.
Jonas backed away from the office wall, wrapped an arm around her waist and directed her toward his desk. This time, he did sweep everything to the floor so that he could press her body down on top of it.
Their delicious kiss continued while each tugged at the other’s clothes. Neither thought about the consequences of their actions. All that mattered was this moment-and sating a curiosity and satisfying their bodies’ growing hunger.
Jonas’s door bolted open.
Michelle’s voice floated into the office. “Jonas, your—Oh, my God!” She jumped and covered her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m...” she said, backing out of the room. “I’ll resched
ule.”
When the door slammed closed behind his embarrassed assistant, Jonas and Toni looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“I really need to start locking that door.”
“Obviously.” Toni glanced down to see a breast popped out of her lace bra. She glanced back up with a mischievous grin and was surprised to see Jonas was already climbing off the desk.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“I do,” she said, sitting up and reaching for him in an attempt to reclaim the moment; however, Jonas backed away.
“Please accept my apologies, Ms. Wright. This should have never happened and it won’t happen again.”
“C’mon. We’ve talked about this. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not Ophelia.”
The moment she’d said the name, she regretted it. She might as well have slammed a steel door between them.
“Your offer...as well as the three million dollar settlement request...is rejected.”
Toni’s mouth fell open. “You think I did this-” She glanced down at her exposed body and then stabbed him with an angry glare. “-as a way to get you to agree to the settlement?”
His brows arched inquiringly.
“You’re a goddamn bastard.” She pushed herself from off the desk and slid her breast back into her bra. “I don’t know why the hell I thought I cared about you.”
Hurt flashed across his features, but Jonas quickly turned away with a curse.
Toni hastily re-buttoned her blouse and grabbed her briefcase. “I’ll see you in court, asshole!”
Jonas remained staring out the window until the door slammed and the walls rattled around him. When he finally collapsed into his chair, he felt like every bit the asshole she’d called him.
Chapter 13
“It’s not you. It’s me,” Toni said, clutching Sterling’s hands while they huddled together at the ESPN Zone. On the hundreds of televisions screens around them, the Atlanta Braves had just taken the lead at the bottom of the fifth inning.
Sterling tried to pull his hand away. “It’s you or is it Jonas?” he questioned softly.
“I told you before-there’s nothing going on between me and your brother.” Guilt burned at the tips of her ears, however, she was fairly certain Sterling couldn’t see that; but when their gazes met, she had second thoughts. “I like you,” she admitted. “But not in the way that you want.”
He nodded, took a swig of his beer.
She waited, not sure how he would react to her rehearsed speech. A part of her was prepared for an explosion or some kind of verbal attack, especially if Jonas had already confessed what had transpired in his office last week, but instead Sterling looked remarkably blasé.
“That’s too bad.”
For a moment she thought she needed to clean her ears out. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I regret things didn’t work out, but...at the same time I sort of sensed or rather I was told that Jonas is more than a little interested in you.”
“Oh, he is?” She laughed and then reached for her own beer. “Did he tell you this?”
“No. Quentin did.”
“And he gets his information from...?”
Sterling shrugged. “He said that it was rather obvious.”
I thought it was obvious, too.
“Well, your brother is wrong.”
Sterling weighed her words and reached for his beer again. “It wouldn’t be the first time but...I guess I was sort of hoping he wasn’t. After all Jonas has been through I find it encouraging he’s finally interested in someone new.”
Toni turned her attention to one of the large television screens. Anything was better than discussing Jonas Hinton. It had been a week since that humiliating scene in his office and she was just as angry now as she was when she’d stormed out.
“What about you?” Sterling asked, suddenly.
“What about me?”
Sterling shifted and leaned forward in his chair. “How do you feel about my older brother?”
“I told you, there’s nothing--”
“Yes. Yes. There’s nothing going on between you two. I heard you. But that’s not what I asked you. How do you feel about him?”
“There’s nothing to feel,” she lied smoothly. “I hardly know him. We met once waiting for a plane and the other two times I’ve seen him were strictly for business.” She tried to meet Sterling’s gaze, but found it difficult since his eyes were so similar to his older brother.
“I understand,” he finally said. “It’s probably difficult to discuss this with me.”
Guess that meant he saw straight through that line of bs she’d just given him.
“Well, I hope you’ll forgive me for what I did tonight. Or rather what I’m about to do.”
Toni froze as her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What are you about to do.”
Just then, popping up like a jack-in-a-box, Jonas appeared at their table. “I thought you said tonight was boys’ night out?” His hand dropped onto to Sterling’s shoulder with a loud whack.
Toni’s gaze shot up as a firestorm of emotions blazed through her. The only problem was that one half were happy to see him while the other half still wanted to maim or at least throttle him.
“Sorry, man,” Sterling said casually. “I didn’t think you’d mind if I invited my new girlfriend along.”
The blatant lie surprised Toni and when she looked back down at Sterling, he was actually grinning. This was an odd way to play matchmaker—especially if she was supposed to be his date.
She shook her head, not sure she wanted to play this game. Jonas Hinton’s emotional baggage was larger than she’d originally thought and as far as she was concerned, life was too short for this kind of drama.
“Are you going to pull up a chair or are you going to stand there all night?” Sterling asked Jonas.
Determined to show she didn’t give a damn whether he stayed or let the door hit him where the good Lord split him, Toni rolled her eyes back toward one of the television screens and sulked with her beer.
She heard a chair scrape the floor and then the loud rustling as Jonas took his seat. “Where’s Q?”
“Something came up.”
During the ensuing silence, Toni became conscience of Jonas’s heavy stare, but she remained steadfast in her resolve to ignore him.
“I’m going to head up to the bar and order us some wings. Can I get anyone anything else?”
Toni shook her head and watched as a Pittsburgh Pirate struck out and end the top of the sixth inning.
“I’ll have a beer,” Jonas said.
“I’ll be right back,” Sterling said, leaving the table.
“Giving up the hard stuff?” she snipped, but then wanted to kick herself for speaking.
“No, Mom. I plan on hitting the bottle later tonight. Something tells me that I’m going to need it.”
Her gaze sliced away from the TV to impale him. “Screw you.”
Their eyes locked and Jonas wrestled with the apology poised on the tip of his tongue. He didn’t want to feel the things he felt whenever he was around her. Even now with her once again dressed down in a pair of jeans and an Atlanta Braves T-shirt, his cock was throbbing painfully against his leg like he was some prepubescent teenager with his first crush.
Why did he find everything about her so...perfect? Her warm chocolate skin, her thick shoulder-length hair, he now knew to be soft and silky straight. And that wasn’t counting things he shouldn’t know, like how good she tasted and how wonderful the weight of her breast felt in his hand.
“Mr. Hinton,” she said softly.
“Yes?”
“You’re staring.”
He blinked out his stupor and refrained from cursing under his breath.
Meanwhile, Toni settled back into her chair as if she was the cat’s meow. Her anger waned as her dark gaze flickered with triumph. “You’re going to go down fighting, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied, and then glanced over his shoulder. How long did it take to place an order?
“You want me, but you don’t want to want me.”
“You’re with my brother.”
“You didn’t seem to care about that when you were ripping my clothes off last week.”
“What? You think we’re going to share you or something?”
“Ooh.” Her eyes lit merrily. “A Hinton sandwich? That sounds like fun.”
Red waves of anger darkened Jonas’s honey complexion. “I don’t share,” he said through gritted teeth.
Satisfied in successfully goading him, Toni gave a casual shrug and returned to feigning interest in the baseball game surrounding them.
“One beer,” Sterling announced, setting a Corona before his brother. “Our hot wings are on its way.”
“Yippee,” Jonas mumbled.
“Look, you know, maybe this really should be a boys’ night out,” Toni said, standing. Whatever attraction she thought she felt for Jonas, she was definitely no longer interested in pursuing. Suppressed bad boy or not, life was too short.
Feel The Fire (Unforgettable Series) Page 8