Sexy Holiday Delights

by Shara Azod

  “You and Joshua have too many jokes for my liking. No, I haven’t taken her against her wishes. As for what’s going on, I haven’t a clue. You may want to ask the young lady that. What did you say your name was again, sweetheart?” Jonas turned to her, giving a piercing stare.

  “I didn’t,” she shot back.

  “Ma’am, you reported a break-in. I’m Officer Cody Andrews. Mind telling me what’s going on?” Cody asked. “Your name?

  “Sinclair James. I reported the intrusion; that’s what’s going on. First this man broke into my residence,” she said, pointing to Jonas. “And then the other one came in as well,” she said, waving her hand in Joshua’s direction.

  “Your house?” Cody asked, with a quirk of his brow.

  Sinclair didn’t like the look that Officer Andrews was giving her. A look that possibly questioned her truthfulness or sanity.

  “Yes, my house,” she said calmly. Sinclair didn’t want to get the officer angry.

  “Uh, maybe we should all have a seat,” Cody said.

  “Where? She tossed everything at my head,” Jonas snorted.

  “Stop being overdramatic, Jonas,” Cody said. “There’re plenty of places to sit. Although it does look as if a few things need replacing.”

  “You’re real cute, Cody,” Jonas scowled, which had Sinclair standing and watching the exchange in wonder.

  She moved, following them all into the living room.

  Chapter Four

  Jonas led everyone into the living room; however, no one sat down. “Well, are we sitting or standing?” he asked sarcastically.

  “I’ll stand. Everybody else sit,” Cody said with a sweep of his arms, indicating for all to take a seat.

  “Well, Sinclair James, would you like to share the wingback again?” Jonas smirked, and watched the blush spread across her face. He could have laughed out loud when she rushed over to take a seat on the sofa opposite him. “As you wish,” he said, sitting down in the chair.

  Jonas scowled at Joshua as he sat down next to Sinclair, still smiling like a Cheshire cat. Joshua would think this situation’s funny. They’d often pranked each other as kids, but this was even more bizarre than a practical joke.

  “I’m glad you find this entire situation amusing, Joshua,” Jonas stormed.

  “Yes, very,” he murmured with a grin.

  Jonas was about to respond when another group of people came rushing through the front door. “This day is just getting better and better,” he groaned.

  “Is everything okay in here?” his father asked in his big booming voice.

  “Where’d you come from, Pop?” Jonas smiled. Although he didn’t feel like company, it was good to see his father. Jonas got up from his chair and went over to grab his father up in a bear hug.

  “Son, it’s good to see you. You need to come to the house and let your mother fatten you up a bit. You’re looking a little thin there,” Josiah Thorn complained.

  “I’m the same weight that I was when I left, and you know it. Don’t fret, though, I’m sure I will eat plenty enough, with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner,” Jonas said.

  “Welcome home, brother.” His younger brother Justice moved past his father to embrace Jonas.

  “I hate to break up y’all’s family reunion, but the lady here called us on Jonas, and I would like to know why. I’m going to need everyone to settle down so that I can get some answers,” Cody said.

  All eyes shifted to Sinclair. She shrunk back a little, but continued to keep a straight face.

  Jonas smiled inwardly. She’s a fighter. He could tell.

  “You keep saying that, officer and I keep telling you that he broke into my house, and then the other one showed up,” she said, nodding to Jonas and Joshua.

  “Uh, ma’am, what makes you think this is your residence?” Officer Cody asked.

  “I purchased it with my hard-earned money,” she snapped.

  “I’ll need to see the paperwork. Do you have any?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do. Hold on and I will get it for you,” she said, getting up and rushing out of the room.

  “Jonas, what’s she talking about?” Josiah asked.

  “She says she has a deed to the house, Pop,” Jonas shrugged.

  “How can that be?” Josiah asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when she returns.” Jonas frowned.

  “I presume she wasn’t taken with your pretty boy charm. She called the law on you.” Justice laughed.

  “Justice, where’s your four-year fiancée?” Jonas shot back.

  “I don’t know, but I do know she’s not calling the law on me.” Justice laughed even harder.

  “You and Joshua are just filled up with laughter today, aren’t you?” Jonas remarked.

  “Fellas, cut it out. We need to get to the bottom of what’s going on here,” Josiah chimed in.

  At that moment, Sinclair came rushing back in the room with a folder filled with paperwork.

  “I have all of the paperwork right here,” she said, handing the folder to Cody.

  Jonas walked over to Cody, as he began to look through the papers. Each piece of paper that he held up caused a knot to form in Jonas’ belly. This was not good. Not good at all.

  “Well, Jonas, I’m not a lawyer, but her paperwork appears to be legit,” Cody said.

  “Let me see those,” Jonas demanded, taking the folder from Cody and looking it over its contents. “These signatures aren’t mine.”

  “Of course not. I told you I purchased the house from Jonas Thorn,” Sinclair sniffed haughtily.

  “I keep telling you, I am Jonas Thorn, and I most certainly didn’t sell you my home,” he barked.

  “Did too,” she yelled.

  “Did not,” he screamed back, now pissed at the entire situation. “As a matter of fact, I should have you arrested for throwing furniture at me and putting a bump upside my head, and all these scratches on my neck. Cody, you can take her into custody for trespassing, and assault and battery.”

  “Arrest him for being a creep,” Sinclair stormed.

  “Well, damn! Children, please,” Cody said, holding up hands. A small smile playing around his lips.

  “Creep! You’re the one giving the peep shows, lady,” he bellowed. “You weren’t calling me names before.”

  “No, because I was too busy trying to bash your brains out,” she shot back.

  “See. I told you, Cody. Arrest her for assault. She’s admitted it,” Jonas demanded.

  “Me! Meee! You…you low-down, dirty son of a scoundrel!” Sinclair shouted. “I want you off of my property now!”

  “When we find your property, I will get off of it, but as this is my dwelling, I’m not going anywhere,” Jonas roared.

  Jonas winced at the loud whistle that permeated the room.

  “That’s enough, you two. We aren’t going to get anywhere with you two yelling like banshees,” Josiah said firmly. “Miss, I can assure you that the gentleman standing beside you is, in fact, Jonas Thorn. I should know because I’m his father. I’ve been many things and have done just as much in my day, but I promise you that I’ve never been a scoundrel.”

  Jonas watched Sinclair’s face flush with shame, and then crestfallen—her eyes stretched wide with shock. Apparently, recognition had just hit her.

  “But, if he’s Jonas, who did I buy this house from?” she asked quietly.

  ‘That’s what we intend to find out,” Cody said.

  “Oh no, he took all of my money. This can’t be. I went through a mortgage company and everything. The mortgage papers are there,” she said pointing to the paperwork.

  “Everything’s here except the one thing you need other than the deed,” Jonas said, and then paused. “The title. Which title company did you use?”

  “The real estate agent handled everything. Well, Jonas, did. The imposter Jonas, apparently,” she said, with a sullen look.

  “You put one hundred thousand dollars down
on this property?” Jonas asked in disbelief, as he looked at the bogus paperwork. His little striptease had shelled out a lot of cash for his property.

  “Yes, I put down half the cost of the house.” She nodded.

  “Two hundred thousand dollars is what you paid in total?” he asked, a frown mirroring his brow.

  “Well, yeah. Why are you looking shocked? I saved up a good amount of money,” she said.

  “The house is worth a great deal more than two hundred grand. You never questioned that? This is a prime real estate in a prime area.”

  “Jonas said it was a quick sale. That’s why it was so cheap. I was grateful I had enough cash saved to put half down.”

  “Are you a stripper?” Jonas asked innocently.

  “A…a what? No, I’m not a stripper,” she shrieked. “You pompous ass. I’m a registered nurse. I moved here from New York five months ago. Do I look like a stripper?”

  “Well…” he murmured with a smile.

  Her face flushed with embarrassment as she looked from him to Joshua. Joshua’s head was down, trying to keep from laughing no doubt.

  “Stripper—what—where, who’s a stripper?” Justice asked anxiously.

  “Never mind that, Justice,” Jonas said.

  “Boy, aren’t you engaged?” his father chastised.

  “Engaged, not dead,” Justice responded.

  “From the sound of it, you shouldn’t be engaged either,” his father snapped.

  “So what are we going to do about this house situation?” Cody chimed in. “Ms. James, since Jonas technically didn’t break into the house, we can’t charge him with anything. However, I will need a statement from you, Ms. James and a description of the man who sold you Jonas’s house. Do you mind accompanying us down to the station? We need to start an investigation into this matter.”

  “Sure, if you can assure me that he’s not going to change the locks and lock me out? As far as I’m concerned it’s mine until we prove otherwise. I’m not going anywhere,” she said firmly.

  “He’s not going to change the locks. I promise,” Josiah said.

  “And he’s not a rapist or murderer?” she asked Josiah.

  “Not that I know of.” Josiah chuckled.

  “Okay, let me grab a few things and I’ll be right with you,” she said, leaving the room again for the third time.

  “If she calls me a rapist or a murderer one more time, I’m going to strangle her,” Jonas growled.

  “Forget about that. I want to know how a corporate raider has his house stolen right from under him?” Joshua asked, and everyone in the room laughed.

  “This goes no further than the parties involved,” Jonas said. “I can’t have this getting out. Whoever this con artist is, better pray that I don’t find him before the law does.”

  “Can’t have you making threats, Jonas. I’d have to haul you in. Family or not,” Cody said.

  “Someone has to do something quick. That young lady just lost a lot of money in this scheme,” Josiah said. “And where is she supposed to live until this mess is fixed? If it’s ever fixed.”

  “Well, I don’t think she’d want to stay here with me, considering she thinks I’m a horrible person,” Jonas snickered.

  “Jonas, you have more than enough space here. Just gently suggest it or even let her think it’s her idea, but do not kick her out until she gets her money back,” his father said.

  Jonas sighed heavily. Oh great, he’d come home to a nightmare that was going to take weeks to unravel. In the meantime, he was stuck with an unwelcome house guest for the duration. She was easy on the eyes, and had a fantastic body. Beneath that fire and brimstone, he knew she was attracted to him. He felt it when he held her on his lap.

  “Dad, I’m too tired for anything now. This jetlag is kicking in. I just want a bath and a nice firm bed. Maybe we can all hang out some other time, like tomorrow or the next day? By the way, what happened to the others?”

  “Roderick had a date, and Milton had a last-minute business trip. As did Jordan and Jack. So it’s just me, Joshua and Pop,” Justice said.

  Jonas looked around the room and noticed that all of the officers had left except for Cody and another officer.

  “I guess the holidays still bring out the crazies,” Jonas murmured.

  Sinclair entered the room wearing the same jeans, but she’d added a tunic with it and her hair hung at her neck, her dark eyes shone. At least she didn’t look so haunted now as she did when she’d left the room.

  “Ready,” she said, walking over to Cody. “Can I drive? Otherwise, I won’t have a way back home.”

  “I’ll bring you back. We just need to fill out the initial report and go from there tomorrow,” Cody said.

  “Lead the way,” she said.

  “Jonas, welcome back. I’ll get with you soon enough. I will have some questions for you as well,” Cody said. “Nice seeing you again, Josiah, Joshua, and Justice.”

  “Take care, Cody,” Josiah said. “Boys, we need to get going, too. Jonas needs rest. And before I forget, Jonas, come by the house tomorrow to see your mother.”

  “You know I will. I’m surprised she wasn’t with y’all.” Jonas smiled.

  “She doesn't know that you’re here. Jen thought that you would be arriving tomorrow. Your knuckleheaded brothers wanted to have a men-only get together. Don’t you dare tell her that you came a day earlier, or you’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “Not me, you. You’re the one who let these fools lie, and you live with her.” Jonas chuckled.

  “Yes, I do. Clean this place up. There’s broken glass and what looks like underwear all over the floor,” Josiah said.

  “Tell me about it. Not my doing. I think Sinclair tried to toss the entire house at me,” Jonas frowned.

  “If you would have seen what I saw…” Joshua started, but Jonas cut him off.

  “Anyway, I’m glad you’ve convinced her that I’m not a killer, Dad,” Jonas said, and then scowled at Joshua.

  Chapter Five

  It had been two weeks since the ordeal with Jonas.

  Sinclair was in the kitchen fixing breakfast. She and Jonas had an understanding. They’d live as roommates until everything with the house was figured out.

  Sinclair hadn’t dared to tell her family what had transpired with the house. Jonas had assured her that he’d get to the bottom of everything and get her money back without her family being any the wiser. She was due to go home in two weeks for Thanksgiving, and she was looking forward to spending time with her family.

  “Something smells good,” Jonas came into the kitchen. Sinclair started. “Today is your day off?”

  “Yes, I figured since you’ve been cooking since I’ve been here. The least I could do is to make breakfast,” she replied.

  “Thank you, but it’s no problem for me to make a meal. You’re not the help. You’re at the hospital a lot,” he said.

  Yes, she worked a lot. She’d taken on extra shifts to try to make up some of the money she’d lost. If she would have to move before the situation was resolved she wanted to have enough money to tide her over. She’d kept a year’s worth of mortgage in her bank account to be on the safe side. You never knew what could be in store these days. Anything could happen, and it did.

  “Sit. It’s almost ready. I’ll bring it over to you,” she said.

  “What is it?”

  “I made two omelets, bacon, sausage, and toast. There’s a pot of coffee brewed and plenty of orange juice in the fridge.”

  “Sounds good,” he said, taking a cup, pouring himself some coffee. He took the cup over to the kitchen table and sat down.

  Sinclair watched him out of the corner of her eye. Lord, was he fine. He was dressed this morning in a pair of dark blue jeans and a cream colored sweater. His dark hair glistened from his shower—his blue eyes sparkled. And, goodness, those thick eyebrows, and long lashes were to die for. Jonas Thorn was one sexy man.

  She placed the food on the
serving dishes and sat the dishes in the middle of the table, buffet style. She went to walk back into the kitchen, and Jonas stopped her.

  “Aren’t you going to join me?” he asked.

  “In a minute. I’m just getting a cup of coffee.” She turned to him and smiled.

  Sinclair quickly poured her coffee, walked back over to the table, and sat down. They both began to place food on their plates.

  “This smells and looks delicious,” Jonas said.

  “Let’s just hope it tastes as good as it looks,” Sinclair said.

  “I’m sure it does.”

  “I haven’t seen your family around these past two weeks,” she said, making light conversation.

  “They’ve stopped by. It’s just that you’ve been at work. You work a lot of hours,” he said.

  “Not really,” she said.

  “Yes, you do. What is it, like, seventeen…eighteen hours a day?”

  “I’m a critical care nurse, and things can get a little crazy at times. I work a double shift most days.”

  “Oh I thought you were trying to avoid me,” Jonas said, forking up a good portion of his omelet and putting it in his mouth.

  “Why would I do that?” she asked nervously.

  “Because you’re just as attracted to me as I am to you,” he responded smoothly.

  “No—no I’m not,” she murmured, chopping down on a slice of bacon.

  “Yes, you are,” he said knowingly. “Why are you so nervous?”

  “Do you know if Cody’s any closer to finding the person who sold me your house?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Yes,” was all he said.

  Sinclair’s eyes lit up. “You mean I will be getting my money back soon?”

  “I would imagine so. What are your plans for the holidays?”

  “I’m leaving on Tuesday to spend Thanksgiving with my family in New York,” she replied excitedly. “What are you doing?”

  “Same. Spending time with my family. I look forward to this season. Family’s important.”

  “Just how many siblings do you have?” she asked.

  “Four brothers. There’re five of us. You met Joshua and Justice. There’s also Jordan, and Jack,” he said.