by Anne Rainey
Strong, powerful arms came around her, tugging Deanna’s body between Jonas’s widespread thighs. In the next heartbeat, Jonas took over the kiss, forcing her mouth open, demanding entrance. His kiss, the furthest thing from gentle and coaxing, as he swept in and claimed. She should pull back and show him to the door. She’d only meant to prove to him that he wasn’t dealing with a love-struck teenager who knew nothing about seduction. But she couldn’t bring herself to break the kiss. To pretend the passion burning her alive was a figment of her imagination.
The frightening truth? Every time Jonas came near her, he had the unique ability to wrap her in a cocoon of lust. Lord help her, she wanted his swift, hard kisses. Deanna ached to feel the gentle caresses of his hands. She wanted him and had since the moment she’d spotted him at her family get-together all those years ago. She liked the wildness she’d glimpsed, as well as the tame parts she witnessed on the surface. No matter how hard she tried, she simply could not get him out of her head. He was dark and exciting, a little tortured, Deanna thought. So why did she constantly fight the attraction between them? To deny the pull of desire had proved futile. Dating other men hadn’t worked. She wanted only Jonas. And he wanted her, too, but only for sex. She’d turned him down, and by doing so she’d become a challenge to Jonas. She wanted to be more to him. More than a conquest. More than a mark in his little black book, or whatever. To her surprise, Jonas pulled back, his heated midnight-blue gaze snaring hers.
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
She didn’t like the sweet tone in his voice. Too sweet. Jonas in sweet mode sent her heart into hiding. “What do you mean?”
He cupped her chin in his palm and stroked her lower lip with his thumb. “That wasn’t a good night kiss, kitten,” he whispered. “When you kiss a man the way you kissed me just now, it means you’re giving him permission to do more. A hell of a lot more.”
She jerked back, away from the teasing touches that drove her body into overdrive. “A simple, friendly kiss. Don’t read more into it than there is.”
His head cocked to the side. “Are you so sure?”
She sat back down and crossed her arms over her breasts. It was annoying the way her nipples seemed to beg for Jonas’s fingers and mouth. She wouldn’t be swayed by her greedy breasts, damn it. “Just put the ice pack on my ankle and we’ll call it a night, okay?”
Instead of growling at her as she’d expected, Jonas stood and stepped toward her. He leaned close, so close that Deanna could feel his hot breath against her lips. “You have it in your head that I’m a tame little puppy or something. Don’t think for a second that you can pet me, then walk away. Whatever this is between us, Deanna, it’s real, and it’s hot enough to set us both on fire. So the next time you stroke me, I’m going to do more than sit here.”
Deanna bit her lip and looked away. She hadn’t really meant to tease him. Or had she? God, the man turned her inside out. Around him she did and said things that were totally out of character. As if another part of her, the evil part, took over, thrusting all rational thought into a lockbox.
“I’m sorry.”
As Jonas stood over her, Deanna tried to calm her thundering pulse. When he reached out and caressed the cleft of her chin with his index finger, she gave up the fight.
“I want you,” he growled, “more than I want my next breath. But I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to have regrets.”
Jonas’s seductive voice and the gentle touch of his finger definitely sent her heart racing, but his cocky words were like a dash of ice water. “Don’t confuse me for one of your mindless bimbos, Jonas. If I ever go to bed with you—and that’s a very big ‘if’—it won’t be because I simply let my hormones run amok. Believe it or not, some women actually think before they act.”
Jonas smiled and winked, as if he knew exactly how he affected her. “Good night, Deanna.”
“Good night,” she muttered. As he straightened and turned to leave, Deanna allowed her gaze to travel the length of him. Wow, the man had a nice ass. She couldn’t help but stare at it each time she came into close proximity to the annoying man.
As Jonas opened the door, he gently ordered, “Lock up behind me.”
“Gee, you think?” Deanna bit out as she stood. She tested her ankle by slowly putting most of her weight on it, but when no pain came, she let out a relieved breath.
Jonas turned and rolled his eyes. “That mouth of yours is going to cause you trouble one of these days.”
As she reached the door, she planted her hands on her hips. “So I’ve been told.” When he started to speak, she held a hand in the air. “Go home, Jonas.”
He winked. “Sleep tight, kitten.”
Deanna wanted to protest the ridiculous nickname, but Jonas quickly stepped through the door and shut it behind him. Deanna cursed as she locked and bolted the damn thing.
She dropped her forehead against the hard mahogany as an image of Jonas’s ass sprang to her mind. “I am so freaking weak.”
3
Pounding. On her front door. Maybe they’d go away? She waited, hoping it’d go away, but the infernal sound started right back up again. “Definitely not my head,” she mumbled as she pried her eyes open and looked at the clock. Seven in the damn morning? Deanna stood and grabbed her robe. “Whoever it is better be half dead.”
She slipped into the white terry cloth and tied it around her waist as she made her way out of her bedroom and down the stairs. By the time Deanna reached the front door, she’d worked herself into an angry fit. Pulling the curtains aside on the window to the left of the door, Deanna’s anger turned into full-on rage when she spotted Jonas on her porch.
Unlocking and unbolting the door, she flung it open. “This better be important or I swear I’ll pummel you, Jonas Phoenix.”
To her satisfaction, Jonas actually flinched. “Ouch. You’re definitely not a morning person, are you?”
“No. Now go away.” She started to close the door in his face when a sweet aroma hit her nostrils. Wait, was that doughnuts? She stopped mid-slam and raptly watched as Jonas rattled a bag in front of her face.
“Powdered doughnuts with chocolate cream filling just the way you like them.”
Her mouth watered. Damn, he was good. She eyeballed the steaming cups. “And is that a mocha latte?”
Jonas grinned and Deanna’s legs wobbled a little. Jonas’s grins tended to have that effect on a woman. “Would I bring anything else to you this early?”
“Not if you want to live.” She heaved a heavy sigh and stepped away from the door to allow him entrance. “No sense in letting perfectly good pastries go to waste.”
He stepped over the threshold. “Figured you’d see it that way,” he said, a little too cockily for her peace of mind, and headed toward her kitchen.
The sight of Jonas’s ass encased in tight denim pleasantly distracted Deanna. Well, if she had to be awake at such an ungodly hour, at least a pleasant view and yummy treats awaited her. Or was that a yummy view and pleasant treats? She shrugged and followed the exquisite sight and smell. When she entered the kitchen, Jonas already had several napkins out of the bag and began to set a doughnut on top of one for her.
She licked her lips but didn’t dig in. Not until she knew the real reason behind the kind gesture. “Is this like a bribe or something?”
Jonas chuckled and straddled a chair across from the table. “You are too suspicious. It’s breakfast, Deanna, nothing more.”
Drawn by the promise of sweet, chocolate filling, Deanna grabbed a chair and sat. Okay, I’m weak. Who wouldn’t be when faced with chocolate cream filling? She picked up the doughnut and bit into it, then proceeded to moan. “These are the best doughnuts in the world.”
“I knew you liked that little doughnut shop, but I’ve never actually been there until today.”
“What made you go today?”
“I asked Wade about your favorite breakfast food. He told me you rarely eat breakfast, but if yo
u do, then it comes from Donut World.”
She swallowed before asking, “You’re getting information about me from my brother now?”
“Whatever it takes, kitten.” He picked up a doughnut and frowned. “And can you believe I’ve never had a chocolate-cream-filled doughnut before?”
She wanted to tell him to stop using the endearment with her, but she became distracted by Jonas’s sensual mouth closing around the powdered treat. All too easily, she imagined those lips closing around her breast. Deanna had to clear the lump out of her throat in order to speak. “Well?”
Jonas took another bite, then one more to finish it off. A few seconds later, he sat back and swiped a napkin over his mouth. “I’ve seriously been missing out.”
“Yep.” They didn’t say anything else. Simply sat and ate. By the time they were finished, Jonas had polished off three to her two.
“So, tell me the truth,” Deanna said. “Why’d you really come over?”
Jonas crossed his arms over his chest. “Do I need a reason?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Yes, I think you do.”
“Okay, there is something I want to ask you. But before I do, I want your word that you won’t say no without at least giving it some thought.”
Deanna stood and began cleaning up their mess. “Is this about decorating your apartment? I’ve already made up my mind about that.” For months, Jonas had been attempting to get her to redecorate his apartment. She kept telling him no, but he still persisted.
“It’s not about that, but now that you bring it up, why won’t you decorate my apartment? I told you I’d pay you if money is the issue.”
“That’s not the problem.” She couldn’t possibly tell him the real reason: her very real fear of getting that close to Jonas’s bed. Every time she thought of it, her insides turned to molten lava. “I just don’t want to. Let it go.”
“One of these days, I’m going to get you into my place. Mark my words.”
She ignored that tantalizing thought. Or tried to. “Get to the point, Jonas.”
“I want you to come to Miami with me.”
She dropped the bag along with their used napkins into the trash before his words registered. No way had she heard him correctly. Deanna turned around and pinned him with an icy glare. “You want to take me to your little love shack? The one you and my brother own?”
Jonas stood and moved toward her. “It’s not a love shack.” Deanna gave him her best “yeah, right” expression. “Look, you told me last night that you think I’m nothing more than a playboy. That all I want is sex.”
“I know what I said, Jonas.”
He glanced at her breasts, then quickly looked away. So brief that Deanna wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been watching him so intently. “Come to Miami with me for the weekend and let me show you that I’m not the man you think I am. Let me prove to you that I want more than a few hot and sweaty moments between the sheets.”
Deanna started to speak, but cool air against her upper chest stopped her. Looking down, she cringed at the way her robe had begun to gape. Geez, her breasts were barely covered. She could feel her cheeks heat with embarrassment as she drew the front closed.
“I’m not an idiot, Jonas,” she said, picking up the conversation as she did her best to pretend she hadn’t been about to flash him. “I know you and my brother use your place in Miami for weekend sex fests.” She thought about her brother and how happy he’d been since meeting Gracie. “Well, not so much Wade now that he’s met Gracie.”
“I won’t deny that we’ve brought women there in the past, but it’s more to us than that. It’s always been a place where we could get away from all the stress. To unwind.”
She quirked a brow at him. “And how does bringing me there prove you’re a relationship kind of guy, exactly?”
He moved closer, and Deanna soon found herself wedged between the counter and Jonas’s big, hard body. Not a bad place to be, all in all. “Here you’re constantly surrounded by your family and work,” he murmured. “I can’t get two words with you without one of your brothers interrupting. Especially now that Dean and Wade know how I feel about you. They’ve been hovering like a couple of mother hens. I want you alone, Deanna. Is that such a crime?”
She hadn’t noticed her brothers coddling her, but now that she thought about it, she realized Jonas had a valid point. They had been coming around more, and calling daily too. Deanna suddenly felt like a coward. Hiding behind them to keep Jonas at bay? So not her style. Although, she had been avoiding him to save herself from potential heartache.
“I quit my nursing job,” she blurted out. Where had that come from?
Jonas’s eyes widened. “You did?”
She shrugged. “I’ve decided to do the interior design full-time.”
“You have so many clients that you can afford to quit the day job?”
“I’m getting there. It’s not easy. There is a lot of competition in this business, and you have to bid on jobs. I’ve lost a few, but I’ve been saving, so it didn’t set me back. Nursing wasn’t making me happy, and I figured if I’m ever going to do it, now is the time.”
Jonas cupped her cheek in his palm. “I’m proud of you. Being self-employed is a tough choice to make.”
With great effort, Deanna removed Jonas’s calloused hand from her cheek. “Y-yeah, it is.” She attempted to tamp down her reaction to his overwhelming nearness before continuing. “I hope I didn’t make a horrible mistake.”
“I think you’ll do great, but why the subject change?”
Deanna looked down at the floor, uncertain how to respond. Uncertain how honest she wanted to be with him. Letting a man like Jonas into her private thoughts could prove dangerous. He struck her as the type of guy who would use every advantage he had with a woman to get what he wanted, and he’d already made it clear he wanted her.
Jonas tipped her chin up. “Is going to Miami with me so frightening, kitten?”
That nickname again. Damn if she wasn’t starting to enjoy it too. “No, it’s not. It’s exciting, to tell the truth.”
He moved then, pinning her against the counter. She could feel every hard, muscular inch of him. Her body stood up and took notice. Deanna had the wild urge to rub against him. To ease the ache he’d caused. With a lot of effort, she reminded her overheated feminine parts that she wasn’t the type of woman normally ruled by her hormones. Right at that moment, her hormones seemed to have some really great ideas.
“Then what is it?” he asked, his voice softening. “You can tell me.”
Deanna thought about the one real relationship she’d had with a man. Sadly, it hadn’t been a good experience. Could she tell him about Gary? She looked into Jonas’s eyes and realized the truth. He wasn’t budging until he had an answer to her question.
Pushing a hand through her hair, Deanna said, “You might as well have a seat. It’s sort of a long story.”
Jonas hesitated a moment, and his intense gaze seemed to be searching for something in hers. Finally, he backed up, and she could finally breathe normally again. After he sat, she went to the other side of the table and took the chair she’d vacated earlier. “Gary Anderson.”
“Huh?”
“He’s a guy I dated while in college. I fell madly in love with him.”
Deanna watched the way Jonas’s entire body went rigid. “Okay, but what’s he got to do with us?”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, if you’ll hush, I’ll tell you.”
He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. I’m all ears.”
“Dating Gary was a mistake, but I didn’t know that at the time. I thought he was the one.” She looked at the frayed cuff on her robe and started to pick at a loose thread. “I was young and stupid. Gary was self-centered, egotistical, a complete womanizer, and those were his better qualities.”
He snorted. “Sounds like a real stand-up guy.”
“I didn’t know what he was really like,
not at first. He completely swept me off my feet with his easy charm. And I guess I was at an age where I wanted guys to notice me. I had a wild streak. Gary took full advantage of it.”
“The wild streak I can see, or at least I’d like to see it. But where did you meet this guy?”
“At a nightclub. I don’t think it’s even in business anymore. I was out with some friends from college. Gary was there. He asked me to dance when a slow song came on. He smiled and I caved. He was older, more confident. I suppose I let my heart overrule my head.”
“He made you feel like Cinderella at the ball,” Jonas surmised in a soft, understanding voice.
He hadn’t phrased it as a question, but Deanna answered anyway. “Yeah. With his blond, wavy hair, blue eyes, and tall, muscled body, I let myself get carried away. Gary had a knack for making a woman feel special, cherished even.”
“When did things change?”
“When a friend told me that she’d seen Gary out with another woman.”
Jonas winced. “Ouch.”
“Oh, I still couldn’t bring myself to believe the truth. Gary seemed so sincere when he told me how much he cared about me. That he wanted to marry me after I finished nursing school. Everything came crashing down when a woman called to tell me she was pregnant with Gary’s baby.”
“Damn, seriously?”
“Yep. I still didn’t want to believe it, but I met with the woman.” Deanna thought back to the horrible day and cringed. “Girl, really. She was only eighteen, Jonas. It made me sick to my stomach. When I confronted Gary later, he came unglued. Turned the whole thing around on me. Told me I didn’t trust him. That I had no right to sneak around behind his back and check up on him. That if I loved him, I’d have more faith.”