by Anne Rainey
She started to protest, and he could see the way her cheeks bloomed pink at his erotic words. He didn’t know how experienced Deanna was, but he suspected she was way too innocent for the likes of him. Not that it mattered, because he wasn’t going anywhere.
Jonas fingered the leg band of the thong and hummed his approval. “Did you wear this for me, Deanna?” She licked her lips and stayed silent. Her gaze ate him up, though. If she only knew what that look was doing to his self-control, she’d get up and run.
Not willing to give her too much time to rethink her decision, Jonas tugged the little black scrap of material to one side, baring her pussy for the first time. The neatly trimmed, soft, dark curls glistened in the light from the table lamp. It was the single most delicious thing he’d ever seen. Jonas was suddenly starving. Staring at the beauty of her most intimate flesh, Jonas murmured, “So hot. Hot and wet and all mine.”
“Oh, God.”
“Put your legs over my shoulders,” he instructed. Deanna lifted both legs at once and positioned them exactly the way he wanted. Her cunt was an inch from his mouth now. Fucking perfect.
“Lick me, Jonas.”
Hearing the husky little demand from Deanna turned him inside out. His cock swelled painfully inside his jeans. He grasped her hips and pulled her to him, then placed a soft kiss against her damp pussy lips. “Oh, hell yeah. Now that’s what I’ve been missing. I’m going to swallow every last drop of your cream, kitten.” Then, using only his thumbs, Jonas spread her open, exposing her clitoris. He sucked the little bud into his greedy mouth.
His balls drew up tight as he imagined filling her with his cock. She’d squeeze him like a loving fist, he just knew. His tongue moved inside her succulent channel, and his hands clasped onto her bottom, bringing her closer, delving deeper and giving her everything he had to give. He hissed as Deanna raked her fingers through his hair and clutched onto him as if for dear life. Then she cried out as he flicked his tongue over and around her clit. Time after time, he toyed with her. Suddenly, he could feel her thighs beginning to quiver. Her hips moved against his face as she began fucking his mouth. Her heels dug into his back, but he barely noticed. The taste, sight, and feel of Deanna’s hot, silky heat filled all his senses.
Without warning, she screamed his name and came into his mouth, her thighs tightening around his head for a moment before she slumped against the couch. Jonas swallowed her tangy juice, taking his time to linger over her as if she were his very own luscious dessert. “I could become addicted to you,” he acknowledged aloud. “You taste like warm honey.” And he’d never forget her flavor, not as long as he lived. Watching her lie there, so open and trusting, it pulled at something inside Jonas. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Careful not to break the spell around them, Jonas kissed her swollen nub one more time, then slowly lifted his head. He cupped her throbbing pussy in his palm and watched as her eyelids lifted. She smiled down at him, and damn if he didn’t want to see that look on her face again and again. That look was for him alone.
“If that’s a taste of what’s to come,” she whispered, “then I think I’m really going to enjoy this trip.”
The words were so unexpected, Jonas couldn’t help but laugh. “Damn straight, kitten.”
5
It was Saturday afternoon, and Deanna was still a little wobbly from the encounter with Jonas the night before. And because she hadn’t slept worth a crap, thanks to her mind wandering to the man’s oh-so-talented mouth, she’d gotten up early and gone straight to the gym in the hopes of working off some of her sexual frustration. It hadn’t worked for crap. The sad truth was, now that she’d had a sampling of what Jonas had to offer, she wanted more. Deanna desperately wanted to see him strip out of his clothes and bare that perfect male body to her. And she wanted to taste him, the way he’d tasted her. She longed to feel his cock against her tongue and suck him dry.
It was going to be a damn long week.
He’d called earlier to let her know he’d purchased the plane tickets. They would leave around one in the afternoon on Friday and get back late Sunday. Luckily, her weekend was clear because her newest client was out of town on business and wouldn’t be ready to start the face-lift on his living room until he returned. Still, that meant she’d have to wait an entire week before she could have Jonas all to herself.
A cold shower. That’s what she needed. Deanna headed for her bedroom, but on the way to the stairs, she glanced around the living room and her chest filled with pride. Her home had been a labor of love. She’d enjoyed making it her own. The interior designer in her couldn’t help mentally comparing it to Jonas’s apartment. In the short amount of time she’d been inside the place, two things had stood out the most: the lack of family pictures and the starkness of the living room. There hadn’t been any real signs of Jonas, just plain white walls and dull furniture. No warmth. She realized then that she didn’t really know that much about Jonas’s life before he’d met Wade in the army. She knew he was an only child and that he wasn’t terribly close to his parents, but she didn’t know why. Miami was going to be her chance to find out more about the man who made her heart race like a greyhound chasing a rabbit.
Deanna thought again about Jonas’s plea to have her redecorate his apartment. Now that she’d seen it for herself, she just might. He needed a home, not just a place to sleep and eat, for crying out loud.
Thinking of her own house, she knew she’d gotten lucky when she’d stumbled onto the FOR SALE sign. Like many of the houses in her neighborhood, it was older but it had character. She’d fallen in love with the oddly shaped rooms and arched doorways.
She’d done the living room in country blue, with her mother’s handmade accents decorating the walls. The plush blue furniture and yellow walls were cheerful and inviting. She’d really lucked out when she’d found the square oak end tables and large trunk that doubled as a coffee table at a garage sale. The floors were polished oak that matched the tables perfectly. The large, oval area rug that her mother had purchased years ago pulled the room together beautifully. It had been the rug that gave her the idea for the décor, because she’d instantly fallen in love with the blue and yellow tones.
The kitchen still wasn’t finished. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with the room, but it certainly wasn’t the kitchen table. The large, rectangular oak table seated six comfortably. She’d vowed that someday she’d have the husband and children to fill it. An image of Jonas sprang to mind. No, she chided herself; he is not the marrying type. Going away with a man for the weekend and marrying him were two totally different things and not to be confused.
Through another doorway was the family room. Being a fan of football, Deanna had enjoyed buying the large flat-screen television to watch her games. The twin black leather recliners and couch always seemed to be where Dean and Wade headed whenever they came over for a visit. She could all too easily imagine spending a lazy Sunday with Jonas in there, cuddled up together. Damn, there she went again.
Taking the stairs up to her bedroom, Deanna was more than a little desperate to shower and hopefully clear her head, but she stopped when she caught sight of her workroom. Situated across from her bedroom, it was easily her favorite room in the house. It didn’t just have her sewing machine and yards and yards of material and tools, but it also contained her heart and soul. She took pleasure in all the hours she’d spent in there creating things for clients. When she stepped inside her bedroom, Deanna imagined inviting Jonas over. It was entirely too easy to picture what they could be doing in her big, lonely bed. One phone call and they could be filling the entire upstairs with moans of satisfaction. No, she wouldn’t cave. Heck, if Jonas could wait, then so could she.
Deanna quickly shed her clothes and stepped into the shower. She braced herself and turned the water to cold. “Holy hell that’s cold!” Okay, the cold shower thing was totally bogus. At least for women. Quickly washing and rinsing, lest she end up with hypothermia, D
eanna stepped out and dried off. Geez, she was still shivering. At least slipping into her favorite pair of plum-colored lounging pants and a short-sleeved white T-shirt took some of the chill off.
As Deanna looked at the green neon numbers on the clock, she remembered her mom was supposed to come over for a visit very soon. They were going to talk about her mom’s new job working at the women’s shelter. Gracie, Wade’s new lady love, had suggested it. Deanna was thrilled her mother had found something to do that she enjoyed, but Deanna still worried about her safety. The shelter wasn’t on the best end of town. Plus, she knew that with battered women came angry husbands spoiling for a fight.
Heading down the stairs and entering the kitchen, Deanna filled her teapot and set it on the stove to boil. When she looked over at her kitchen table, she remembered Jonas sitting there last Saturday. He’d looked so damn good with his long, muscular legs spread wide as he devoured his doughnuts. Of course, he’d looked even better devouring her the previous night. “Okay, he’s not just handsome. The man is also hot and demanding and everything my libido craves.” And, she mentally added, he happened to have the softest hair she’d ever touched. Thick enough to bury her fingers into. It was a little long by today’s standards, but Deanna loved it. And his hands. Oh, wow. When he had cupped her sex after giving her that glorious orgasm, Deanna had melted into a puddle. She’d always had an obsession for a man’s strong, calloused hands, and Jonas’s were grade A. He wasn’t overly gentle, but he didn’t manhandle her either.
And before their weekend was over, she vowed those talented hands would caress every inch of her body.
The teapot started to whistle, forcing Deanna back to reality. She flipped the burner off and used a pot holder to move the teapot to a cooling pad. While she grabbed a couple of cups from the cabinet and a box of her mom’s favorite Earl Grey tea, her mind inexorably went back over Friday night, when she’d come home to find Jonas on her porch. He’d asked why she hadn’t invited her date inside, and Deanna couldn’t bring herself to admit the truth. That her date had been a disaster. He’d been like all the other men before him, which meant he’d taken one look at her and fallen in lust with her body. Completely oblivious to the fact that there were other parts besides her ass and breasts. He hadn’t cared about her job or her hobbies. She’d even tried to talk about her interior design business, but he’d somehow managed to turn the topic right back to sex. It’d been another disappointing date.
And her real fear, the one Deanna barely admitted even to herself, was that she was terribly afraid Jonas would turn out to be the same. He’d get his fill of her body in Miami, then be ready to move on once they arrived back home. It would crush her. She didn’t understand why, but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it wouldn’t be so easy to shrug it off.
“No, I’m not backing out,” she said aloud. “Besides, if he does see only the surface stuff, I’ll damn well give up on men completely.”
As Deanna began pouring the steaming water into her cup, she heard a faint but cheerful, “Hello? Deanna?”
“In the kitchen, Mom,” she called back. “The tea is nearly ready.” Deanna was already pouring the second cup when her mom walked into the room carrying two bags of groceries. “Mom,” she muttered, “you do not have to buy me food every time you come over.”
As her mother placed the bags down on the counter, Deanna carried the cups to the table. She watched as her mom pulled out a chair and sat. “It’s just a few things I picked up at the store. Those cookies you love and that new romantic suspense book you and I’ve been waiting to read.”
Sweat beaded her mother’s brow, and she was panting slightly. “Are you okay, Mom?” Deanna leaned down to kiss her mom’s cheek before sitting adjacent to her. “I told you before not to overdo it.”
“Don’t fuss, young lady,” she admonished, grabbing a napkin out of the holder from the center of the table. After swiping it over her brow, she wadded it up and placed it on the table next to her cup. In a stronger voice, she added, “I’m not that old yet.”
Deanna snorted. With her soft skin, very few wrinkles and dark brown hair—that now came from a bottle—Audrey Harrison was still quite a catch. “You look great for your age and you know it, but why do you appear as if you’ve just run a marathon?”
Her mother’s eyes brightened. “It’s this new class I’m taking. One of the ladies down at the shelter recommended it. It’s tai chi. Great for flexibility.” She bit her lip and shook her head. “Or so they say. Today was my first class, and I feel about as flexible as a steel pipe.”
Deanna sipped her tea and tried not to laugh as an image of her mom doing the deep lung movement “snake creeps down” sprang to mind. “Sounds like a real blast.”
Her mom grinned. “You should’ve seen me trying to do some of those moves. I’m pretty sure the instructor thought I was going to pass out at any moment.”
They both laughed. “So, besides attempting to throw your back out, what else has been going on?”
“Things are going great down at the shelter. I’m still trying to get the hang of things, but I’m really enjoying talking to all the ladies. One woman is around my age. She’s been married to this guy, a real loser, for twenty-five years. He’s used her as a punching bag. Poor thing.” She finished off her tea, then sat back. “It’s nice to get out of the house. I didn’t know how much I needed it until now. I guess I was lonelier than I thought. I’m grateful to Gracie for suggesting it, honestly.”
Mention of the house gave Deanna the opening to try, again, to convince her mom to sell the family home. It’d become too big for her to live in alone. “Mom, you need to seriously consider selling the house and moving into an apartment. Dean called the other day and said he found a great place. And it’s right in town, so you wouldn’t have to drive as far to the shelter every day.”
“I don’t mind the drive, sweetie. It gives me time to think.”
Deanna couldn’t count the amount of times they’d had this conversation. “This isn’t really about the drive, Mom. You don’t want to sell because of Dad.” After Deanna’s dad had died from a brain aneurysm two years earlier, her mom had clung to the house. All their memories, the good and the bad, were tied to it. Deanna understood her mom too well. She wasn’t all that crazy about selling their family home either.
“We’ll talk about the house later. For now, let’s dig into those cookies I bought you.”
Well, I lost that round. “Fine, but someday soon we need to do something about the house. It’s too much for you to keep up, and it’s not safe for you to live alone and so far from Dean, Wade, and me.”
As Deanna stood to get the box of cookies out of the bag her mom had brought over, she heard an incoherent curse from behind. After setting the box onto the table, Deanna stopped short at the glare of disapproval on her mother’s face. “Er, what did I say?”
“I am perfectly safe in that house,” her mother said, all but daring her to disagree. “I don’t need my three children worrying over me, you hear?”
“Loud and clear.” Deanna opened the box of cookies—mmm, chocolate chunk, Deanna’s favorite—handed her mom one, then smiled in an attempt at a truce. To her relief, her mom smiled back and took the cookie.
“You always could get around me with that pretty smile of yours,” her mom said. “So, dear, what have you been up to these last few days?” She placed the cookie on a napkin, untouched.
An image of Jonas’s head buried between her legs sprang to mind. “Uh, nothing much. Working on some new things for a client. I went to the gym this morning.” She paused and realized she’d have to tell her mom about her upcoming trip. “By the way, I’m going out of town next weekend.”
Her mother stood and brought her cup to the sink. “Oh? Business or pleasure?” she asked over her shoulder.
And here we go, Deanna thought, wishing the floor would swallow her up. “Pleasure,” she blurted out.
Her mom rinsed the cup and began to w
ipe down the counter. “I see.” She turned around and gave her that I-can-see-right-through-you look that only a mother seemed to possess. “Is there a man involved?”
And now for the grand finale! “Yeah. Jonas.”
God, she so did not want to get on the subject of Jonas Phoenix. Her mom was much too astute; she’d notice right off if Deanna appeared overly interested in the man. Yet, she could never bring herself to hold out on her mom.
With dismay, Deanna noticed she now had her mother’s undivided attention. “Our Jonas?” her mom asked. “Wade’s army friend?”
“The one and only.”
After returning to her seat, her mom said, “Hmm, a weekend away with Jonas. I think I need to hear the rest of that story.” The mischievous smile playing at the corners of her lips didn’t bode well for Deanna.
“It’s no big deal, so don’t go reading too much into it. He asked me to go to that beach house he co-owns with Wade. I said yes. The end.”
“You must like him, though, or you wouldn’t have said yes,” she surmised as she continued to nibble on her cookie.
Deanna picked at her own chocolate chip treat, not really interested in eating it anymore. “He’s a nice guy, good-looking in a rugged sort of way. He’s been trying to get me to go out with him forever.” She shrugged as if it meant little to her. “I decided to put the guy out of his misery.” Does one go to hell for downplaying the truth? Deanna would definitely have to give that one some serious thought later.
Her mom reached across the table and covered her hand. “It’s more than that. You like him, don’t you?”
“I’m attracted to him, yes. Is there something besides physical attraction, though? I don’t know. I’m hoping to find out in Miami.”
“You know, Susan down at the Shop n Bag didn’t use words like good-looking and nice when she talked about Jonas. The way she described him made me think more along the lines of a strawberry cheesecake. She kept using the word delicious.”