Her eyes drop to her feet, and she sucks her bottom
lip into her mouth.
Please say yes.
She sniffs and wipes the tears from her cheeks.
“Okay.”
I exhale the breath I was holding and pull her into
a deep hug. Placing a quick kiss on her head, and inhaling the
smell of her hair, my heart slows its frantic pace.
Not wanting to let her out of my sight, I walk her
to the passenger side of the truck and usher her in. Then I snag
her backpack from her car, shut and lock her doors.
The ride to my house is silent. I notice Raven still
looks confused, and I grab her hand to rest on my thigh. Her
expression softens as I gently run my thumb along the smooth skin
of her wrist.
Once home, I open her door and help her out. I swing
my arm over her shoulder and she leans into my touch. From my
garage, we walk up to the house side by side. I tell myself to give
her some space, but I’m not ready to let go of the comfort her body
gives mine.
Settling on the living room couch, I bring her a
glass of water and sit next to her. She’s turned toward me with her
legs bent, knees to chest, arms wrapped around her shins.
I run a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry I lied to
you. I was afraid if I told you the truth you’d worry or try to
talk me out of it. After seeing you yesterday and last night,” my
jaw involuntarily tightens at the memory of her hurting, “I had to
do something. I had to try.”
She nods, but remains silent.
I tell Raven about the meeting, careful to expose
every detail. When I finish, she stares past me, as if she’s
seeking counsel with some unseen force just over my shoulder. I
allow the silence and give her time to process all the
information.
“So, you’re going to lose your fight? On
purpose?”
“Yes.”
“But . . . you’ve been waiting so long for this
fight. How can you give it up so easily?”
“Simple. I’ve been waiting longer for you.”
The best thing that ever happened to me shows up in
coveralls and a pair of Chucks when I least expect it. I’ll do
whatever it takes to keep her.
I lean forward and un-wrap her arms from her knees.
Holding her hands, I press them to my chest. “You feel that? Every
beat pounding away? You do that to me.” I want to groan. I’m so
frustrated. How can I get her to understand how much she means to
me? I squeeze her hands. “You’re part of me now. I’d do anything
for you. I’ll fight for your life as I’d fight for my own.”
Wonder colors her face. She throws her body into
mine and tucks in tight on my lap. I wrap her up in my arms and
hold on. I almost lost her.
“I’m so sorry, Jonah. Please forgive me. I had no
idea. I thought you had lied about the meeting and that you were
leaving me. I heard you and Owen talking about you breaking up with
me, and I thought it was because—”
“Hold on.” I lean away to look in her eyes. “I never
told Owen I was breaking up with you. Where did you hear that?”
“You guys were talking when I woke up.” Her gaze
swings toward the kitchen then back to mine. “I heard you.”
I think back to the conversation and start to laugh.
Raven wrinkles her nose, which makes me laugh harder.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Baby, we weren’t talking about me breaking up with
you. We were talking about my plan to meet Dominick. I knew I was
going to have to lie to you about it. Owen wasn’t happy about that,
thought you’d already been through enough. And he was worried about
me coming face to face with him.”
The corners of her mouth lift slightly before she
burrows back into my chest. “I swear you find the strangest things
funny.”
“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.”
“Blake is funny,” she says like a petulant
child.
I hold Raven, her body relaxed and nestled into
mine. I think of how she was neglected as a child. I smooth her
hair and kiss her head, wishing I could be enough to fill that void
in her soul.
I can’t change her past. But I’ll damn well keep her
safe in the future. After she hung up on me tonight, not knowing
where she was, I was driving all over town worried she’d been in an
accident, or worse. That shit ain’t happening again.
“Baby?”
“Yeah?”
“That stunt you pulled on the phone with me
tonight?”
Her body curls deeper into my lap. “Um, which
part?”
“You should know tonight won’t be the last time I
fuck up. I’m new to relationship stuff, so you can plan on getting
pissed at me a lot. But from now on, when you’re pissed, you do it
where I can see you.”
She pushes herself up, her hand on my chest. “See
you?”
“You can put up walls and not talk to me, call me
every name in the book, throw shit at me, I don’t care. But you’ll
do it
with me
and end every night in my bed.”
“But, but—”
“No buts.” I wrap my hand around the back of her
neck and give her a squeeze. “I’ve been in fights with guys twice
my size, been locked in holds so tight I didn’t know if I’d
survive, but I’ve never been as scared as I was tonight.”
“Jonah—”
“Driving around town, looking for your car, knowing
that Dominick has his sights on you . . .” I slide my hand up and
grab a handful of her silky hair. “I can’t lose you.”
She blinks once then again. “I promise. You’ll never
lose me, Jonah.” She rests her forehead against mine. “Never.”
I pull her to my chest and she nestles in.
“No more hanging up on my ass either,” I say while I
rub her back.
“Okay. As long as you never call me the b-word
again.”
“Deal.”
She sighs and nuzzles her face against my neck. I
feel the brush of her nose under my ear. As if touching isn’t
enough, she breathes in deep, taking a little bit of me inside her.
I stifle a groan.
Shifting on my lap, she tempts me with her sexy ass.
The sweet fragrance of her shampoo combined with the feel of her
soft body permeates my brain. I’m overwhelmed with the burning
desire to be inside her. My blood races. The primal man in me wants
to stand up and beat his chest, knowing that he’s found a woman to
claim, to mark her as his own, going places with her that no man
has gone before.
“I love you, Raven.”
She tilts her head up to look at me. “I love
you.”
I brush my knuckles against her cheek. “Can I show
you?”
Her eyebrows drop low.
“Make love to you, baby.” I answer her unspoken
question.
Her body goes rigid in my arms and she studies my
face. Whatever she sees seems to agree with her. A sexy smile pulls
at her lips and damn if that doesn’t seal the deal.
Nodding her head slowly, I stand with her still in
my arms. She cups my face, her thumbs at my dimples, and places
feather light kisses against my mouth. I race to the bedroom, her
giggles bouncing against my lips the entire way.
Raven
Locked in Jonah’s bathroom, I stare at myself in the
mirror. My hands grip the counter and I lean in to study my face:
red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes and a wild mane of dark hair framing my
pale face.
“Lovely. I look like a zombie. Real sexy, Raven,” I
whisper to myself.
Even though I took a shower a few hours ago, I
decide another one might help to rinse the dead, decaying look from
my face. I pull my hair into a messy bun to keep it dry, and stand
under the warm water. A good scrub of my face has me feeling human
again. I hop out and the reality of what’s about to happen has me
patting my body dry faster than usual. Butterflies swirl in my
belly along with eager anticipation.
A smile pulls at my cheeks, flooding my body with
warmth. I push the obstacles from today to the back of my head and
lock my worries away. They’ll still be there tomorrow. Tonight,
it’s just us.
I brush my teeth and throw on a new pair of panties
I bought on my last Victoria’s Secret shopping spree. After I slide
the bright blue lace up my legs, I check out my reflection from all
angles.
This particular style is called The Cheeky and while
checking out my backside, I can see why. The low slung, hip huggers
are made of delicate lace that cut up dramatically in the back
accenting the full curves of my bottom. I bought these with Jonah
in mind. He can’t seem to keep his hands off my booty, and I can’t
wait to see what he thinks of these.
I forgo a bra or tank and decide topless is the way
to go. I run a brush through my hair and allow the messy waves to
fall in haphazard disarray.
A quick peek into the bedroom reveals lit candles,
soft music, but no Jonah. I race to his bed, arms crossed at my
chest, and crawl on top. Lying on my stomach, I take deep breaths
to calm my nerves.
He has so much experience with sex. What if I
disappoint him? He’s used to sexually confident women who probably
hang from the rafters or stand on their heads. I can’t compete with
that.
“Stop it. It’s going to be fine. You can hang from
rafters,” I whisper. Muffling my giggles into the pillow, I picture
myself in some ridiculous position which only antagonizes my
nerves.
Think sexy. No giggling.
I breathe deep, and visions of Jonah quiet my
thoughts. I welcome the sultry voice of Ella Fitzgerald and the
smell of lightly scented candle wax to soothe my frazzled
nerves.
I hear the click of the bedroom door as it opens
then softly closes. Still on my stomach, my arms folded under my
head, I turn to see him and almost choke.
Jonah’s in nothing but a pair of black pajama pants.
They hang low on his hips exposing the v of his lower abdominal
muscles, dusted with dark hair.
Holy crud.
His inky black
hair is spiked with moisture. He must have taken a shower in the
guest bathroom. Kaleidoscopic arms, bulging with muscle, tense at
his sides, I gawk at his masculine body then settle on his smiling
face. His hazel eyes move over me in a visual caress, causing a
tremor of need to vibrate beneath my skin.
“Fuck. You look so sexy right now.” His deep voice
and dirty talk have me trembling.
My eyes lock on his as he crosses the room to the
bed.
“You take my breath away.” His penetrating gaze
roams over every inch of my form. “Don’t move. Stay just like
that.”
I obey, and he disappears to the foot of the bed.
What’s he doing?
The mattress dips at my feet just before I feel the
warmth of his hands cover my calves. Using them to guide him, he
slowly climbs up my body until he straddles my hips. The fabric of
his cotton pants brushes my exposed skin. I take a deep breath and
relax as the tips of his fingers run along the edge of my panties
at my back.
“These are my favorite.” His fingers trace from one
hip to the other.
“I bought them just for you. I thought you’d like
them.”
“I fuckin’ love ’em.” He flexes his hips into the
space between my legs, his blatant arousal making me gasp. “Can’t
you tell?”
“Um, yeah, I can.” Nervous giggles creep up from my
chest and tickle my throat.
Don’t giggle!
He traces the line of my tattoo from my hip to my
shoulder. My skin tingles and goose bumps break out across my
flesh. The bed dips by my head, and he nips at the shell of my ear.
I inhale citrus and spice, swirling my senses and igniting a fire
in my belly.
“Have I ever told you how much I love your tattoo?”
His mouth travels along the side of my throat where he kisses at
his spot.
My head tilts to the side to welcome his attention.
His soft lips follow the line of birds, gently kissing and licking
until he’s back at my hip. A pleasured moan rises from my
chest.
“You like that, baby?” he asks against my skin.
I arch my back, lifting my bottom up and into his
chest. He slides his hand beneath the lace and cups one cheek,
squeezing and molding it in his hand while his mouth continues its
torture.
“Jonah, I want to see you.” My words finish on a
whimper.
“Not yet. I’m not finished playing with you.”
I’m so turned on already I can’t imagine what it’s
going to be like when he’s finished playing with me.
His large hands move back up to massage my shoulders
with gentle pressure. Having never been touched this way before, my
body responds in new and unfamiliar ways. I melt into the bed. A
glorious tingling starts at my chest working its way through my
veins and heating my blood.
His slow powerful strokes work down my back. I feel
small and delicate under his expert touch. Hands, lips, tongue, and
teeth, all stimulate my hunger. I’m panting and greedy. My moans
combine with the soft music filling the room, creating an erotic
symphony.
“Jonah, I can’t take much more.” I move to roll
over, but Jonah presses his chest into my back, caging me to the
bed with his weight. His arms rest close to my face and I barely
hold back the desire to lean over and trace the tattoos on his
biceps with my tongue.
“My girl’s eager.” He rocks his hips into me.
An embarrassing whine flies from my lips, and I
grind back into him. Intimate parts of my body request, no, beg for
his attention.
“You keep that up. This will be over before it
begins.” He nips at my neck, soothing his tender bites with slow
sweeps of his tongue. “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll get to that. First,
we need to talk.”
My body freezes and I twist my neck to look at
him.
“Talk? I don’t want to talk.” I sound like a child
forced to eat her vegetables.
How sexy is that?
He bites his lip, fighting a smile. “We have to. I
know you’re on the pill, so birth control is taken care of,
right?”
My face falls into my folded arms to hide my pink
cheeks.
“Yes. How did you . . .” Stupid question. He’s seen
me take them. “Never mind.”
The only parental thing my mom ever did was take me
to get put on the pill at sixteen. She probably thought I’d end up
just like her.
Gah! I don’t want to think about this
now.