Pleasure Bound (Hard to Get 2) (3 page)

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Authors: Anne Rainey

BOOK: Pleasure Bound (Hard to Get 2)
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She rolled her eyes. “I’m well aware of that, but thanks for the reminder.”
Jonas propped his hand against the doorjamb. “Did you love him?”
“I thought so at the time.”
“Are you pining away for him, Deanna?”
She laughed.
“Pining?”
At the sound of her quiet laughter, a dam inside Jonas burst and warmth flooded his system. “You’re beautiful when you do that,” he whispered as he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek in his palm.
“What?”
“Laugh. I love to hear you laugh.”
“Jonas, don’t.” She shook her head and covered his hand with her own, but she didn’t remove it. To his way of thinking, it was another step in the right direction.
Jonas dipped his head, slowly, afraid if he moved too fast she’d bolt through the open door. “Are you sure, Deanna?”
Her soft lips parted and Jonas swept in.
2
T
he instant their lips touched, Deanna’s heart did a little cartwheel. Geez,
good-looking
only scratched the surface with Jonas. She could also add
talented
to the list. There was a rather lethal sort of appeal to Jonas that she had the hardest time ignoring. Danger oozed from his every pore. He seemed more animal than man. The image of a leopard sprang to Deanna’s mind. The skillful, quiet way he moved reminded her of a great jungle cat stalking its prey.
Deanna was a breath away from pushing him back when she felt his arms come around her middle, pulling her closer. Too close. His hard body pressed against hers. God, that felt good. Deanna surrendered. Just this once she wanted to taste him. Feel him. To see if he would be as good in real life as in her fantasies. She’d had a lot of them. Putting everything she had into the kiss, Deanna touched the seam of his mouth with her tongue, prodding him to open and let her play. Jonas groaned and tightened his hold. She nipped his lower lip with her teeth, eager for more. He angled his head and dipped his tongue between her lips. Finally, she got her first real taste of the man. She detected a hint of alcohol, but most of all she simply savored Jonas. Hot and masculine. He was like Swiss chocolate, tempting and sweet; Deanna wanted to gorge herself on him.
Jonas rotated his hips, and Deanna felt the hard length of his cock against her stomach. Her pussy throbbed and dampened. She wanted to feel him, deep and hot, filling her. When his hands skimmed over the swell of her bottom, Deanna knew she had to put a stop to things before it was too late. Heck, much more and she’d be too far gone. She’d be begging him to take her.
Pulling back, but still close enough to feel his heavy breathing against her kiss-swollen lips, Deanna whispered, “Enough, Jonas.”
“You want me, and we both know I’m desperate for you,” he growled. “Why stop now? Just when things were getting interesting too.”
Deanna had no answers for him. Her head felt too fuzzy to try to speak with any degree of intelligence. Instead, she attempted to step through the doorway, into her house, where she would be safe from big, hard men bent on turning her into a begging wanton. She needed distance between them. She needed to gain control over her raging hormones.
Jonas’s fingers tugged at the length of her hair. “Uh-uh. You don’t get off that easily, Deanna. We started something here tonight, you and I. The least you can do is give me a reason for leaving me standing here like some schmuck.”
His low voice heated the blood in her veins. He was annoyed with her, and it should’ve cooled her down. The deep rumble so close to her ear only served to make her body burn hotter. Crap, even angry he exuded sex appeal. As if she needed him to wield more power over her!
Deanna turned slowly on her heel, all too aware of the hold he had on her hair. “Yes, we started something, but it was a mistake and I’m rectifying it.”
He loosened his fist a fraction, and his mouth crooked up at the corners. “A damn delicious mistake in my opinion.” He paused before adding, “You shouldn’t tease a man like that, kitten.”
Kitten?
She reached a hand up and gently moved his hand out of her hair. “I didn’t initiate the kiss—you did. And I’m not your kitten.”
He chuckled. “You haven’t kissed a lot of men, have you?”
His quiet, tender voice wrapped her in a layer of warmth, but the question slapped at her pride all the same. “Good night, Jonas. Find another corner to hang out on. Give this one a rest.” She quickly turned, afraid she’d lose her nerve, and darted through the door. Unfortunately for Deanna’s dignity, her foot caught on the entry rug and she stumbled. Yelping, she pitched forward. Before she landed on her face, Jonas caught her in his strong arms.
He swept her off her feet and took her into the house, then kicked the door closed behind him. As he stared down at her, his eyes full of mischief, he murmured, “That’s twice you nearly fell. Next time maybe you should wear lower heels.”
Deanna exhaled as embarrassment swamped her. Her face flamed red-hot, and she buried her nose into his black T-shirt. His masculine scent filled her nostrils, which made everything worse. Crap.
“Deanna?”
She squirmed in an attempt to get him to put her down, but he was too determined. His arms were steel bands around her. She lifted her head. Refusing to look at him, she said, “Jonas, please put me down. I feel enough like an idiot as it is.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Did you twist your ankle? Does it hurt?”
“No. Please, I’m fine.”
He kept his hold on her and took her into the living room. After placing her on the couch, Jonas knelt in front of her and cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. His hard jaw set in a rigid line, all but daring her to protest. “I can see you’re in pain. Don’t lie to me. Never lie to me, Deanna.”
She slumped against the cushions. “The only thing in pain is my self-respect.”
He cursed as he took hold of her foot and inspected it. “This is my fault,” he growled. “If I’d let you go, you wouldn’t have nearly twisted your ankle trying to run from me.”
“I’m clumsy. Always have been. And I was not running.”
“More lies.” He tsked. “Stay put while I get some ice.”
“I can ice my own ankle. I’m a nurse, remember?” Well, at least she’d been a nurse until recently.
He stood and stared down at her. “Where’s your kitchen?”
Must he be so impossibly persistent? “Straight to the back. There’s an ice pack in the freezer door.”
He winked. “Be back in a jiffy.”
Strangulation suddenly started to sound like a great way to commit murder. She could suffocate the man and be done with it. She’d probably get off on an insanity defense.
True to his word, Jonas strode back in, then folded his huge frame into the chair opposite her. He patted his thigh and said, “Give me your foot.”
Her foot on his thigh? And why did that turn her on? “No.”
He cursed under his breath. “I really wish you’d stop saying that word.” He patted his thigh again. “I’m not leaving until this ice pack has been on your ankle at least fifteen minutes.”
Deanna couldn’t have him in her home. Much too private and he was simply too overwhelming. Besides, she would never be able to keep him at arm’s length if she kept thinking about her bed. Her close, comfortable bed, plenty big enough for two. One flight of stairs and, boom, she’d be that much closer to satisfaction. Self-preservation caused her to cave and lift her leg. His large hand wrapped around her calf, and the heat of his palm went straight to her core. Jonas stared at her with such intensity, his eyes unblinking. She couldn’t discern his thought, and it unnerved her. Jonas often came across as an open book to her—until now.
“What?” she growled, frustrated at her own curiosity and his utter lack of movement.
His thumb glided over her skin as he murmured, “Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to be in your home?” He glanced around. “It’s nice.”
“Nice? I have a passion for interior design and I’ve spent long, sweaty hours turning my house into my dream home. All you can say is ‘nice’?”
He laughed. “It’s stunning. Better?”
“A little,” she conceded.
“And do you know how many times I’ve wanted to touch you like this?”
She quirked a brow. “You’ve fantasized about fondling my calf and icing my ankle?”
His lips twitched. “Ice can be damned erotic.”
She couldn’t have heard him right. “Ice? Erotic?”
He leaned forward and kissed the top of her foot, then looked up the length of her body. “Let me carry you to your bed and I’ll demonstrate.”
His bold words caused her to act impulsively. Taking advantage of his distracted mind, Deanna jerked her foot out of his grasp and stood, careful to keep most of her weight on her uninjured ankle. She placed her hands on the arms of his chair and leaned down to touch the thin line of his mouth with her lips. At first he remained perfectly still. As if too shocked to participate? Deanna didn’t know, but when she tilted her head to the side, to better fit their mouths together, she felt Jonas’s lips soften.
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.”

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