??s like eight or nine before he starts spouting them off to strangers. I know how it goes. Ronnie’s mouth can be a terror at times.
I get to my feet and carry Jax into the bedroom for some reading time. Hopefully it will put him to sleep and then I can show Darby that marrying me sooner rather than later will be best for her mental health because I know damn well she’s not immune to me. Her body tells me all that I need to know. She wants to fuck as badly as I do. I plan to use that against her because, yes, I’ll play dirty over this. It’s too important not to.
Chapter 16
Darby
I sit at the table staring at the doors Jonas left out of with Jax. I’ve heard Jax giggle a few times. I fight getting up and going in there to see what they are doing. I want to give them some time together. They need it. Hell, I need a minute to myself to get my crap together. My mind can’t keep up with everything. A switch has been flipped and gone is the asshole that had his moments of niceness and left is nothing but a man that is too charming for my own good. I could see why I was once in love with him.
My hand goes to my chest when I feel a flutter there. Love. Could I love someone I don’t remember? Is that why I’ve been so drawn to him? So hurt by some of the things he’s said? If he meant nothing to me why had it stung so bad? Why had I so easily left with him? I’d let him hold me while I slept. My mind may not know him but there has to be some part of me that does. I’ve never had this reaction to anyone else. The door opens and I turn my head to pretend I wasn't staring it down.
“He’s asleep. He always crash like that?” Jonas walks toward me. He’s so handsome. But I can tell that the last forty-eight hours have taken their toll on him. I’d only considered what I was going through, not taking into account that this is a lot for him.
“When he gets to cuddling he’s normally out a few minutes later.”
“So he’s like his mama.” I gasp when Jonas lifts me from the chair. I wrap my arms around his neck as he carries me over to a sofa, where he sits down with me in his lap. Something about this seems familiar, as though we’ve done this same exact thing thousands of times before.
“I’m a cuddler?” I know Jax and I cuddle all the time. I let him sleep in bed with me more often than I should. We usually fall asleep together as we watch a movie. I’m excited to see how the three of us will fit together. More than anything, it warms my heart that Jax has someone else in his life to love him besides me. My little angel deserves that and so much more.
“I turned you into one.” His nose rubs along my neck. He sucks in a deep breath, breathing me in. My whole body starts to tingle. My nipples grow hard. Yeah, I’m pretty sure my body knows him. It’s waking up from a very long slumber. “I used to fall asleep wrapped around you. Couldn't help myself.” He kisses my neck. His hand digs into my hips. “You’ve gotten fuller. I like it.” I laugh. From the look in his eyes I know he’s not joking. The desire for me is written all over his face.
“Has a lot about me changed?” I still wonder what makes a man like Jonas fall for someone like me. He said I was alone in the world. I clearly didn't live up to whatever standards his grandmother had in mind. In my defense, I don’t think anyone could live up to her standards.
“No. I wish I could have seen your body change. To see you round with my baby. That I could’ve been there for it all.”
“I’m sorry.” I know it’s not my fault but I’m sorry he missed it, too.
“I’ll get to see the next one.” He pulls me more into him, letting me know I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to.
“You don’t like me and you don’t believe me,” I remind him, tilting my head to give him more room. “You thought I ran from you. Did I have a reason to run from you, Jonas?” He didn’t answer any of my questions the other night.
“I didn't think you did, but maybe I wasn't as good at protecting you from my family as I should have been.” I can hear regret in his voice. If what he said is true then I wasn't the only one who lost something that day. I’ll never understand why someone would go to such great lengths to keep us apart. It’s almost unimaginable.
“Did you love me, Jonas?” I ask, thinking I already knew that answer to the question. He was not only angry when he saw me but hurt.
“Yes. I will always love you. Even before I pieced together what I think happened I was going to marry you. I didn't care why you ran from me. I just knew I wasn't going to let it happen again.”
His words should scare me but I find that his possessive tone only turns me on more. For so long I’d thought I was all alone. Now here is this man willing to do anything to have me even if I’d done something bad. He doesn't care. He just wants me. I turn in his lap, straddling him. His hand slips under my shirt and up my back.
“I’ve stalked you,” I admit. His fingers find my bra. In one snap he pops it open.
“Keep going.” He smirks. My breath catches as my mind grabs ahold of something. Flashes of Jonas giving me that same smile slide through my mind.
“I would see you in magazines.” His thumb slides across my nipple. I arch into his touch, biting my lip. His hand feels so good against my skin. Everything that I thought was missing starts sliding back into place. Although the memories may not be clear, at this moment, I know that I love him. That I’ve always loved him.
“We hate the magazines,” he reminds me. “They make shit up.”
“So you weren't on a yacht not that long ago having the time of your life?” I arch an eyebrow at him, waiting for his reply. My mind screams no. That Jonas would never be happy doing such a thing. I don’t know how I know but I do. Another thing that clicks back into place.
“My life ended the day I thought I lost you.” My eyes lock with his. “I’ve merely existed. Going through the motions to try to get through each day. I would never move on from you, Darby. I told you that the day I asked you to marry me. It is you or no one for me. I meant those words.” My eyes burn with tears. “Don’t cry. You know it kills me when you cry.” I do know that.
“Kiss me.” I barely get the words past my lips and his mouth is on mine as it all comes flooding back.
Chapter 17
Jonas
I ravage her mouth, trying to make up for the past three years in one kiss. I nip at her lips, soothe the bites with sweeps of my tongue. My hands pull at her shirt. I need it off. I need her skin touching mine, her softness melting into my hardness. My cock throbs angrily and anxiously in my pants.
“Touch me like you used to,” she gasps when we separate long enough to pull her shirt over her head.
I freeze.
Touch me like you use to?
“What’s wrong?” She pulls me down, wriggling her lithe body to get closer.
“You remember?” I cup her face.
She makes a face, her adorable nose wrinkling and her eyes half closing. “Do we have to talk about this now? I’m dying here.”
Okay, so am I, but this seems pretty damn important. “What do you remember?”
“All of it. All of it, baby.” She smooths a hand down my cheek. “I didn’t run away. I wouldn’t run away from you. I love you, Jonas.”
Relief floods me. “I love you, too.”
“Good. Let’s have sex then. I’m horny. It’s been three years.”
The laugh that erupts from my chest is one that I’ve never experienced before. It’s part relief, part pure joy, and part unrelieved lust. “Three years for me, too.”
“I never doubted you.” Her eyes sparkle and her hand dips down to grab me. “We can talk about all that later, but, right now, I want you inside of me.”
“Say no more.” I rip at her clothes, literally. Her pants tear in my rush to get her naked. Pants, socks, underwear, shirts go flying, and soon we’re skin to skin. I trail my mouth down the column of her neck, kiss the hollow of her collarbone, and latch on to one hard nipple. Her fingers thread through my hair. The light nail scratches against my scalp send shivers down my spine. I can’t believe she’s
back in my arms. I probably cling too hard. My kisses are too harsh. My hands are too rough, but this is a second chance I never thought I would have and I can’t slow down.
I remember that the underside of her breasts are sensitive. I pay extra close attention there. She likes touches against her wrist. I rub a thumb along the vein as I suck on her tit and am rewarded with a long, happy sigh. I move lower, dipping my tongue into her belly button before greeting her pussy.
She’s soaked. The insides of her thighs glisten. I lap at the moisture, not wanting to waste a single drop of her essence. She parts her legs but I shove them wider, hooking a knee over each shoulder. With two hands under her ass, I bring her sex to my mouth.
She throws back her head, arching her back like some kind of wild siren on the sea. Her cunt tastes like a goddess’ nectar—tangy and sweet and mine.
“I love you. I’m sorry,” she gasps. “I’m sorry I forgot.”
My heart clenches. I draw back so I can wipe at her wet eyes. “Baby, don’t. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I shouldn’t have.”
“I should’ve found you.”
“No. It’s—“
I cut her off with my mouth. There’s no point in going backward. No point in pointing fingers and parceling out blame. What matters is that we’re together now and nothing will separate us. I kiss her again until the salty stream of tears stop and are replaced with shallow panting gasps. Then I return to her cunt so I can eat at her until she’s shaking and the heels of her feet bang against my back. She writhes in my grasp, trying to escape my marauding tongue when she grows ultra-sensitive, but I don’t give in. I know I can push her to a higher level of pleasure. I want her mindless, begging for me. Once my cock is inside of her, I won’t be able to stop. She makes high-pitched incoherent noises which I take as encouragement. Using my tongue and teeth, I drink at her fountain until I can’t wait another moment.