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.