“Your honesty,” he stated as he reached over the middle console and entwined his fingers with hers. “You could’ve tried to save face just now, but you didn’t. I like that.”
Jonas’s forearm flexed with each move of his fingers. He was six feet two inches of gorgeousness, Deanna thought as she sighed. “You work out, don’t you?”
He took his eyes off the road for a second and said, “Six days a week, why?”
“Just thinking maybe we could work out together.”
“What gym do you use?”
Deanna named the place she usually went to. “It’s close to my house and small enough that I don’t feel exposed to a bunch of guys looking to hook up.”
He nodded. “I know that place.”
Her gaze narrowed. “I’ve never seen you there.”
“I haven’t worked out there, but I know the owner.”
“You know Troy?”
Jonas nodded as he turned down a side street. “He’s a good guy.” He glanced over at her for a second, then back at the road. “You’re on a first-name basis with him?”
“Not really. He helped with an overzealous patron once. The guy kept chatting me up. When I exercise, I want to exercise, not look for a date.” She shrugged. “Troy took care of it.”
“He’s a good guy.” Jonas shook his head. “Guys can be such horny idiots.” He sent her a quick wink and said, “How about I come with you next time? I could be your bodyguard.”
Deanna rolled her eyes. “It was one incident, Jonas. I don’t need a bodyguard. But I wouldn’t mind a workout partner.”
He chuckled. “You just want to watch me bench-press.”
Yeah, okay, he had her there. “And maybe that’s part of it too,” she conceded as she opened her purse and took out her lip balm. Deanna applied it while her gaze surreptitiously zeroed in on the fly of his jeans. Even in the low lighting, she could tell he was hard. Her body burned in anticipation.
Jonas glanced at Deanna and noticed her gaze on his crotch. Even in the dark, where the only real light came from the dashboard and the few streetlights they passed, Jonas could tell she was hungry for him. The knowledge had him turning his gaze back onto the road and pressing harder on the gas pedal.
As his mind went over their video date the night before, and the late-night confession that had followed, Jonas decided now was as good a time as any t
o lay his heart on the line. “Last night when we were on Skype, I told you that you weren’t the only one falling.”
“I remember,” she replied.
Her response was vague. Too vague. He wanted her open and trusting, the way she’d been when she’d come for him. The way she’d been when she’d told him she was falling for him. “Would it surprise you to learn that I think I started falling for you that day at your family picnic?”
Out of his peripheral vision, Jonas saw her gaze dart his way. “You did?”
“Yeah, kitten,” he murmured. “And I have this overwhelming need to make up for all the time we’ve lost over the years.”
“How?”
“You’ll see when we get to my apartment.”
“The surprise,” she whispered.
“Yeah, the surprise.” Jonas turned his car into his apartment complex, found his parking spot, and shut off the engine. “We’re here,” he growled as he turned in the seat to look at her.
“Yes, we are.”
He leaned toward her and brushed his lips with hers. “Are you ready for your surprise?”
“Y-yes,” she moaned.