“You’re purposely tormenting me,” he concluded. “I just don’t know why.”
She walked across the room and placed both hands on his chair, then leaned in close. “That ice was cold, darling.”
Jonas plucked her off her feet and sat her on his lap so that she was straddling him. “Your hot body melted it quicker than a microwave, kitten.”
She smacked his chest and glared daggers at him. “I still think I should get to tie you up and torture you for a while. It’s only fair.”
Jonas wrapped an arm around her, more because he couldn’t seem to keep from touching her than anything else. “Later you can have your fun. For now I want you to tell me something.”
She pulled the plate closer and pointed to it in a silent gesture for him to eat. “What do you want to know?”
Jonas let his hand drift south until he was cupping her ass. “I want to know about you.”
Her breathing sped up. “Uh, just random things or do you have something specific in mind?”
“Start with random stuff. Pet peeves?”
“Okay, let me think.” She was quiet a moment. When he picked up his sandwich and bit off a mouthful, she began. “I hate when I go to the store and find carts all over the parking lot. It’s lazy not to put them in the cart corral.”
He swallowed. “I agree. Drives me crazy. Next?”
“It’s annoying when people talk really loud on their cell phones in public.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to know about so-and-so’s new hairstyle.”
“Definitely annoying.” Jonas ate another bite and waited for her to tick off another peeve.
“It bugs me when I see a mother yell at her child. I know discipline is important, but screaming like you’ve lost all the sense God gave you is abuse, plain and simple.”
“Pisses me off. So far we have a lot in common.” He ate the last bite of his sandwich before asking, “What about favorite things?”
“Hmm.” She paused. “Daisies are my favorite flower. You already know my favorite color. My favorite author is Robert Louis Stevenson. Oh, and my favorite scent is the smell of my mom’s oatmeal raisin cookies, fresh from the oven.”
“Mmm, those are good.”
Her brows shot up. “You’ve had them?”
He nodded. “She’s stopped by the office and dropped off a dozen for Wade and me a few times.”
“I didn’t know she ever did that.” She brushed at the corner of his mouth with her thumb. “Okay, so what else do you want to know?”
“Tell me about your relationship with your brother. I’ve always wondered about you and Dean.”
“The twin thing?”
Now that he wasn’t hungry, he was able to devote all his concentration on Deanna. Her breasts were all but in his face. Unable to deny the tempting treat, Jonas dipped his head and kissed the tip of one, then the other. “Yeah, the twin thing,” he replied. “You two are so different, especially considering you’re all soft and curvy and sweet and he’s ... not.”
Deanna’s hands went to his hair, and she
started to sift her fingers through the short strands. It felt good. Good enough he could almost fall asleep—if not for the sexy body on his lap. “Dean can be quite sweet. He’s just more guarded than Wade or me.”
Curious about Deanna’s quiet, brooding twin, Jonas pushed for details. “Why?”
Deanna’s fingers continued to massage his scalp as she answered. “He was in love once, and the woman broke his heart. It was tough on Dean.”
“Ouch, that sucks.”
“He hasn’t been serious with a woman since. I’m starting to worry he’ll never let himself fall in love again.”
Jonas reached up and smoothed his hand down the length of Deanna’s hair. It was soft and shiny and lay in natural waves all around her shoulders. He liked it that way. With her face free of makeup, Deanna looked like a sweet, innocent teenager. So, what did that make him? A dirty, rotten scoundrel? Jesus, probably.