40. Jonah
40
JONAH
Getting to the address Torren programmed into my GPS takes three minutes.
I knew it was close to Sav’s, but I didn’t realize it was just down the street.
When we pull up to the gate, I punch in the code—which happens to be Mabel’s birthday because she thinks she’s hilarious—and drive up the brick driveway. When I stop in front of the two-story Mediterranean-style estate, I try not to be obvious about how I watch Claire’s expression, but I fail. She turns wide eyes on me and smiles.
“This is gorgeous. The courtyard and the ivy? Talk about curb appeal.”
“Come on. Let’s check it out.”
We climb out of the car and make our way up to the door. I flip through the keys, then smile when I see a queen chess piece on a keychain. I’ll have to commend Mabel for that one.
“I’m honestly surprised,” Claire says as I unlock the door.
“Why’s that?”
“I expected you to live in some sort of penthouse bachelor pad downtown with minimal furniture and a fully stocked bar.”
I swing the door wide, and we step into the foyer, and I watch her face go slack. It’s the perfect view of the open-concept first floor.
“What do you think?”
She laughs and flicks her eyes to me before she goes back to staring .
“Good lord, Jonah. This is beautiful.”
I drag my eyes away from her and take it in for myself. She’s right. It’s beautiful.
I’m met with vaulted ceilings that must reach about thirty feet and an elegantly crafted staircase leading to the second floor. Then there’s an expansive living room, highlighted by a stone fireplace, and a dining and family room with views of a pool and landscaped gardens. The real jaw-dropper, though, is the panoramic view of Downtown Los Angeles offered through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Even Sav’s house doesn’t have a view like this.
Claire kicks off her shoes, so I do the same, and then I follow her through the first floor.
“I was right about one thing,” she says with a laugh.
“What’s that?”
“Minimal furnishings.”
I glance around. “Oh, yeah.” I tap on the back of a cream-colored sofa. “I think these actually came with the house.”
She laughs again. “What?”
I smirk. “I bought some of the staging furniture. You know. So, it wasn’t totally empty.”
Claire shakes her head and walks into the kitchen, then whistles.
“Do you even cook?”
“I could learn.” I glance around the space. It’s a gourmet kitchen. Granite countertops, six-burner stove, massive refrigerator, dual ovens. I hum. “Looks like I’m going to have to learn.”
“Can I go outside?”
“You can go wherever you want.”
I follow her through French doors that lead to a BBQ patio. The patio wraps around the house and has access to the pool and spa.
“Whoa.” She cups her hand over her eyes and peers out into the distance. “Is that the ocean?”
I follow her eyes. “Yep. I bet we get some pretty sunsets.”
“You bet?” She turns and grins at me. “You’ve never seen it?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
She laughs and shakes her head, then turns around and looks up at the second-story patio. “Can I go upstairs?”
“Already told you, Trouble. You can go where you want. ”
I follow her back inside and up a staircase to the second floor, where she wanders in and out of three sparsely furnished bedrooms and a few elegant bathrooms.
“How many bedrooms and bathrooms are in this place?”
I purse my lips. “Five and eight?”
“Are you sure?” she asks, her voice teasing. “You sound like you don’t know.”
I just smile and stay quiet. She walks into the primary bedroom and hums when she sees a California king bed.
“Oh, thank God you at least have a bed.” She turns to me and wiggles her eyebrows. “Do I get to sleep in it?”
“I hope so.” I chuckle. “Maybe we can do more than sleep.”
“Play your board right, and maybe...”
She trails off with a wink, then saunters out of the room. I’m a few steps behind her, but she gasps when she walks into the next bedroom. When I step up behind her, I know why.
This room is almost empty except for one thing.
A crib.
I hear her breath hitch, and I wrap my arms around her from behind, placing my hands on her stomach and resting my cheek against her head.
“They did good putting it next to our bedroom,” I whisper.
“They?”
“The girls. Mabel, Callie, and Sav.”
She turns a little and looks up at me with teary eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Well, they picked out the house and stuff. I’m guessing it was their idea to put the crib in this room.”
She blinks at me. “They what? What do you mean?”
Gently, I turn her around so we’re facing each other. “Do you like the house, Trouble?”
She nods. “Yes. I love it.”
“Do you want it?”
Her mouth drops open, her next word escaping on an exhale. “What?”
“I bought it for us if you want it. Just in case you were open to leaving New York City. I’m sure it will sell quickly if you don't like it. But I’d like to be wherever you are if you’re okay with it. I’d like us to be together.”
I cup her cheek in my palm and wipe at one of her tears.
“Want to move in with me, Trouble? I’ll learn how to cook. I’ll let you decorate. We can do whatever you want, however you want. What do you think?”
She kisses me, wrapping her arms around my neck and holding me to her. She peppers kisses on my lips, jaw, and neck, and I laugh.
“Is this a yes?”
“Mmhmm. It’s a yes. It’s a hell yes.”
I pick her up and spin her once, then softly set her back on her feet.
“Thank God,” I joke. “Think how pissed Mabes would be if we didn’t like it.”
She laughs, then shakes her head. “When can we move in?”
I reach into my back pocket for the keys, then press the keychain with the queen on it into her palm.
“Now. It all starts now.”
It doesn’t take long to move Claire’s things from Mabel’s house to ours, and within an hour, I have a moving company bring my stuff out of storage.
Neither of us has much, and I’m grateful for it. As far as I’m concerned, the only things that matter moving forward are the things we’ll have together.
I text Mabel to thank her and ask her to tell Callie and Sav that Claire loves the house. Then, instead of driving back to Sav’s so they can all welcome me home from my second stint in rehab, we plan to have a housewarming cookout next weekend.
Then something dawns on me.
“We don’t have groceries.”
“Oh.” Claire laughs. “Can we order something to be delivered?”
“Pizza?”
“Pizza.”
I pull up the closest pizza delivery place, click on the online ordering page, then pause. I have no idea how her recovery has been going. I glance at her and try to read her body language. Try to determine if the topic of food has made her uncomfortable or anxious, but she looks unbothered.
I almost let that be enough, but I can’t. I can’t, and I shouldn’t. That’s something I’m learning. Communication is essential in relationships and crucial for recovery.
“Trouble. How are you doing?”
She looks up from her phone. “What do you mean?”
“With your recovery. With your eating disorder. We didn’t talk about it in New York, and I should have checked in with you sooner. How are you?”
“Oh.” She clicks her phone off and drops it in her lap. “I haven’t purged at all, so that’s good. But somedays are harder than others.”
“How so?”
“It’s been difficult seeing these changes in my body. Stepping on a scale at the doctor’s office. Buying bigger clothes. Having to scale back my workouts. It’s all been, well, hard. That trauma doesn’t heal overnight, you know? And throwing in these pregnancy hormones and crazy cravings doesn’t make it any easier to manage. But I’ve been meeting with my therapist weekly, and knowing that any relapse could have a negative impact on the baby has helped with making healthy decisions, too.”
My brow furrows. “What about the negative impacts it could have on you?”
“I’m getting there. Right now, though, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made.” She places a hand on her stomach. “And I’m really proud of what my body is accomplishing. I’m confident I’ll get to where I need to be. I promise.”
“I’m proud of you, too, Claire.”
“Thank you.” She smiles. “We both have a lot to be proud of.”
My lips curve into a smile that matches hers, and our gazes hold long enough that my skin starts to heat. Then I drop my eyes back to my phone.
“Okay, then. Pizza. What do you like? I have no idea.”
“Whatever. I’m easy.”
I tilt my head to the side and look her over. “Liar. You like something weird, don’t you?”
“Well...” Claire scrunches up her nose. “I have these cravings, so... ”
“What is it? Just tell me. We’ll get whatever you want.”
“Banana peppers, black olives, and barbeque chicken.” I scrunch up my nose, and she smirks. “I’ll also eat pepperoni, though.”
“Nope.” I shake my head and start selecting ingredients. “Banana peppers, black olives, and barbeque chicken it is. Gotta keep my babies fed.”
Her smile is wide, and her cheeks tint pink before she sits up straighter. “Oh! And fried pickles for an appetizer, too, if they have them. Please.”
I chuckle and hit submit on my order, then drop my phone onto the couch cushion beside me. “An hour. What should we do until then?”
“Hmm.” Claire’s eyes grow heated, and she smirks in a way that hits me right in my groin. “I can think of something.”
Slowly, she climbs onto her knees and crawls toward me.
“So, the thing about pregnancy is that, along with the strange cravings, I’m also really horny.”
“Yeah?” I grab her thighs as she moves to straddle me, my cock growing hard beneath her. I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and pull her mouth to mine. “Do you want me to take care of that for you?”
“Yes, please.” She kisses me, then smiles against my lips. “But if you want to fuck me, you only have this hour window.” She moves her hips, pressing down on my dick, and I groan. “Because after I eat, I’m going to get really tired and pass out until morning.”
I don’t need any more explanation. I lift her shirt over her head and toss it on the ground, but when I go for her bra, she stops me.
“That stays on.” I poke my lip out in a pout, and she laughs. “They’re really sore.”
“Okay.” I press a soft kiss to the swell of each breast, then nip lightly at her. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
I smack her ass lightly, then lean back and spread my arms over the back of the couch. “Stand up for me, Trouble. Let me look at you.”
Hesitantly, she obeys, and fuck me, the sight of her. I squeeze my aching cock, then lean forward and tug her pants down. She steps out of them and kicks them to the side, and I can’t stop staring.
She’s in a simple blue cotton underwear and bra set, and I’ve never seen anything sexier. Her belly rounded with my child, a baby we made together, and I’m filled with this primal sense of pride. She’s mine. This gorgeous, intelligent, strong woman is mine, and she’s pregnant with my child.
“There are a lot of changes.”
Her whispered words and nervous expression have me sitting up straighter. I glance at her hands and find them closed into fists. I can tell she wants to cover herself. She initiated, but now she’s second-guessing herself. She’s uncomfortable, and it concerns me as much as it hurts me.
That trauma doesn’t heal over overnight.
“My body...it’s a lot different now than it was. It will, well, it will probably be different for a while. Maybe forever.”
It’s a warning. She thinks she has to warn me. Slowly, I slide off the couch onto my knees in front of her. I kiss her stomach, then take her hands, making sure to hold eye contact as I speak.
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Seeing you like this...” I shake my head, and I can’t help but smile. “This is my new favorite sight. My new favorite version of you. And after you have this baby, our baby, no matter how you’ve changed, that will be my new favorite version of you. You just keep getting better, Claire. The more I learn, the more I look at you and talk to you, I fall harder. You’ll always be beautiful to me.”
Her mouth turns up into a small, soft smile. “Are you just buttering me up so we can get on with the sex?”
I check my watch. “I mean, we do only have forty-five minutes now.”
She rolls her eyes, and I laugh, squeezing her hands.
“I mean every single word. I would never lie to you about something like that. Now.” I stand back up and pull on one of the loose curls framing her face. “I want to take you to bed. You go first so I can watch your ass on the way up those stairs, and then I’m stripping you naked and laying you flat so I can fuck you while staring at this sexy fucking pregnancy belly.”
I splay my palms out on her stomach. “I want to watch my cock slide in and out of your pussy while touching this. Fuck, I’m going to come so hard. You have no idea how many times I jerked off in rehab thinking about it.”
Her smile grows. “Are you going to make me come first, at least? ”
“Always, Trouble. You will always come first.”
Claire turns with her hand in mine and leads me to the staircase, but then I stop and release her. She looks over her shoulder at me, and I smirk and gesture to the staircase.
“Go on, baby. I’ve got the best seat in the house.”
Her blush stretches to her chest, but her eyes sparkle, and slowly—ever so slowly—she walks up the spiral staircase. The way her thighs and ass flex shoot right to my dick. Fuck me, it’s like porn. Ninety days without Trouble was too fucking long.
The moment she’s at the top, I climb after her. “I want you on your knees on that bed. I’ll make you come first, but I’m doing it my way.”
I round the corner into the bedroom and groan when I find her exactly where I want her. I step up behind her and run my hand down her sloped back.
“Are you comfortable like this?”
She nods. “Yes.”
I hook my fingers into her underwear and pull them to her knees. When she’s bare, I groan and grab her perfect ass cheeks. I squeeze, then spread her wider, and she gasps.
“Are you still comfortable?”
I sound damn near feral in my own ears. Even the simplest sentence comes out desperate and ravenous, my voice sounds like it’s been dragged over gravel. This is what she does to me. She makes me fucking insane.
“Yes.” She presses back into my hands. “But I’m impatient.”
I smirk and swipe my fingers through her pussy lips, making her hum.
“Sensitive?”
“Mmhmm. Very.”
“Good.”
I spit on her ass and watch as it drips to her pussy, then slowly slip one finger into her.
“Oh, yes. Yes, Jonah.”
Fuck, hearing her say my name. It lights me up. I’ve never wanted something so bad in my entire life. I don’t wait. I drop to my knees and cover her pussy with my mouth.
She moans and pushes against me, and I wrap my hands around her thighs and pull her in closer. I shove my tongue into her, then flatten it over her swollen clit and massage, humming against her.
“Mmmm, I missed the way you taste, Trouble.” I spread her wider and suck on her clit.
“Oh God.” She drops to her forearms, resting her face on the mattress. Her breath comes in pants, and her whole body trembles. “It’s so sensitive.”
I lean back just to look at her. I’m so hard that I’m almost lightheaded.
“It’s not going to take much, is it?”
“No.”
Thank God. If I have to wait much longer, I’ll lose my mind.
I use two fingers to stroke her inner walls in the way I know she likes and tend to her clit with my tongue. I alternate flicking and sucking until I feel her pulsing around me.
“That’s it, baby. Give it to me.”
She comes hard, her body shaking and her muscles contracting. Her moan is muffled by the mattress, and as much as I want to hear it, I don’t take my face out from between her thighs—don’t stop sucking her swollen little clit—until she’s shoving me away from her.
I chuckle as I rise to my full height. I can feel her arousal coating my face, and I lick my lips, savoring it.
“Roll over, Trouble. Spread your legs wide open for me.”
Slowly, she does, and the sight of her is intoxicating. I take off my own shirt and jeans as I drag my eyes down her body. Skin flushed, chest heaving, full breasts straining against her bra. And that sexy fucking belly bump. God, I can’t get enough of it. Then my eyes drop to her pink, swollen pussy, glistening and inviting me in.
“You are the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.” I climb onto the bed and kneel between her thighs. I want to savor this. I want to take my time, but the urge to fuck her senseless is nearly impossible to ignore. “I will never forget this moment.”
“Stop talking and fuck me.”
Her panted, breathy words snap my restraint. I grab her hips and lift her, then shove a pillow under her lower back. It gives me the perfect angle as I line my cock up and thrust into her in one steady motion.
“Oh fuck, Trouble. ”
My hand is no comparison to her pussy. Three months without her, and I’m a fucking wreck. I haven’t even moved yet, and my eyes are sparking white. Slowly, I move in and out of her, pulling my dick all the way out before pushing back in. I try to hold back. I try to get myself under control, but she whimpers, and my body tingles. It’s a lethal combination. I bounce my eyes from her face to her pregnant belly to her pussy, where my cock slides in and out. It’s too much. It’s too fucking much. It’s too good.
I push in deep and stop moving. I close my eyes and breathe. I try to regain some composure, but then she flexes around me, and I choke on a moan.
“Baby, don’t. I’m going to come.”
She does it again, and I open my eyes to find her eyes sparkling and her mouth open on a whimper. She flexes, pulsing around my aching cock, whimpering with each contraction of her muscles.
“You’re going to make me come,” I rasp out. “If you want me to last?—”
“Rub my clit.”
Goddamn it, this is going to be over in seconds. I suck on my thumb and rub circles on her clit, then she speeds up, tightening around my cock, then relaxing, over and over.
“Oh fuck. Claire. Claire.” I growl and rub her clit faster. I clench my teeth, breathe through my nose, and grit out my next words. “Trouble, I’m about to fill you so fucking full with my cum, and you better fucking come with me. I want you to orgasm so hard my cum drips down your ass cheeks. You understand me?”
She nods frantically, her mouth opening on a silent cry right before I lose it with her. Her pussy clenches with her orgasm, and I can’t avoid mine anymore.
I come with a rumbling moan, thrusting deeper until I’ve spilled every last drop of cum into her. Then, when I pull out slowly, I rub her clit again, making her tense up so I can watch my cum seep from her. I rub my fingers through it and shove them back into her, keeping it there until her pussy stops fluttering around me.
When our orgasms have passed, I drop down beside her. I rub my hand up and down her stomach and kiss her deeply. My heart swells, and my stomach flips .
“I’ve never been this happy,” I confess. “I’m so fucking in love with you that I’m borderline obsessive.”
Claire smiles and laughs softly. “Kegels make you euphoric, hm?”
“ You make me euphoric. This makes me euphoric. The fact that this is my life now, this is my normal, makes me fucking euphoric.” I slide my hand to her throat and rest it there. Her eyes flare, and I smirk. “I hope you’re prepared. I’m going to love you so fucking hard, you won’t know what hit you.”
She mimics my move, resting her hand on the base of my throat. I picture her holding my heart in her palm.
“Is that so?”
“Mhmm.” I kiss her. “Checkmate, Trouble. This win is all mine.”