Chapter 8
Jonnas
Jonnas had negotiated million-dollar contracts with less tension than standing forehead-to-forehead with Dani Hart in his office. “You let me worry about that.”The words hung between them heavy and dangerous, and judging by the way Dani’s breathing hitched, she felt it too.
Jonnas kept one hand against her cheek while he tried very hard not to completely lose his mind.
She looked wrecked in the prettiest possible way—flushed cheeks, wide eyes, swollen lips from nervously biting them all afternoon.
All because she accidentally admitted she’d called him Daddy during sex.
His cock had been half-hard since she whispered it in the hallway, because yes, he remembered.
He remembered every soft sound she made that night and every needy little look.
And most of all, he remembered the exact moment she relaxed completely beneath him after saying it, like something inside her finally clicked into place.
The realization had haunted him ever since.
“You’re thinking too loudly again,” Dani whispered.
Jonnas let out a low laugh. “You say that like it’s my fault.”
“It usually is,” she grumbled. She was cute—way too fucking cute.
His thumb brushed slowly along her jaw. “You know what’s dangerous, baby girl?”
Her breath caught instantly at the nickname. “What?”
“The fact that you still blush every time I call you that.” Her entire face turned even redder, and Jonnas’s chest tightened painfully. He was in serious trouble with this woman.
“You enjoy embarrassing me,” she muttered.
“No.” His mouth twitched slightly. “I enjoy the way you respond to me.” Dani looked away immediately, and that reaction told him everything. “You’ve spent a long time hiding parts of yourself, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” she breathed. The quiet honesty in her voice hit him harder than expected.
Jonnas understood that instinct better than she probably realized.
The world wasn’t exactly kind to people who wanted things outside the norm—especially not women.
And judging by the shame in her expression earlier, someone had made her feel small for it before, and that thought made something dark stir in his chest.
“Look at me.” She obeyed instantly. The automatic response nearly took him out at the knees, not because she was submissive, but because she trusted him enough to follow his lead without fear. That was a big difference, and one he intended to protect carefully.
“There is nothing wrong with the way you respond to me,” he said quietly.
Emotion flickered across her face immediately. “You say that now.”
“I mean it,” he insisted.
“You barely know me,” she reminded.
“I know enough,” he said.
Dani swallowed hard. “You don’t even fully understand what I want.”
Jonnas held her gaze steadily. “Then tell me.” Her eyes widened slightly, and he wondered if anyone had ever simply asked before.
“I—” She hesitated. “I don’t know how to say it.
” That confession wrapped around something deep in his chest, because he believed her.
Dani struck him as someone who spent most of her life adapting herself to other people’s expectations.
Making herself smaller was easier and less complicated.
The idea of her feeling ashamed for wanting comfort or structure pissed him off more every second he thought about it.
“You don’t need all the answers right now,” he said gently.
“What if you decide this is too much?” she asked.
Jonnas frowned immediately. “Too much for who?”
“For you,” she said.
He actually looked offended. “Baby girl, you’re carrying my child.
” Her breath caught again. Every time he referenced the baby, something softened in her expression, like part of her still couldn’t believe he actually wanted this—wanted her.
That uncertainty was becoming harder and harder for him to tolerate.
Jonnas brushed both thumbs beneath her eyes gently. “You need to stop waiting for me to run.”
“I’m trying,” she said.
“No.” His voice softened. “You’re bracing for impact.” That hit her hard. He saw it immediately in the way her eyes shimmered. Jonnas had the sudden, terrifying realization that Dani probably expected disappointment from people as a default setting, and maybe he understood why.
She was independent to the point of exhaustion. Women like Dani usually learned early that needing people came with consequences. The problem was that Jonnas genuinely wanted her to need him, not because it gave him power, but because taking care of her already felt instinctive.
“You know what I think?” he asked quietly. Dani shook her head slightly. “I think you’ve been surviving by yourself for so long that you forgot what support feels like.” A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it, and Jonnas caught it immediately with his thumb.
“Easy,” he whispered.
“I hate crying,” she admitted. “It’s embarrassing.”
“No.” His voice turned firmer. “What’s embarrassing is that no one taught you it was okay to lean on people who care about you.
” That completely shattered her composure.
Dani looked away quickly, clearly mortified by the tears building in her eyes.
Jonnas made a decision right then. He had had enough of her putting distance between them.
He had had enough of her uncertainty and enough of her pretending that this connection between them wasn’t real.
He tilted her chin back toward him carefully. “Come home with me tonight.”
Her eyes widened instantly. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said.
“Jonnas—”
“I’m not asking for sex,” he insisted. That made her blush harder for some reason. “I’m asking because you’re exhausted,” he continued quietly. “You haven’t been sleeping well, you’re sick constantly, and you’re trying to carry all of this by yourself.”
“I can handle myself,” she insisted.
“I know you can.” His gaze locked onto hers. “That doesn’t mean you should have to.” The conflict on her face nearly killed him, because she wanted to say yes. He could see it in her eyes, but wanting something and trusting it were clearly two very different things for her.
“What if this gets too intense too fast?” she whispered.
Jonnas answered honestly. “Then we slow down.”
Her breathing turned shaky. “And if I freak out?”
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Then I’ll probably put you to bed early and make you eat crackers.
” A startled laugh escaped her. There she was—his girl, and the realization hit him hard enough to nearly knock the air from his lungs.
Was she his girl? Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about her that way.
Dani searched his face for a long moment before whispering, “You really mean all this, don’t you?”
Jonnas didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” And for the first time since this entire mess began, Dani looked at him like she might finally believe him.
Jonnas knew the exact moment Dani decided to trust him a little. It happened quietly, with no dramatic declaration and no big emotional speech—just a tiny nod while standing in the middle of his office with tears still clinging to her lashes.
“Okay,” she whispered. Two syllables—that was all it took to completely wreck him.
Jonnas exhaled slowly, trying not to react too strongly to the sudden warmth spreading through his chest. Because this mattered more than she probably realized.
Dani didn’t strike him as someone who gave trust easily, so the fact that she was giving him even a small piece of it felt important—dangerously important.
“You sure?” he asked quietly.
She nodded again, more certain this time. “Yeah.” Relief hit him so hard it almost made him dizzy. That probably wasn’t normal.
Jonnas brushed one final thumb across her cheek before stepping back slightly. “Good.”
Dani immediately looked flustered again. “You always look smug after I listen to you,” she muttered.
“Because you’re adorable when you pretend you don’t want to be taken care of,” he admitted. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and Jonnas smirked. “See—adorable.”
“You’re impossible,” she breathed.
“And you’re avoiding the fact that you agreed to come home with me,” he said. Heat flooded her cheeks instantly, and his cock twitched. This woman was going to kill him.
A sharp knock interrupted the moment before Elias shoved the office door open without waiting. “Hey, Jess said Dani looked like she was about to cry in here, so naturally I came to—” He stopped abruptly. “Oh.”
Jonnas sighed heavily. “You really need to stop entering rooms like a raccoon.”
Elias ignored him completely, grinning as he looked between them. “Why does this feel emotionally significant?”
“Get out,” Jonnas shouted.
“Nope.” Elias leaned against the doorframe casually. “I want gossip.”
“There is no gossip,” Jonnas insisted. He felt about ready to pummel his best friend when Dani snorted softly. Traitor.
Elias immediately pointed at her. “See—that noise right there means there’s absolutely gossip.”
“We’re busy,” Jonnas deadpanned.
Elias’s eyebrows shot up. “That sounded sexual.”
“It wasn’t,” Jonnas insisted.
“It could’ve been,” Dani mumbled under her breath. Both men looked at her instantly, and Dani froze. “Oh my God,” she whispered, seeming horrified with herself. Jonnas bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to hurt, because if he laughed right now, she might actually combust.
Elias burst into violent laughter immediately. “Oh, this is incredible,” he wheezed.
“Leave,” Jonnas ordered flatly.
Elias pointed at Dani again while still laughing. “You’re in over your head with him.”
“I’m pregnant and emotional!” she shouted.
“That’s not a denial,” Elias said. Dani covered her burning face with both hands.
Jonnas was honestly considering homicide. “Elias.”
“Okay, okay.” He raised both hands in surrender before grinning at Dani. “For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen him like this before either.” That caught Jonnas off guard.
Dani slowly lowered her hands. “Like what?”
Elias’s grin turned knowing. “Terrified.” Jonnas glared at him.
Unfortunately, Elias wasn’t wrong, because this woman scared the absolute hell out of him now.
Not in a bad way, but in a permanent way.
Before Dani could respond, her pager suddenly beeped loudly at her hip.
She jumped slightly before looking down at it.
“Oh crap.” She sighed. “I have to go.” Disappointment hit Jonnas immediately, which was ridiculous. He’d spent years avoiding emotional attachment, and now he was irritated because a nurse had to return to work at the hospital where they both worked. He was pathetic.
Dani looked back up at him, uncertainly. “I get off at seven.”
“I’ll pick you up,” he said. The words came automatically, like there’d never been another option.
Dani blinked slightly. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know,” he said. He honestly didn’t want to give her time to overthink her decision to stay with him.
Something soft flickered across her expression again, and he realized that look was rapidly becoming addictive.
“Okay,” she said quietly. Jonnas watched her leave his office, waiting until she disappeared down the hallway before finally looking at Elias, who was staring at him with entirely too much amusement.
“What?” Jonnas muttered.
Elias folded his arms. “You’re absolutely screwed.”
“I’m aware,” Jonnas mumbled.
“No, I don’t think you are.” Elias’s grin faded slightly.
“You already love her.” The statement hit him like a punch to the chest, and Jonnas immediately opened his mouth to deny it, but stopped.
Because no, he probably couldn’t deny it anymore—not honestly.
Not after the way his chest tightened every time she looked overwhelmed.
Not after the relief he felt when she agreed to come home with him.
And not after the instinctive need clawing through him every second he spent near her.
Love—the word should’ve felt insane. Instead, it settled heavily into place like something inevitable. Jonnas leaned back against his desk slowly. “Fuck.”
Elias laughed softly. “Yeah. That’s usually how it starts.
” For the first time in his life, Jonnas Black realized he didn’t just want Dani safe—he wanted her happy.
He wanted her resting against his chest while he worked late on the couch.
He wanted to hear her sleepy voice in the mornings.
He wanted their baby in his arms, and his home filled with her.
And suddenly, terrifyingly, forever didn’t sound long enough.