Chapter Four #2
"He's fine. He wasn't the target. The guard patrolling near his car was. They think it was a warning." Jonah's jaw tightened. "But it means they're escalating. Going after you wasn't enough to get his attention, so now they're making moves on him directly."
Holly’s stomach lurched. "Is the security guard okay?"
"He’s in critical condition. They hit him in the chest."
Holly sank onto the bar stool. An innocent man was fighting for his life because her father had made powerful enemies.
The same enemies who'd slashed her tires, broken into her apartment, and wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried to stop the trembling that had started in her hands and was spreading through her entire body. "They’re pulling out all stops.”
Jonah moved toward her, his hands hovering over her shoulders like he wanted to touch her but wasn't sure if he should. "You're safe."
"Am I?" Holly looked up at him, seeing her own fear reflected in his gaze. "Because it sounds like these people aren't going to stop until they succeed."
"They won't get another chance."
"How can you promise that?"
"Because I'm not letting you out of my sight until this is over."
The possessive edge in his tone sent a shiver through Holly that had nothing to do with fear. Even in the midst of her terror, her body responded to the promise in his words.
"Why do you care so much?" The words came out quieter than she'd intended. "This is just a job for you, right? My father's paying you to keep me alive. So why do you look like the thought of me getting hurt is tearing you apart?"
Jonah's response was immediate and fierce. "This stopped being just a job the moment I realized I'd rather die than let anything happen to you."
Holly stared at him, seeing the truth of it written across his features.
"I know this is insane," he continued, his voice rough with emotion.
"I know I should walk away, should hand you off to someone who can stay objective.
" His hands finally made contact, framing her face with reverent gentleness.
"But I can't. The thought of losing you makes me want to burn the world down. "
"Can you kiss me?" she asked, needing to feel his mouth on her, needing to rid herself of this cold terror with his all-encompassing heat.
His mouth crashed down on hers with a hunger that stole her breath and set her entire body on fire. This was claiming, pure and simple. His tongue swept into her mouth like he was marking territory, and Holly moaned at the taste of him, dark and addictive and absolutely necessary.
Pulling him nearer until there was no space left between them, she could feel every hard plane of his body pressed against her softness, could feel the evidence of his arousal against her belly.
""You have no idea what you do to me."
Holly nipped at his lower lip, smiled when he growled low in his throat. "Show me."
Jonah's hands moved to her waist, lifting her onto the counter like she weighed nothing. The position put them at eye level, and Holly could see the war between desire and conscience playing out across his features.
"This is going too fast," he said, even as his hands slid under her shirt to touch bare skin.
"Probably." Holly arched into his touch. "Do you care?"
"Not even a little."
His mouth found the sensitive spot just below her ear, and Holly's head fell back with a gasp. Every touch sent electricity racing through her system, every kiss made her ache for more.
"Bedroom," she managed to gasp.
"Are you sure?"
Holly could see the question behind the question. Was she sure she wanted this with him? Was she sure she could handle whatever came after? Was she sure she was ready for everything he represented?
The smart answer was probably no to all of the above. But Holly realized she was past the point of caring about smart decisions.
"I'm sure," she said, and meant it.
Jonah carried her toward his bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers. Holly had a vague impression of dark furniture and clean lines before he set her down beside his bed and stepped back.
"Last chance to change your mind," he said, his tone rough with need.
Instead of answering with words, Holly reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.
Jonah's gaze raked over her exposed skin with an look that made her feel like she was burning from the inside out.
"Beautiful," he murmured, stepping toward her. "So damn beautiful."
His hands moved to the clasp of her bra, his fingers surprisingly gentle for someone capable of such violence. When the silk fell away, Holly heard him curse reverently under his breath.
"My turn," she said, reaching for his shirt.
Jonah caught her hands, stilling them against his chest. "Once we do this, I'm not letting you go. Job or no job, your father's approval or not. If you give yourself to me, you're mine."
The possessive declaration should have sent her running. Instead, it sent warmth pulsing between her thighs.
"Promise?" she said.
His shirt hit the floor, followed by the rest of his clothes.
His broad shoulders tapered to a lean waist. Every muscle was defined and his torso was scarred with stories of violence.
His cock was thick and hard, straining toward her with an urgency that made every fiber of her being clench with want.
"Fuck, you're perfect," he growled, his hands making quick work of her remaining clothes.
When the last barrier fell away, Jonah's gaze blazed as it devoured every inch of her naked body. "I've been fantasizing about this since the moment I saw you. About how you'd look spread out beneath me, begging for my cock."
"Then stop talking and show me."
Jonah's mouth crashed down on hers as his hands roamed her body with possessive hunger.
His fingers stroked her nipples, rolling and pinching until she was arching against him with desperate little cries.
When his mouth followed the path of his hands, sucking one peaked nipple between his lips while his fingers tormented the other, Holly thought she might die from the pleasure.
His hand slid between her thighs, and Holly cried out as his fingers plunged inside her where she was slick and ready for him. "Soaked," he said with satisfaction, his thumb circling her clit with maddening pressure. "You’re dripping for me."
"Please," she gasped, her hips bucking against his hand. "I need—"
"What do you need, baby?" His fingers slipped inside her. "Tell me what you want."
"You," Holly panted. "I want you inside me. Now."
Jonah's gaze went nearly black with lust. "Say it again. Tell me exactly what you want."
Holly's face burned, but the desperate ache between her legs overrode her embarrassment. "I want your cock inside me. I want you to fuck me until I can't remember my own name."
"Keep talking like that and this will be over before it starts," Jonah groaned.
"Condom?" she asked.
"Don't have one."
Holly bit her lip. "I'm on birth control. Clean test results from six months ago."
"Same. Well, three months ago." Jonah's hips thrust into her grip. "But Holly, if you want me to stop—"
"Don't you dare stop."
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He positioned himself at her entrance, the broad head of his cock pressing against her slick opening. "You sure about this? Once I'm inside you, there's no going back."
"I'm sure," Holly whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Make me yours."
Jonah pushed forward slowly, stretching her inch by agonizing inch until he was buried to the hilt. Holly gasped at the fullness, at the way he filled her so completely she could barely breathe.
"Fuck, you're tight," he gritted out, his muscles straining with the effort to stay still. "So goddamn perfect around my cock."
Holly rolled her hips experimentally, moaning at the friction. "Move. Please, Jonah, I need you to move."
He pulled back until only the tip remained inside her, then slammed forward with enough force to make her see stars. Holly cried out, her nails digging into his shoulders as pleasure and possession crashed through her.
His pace increased, driving into her with a frantic rhythm. Holly could feel her climax building, coiling tight in her belly as Jonah's cock hit that perfect spot inside her with every stroke.
"That's it, baby," he panted against her ear. "Come for me. Come on my cock like the good girl you are."
He rubbing tight circles around her clit that sent her spiraling over the edge. Holly screamed his name as her orgasm crashed through her, her inner walls clamping down around him like a vice.
"Fuck, yes," Jonah groaned, his rhythm faltering as her climax triggered his own. "Taking my cock so perfectly. So fucking beautiful when you come."
He thrust deep one final time, his cock pulsing as he emptied himself inside her with a roar that sounded like salvation and damnation rolled into one.
They lay tangled together afterward, breathing hard and trying to process what had just happened between them. Holly's head rested on Jonah's chest, listening to his heartbeat slowly return to normal.
"That was..." she started, then trailed off, unable to find words for what they'd shared.
"Life-changing," Jonah finished.
Holly lifted her head to look at him, seeing her own confusion and wonder reflected in his gaze. "What happens now?"
"Now I figure out how to keep you safe while trying not to lose my mind from wanting you again."
Holly smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest, directly over his heart. "You realize this makes everything more complicated, right?"
"Sweetheart, everything about you has been complicated from the moment I saw you."
They were silent for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Holly spoke up.
"Jonah? The things you said about your past—I don't care what you've done. Whatever choices you made, whoever you used to be, it doesn't change this."
Jonah's arms tightened around her. "You might feel differently if you knew the whole truth."
"Try me."
But before Jonah could respond, his phone rang again. This time, when he answered, his entire body went rigid with tension.
"When?" he asked sharply. "How much?" A pause. "Understood. We're evacuating now."
Holly sat up as he hung up, already knowing she wasn't going to like whatever he had to tell her.
"What's wrong?"
Jonah was grim as he reached for his clothes. "Fire marshal found accelerant in the building's basement. Near the gas main. Enough to level the entire structure."
Fear shot adrenaline through her and she shot out of bed. "When?"
"They're not sure if it's rigged to blow on a timer or if someone's planning to come back and finish the job." Jonah was already pulling on his jeans. "Building's being evacuated. We have maybe ten minutes before fire department and police swarm the place."
Holly scrambled for her own clothes, her mind reeling. "Where do we go?"
"I have a safe house outside of the city we can retreat to. But we need to move before the building fills with first responders and potential targets."
"You think they'd attack me during an evacuation?"
"I think chaos is the perfect cover for that." Jonah was throwing essentials into a bag. "Let’s go grab some things that you’ll need for a few days. Things you can't live without."
As they raced back to her apartment, Holly stole glances at Jonah. The tender lover of moments before had transformed back into the lethal protector, all focused energy and controlled violence.