His mouth twitched slightly. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”
“It should be,” she grumbled. The light changed, and Jonnas pulled forward again while still holding her hand. He hadn’t let go since taking it—not once. The simple contact should’ve felt insignificant; instead, Dani was hyperaware of every brush of his thumb against her skin.
“You’re nervous,” he observed quietly.
“A little,” she admitted.
“About tonight?” he asked.
Dani stared out the passenger window for a second before admitting softly, “I haven’t really done this before.”
Jonnas glanced over. “Done what?”
“This.” She gestured vaguely between them. “Stayed with someone.” Silence filled the SUV immediately, and Dani instantly regretted saying it out loud, because it sounded pathetic. But before she could backtrack, Jonnas tightened his hold on her hand slightly.
“You mean after sex?”
Her cheeks burned. “Among other things.” Understanding flickered across his face, followed by something darker. Something that looked suspiciously like anger—not at her, but at the idea itself.
“People leave afterward,” she admitted quietly. “Usually before breakfast. I mean, I left you after our night together, before you even woke up.” The muscle in his jaw flexed hard, and Dani looked away quickly. She hated talking about this part. She hated sounding needy or inexperienced or damaged.
The truth was, most of her relationships had been short and messy. Men liked her until they realized she needed more emotionally than casual hookups could offer. Then came the awkward conversations—the judgment and discomfort. So eventually, she stopped asking for anything at all.
Jonnas’s voice broke through her thoughts softly. “You really think I’d sleep with you, knock you up, and then disappear before breakfast? I wouldn’t do that to you, baby girl.” Warmth spread through her chest again. The way he noticed everything was becoming dangerous.
“I don’t know what normal is supposed to look like here,” she admitted. Jonnas parked the SUV in the underground garage beneath his building before finally turning fully toward her.
“There is no right or wrong here, Dani. We can make our own normal,” he said. Emotion tightened her throat instantly. No onehad ever said things like that to her before—like compromise was easy, and her feelings weren’t inconvenient.
Jonnas brushed his thumb lightly across her knuckles again. “Baby girl.” That name got to her every single time. Dani’s breath caught automatically. “You need to stop looking shocked every time I say that.”
“I can’t help it,” she breathed.
“Why?”
“Because no one’s ever—” She trailed off awkwardly.
“No one’s ever what?” he asked.
“Taken care of me like this before,” she admitted. The honesty slipped out before she could stop it, and Jonnas went very still.
Then he reached up slowly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That changes tonight.” The quiet certainty in his voice nearly broke her. Dani looked down quickly, overwhelmed all over again, but she could feel him studying her carefully.
His voice gentled. “You’re panicking quietly.” He was unfortunately accurate.
Dani laughed weakly. “You make me feel too much.” Something intense flashed across his face at that, and Jonnas leaned slightly closer.
“Tell me something honestly,” he whispered.
Her pulse jumped immediately. “Okay.”
“When you picture tonight in your mind,” he said quietly, “what are you actually scared of?” The question hit deeper than she expected.
Dani swallowed hard. “Getting too attached.”
Jonnas didn’t even hesitate. “Too late.” He said it so calmly, like it was obvious, and he wasn’t afraid of that at all.
Dani stared at him helplessly while emotion climbed higher and higher in her chest. “Jonnas?—”
