Page 12 of Jonny’s Redemption

“No, Bobby, what I’m saying is, you stayed. The consequence of that is, I’m not letting you go. I’ve held back for as long as I could. Twice I almost gave in. Twice I needed you so badly I was ready to throw out my good intentions. I want to protect you even if I’m protecting you from me. Do you understand, I’m not letting go? You’re mine.”

A sly, sexy smile pulled at her lips and Jonny braced.

“But you haven’t even kissed me.”

The chuckle was involuntary and it should’ve scared the hell out of him. It was so easy to laugh when Bobby was around. But he couldn’t find it in him to hide behind his mountain of troubles. And they were his, even if the foundation had started with his father. His very dead father whose life had been snuffed out by his own flesh and blood. The first of so many secrets that had buried him under lies and deceit until one day Jonny had told them so many times he, too, believed them like the rest of the community.

“Two things.” Jonny paused to trace the outline of her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. He waited until Bobby smiled before he continued. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the day I met you at Genevieve’s uncle’s house and you ranted long and loud about Genevieve’s record label lying about the bodyguard they hired. You stood next to your girl, squared your shoulders, and prepared for battle. In less than five minutes, I knew all I needed to know about you. You’re the most loyal, honest, protective woman I know and you showed me that within minutes of meeting you. You also didn’t mind sharing in a room full of people you thought I was hot. Which was damn good because I thought then and I still think it today, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“I didn’t say you were hot,” Bobby protested.

“Okay.”

“I didn’t.”

“Okay, I’m agreeing with you, you didn’t say I was hot,” Jonny mocked.

A wealth of satisfaction rolled through Jonny when Bobby huffed, “Whatever. What’s the second thing?”

Right, there’d been something else Jonny needed her to understand.

“This isn’t about sex.”

“Well, that’s disappointing. I was hoping now that the seal was broken I’d have more than BOB to keep me company.”

Jonny watched as pink bloomed on Bobby’s cheeks but she didn’t attempt to backpedal or cover her slip. Though, Bobby being Bobby, it might not have been a slip up at all.

“Should I be jealous of BOB?” Jonny teased.

“I can’t answer that yet. Judging by your first performance I’d say no. But you could be a one-hit-wonder and BOB has three speeds. So…”

Bobby let her statement hang and light Jonny’s chest—warm and bright, it seared through his heart. A supernova of emotions so intense that by the time his shoulders shook with hilarity he was fairly certain instead of the sound being cheerful, it was an uproar of pain.

He hadn’t felt that carefree and optimistic since before his brother had come to live with him. One day Jonny was a happy five-year-old, then everything had gone to shit. It happened shockingly fast. One night his mother had tucked him into bed, the picture of maternal perfection and by dinnertime the next day the mother he’d known was gone. Bitterness and betrayal had settled over the Spencers.

“Lucky for you, I have more than three speeds. I’ve also got a mouth and fingers.” Jonny winked and got up. When he was on his feet, he grabbed the edge of the comforter and covered Bobby. “There are towels in the bathroom and I’ll bring in your clothes before I start the grill.”

“You’re a strange man, Jonny Spencer.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, for starters I’m in your bed pretty much naked and you haven’t looked or touched. You still haven’t kissed me. You’ve said I’m yours, which I assume that’s macho, alpha talk for I’m now your girlfriend. And now you’re getting up to go fire up the barbeque like you didn’t just rock my world.”

“It was the second orgasm, wasn’t it?”

“I’m being serious.”

Bobby’s brow pinched as she stared up at him unable to hide her concern.

Trusting. Open. Honest.

His Bobby.

“I’m trying to be a gentleman,” Jonny started. As he knew she would, Bobby huffed and narrowed her eyes. Time for honesty. “I haven’t kissed you because when I do, the kiss is going to lead to me doing other things to you in this bed. Which was where our first time together should’ve been. But I lost control. Out there in the living room, I didn’t want to kiss you, I wanted to fuck you. I wanted to give in to months’ worth of pent-up sexual frustration and I didn’t want our first kiss to be tainted with rough, angry wall-sex. I was an asshole. Now, I’m trying to be a gentleman. Be what you need. I want to feed you, hear about what you’ve been doing the last month, then later when I bring you back here I’m taking my time. I’m going to give you what I should’ve given you the first time. And to finish, you’re mine. You can take that to mean anything you want it to mean. But what it means to me is you are mine in every way I can have you. I’m done fighting my feelings for you. I’m done trying to shield you from the dysfunction that is my life. The secrets and lies and failures. You stayed, you want it, it’s yours. All of it, all of me. I have to trust you’re strong enough to wade through all the ugly shit you’ll learn because I’m done pretending.”

“I want all of it. All of you.”

“That’s good because as I said, you stayed so it’s yours.”