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“You got it, boss.” While his face registered surprise, Michael said nothing else before taking long strides out of the room.
I took a deep breath, doing what I could to ignore the crap on the oversized screen. They were going on and on about it, dissecting my entire life. Where I’d gone to school. Where I ate lunch on a regular basis. Where I lived. Nothing was sacred.
Jonny placed whatever drink he had on his desk, clipping off the television then walking toward me slowly. “Here’s what we’regoing to do. We’re going to make dinner and enjoy an evening. The news broadcast was meant to put the fear of God into us. That’s not who we are or what we’re made of. Tomorrow we’ll begin to decipher the mystery.”
“There is no mystery. Christine Warner is behind this. I am positive of it.”
“As my father always told me. When something seems too easy to decipher, it’s usually wrong. Don’t be quick to jump to conclusions. That’s what someone wants us to do. I’m not taking no for an answer. My son is enamored with you. Maybe it was because of the cookie monster. This is the closest he’s seemed to a normal little boy since he walked into my house.”
When he put it that way, how could I refuse? Besides, I doubted he’d allow me to do so. I nodded, uncertain of what to say.
“But I assure you,cherie, we will figure this out. And when we do, make no mistake that the person responsible will pay dearly for hurting you. And I can’t wait for that moment to happen.”
The truth was I couldn’t either. Another truth, and one that scared me to death? I wanted him to handle it his way. No matter the circumstances or consequences. Maybe I was the kind of woman who could cross the thin line.
What was so wrong with that?
I’d decided that nothing could surprise me about Jonny any longer, but I was oh-so wrong. Pleasantly so. As I stood with a glass of merlot in my hand watching Jonny’s interactions with Christian, I was amazed how loving the brutal man could be.
“Do you know what Sedona made for you for dessert?” he asked, lifting his head and grinning like the kid who stood only a few feet away.
Christian shook his head, his eyes bright.
“An ice cream cookie cake.”
It was impossible not to laugh seeing Jonny’s facial expressions and when he pinched Christian’s nose, the little boy giggled as if he was so happy.
“Would you like me to get it from the freezer?” I asked, trying to have a singsong tone as I placed my wine on the island.
Now the kid nodded enthusiastically. Jonny had made cheeseburgers on the grill, the sloppy goodness probably the best meal I’d had in a long time. It was good to relax and pretend that I hadn’t slipped straight into hell. Even the homemade French fries were some of the best I’d ever had. After grabbing the cake from the freezer, I marveled at just how many flavors of ice cream had been tucked away.
“I’m curious. Did you purchase all those cartons of frozen delights?” I asked, placing the cake on the counter and moving toward the cabinet for bowls.
“Maybe,” Jonny said, winking at Christian for a second time. “I will neither admit nor deny anything. Or maybe in front of my attorney I should say that I take the fifth.”
I wanted to tell him that the likelihood of me remaining an attorney anywhere was slim to nil, but instead I rolled my eyes in an exaggerated manner. “Uh-huh. Your personal, private attorney?”
“You betcha.”
I still felt like running had its share of distinct problems, not including the media coverage that had turned me into an instant social media anti-heroine if there was such a thing. It had also altered my way of thinking.
And of what was most important.
Okay, so I was enjoying that aspect, something so unexpected and refreshing that I wanted to take off my shoes, digging my toes into the fabulous-looking turf outside. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea since there were likely armed guards at every turn, most of whom probably didn’t know who I was or what the hell I was doing here.
“Then I suppose we need to discuss my salary.” I gave him a wry look as I reached around Jonny, opening the silverware drawer. “By the way, you look good in an apron.”
Now Christian was snorting, laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to choke. I had to admit, standing in a kitchen of a house in the beautiful city of Montreal with a known fugitive, a little boy with a cherub face, and a sweet concoction that Matt had made fun of when I’d made it one time for him was way more fun than dealing with my usual routine.
If that made me a little bit crazier than I’d originally thought, then so be it. I scooped out generous helpings, plopping them in the bowls. Suddenly, I felt Jonny on one side of me, Christian on the other, the little boy rising onto his toes.
“Do you need any help with that?” Jonny asked in the kind of voice that sent a shower of shivers all the way to my pinky toes. He took his time untying the apron, giving me such a heated look that I was almost shoved into a trance. Everything about him was so damn sexy, including the way he removed and hung upthe long piece of material. I suddenly had the need to see him in an apron and nothing else.
“Mmm… Maybe for cleaning up.” Licking spoons. Licking off his body. Jesus. I was losing it.
“You got a deal,cherie. Come on, little cookie monster. It’s way past your bedtime.”
Just staring at Jonny took my breath away. While I shouldn’t be thinking lurid thoughts with everything going to shit, it was impossible when watching him with a smaller version of himself. He was imposing, so protective that it was annoying. And as I’d thought from the minute I’d laid eyes on him, he was by far the sexiest man alive. More so with his apron and casual clothes, acting as if neither one of us had a worry in the world.
