AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I didn’t have sex with you, last time or this time,” Jonas said. I leaned into his side and his head rested atop mine for a few seconds. “But like I told you on the phone last night—”
“I’m not ready to give up on us,” she cut him off bitterly. “You’re not answering all the issues I raised because you’re worried, too, and you should be. She is a baby, Jonas. You can’t be serious—”
“And you’re not listening.” His voice was unsteady. “Fine, if you won’t leave, we will,” Jonas said, rising from his seat. “But you need to find somewhere else to stay. My space is no longer available to you.”
He took my hand and I eased to my feet. He leaned over to my ear as if to give us a semblance of privacy.
“We’ll talk this out. All of it, but damn it, you’re not leaving me.” Jonas’s voice broke. He took my face in his hands that were trembling. “Please don’t leave or disappear from my life again. I can’t… bear it.”
His eyes bore into mine, and I was overcome with the desperation I found there. His pain and fear were laid out before me. Out of love for this man, I had to answer it. I put all my feeling into my next words to him.
“I won’t. No matter what, I won’t. I’m here for you, for us.”
He pulled me hard to him, crushing my body against his. “I choose you. I want you, know that. I care. God, I feel, I care. Oh, Lily.” He kissed me tenderly on the lips. “Trust that. We can work with that. Trust me.”
“I do, Jonas. I do,” I choked.
Melissa started crying audibly next to us. In our moment, I had forgotten she was there. Even though she had been awful to me, my heart ached for her because I knew exactly what she was losing.
Jonas breathed me in. “I’ll meet you down by the car. Okay?”
I trusted him, and nodded in compliance. He cupped my face in his hands again and pressed his lips to my forehead, then let me go. I walked to the closet and took out my coat and handbag. I glanced behind me and saw Jonas sitting down next to her. His arm was around her shoulder, providing her the comfort she needed. A pang went through my chest, but I walked out of the suite.
I rode the elevator down to the lobby and walked outside, where I found David by the car out front. He handed me a handkerchief. I wiped my tear-streaked face and sat down in the back of the car.
After about fifteen minutes, I saw Jonas walking towards us, his face solemn. David opened the door. Jonas sat down next to me and sighed. I reached for him and climbed into his lap. We didn’t mention Melissa, but her presence was there. He tucked me under his chin and stroked his hand over my back. I settled into the comfort that came with us wrapped in each other’s arms.
My phone chimed, then chirped with an incoming message. Fear walked across my heart, Declan? Jonas held me close, reminding me I wasn’t alone anymore. I snuggled in closer.
Dani once told me if I let Jonas in, he would move his world for me. And in this moment, I believed her. Holding that thought in my heart, clinging to it as a shield against whatever we were met with next, I knew I would give myself to him completely.
EXCERPT FIRST CHAPTER OF TIGER LILY PART THREE
Jonas Crane. Isat on his lap, crushing yet another one of his designer suits. Normally, I would be worried about it, but not today. He had placed me here the second he sat down in the car. I was exactly where he wanted me to be.
He was dressed for work, which he missed yesterday and would probably miss this afternoon as well. Something unheard of for him, a renowned workaholic. I knew he thrived on structure and order. Nonetheless, I had somehow become the chink in his armor. He had chosen me.
I positioned myself to stare up at his face, and I couldn’t help but gape. He was a gorgeous man, from his dark, wavy hair down to his polished leather shoes. High, sculpted cheekbones, a square jawline, and thick lashes that framed a set of sea blue eyes. If that wasn’t enough, he had full sensual lips that I knew to be as soft as silk. And a muscular frame built for sin, which he wielded at every turn. Potent, masculine perfection.
He had beauty as well as brains, a savvy business mogul and a legend in his field.
Jonas was sought the world over to impart his wisdom or provide his golden touch to new ventures. That was how we had originally met. My company, Arch, wanted him. He wanted me. Still wanted me, after I had disappeared from his life, believing I could protect all I cared for, and myself, by being alone. But in the end, I fell apart, and Jonas came for me.
Just one of the many reasons that I love him.
A grin spread across my face, and Jonas’s took on a suspicious glint. I didn’t blame him. Mischief was on my mind. I leaned up and gave him a noisy kiss on the cheek, interrupting his phone call. He responded with a reproving shake of his head and mouthed, “Behave.” A cute little pucker appeared on his brow.
I leaned up again and kissed his moving lips in apology.
“That won’t save you,” he whispered. A dark promise crossed his face and I shivered, such was his effect on me. Not because I thought he would hurt me physically. He had gained my trust there. And with that awareness, I decided to kiss him loudly once more, adding a giggle.
“I’ll phone back,” he said, ending his call.
He captured my chin and gazed at me intently. “What are you doing to me?” he asked.
My pulse sped up as I stared back at him.
His eyes glimmered and he used his free hand to caress the side of my face. He liked asserting his will, but also gave affection freely, which was one of the many reasons I loved him. He winked and tucked me back against him.
