“I’d sooner burn it.”
“Yeah, but you’d be thinking about me when you watch it go up in flames.”
“And wish you were roasting over said flames.”
He flashes a devilish smile. “Kinky.”
Chapter 12
Isaiah's Wedding
Jonah
“Damn, I look good,” I say, inspecting every inch of myself in the mirror. I once heard a fitted suit, or tuxedo in this case, does to a man what lingerie does to a woman, and they were right. I’d fuck me.
Gosh, I have to stop saying swear words even in my head. I’m always being chastised for swearing in front of my niece and nephews. I have to get better about that.
But maybe I can make an exception because I look fine as hell. Hair pulled back into a respectable bun, clean-shaven, and... dog hair on the back of my pants. Shoot.
I search for the sticky roller, which has to be around here somewhere. God, I wish everything was in a specified place. It’s been more than a month since I moved in, and I still haven’t unpacked everything. There are entire rooms in my home that are still empty. There are boxes that I rifle through every morning for socks and T-shirts. But at least I have a bed frame and a nightstand.
The nightstand!
I locate the sticky roller in the top drawer, where I also find an empty and expired bottle of ADHD medication and a box of condoms. I remove the offending white dog hair from my pants as I consider using those condoms tonight.
So what if Renée told me nothing would happen between us? I don’t believe it for a second. I think she’s going to see me in this tuxedo, standing tall with my brothers, and she’s going to experience Good Time Jonah for the first time.She already knows what I’m capable of if she just lifts her skirt for me; all I have to do now is show her my charming, devilishly handsome, and irresistibly touchable side.
I look like I could play in the next007movie!
I wonder how much an Aston Martin DB5 costs...
I toss the sticky roller back in the drawer and fluff the pillows on my freshly washed and made bed. I rarely make my bed, but I make it look like I have my life together when there’s a chance my very attractive older professor will be in it later.
In the center of my bed is a black and gold-trimmed box I can’t help but peek into one last time. It’s the lingerie set Renée told me not to buy her. I may have called up Paula at the boutique and asked for Renée’s exact measurements so I could get the right size. It goes against her express wishes, so the least I could do is make sure the skimpy little garments she’s going to ride me in fit perfectly.
When the driver I hired sends me a text that he’s twenty minutes away, a surge of excitement courses through me like white water rapids. It’s happening. My brother is about to get married, and I’m taking the sexiest woman as my date to his wedding.
I’m striding across my yard on cloud nine, thinking about Renée wearing the dress I bought her, imagining what her hair will look like, what she’ll smell like, and if she’ll like my cologne.
When I step onto her front porch, I realize I’ve never seen inside her home and I’m giddy in anticipation. With a deep breath, I knock and step back before straightening my jacket and bow tie.
When there’s no answer after thirty seconds, I knock again. Before I knock a third time, Renée answers wearing... a robe. Her shiny red hair cascades over one shoulder in large, classic Hollywood curls. I’ve never seen her wear makeup quite like this. She painted her pouty, inviting lipsthe perfect shade of red, and I suddenly want to see evidence of that on my white shirt collar. Her freckles are still on display, but her eyes are sucking me in like a black hole. She clearly had a successful trip to the salon appointment I made for her earlier. Even in a bathrobe, she’s a vision.
A tantalizing idea pops up, and I smile. “Did you need some help getting dressed?”
Barefoot, she abruptly steps onto the porch and shuts the door behind her. “Jonah, I’m really sorry, but I can’t go tonight.”
Her words hit me like a cold bucket of water over the head. “Why not? What’s wrong?”
“Delta got really sick today,” she sighs. “She’s been throwing up and has a fever. My sister was supposed to watch them, but she just started throwing up herself ten minutes ago.”
My mind reels with ways to fix this, but I come up with nothing. Everyone I know is going to be at this wedding, and I’ve been imagining this evening with her since she reluctantly agreed to be my date. This was my big shot with her. This was the moment I was going to prove to my dad and Dane that I could pull her. That our age gap and differences in our life stages didn’t matter. I was going to twirl this woman on the dance floor and make her forget about the outside world for a while.
“I’m so sorry, Jonah, but I can’t go.” She sighs. “I don’t have anyone else to watch the girls, not this last-minute. In fact, you should probably take a step back because I’m sure I’ve caught whatever they have.”
I have to look away from her to focus on solving this problem. The warped wood beneath my leather dress shoes provides a blank canvas for my mind to work.
Renée must sense I have no answer to this, the same as her. “I’m sorry. We can return the dress.”
