His eyes flared and his jaw tightened as he closed the distance between us, slow but determined. I took one step backwards under his intense gaze, feeling the hard bench come up against my back. There was nowhere else to go as he stopped in front of me, only centimeters between us.
‘What is it about you?’ he murmured, his eyes tracing the curves of my face. ‘When I’m not with you, you’re all I can think about. And when we’re together…’ He shook his head. ‘All I can think about is kissing you again.’
My lips involuntarily parted at his words, the tip of my tongue darting out to lightly lick my lips. He groaned softly in his throat.
‘Don’t do that,’ he warned. ‘Not unless you want me to kiss you.’
Feeling something on the bench dig into my back, I shifted my body slightly, inadvertently bumping my hips against his, watching his eyes widen. Emboldened, I did it again, on purpose this time. He leaned around me to put his beer on the bench behind me, resting both his arms on the countertop, enclosing me in a Jonah circle. Lowering his head, he touched my lips lightly with his own, teasing us both.
‘Jesus, Mae, if we weren’t at my parents’ house…’
I swallowed hard, feeling overwhelming desire for him. ‘You’d what?’
He drew his head back just enough to stare into my eyes. ‘I’d lift you on to this benchtop and have my wicked way with you.’
The words and the mental picture they conjured made my legs turn to instant jelly and I felt my knees go. Instantly he had one arm wrapped behind my back, steadying me.
‘Only if you wanted me to, of course,’ he added, a glint in his eye.
‘I might be… amenable, to that.’
He grinned, but the grin died on his lips when we both heard a throat cleared loudly behind him.
‘I told you I heard his voice,’ a woman said. ‘I knew he’d come into the kitchen for a beer first. He always did when we were together.’
Mortified at being caught in a compromising position, I felt myself blush. Jonah moved too slowly for my liking, taking his sweet time to push off the bench and turn around, crossing his arms over his chest, standing slightly in front of me. I pushed myself off the bench and did a quick check to make sure my clothes were still presentable. The way Jonah had been looking at me, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d peeled off and fallen to the floor.
‘Hi, Mom,’ he said. Then I felt his body stiffen. ‘Jessica? What are you doing here?’
At the mention of her name, I peered around his shoulder curiously, then immediately wished I hadn’t. Standing next to his mother was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. Tall, and tanned, her limbs sharp and angular. She was slender, emphasized by the gorgeous dress she was wearing. Her hair fell in cascading blond waves and her makeup was immaculate, contouring the natural beauty of her face.
She glided across the kitchen and without hesitating, laid a hand on Jonah’s arm and kissed him on the cheek.
‘It’s so good to see you, Jonah.’
‘What are you doing here?’ he repeated.
‘I’ve been in Aspen with friends, so I hadn’t heard what happened to your father until I returned. Of course, I immediately had to come to visit. We may have broken up but your family is still very dear to me.’
‘Isn’t that nice of her?’ Jonah’s mother said. ‘I can’t tell you how wonderful it’s been to see her again. Your father and I have enjoyed her visit tremendously.’ She came forward and linked arms with Jessica. ‘So much so that we’ve invited her to stay for dinner.’
‘Only if it’s not too awkward for you,’ Jessica added.
‘Why would it be awkward?’ Jonah replied tightly. ‘It’s fine.’
‘Mae?’ Eleanor appeared to notice me for the first time. She frowned. ‘What are you doing here? Do we have an appointment?’
‘She’s here with me,’ Jonah answered.
‘I don’t understand.’
‘As my guest. I told you I was bringing someone.’
Eleanor frowned. ‘Yes, but you didn’t say it was your father’s nurse. I wasn’t aware you two knew each other well enough to be… dating.’
Jonah shrugged. ‘I don’t feel the need to tell you everything.’
Jessica stared at me with an expression that on the outside seemed friendly enough. But her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
