The Next Play: Part Four: the play series | book 1 | part 4 Read online

  “Hey, sometimes we’ll fight,” he said gently, cupping her face in his hands. “And you had a good reason to be upset. God knows how I would be feeling if I was in your shoes. It wouldn’t be pretty, that’s for damn sure.”

  “So we’re okay?”

  “Better than okay.” And then, because he knew it was time—knew he couldn’t hold the words inside a second longer—he said, “It was nearly a week ago that we stood in your apartment and I told you that I care about you. And maybe a week isn’t enough time for most people, but it is for me. Hell, I feel like I’ve known forever, but was just too terrified to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” she asked, giving him a tremulous smile.

  “That I love you. I love you so fucking much, Jace, and I’m begging you to give me the chance to make you happy. Because losing you... It would destroy me.”

  “Jonah,” she breathed, as a single tear slid from the corner of her eye. “I—”

  “Shh,” he murmured, cutting her off. “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” she asked with a watery laugh, smiling up at him.

  Catching her teardrop with the tip of his thumb, he said, “Don’t say anything back. Not right now. Not even tomorrow. Or the day after that.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I want you to know that I’m not saying this to get you to give the words back to me, if that’s even what you were going to say, or because of what happened tonight. I’m saying it because I mean it. Because it’s true. It’s the most real truth I know.”

  For a moment, she just stared up at him, the tender, piercing intensity of her gaze making him feel like she could see right inside him, taking him all in, but he didn’t flinch or pull away. He would continue to fight tooth and nail to protect her from his past, but in this moment, Jonah had nothing to hide, his emotions laid out before her, naked and raw and disarmed. “If I can’t say anything,” she murmured, placing her hands against his chest, over the heavy pounding of his heart, her touch making it beat even harder, “then what are we going to do with the rest of the night?”

  “I’m sure we’ll think of something,” he offered huskily, giving her what he’d often been told was his most seductive smile. But he knew this one had to be different, because everything with Jocelyn was different than before. Hotter, richer, deeper. So fucking deep he was drowning in it.

  And loving her more with every second that went by.

  He didn’t know how they ended up against the wall beside the closed door, kissing the fuck out of each other. He only knew it was the hottest, most intense kiss of his entire life, the taste and feel of her the most perfect thing he’d ever experienced. Her towel was on the floor with the shirt he’d changed into that afternoon, his jeans hanging around his thighs, their bodies already slick with sweat—and his cock was buried deep inside the woman he loved, where it belonged.

  “I’m going to fill you up,” he said against her kiss-swollen lips, his powerful thrusts forcing her to take every brutal inch of him, again and again. “I want you drenched in me all night long. But first… Baby, first you’re gonna give me one more.”

  “No way,” she moaned, even as her snug sheath gave another hungry, greedy pulse, nearly pulling the cum right out of him. “I’ve already had two mind-blowing orgasms. Another one might break me. It’s your turn now.”

  “Like hell it is,” he argued with a gritty laugh, breathing hard, his cock in fucking heaven as he pounded into her with nothing between them, her warm juices soaking every inch of his shaft. “Not until you give me another.”

  He was determined to get what he wanted—which was her tight, impossibly lush cunt coming all over him again—and he knew how to make it happen. Knew the perfect angle, and exactly how hard and deep she needed to be fucked, as if he’d been created for it. Created for her.

  But his woman had other plans.

  And while she might not have his vast experience, she sure as hell knew how to handle him.

  “Fuck me harder,” she gasped, kissing her way along the stubbled edge of his jaw, her hands in his hair. He shivered as she teased her nails across his scalp, and just as he slammed back into her, her sex so swollen she could barely take him, she fisted her hands in his hair, tugged his head to the side, and sank her teeth into the side of his throat, just shy of breaking the skin.

  “Jace!” he growled, the erotic bite shattering his control. He was done. Gone. Destroyed.

  And he fucking loved it.

  His head dipped forward, eyes squeezed shut, his corded throat working as she licked at the throbbing skin she’d bitten…and he couldn’t hold back the flood. His balls drew up tight as his cock unloaded inside her, his cum erupting with violent force, filling her up until his semen was drenching them both, their thighs wet with it. The orgasm was never-ending, going on and on as he pounded into her, until he finally collapsed against her warm body, spent, his damn knees nearly giving out he was so thoroughly wrecked.

  Somehow, he eventually found the strength to carry her over to the bed, where he managed to turn off the bedside light before they tumbled over in a pile of quivering limbs and ragged breaths. Jonah lay on his back with Jocelyn sprawled over him, her soft, feminine weight the most arousing, yet comforting thing in the world.

  “God,” he groaned, wishing he had the energy to take her again right then, but he could barely manage the smile that curved his lips, much less another epic fuck. “I gave her my heart, and she killed me by screwing my brains out.”

  She laughed against his chest, the lightest sound he’d ever heard from her, and he figured there was a strong chance he was going to wake up tomorrow morning with the same satisfied, fuck-but-I’m-a-lucky-bastard smile still curving his lips.

  “I love you,” he murmured, needing to tell her. Needing to say the words again, and then a thousand times more, to make up for all the times when he hadn’t. “And I want you to be comfortable here,” he told her, stroking his fingertips down her back, her skin the softest thing he’d ever touched. “To think of this place as your own. So if you need some space sometimes, I’ll give it to you. I’ll fucking hate it, but I’m not going to be a prick about it. I just want you to be happy.”

  She pressed a tender kiss to his chest. “I want you to be happy too.”

  “Just…promise me that you’ll sleep beside me.”

  “When I’m here?” she asked, lifting her head to look at him in the moonlight. “Of course I will.”

  “I mean every night.”

  “Jonah,” she said softly, her surprise showing in her eyes. “Even if we weren’t dealing with… Well, with everything that’s going on, it’s too soon for Davey and me to move in.”

  “I don’t agree. I love you, and I want you here. I want you all over my life, because you are my life. You and Davey are my whole fucking world now.”

  “Jonah,” she said again, even more softly this time, looking like she might cry.

  “But I’m not going to pressure you, Jace. Just promise me that when you’re ready, we can talk about it.”

  She gave him one of her shy, sweet smiles. “I can do that.”

  “And whenever possible, if we’re not here,” he said low, carefully rolling her to her back as he braced himself on his elbow beside her, “then I want to be at your place.”

  Still smiling, she said, “That’s doable too.”

  “Good.” Leaning over and pressing a kiss between her beautiful breasts, he added, “Because I can’t sleep for shit when you’re not with me anymore.”

  “Me either,” she admitted, rolling onto her side as he stretched out beside her, their noses nearly touching as they stared into each other’s eyes, their heads sharing the same pillow. “And whatever happens, it’s going to be okay. I just need to be stronger.”

  “You’re perfect exactly the way you are.” His voice was rough with emotion. “This is my fight, angel. I don’t want it getting anywhere near you.”

  “No,” she argued, placing her h
and against the side of his face. “It’s our fight. And no matter what happens, I’m not going to let her win. We’re going to make it through this. I promise.”

  She cuddled up against him then, and as Jonah held her close, he stared out through the wall of glass, into the glittering darkness of the night, impossibly thankful for all that he had…

  And hoping beyond hope that she was right.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The first thing Jocelyn did when she awakened on Monday morning was reach out for Jonah, but he wasn’t there. Instead of warm, hair-roughened skin, her hand landed on cool bedding, and she opened her eyes to the hazy morning light spilling in from the far wall of glass, wondering where he’d gone.

  She took a minute to just enjoy the view, then climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, planning to track him down. First, though, she peeked in on Davey and found him still sound asleep in the guest bedroom, the stuffed penguin that Jonah had bought him clutched tight in his little arms. The room had so many of Davey’s things in it now, from his building blocks in the corner, to his storybooks on the bedside table and his stuffed animals propped up against the footboard, that it no longer had that pristine, but uncomfortably cold vibe from Saturday, when they’d first brought Davey home from the hospital. Instead, there was an air of warmth that had gentled the space. One that had spread through the entire penthouse, making it seem more of a home than a showpiece, and she knew, in her heart, that Jonah loved the transformation.

  A small smile curved her lips as she thought about how they were all changing—Jonah and her and Davey—growing into something more than they’d been before. And what it was was something beautiful. Something worth fighting for, no matter how many gut-wrenching pieces of Jonah’s past Valerie Johnson wanted to throw in her face, hoping to hurt her.

  There’d been a moment, on Saturday night, where she’d almost let the bitch win. But that wasn’t going to happen again.

  With that fierce thought of determination burning in her mind, Jocelyn left Davey to sleep a bit longer and stepped back into the hallway. Cocking her head to the side, she listened for any clues as to where Jonah might be and caught the faint sound of his low voice coming from his home office. Heading in that direction, she stopped in the open doorway and propped her shoulder against the doorjamb as she took him in. Simply took a moment to appreciate how delicious he looked, his tall, lean, perfectly muscled body sprawled back in the chair by the window, long legs stretched out before him as he said goodbye to whoever he’d been talking to. His auburn hair was still damp from his shower, dark and tousled, his incredible blue eyes hooded as he read whatever message had just popped up on his phone. And the way his white shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and chest should have been a sin.

  It was crazy, how someone as gorgeous as him could be so attracted to her. But she was finding it easier to accept each day. He didn’t care about the curve of her belly or the light marks that marred her abdomen from her pregnancy. Didn’t seem to mind that she wasn’t tall and elegantly thin, his desire for her only growing stronger, instead of lessening with familiarity. He’d told her it would be that way, though she hadn’t really believed him.

  Now… God, she didn’t know how she could doubt it. Not when he was doing his best to prove it to her, taking her so many times, and in so many ways, that she was starting to wonder if the ache between her thighs would ever go away, or if she’d simply learn to live with it. Savor it, because she knew it meant that she was wanted. That she was needed.

  He’d told her last night, before they’d finally gone to sleep, that he was taking the day off to spend with her and Davey. She’d decided to give her little boy a few more days to rest before sending him back to pre-school, and with the holiday coming up, Jocelyn figured she might just keep him home all week. Since she worked on Tuesday and Wednesday, she’d mentioned that she planned on asking Rey if she could watch him, but Jonah had said that she could simply work from home. She’d argued with the beautiful man, until he told her he would work at home with her, so that they could keep moving ahead with the Fillmore deal, and she’d nearly ended up fucking him again, she’d thought that was so sweet. But she’d been too sore to do anything but kiss the hell out of him, and they’d drifted off to sleep wrapped around each other, as if they didn’t want even an inch of space between them.

  “You’re up early,” she murmured, drawing his attention over to her. “Everything okay?”

  His look was so warm and hungry that she couldn’t resist going to him and crawling into his lap as he said, “Something’s come up at work, so I won’t be able to make the appointment with you.”

  Wondering if she’d completely forgotten a meeting, she asked, “What appointment?”

  “I made some calls this morning and was able to get Davey a consultation with a Dr. Ellis. She’s the top ENT specialist on the West Coast, and she just so happens to be based here in San Francisco. Davey’s appointment is at eleven.”

  Jocelyn blinked, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Are you serious?”

  The determined look on his face warned her not to worry about what the appointment was costing him. “Davey deserves the best, and she’s the best that there is. So don’t fight me on this, okay?”

  “I won’t,” she whispered, her voice thick with the tears that were gathering at the back of her throat. “You… You just amaze me sometimes.”

  A cocky smirk kicked up the corner of his mouth, his blue eyes laughing. “Only sometimes?”

  She smirked right back at him, though hers was a bit wobbly with emotion. “You’re just too freaking sweet for your own good.”

  Laughing low, he leaned forward and brushed his smiling lips over hers. “No such thing, baby.”

  “You’re going to spoil us rotten.”

  “That’s my plan.”

  She narrowed her eyes as she pressed her hand to the sexy auburn stubble on his jaw. “I’m okay with that, so long as you’re willing to let me spoil you right back.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” he husked, before taking her mouth in a deliciously deep, passionate kiss that made talking impossible. His tongue played with hers, wicked and skillful and wild, the combination of his taste and touch making her heart race, while she clung to him like a vine, needing him more than she’d ever believed was possible.

  And loving him so much it should have scared the hell out of her, given everything that was happening with his ex.

  But the sun was shining, her son was healing, and her boyfriend, who had completely shocked her by admitting that he was in love with her on Saturday, had just spent hours throughout the night wrecking her with pleasure, after spending an incredible day with her and Davey that had consisted of nothing but laughter and fun. So there was too much joy and hope in Jocelyn’s world for those malignant worries and fears to take hold again.

  And she hadn’t received a single message on her phone on Sunday, which had been bliss. She’d talked with Rey, and had called her parents, letting everyone know that Davey was feeling a thousand times better. But no one had contacted her, and she couldn’t help but hope that maybe Valerie was finally feeling the heat from Jonah’s investigators and had decided to back off.

  She could have happily kept on kissing Jonah forever, but when he eventually pulled his mouth from hers so that they could both catch a much-needed breath, she brushed his hair back from his brow and asked, “So what’s the problem at work?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about,” he murmured, his heavy gaze burning with lust and something that was softer…sweeter, as he curved his hand around the curve of her left buttcheek, giving it a possessive squeeze.

  “Jonah,” she said quietly, her tone making it clear that she didn’t need or want to be coddled and protected.

  He gave a defeated sigh at her obstinance, and then explained. “Apparently, the Fillmore lawyers are pushing to go over a few contract points as soon as possible.”

  “
Do you think they’re getting cold feet?” she asked with a frown.

  “No. I think the old bastard running it just doesn’t want to let go, even though he knows he doesn’t have much choice. So he’s going to drag out the inevitable for as long as he can.”

  She caught her lower lip in her teeth as she sat up a bit straighter. “I should be there.”

  “Do I want you there?” he asked, keeping his dark gaze on hers as he leaned back in the chair, his hands settling on her waist. “Of course I do. But will I be able to handle it on my own so that you can do something that’s more important? I will, and happily. So don’t waste an ounce of energy worrying about it, because there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, leaning forward to give him a kiss.

  “But I wish like hell that I could be there with you,” he muttered, when she pulled back.

  “Wish like hell you could be where?” Davey asked from the open doorway.

  Jonah’s eyes shot so wide it was comical. “Sorry,” he mouthed to her, before looking over at Davey. “Uh, hey dude, you know what? I shouldn’t have said ‘hell’. I’m sorry you had to hear it, because it’s not the kind of word you should use.”

  “It’s a bad word?” Davey asked around a yawn, as he padded into the office in his footie pajamas.

  “In a way, yeah. So do me a favor and don’t say it. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Quickly changing the subject, Jonah said, “You know, those are some cool jammies you’ve got there.”

  Davey grinned. “They’re Spiderman ones, just like my Halloween costume was.”

  “Yeah? I’m sorry I missed that. I bet it was awesome.”

  “It was,” Davey agreed, practically bouncing on his feet. “Mommy let me go to all the doors in the building, and the one across the street too.”

  “And did your Mommy dress up with you?” Jonah asked, sliding her one of his sexy half-smiles, as if the idea of her in a costume was something he would have paid to see.