Jonah raised his mug. “To Ariana,” he said, surprising me.
My eyes drifted up to meet his. Those intense green orbs made me weak in the knees.
“Thank you,” he continued, “for this beautiful night and your beautiful soul. How lucky we all are to know you.”
“Here, here,” Dani said the loudest.
While everyone raised their glasses to me before partaking, all I could do was stare up at the man who had just owned me with his words and heart. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Wait until I get you alone later,” I whispered in his ear.
He raised his glass. “Merry Christmas to me.”
That was my plan.
~*~
“You choose where it goes, but we are totally doing this.” I held up the alcohol swab, ready to clean his skin. “How about your neck?” I suggested for the tattoo.
“How about I grab more wassail for both of us and we get comfortable in front of the fireplace while I show you how happy I am that we’re finally alone?” He took the swab and unceremoniously tossed it before pressing his lips against mine and pushing me against the couch.
His offer was hard to refuse, which was why I played along for a while and ran my hands through his hair, thoroughly ruining that swept fringe look I loved. Though it was considered a retro cut, it still had a modern flair to it. And it was all Jonah.
Jonah took his time exploring my mouth while his hands caressed my cheeks. He always made me feel adored and wanted. I especially loved it when he trailed soft kisses down my neck. I may have gasped a few times when his warm breath played against my skin.
With every kiss, I almost forgot about the tattoo. Almost. I did one more brush of his hair and gave him another long slow kiss that said just how much I was enjoying reveling in the taste of the spices and rum on his lips.
“As fun as this is,” I rested my hands on his chest, “you are getting inked tonight.”
“Ugh,” he groaned against my lips. “Why is this so important to you?”
“You said you regretted not getting one when I did, so I’m remedying that.” I batted my eyelashes innocently.
“Nice try. You just think they’re hot.”
“I think you’re going to look hot with one.”
“Do you know how many patients commented on my earring this week?” He didn’t take a breath or let me answer. “All of them.”
I suppressed my laugh. “All compliments, I’m sure.”
“If you consider, ‘Did you lose a bet or something?’ a compliment, then sure, I got a lot of those.”
I broke into fits of laughter. “I would say I’m sorry, but I think we both know that’s a lie. But if it makes you feel better, I love it.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips before settling next to me. “It’s the only reason I’m keeping it. Well, until Whitney gets hers done, then it’s coming out.”
“I can’t allow that.” I touched the earring lovingly.
Jonah tilted his head and swiped some of my hair back. “Are you afraid of me?” he asked out of the blue.
“In what way?”
He grimaced. “In any way.”
I swallowed hard. “Why are you asking?”
“When we’re alone together, you always seem to find a way to physically keep yourself from me.”
I bit my lip, wishing he hadn’t noticed. “It’s just—”
He held up his hand. “Ariana, let me put your mind at rest. Even if you begged me right now to take you to my bed, as difficult as it would be, I wouldn’t do it. I would never make love to a woman who is afraid of me, in any way. Especially you. We aren’t taking that step until you know what you want, and you freely commit yourself to me—forever.”
Forever seemed like, well, forever. And like a dream. Do people happily stay together forever? Could we? Could I?
“Jonah,” I eked out, “I know you would never take advantage of me.”
“Do you? I know your past, Ariana. I’m not any of those men.”
“I know that. It’s . . . it’s just . . . I’m afraid of feeling too much for you to only have it end. I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want to get hurt.”
His thumb glided across my cheek in slow motion. “I don’t know what to do to prove to you that I’m not going anywhere, other than to show you day by day, but you’re going to have to find a way to trust that.”
“I know,” I whispered.
The corners of his mouth lifted. “I think I know what tattoo I want and where I want it to go.”
“You don’t have to.” Just like he would never make me do something that was truly uncomfortable for me, I would never force him to do anything he didn’t want to.