He kept his hold on her and took her into the living room. After placing her on the couch, Jonas knelt in front of her and cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. His hard jaw set in a rigid line, all but daring her to protest. “I can see you’re in pain. Don’t lie to me. Never lie to me, Deanna.”
She slumped against the cushions. “The only thing in pain is my self-respect.”
He cursed as he took hold of her foot and inspected it. “This is my fault,” he growled. “If I’d let you go, you wouldn’t have nearly twisted your ankle trying to run from me.”
“I’m clumsy. Always have been. And I was not running.”
“More lies.” He tsked. “Stay put while I get some ice.”
“I can ice my own ankle. I’m a nurse, remember?” Well, at least she’d been a nurse until recently.
He stood and stared down at her. “Where’s your kitchen?”
Must he be so impossibly persistent? “Straight to the back. There’s an ice pack in the freezer door.”
He winked. “Be back in a jiffy.”
Strangulation suddenly started to sound like a great way to commit murder. She could suffocate the man and be done with it. She’d probably get off on an insanity defense.
True to his word, Jonas strode back in, then folded his huge frame into the chair opposite her. He patted his thigh and sa
id, “Give me your foot.”
Her foot on his thigh? And why did that turn her on? “No.”
He cursed under his breath. “I really wish you’d stop saying that word.” He patted his thigh again. “I’m not leaving until this ice pack has been on your ankle at least fifteen minutes.”
Deanna couldn’t have him in her home. Much too private and he was simply too overwhelming. Besides, she would never be able to keep him at arm’s length if she kept thinking about her bed. Her close, comfortable bed, plenty big enough for two. One flight of stairs and, boom, she’d be that much closer to satisfaction. Self-preservation caused her to cave and lift her leg. His large hand wrapped around her calf, and the heat of his palm went straight to her core. Jonas stared at her with such intensity, his eyes unblinking. She couldn’t discern his thought, and it unnerved her. Jonas often came across as an open book to her—until now.
“What?” she growled, frustrated at her own curiosity and his utter lack of movement.
His thumb glided over her skin as he murmured, “Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to be in your home?” He glanced around. “It’s nice.”
“Nice? I have a passion for interior design and I’ve spent long, sweaty hours turning my house into my dream home. All you can say is ‘nice’?”
He laughed. “It’s stunning. Better?”
“A little,” she conceded.
“And do you know how many times I’ve wanted to touch you like this?”
She quirked a brow. “You’ve fantasized about fondling my calf and icing my ankle?”
His lips twitched. “Ice can be damned erotic.”
She couldn’t have heard him right. “Ice? Erotic?”
He leaned forward and kissed the top of her foot, then looked up the length of her body. “Let me carry you to your bed and I’ll demonstrate.”
His bold words caused her to act impulsively. Taking advantage of his distracted mind, Deanna jerked her foot out of his grasp and stood, careful to keep most of her weight on her uninjured ankle. She placed her hands on the arms of his chair and leaned down to touch the thin line of his mouth with her lips. At first he remained perfectly still. As if too shocked to participate? Deanna didn’t know, but when she tilted her head to the side, to better fit their mouths together, she felt Jonas’s lips soften.
Strong, powerful arms came around her, tugging Deanna’s body between Jonas’s widespread thighs. In the next heartbeat, Jonas took over the kiss, forcing her mouth open, demanding entrance. His kiss, the furthest thing from gentle and coaxing, as he swept in and claimed. She should pull back and show him to the door. She’d only meant to prove to him that he wasn’t dealing with a love-struck teenager who knew nothing about seduction. But she couldn’t bring herself to break the kiss. To pretend the passion burning her alive was a figment of her imagination.
The frightening truth? Every time Jonas came near her, he had the unique ability to wrap her in a cocoon of lust. Lord help her, she wanted his swift, hard kisses. Deanna ached to feel the gentle caresses of his hands. She wanted him and had since the moment she’d spotted him at her family get-together all those years ago. She liked the wildness she’d glimpsed, as well as the tame parts she witnessed on the surface. No matter how hard she tried, she simply could not get him out of her head. He was dark and exciting, a little tortured, Deanna thought. So why did she constantly fight the attraction between them? To deny the pull of desire had proved futile. Dating other men hadn’t worked. She wanted only Jonas. And he wanted her, too, but only for sex. She’d turned him down, and by doing so she’d become a challenge to Jonas. She wanted to be more to him. More than a conquest. More than a mark in his little black book, or whatever. To her surprise, Jonas pulled back, his heated midnight-blue gaze snaring hers.
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
She didn’t like the sweet tone in his voice. Too sweet. Jonas in sweet mode sent her heart into hiding. “What do you mean?”