The intensity of what happened sinks in. I muffle my frenzy into a washcloth, hoping its cool contact will ease the delirium. My cheeks hurt from smiling and I check out my blurred reflection. Crazy eyes, bleeding black tears, huge smile. Pure, certifiable insanity.
I collapse into a torrent of giggles, causing rivers to stream down my face. Tears born of laughter feel so much better than those born from pain. My jaw aches, but the howl continues to tumble from my lips.
My side cramps. I press against the pain and try to calm down with deep breathing.
It doesn’t work.
My stomach muscles contract as I cackle without control. The sound fades in waves as I trade oxygen for lunacy. Is it possible to die of laughter?
I sense movement from the corner of my eye. Jonah is standing in the doorway, frozen and staring. Without the breath to speak, I hold up my palm and pray he gets the message. Yes. I’ve officially lost it.
“What the fuck?” he whispers.
I shake my head, pleading with him to stop. If he speaks another word, I’m pretty sure I’ll cough up my kidneys from laughing.
He tilts his head, studying me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
He didn’t listen. I squeeze my eyes shut, and soundless laughter racks my body.
“I . . . can’t . . . stop.” I manage to get out the words before another wave of laughter brings me to my knees.
“Baby?” His lips are twitching like he’s fighting the urge to join me in Crazytown.
He closes the distance between us in two long strides and he kneels in front of me. His face is fixed in a sexy half-grin; his eyelids are low and lustful. He grabs my face hard, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get my attention. My laughter dies under the intensity of his stare. Blood races through my veins and my belly somersaults. Heat blooms in my chest and I lean in.
“There she is,” he whispers.
My pulse surges with a furious passion that is anything but funny. Eyeing his full lips, I get closer, pressing my chest against his. My tongue slowly makes a pass along my lower lip, preparing for his attention.
“That’s my girl,” he growls before his lips cover mine.
Exploring his mouth, desire consumes me. I scrape my teeth along the inside of his bottom lip and swallow his answering groan. All the emotions from this evening are spiraling together to fuel the kiss and ramp up my need. I rip through his dress shirt, buttons bouncing off the marble floor. Pushing it from his shoulders, I run my hands down his rippled abdomen, digging my nails in as I go. His hands tangle in my hair to deepen the kiss. The smell of mint and aftershave permeate the air and seduce my senses.
His hand trails down my arm, leaving a wake of fire against my skin. With a gentle touch, he finds the slit of my dress, pushing the fabric aside at my hip. Still on my knees, I spread my legs in anticipation. He grips my hip then slides his hand down to where I need it most. I groan and roll my hips into his hand.
He stills. I smile.
“All night?” His voice is dark and hungry.
“Yes, all night.” My answer is spoken through the satisfied smile that pulls at my lips.
His eyes lock on mine, wide and fascinated.
“What? You didn’t expect me to wear panties with this dress, did you? It’s too low cut in the back. I had to go commando.” Who knew something as simple as not wearing panties could give me so much power? And power over someone as strong and commanding as Jonah is a potent aphrodisiac.
“That would have saved us a whole lot of trouble tonight. If I had known you were naked under that dress, I can guarantee you wouldn’t have seen Camille or your mom. Hell, you wouldn’t have seen much outside of my sheets.”
I place a soft kiss against his lips and stand. His eyebrows drop low as he watches me with rapt attention. I turn my back to him, but peek over my shoulder and wink. He stares at me, a helpless look on his face.
Yes!
I slip a strap off my shoulder, making sure to keep my eyes locked on his. He licks his lips. I turn and glance over my other shoulder before sliding that strap down. His fists flex against his massive thighs. Inch by inch, I drop the dress lower in a lazy striptease. His eyes glaze over beneath heavy lids as I reveal the backside of my naked body in painstakingly slow steps.
Finally, with the dress pooling around my feet, I step out of the silken fabric. I’m left standing in my high heels. And nothing else.
Jonah rises to his feet. Still with my back to him, I’m attacked by a moment of self-consciousness and cup my breasts to hide them from his view.
He steps behind me. I can feel the heat from his body and smell the spice of his cologne, but he’s not touching me.
“Turn around,” he demands gently.
My head swivels his way, followed by my body. The clicking of my shoes against the marble floor is the only sound in the room next to my quickened breath.