“Now we’re back to Mr. Steel?”
“Uh…Jonah.” His name left my lips as a soft caress. Jonah. What a beautiful name—a rugged, masculine name for a rugged, masculine man. “Please, I need you to accept my apology.”
“Fine, if it makes you feel better. I accept your apology. And I’d love to accept another kiss.”
God, so would I. But that wasn’t going to happen. I fussed with my blouse a bit, willing my nipples to soften. I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. Why did you come back?”
He stalked toward me, a feral look in his dark eyes. “My cell phone seems to be missing. Otherwise I would’ve called you before I barged back in.”
I nodded. “Go ahead and have a look.”
He headed toward the chair where he’d been sitting, and sure enough, a few seconds later, he held up his phone.
I shook all over. More than anything, I wanted him to kiss me again.
His eyes were so full of fire. So full of want and need. The air between us was thick with lust. Or was it my imagination?
All I knew for sure was that if he didn’t leave my office this instant, I would launch myself at him again. I dug my feet into the carpeting, forcing them to stay where they were. Turned out it was futile, because he came toward me.
“Melanie,” he said.
My name from his lips sounded beautiful. A verbal caress. Still, I forced my feet not to move.
“No.” I held up my hand. “Stop right there. Don’t come any closer to me.”
Still, he stalked forward. “Why? Why do you want to deny whatever this is between us?”
“I… You’re a patient. You’re not available to me. And even if I wanted you to be available to me, I’m not in any state to begin anything with anyone.”
“I told you before. I’ll find another therapist.”
“Jonah, you’re not hearing me. I’m a mess. And I’m not looking for a quickie on my desk.”
“Who said anything about a quickie?”
“I… Just the way you’re looking at me.” Visions of him swooshing the disorganized papers from my desk and thrusting into me atop it littered my mind. My nipples puckered, and again I throbbed between my legs.
How long had it been for me? I hadn’t had any kind of relationship in over five years, and other than a few one-night stands, which I wasn’t particularly proud of, I hadn’t had any sex either.
A quickie with Jonah Steel wasn’t the worst idea.
But not now. He was a patient. His brother was a patient. It was just all too wrong.
As he closed the distance between us, I crossed my arms over my chest again, wishing I formed a more imposing presence.
“You just stop right there. Don’t come any nearer to me. I swear to God, I will scream.”
Chapter Five
Jonah
I stalked toward her. “Who’s going to hear you? You said yourself the secretary is gone for the day.”
“There are people in the offices adjacent to mine,” she said, chewing on her lip.
I closed the distance between us with one more stride, grabbing her hand. I placed it on the bulge beneath my jeans. “You feel that? Feel how much I want you?”
Her hands trembled against mine.
“Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me you’re not wet for me right now, and I’ll never bother you again.”
She shivered against me, and her nipples poked out from the green silk of her blouse. I reached toward her and fingered one.
She groaned, closing her eyes.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman, Melanie. A long, long time. I want you. Tell me you want me too.”
She shook her head, still biting her lower lip. Her skin turned that rosy pink I had seen during our session.
I lowered my voice, moving to her ear. “Just tell me. Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll go.”
She pushed me backward. “I can’t. Don’t you understand?”
“From where I’m standing, Melanie, we’re both consenting adults. You told me your age. So what’s so wrong about it?”
“I… I can’t do this anymore.” She grabbed her handbag from the corner of her desk. “Please, let yourself out.”
Within seconds, she was gone.
I met my buddy Bryce Simpson at Murphy’s Bar in Snow Creek later that evening.
“Who’s watching the kid tonight?” I asked, referring to his ten-month-old son, Henry.
“My mom and dad. They’re crazy about the little guy.”
“Are you still staying at the house with them?” Bryce’s father was the mayor of Snow Creek.
“Yeah, for now. I’m looking to find a place of my own. I think Henry and I might stay here for a while.”
“Really? That would be great. I was just telling—” Whoops, I had been about to say that I had told a therapist that I had very few friends. So didn’t want to go there. “I was just thinking that it would be nice to have you around.”
“I hear Talon has a girl.”
I took a sip of my CapRock martini and nodded. “Yeah, she’s very nice. Young though. Only twenty-five. Marj’s age.”
“Wow, that is young.”