chapter 18
“I will fucking kill him."
It turned out that expression, ‘seeing red,’ was a legit real thing. Jonas had never been so angry in his fucking life. He marched right past Oskar and Matthias, past the gym and straight for the weapons room. Noah was hot on his heels.
"Jonas, whatever's going on man, back down."
He turned on his friend. "Back down? Are you out of your fucking mind? That asshole is a psychopath." He wasn't sure how much to say to Noah. But with Lucia in with JJ, Noah was going to know anyway. And they had a real fucking security problem now.
His friend frowned. "Dude, tell me what the fuck is going on. I've only ever seen you like this once. Talk me through it."
Matthias had been right behind Noah. And Oskar had followed them. Rafe lingered somewhere in the doorway, somehow still separate from the main group. "Ian's bodyguard. Chamaeleon? That animal used to stalk JJ. He—hurt her."
Noah frowned. "What?"
Matthias got his time-to-start-killing-people face going. Rafe stood straighter and cracked his neck. Jonas had started to recognize that as his kicking-ass face. Oskar was the only one who stayed calm, leaning against the wall. But when he spoke, his voice was quiet and deadly. Jonas had learned that when pushed, Oskar could be far more dangerous than any of them. And that included Rafe.
"Explain, Jonas," the German said quietly.
"I guess they used to date. That’s when it started. He beat her. Stalked her. Made her feel weak." They would know the whole story eventually when JJ decided to tell it. Right now he gave them the bare bones minimum.
Noah frowned across his arms. "I'll give Ian a call."
"No, you won't give Ian a call. I don't want to give that asshole any knowledge that I'm coming for him."
“Not without me," Matthias said.
Rafe just nodded his head. He was always down for an ass whooping.
Noah shook his head. "No. No one's going in for an ass kicking. We need the full story first."
Jonas listened, but he still armed himself with pistols, made sure that he had extra magazines, and grabbed one of the shotguns too. Just for shits and giggles. What he needed was a rocket launcher. Yes, he could blow up anything with a rocket launcher. He knew they had one in here somewhere. Where had Noah put that?
"Jonas, talk to me."
Jonas stopped and turned around. "There's personal stuff for JJ to tell you. All you need to know is that asshole is not a good dude. He hurt her. From what she told me, he'd been gone for a long time. But he's back now. Which means that she's in trouble. The last few days she's been feeling like something was off. I bet you anything it's that jackoff."
Noah nodded. "Look, you know no matter what happens, I have your back. And we all have JJ's back." The guys all nodded. "But Chamaeleon is one of Ian's guys. This is no run-of-the-mill asshole we can pluck off the street, scare straight, and hand off to the cops. We need to be careful. So we'll talk to JJ, and we'll bide our time. Going in weapons hot like this is only going to get you or one of the other guys killed."
That took a little wind out of his sails. He didn't want the team anywhere near this. "I don't want anyone dying for me. I’ll do this one alone.”
He tried to brush past Noah, but his friend didn't budge even an inch. Asshole. He glared at Noah and Noah glared right back. "Jonas, I've told you this before. You want to fight, we'll fight. You want to work off some steam, I'm your guy. But I'm not going to let you walk into your own death. If this guy’s been stalking JJ this long, he's not going to fight fair."
"Neither am I."
“Yeah, but there's a difference between you and that guy. At the core," Noah thumped him on the chest just over his heart, "you're a human being. You don't kill for fun or for sport. On the job, you rarely fire your weapon. That guy, he’s a born and bred killer. That's what he is. And if he's dumb enough to hurt someone like JJ, that means that he's the lowest of the low. He will kill you and anyone else who gets in his way for nothing. And I'm not losing any of my guys. We’re going to do this smart, do you hear me? Because JJ is going to need you."
Motherfucker. Noah fought dirty. Because, he was right. JJ would need him. She needed him now. If he ran off after this asshole, she would be all alone tonight. And she deserved better than that. His shoulders sagged, and he let one of the pistols fall into his palm. Gingerly, Matthias came forward and took it from his hands. He ensured the safety was on, and removed all the ammunition. Piece by piece, his boys took all the guns from him. Even his personal piece. Noah took that one.
When he growled at his friend, Noah held up both hands. "Sorry man. You'll get this back in the morning when you're more level headed, you hear me?"
Yeah, maybe Noah had a point. This way, he couldn’t wake up in the middle of the night with a penchant for murder. That wouldn't be good for JJ.
"I hear you. But just so we’re clear, that asshole dies, right?"
Matthias and Rafe nodded immediately. The thought of killing didn't turn their stomachs. What surprised him was that Oskar and Noah nodded as well. Noah had never taken to the life of an assassin very well. It had always eaten at him a little. And Oskar. Oskar hadn't been an assassin like the other three. But when it came to protecting women and children, he erred on the side of killing the assholes and asking questions later.
"Yeah, okay. I'm gonna go see JJ."
Noah clapped him on the back. "I think that's a good idea. You'll do her more good being with her than going off half-cocked."
There was a knock at her door and JJ lifted her head to find Jonas in the doorway. “Hey you.”
His voice was soft, but she could sense the turmoil in him. He nearly vibrated with it. “How you feeling?”
“Tired. Raw. Like I scraped the scab off of a healing wound with a dull rusty blade.”
He smirked. “You’ve always had a way of painting a picture. You got room in there for one more?”
She nodded and scooted aside in her bed, alarmed at how much she needed him. When Jonas reached the bed, he gently tucked her hair behind her ear, and then stripped off his own clothes.
Unmistakable heat flashed between her thighs, and she couldn’t help a smile. Sliding in beside her, Jonas tucked her against him so they spooned with his hand cupping her breast.
“Jonas, what—”
“I’m going to hold you, if that’s okay. You know how much I want you.” He dragged in a sharp breath when she wiggled her ass against his thick erection. “Hell, you can feel it.” His cock twitched against her ass. He clearly wanted her, but all he did was continue to hold her. “I need to hold you more than I need to make love to you. If that’s okay.”
She nodded then whispered, “Thank you for today.”
Jonas kissed her ear softly. “You have nothing to thank me for. I’m not going anywhere.”
It was in the cocoon of his arms that she was finally able to fall asleep.
Hours later, with streaks of moonlight casting shadows into her room, JJ moaned into Jonas's chest. She was awake enough to know she was having either the very best of dreams or one hell of a wakeup call. Jonas kissed her as his thumb and forefinger rolled one of her nipples. Sighing into the caress, she let herself relax into the kiss. His expert tongue caressed and teased hers into playing.
God, she relished what he could do to her body. The way he made her pliant. He never rushed her, even when she wanted to hurry. He always took his time with everything, even kissing her, like they had all the time in the world. Like his erection wasn't straining.
She loved kissing him. His lips were so soft and skilled, and his tongue–every time he licked into her mouth, it made her shiver. When his hand dipped between her thighs, she parted them to ease his way. Skilled fingers stroked her cleft, teasing her, driving her crazy. She arched her back trying to angle her hips into his hand.
Jonas slid a finger inside her as his thumb caressed her clit and she cried out and sank her fingers into his hair. He grunted in satisfaction as her hips bucked, then he sucked on her tongue in time with his fingers sliding into her slick center. His heavy erection continued to press into her thigh and she moaned. She would never get over what he could do to her body. She'd never been so carnal, so aroused, so willing to give herself completely to anyone.
With a groan, he pulled back from their kiss and she mewled as she tried to follow his lips. His gaze scorched her. Dark and fiery, he stared at her under hooded lids. “Jesus, what are you doing to me?”
Her constricted throat made it impossible to speak, so she responded the only way she knew how—by arching her hips into his hand again.
He muttered a soft curse, and squeezed his eyes shut. As his fingers strummed her to the edge of orgasm, he chewed on his bottom lip. When he increased the pace of his questing fingers, JJ held tight onto his shoulders. She rotated her hips around and around until he swore again and rubbed his thumb directly over her clit.
Her orgasm ripped through her, laying waste to every nerve and cell. Unable to think, she threw her head back giving herself over fully to the sensation.
“Holy fuck, you are so beautiful when you come.”
She smiled up at him, expecting him go for a condom, but instead, he burrowed under the covers. His hands parting her thighs had her tensing. “Jonas, I–”
He tugged the sheet down and lifted his head. After he crawled back up her body, he turned her chin firmly so she was looking at him. His gaze burned hot, the desire etched on his face was unmistakable. “Do you trust me?”
JJ nodded. “Of course.”
“Good. Now I’m going to erase every memory of that asshole from your body. I will erase every memory of any other man before me. Tasting you is one of the highlights of my day.”
“I-uh...” Wow. “In that case, who am I to stand between a man and his mission.”
“There’s my girl.” His smile was lopsided. “Look at us sharing control.”
He slid back down her body, placing kisses across her chest and belly as he went. When he reached her hips, he nibbled at the flesh on her pelvic bone, then scooted still lower.
Dusting feather light kisses on her inner thighs, he paused when he got to her cleft. “So pretty. And so soft.” His first stroke of her slick center had her clenching her hands into the sheets. Oh God. He lapped at her, kissing her and exploring her with his tongue. He took his time, as he did with everything else. He seemed in no hurry. When his tongue circled the throbbing bundle of nerves, JJ flew apart in his hands again. But he didn’t let up. He kept stroking her. Kept lapping at her.
It wasn’t until he slid a finger into her moist sheath again that she lost all her inhibitions. Forgot everything she’d been afraid of. Forgot the shadows that had been chasing her and gave herself over. If he was intent on killing her with ecstasy, then who the hell was she to argue?
Finally relaxing, she let her thighs fall apart and he moaned, parting her folds and dipping the tip of his finger into her center. Her third orgasm rolled through her, chasing the tail of the previous one, he didn’t let up until she lay limp.
He drew himself back up her body, pausing to nip at her hips again, then to suckle her breasts.
When he made it to her lips, he said, “I’m going to make that a new daily habit.”
She shivered. He could do that to her any time he wanted. “God, yes.”
He shifted against her parting thighs with his. And she moaned when the tip of his erection nudged her cleft.
He squeezed his eyes shut tight as he entered her inch by inch. JJ met him halfway by raising her hips. His jaw stayed tight until he was seated all the way inside her. He made love to her sweetly. Kissing her, holding her to him and looking into her eyes. “You’re mine. And I am yours.”
In that moment, the fear fell away. This was the perfect moment, the one she'd always looked for. This was the kind of love and acceptance she'd been seeking all her life. “I know.” Blissful abandon started in her toes and cascaded through her body. She held onto him tight and muttered how much she loved him as the orgasm took over all her conscious and subconscious thought.
As her body held him inside her, he whispered in her ear, “I am so lucky.” With two more deep strokes, his whole body shook with release.