Page 149 of Jonas

“You’re not wrong,” he acquiesced. “But if you didn’t like it, you’d make me stop.”

“Make you? How do you propose I do that, Cash? Stab you in the kidney? Cut your tongue out? I know.” I snapped my fingers. “Icy Hot your dick?”

“There are a great many things I’d let you do to my dick, Stella, all you need to do is ask.”

I wanted to ask so damn bad.

Mayday. Mayday. Mayday.

“That’s never going to happen,” I asserted.

He closed the remaining distance between us, dipped his mouth to my ear, and whispered, “Bet.”

I stood frozen, not because I desperately wanted to turn my head and capture his lips. Not because he was closer than he’d ever been before and my nipples had pebbled and my pussy pulsed.

Nope.

I didn’t move a single muscle because I was afraid I would lose that wager if I so much as breathed.

In a bold move, he slid his nose over the shell of my ear. “All you have to do is ask, baby girl, and I promise I’ll have you speaking in tongues before the night’s over.”

Regrettably, I couldn’t stop my shiver. More regrettably, Cash didn’t miss it.

What the hell?

I was better than this.

“Soon, Stella,” he rasped, then moved around me and continued on his way to the front door.

Weak.

I’d done it again and let him waylay me on my way to the kitchen. I needed to move out of this house for the remainder of this assignment.

Hell, I just needed to quit and go home.

I’d done my part.

I had other responsibilities now—big ones—and life-changing decisions needed to be made.

Yet, I was still there torturing myself.

Or was I procrastinating because going home meant leaving Lore behind, maybe even Stella? I’d need to morph into someone else, someone worthy, and that scared the holy hell out of me.

For the first time in my whole adult life, I didn’t have a plan.

Take care of her.

Four words had forever altered my life.

One promise changed everything.

I needed a stiff drink and a corner to rock in.

I turned to do just that and jolted to a stop.

Penny Fucking Cox was leaning against the doorjamb.

Goddamn Cash. I hated that fucking guy.