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When Jonas turned and looked at Brooke, the sun had spilled through the shutters and into the room. He shook his head and smiled, because he couldn’t believe his luck. He gazed at her, his desire and affection for her—boundless. He couldn’t imagine that he’d been this fortunate to find a woman made just for him. Who knew that a feeling of complete happiness would ever come to him? Not Jonas of course. He’d known that Max would have happiness with a wife he adored, a family life with children, but he didn’t dare dream that this could come to him.
Now he envisioned his life taking a different and complete turn for the best.
Jonas saw himself waking up in the morning married, and this time happy with his choice of female. He imagined great sex with a beautiful desirable young woman. Yes, he was maybe ten years her senior, but who the fuck cared if they didn’t.
Their differences and likes would make the journey of life more exciting. He could show her places, and give her things she could only dream about. Buy her a home, give her a palace if she asked him.
Whatever the fuck her young heart desired, he’d make that come true.
Jonas reached for Brooke and brought her into his arms. Somehow she’d rolled over away from him on the other side of the California King bed. That’s when he’d felt the loss of her warm body. He hadn’t slept with a woman in years.
He couldn’t remember the last one. Maybe Crystal, but he couldn’t remember when that was, because each time they’d gotten together he’d have to leave. It was one thing or the other—someone found dead at one of his clubs, a woman who fell in love with him, because he’d tied her up and fucked her, because her husband—wouldn’t handcuff her, or fuck her so he did, and she’d threatened to kill herself or him. Always something because of the choices he’d made.
He’d wondered how long Crystal would put up with him telling her that he had to work. Obviously not long. He didn’t have to wait as long as he thought. When he did return to Crystal and their child, she’d had another child, and she’d moved on. He didn’t ask for a blood test to prove that the child was his. He didn’t remember much and assumed it was his and paid for everything. Crystal had gotten her divorce while he was in New York, when he couldn’t be bothered to open the court papers, because he’d gotten himself embroiled in yet another murder.
“It’s the business you’re in,” Max warned. “Get out before you lose your mind, or go to jail. You can’t survive in jail. Not because you’re weak, Jonas, but because you never could handle being cooped up anywhere.”
At the time Jonas thought when he’d opened those Bondage clubs they weren’t work. It was therapy. At first, the clubs were far cheaper than spending thousands of dollars to get someone to listen to him bare his soul. Jonas thought the clubs were a way to channel his energy and relieve some of the pain and memories of war.
Jonas looked for every excuse not to go back to Seattle to be with Crystal and their baby. In truth it wasn’t her he wanted to be with. The woman he’d wanted was the one married to his brother, and now he had one, he thought, could measure up to Alex. He could wipe Alex out of his mind, and be done with his obsession.
Pulling Brooke into his arms, she opened her eyes and flashed a beautiful warm smile his way. Taking his hand, he removed a large swathe of hair from her face. “Do you know how beautiful you are lying in my arms?” Jonas lowered his head and kissed her lightly on her plump pink lips.
“Do you know how handsome you are, Mr. Blackstone?” Jonas pulled her closer and held her tighter. Then he kissed her on her forehead, making his way down to her lips once more where he brushed over them lightly hoping for much more. Brooke turned her head.
“You don’t want to kiss me?” Jonas questioned.
“I need to brush my teeth first.”
Jonas placed his finger between her legs, found her opening, and inserted his finger. Brooked squirmed with an open mouth, parted her lips and a pleasurable moan escaped her mouth. When Jonas pulled out his finger, he placed it to his nose. “I love your scent. Men are attracted to their mates because of scents.”
“You mean animals are attracted to their mates because of scents.” Jonas raised an eyebrow. “I’m in college and that’s first year biology.” Jonas wasn’t sure. He didn’t recall that from any of his biology classes. Well, he never even took biology if he remembered correctly.
“In any case, I love the way you smell early in the morning, and I don’t care about you brushing your teeth, or taking a shower before I fuck you. When I was in the Marines—”
“You were in the Marines?”
“Remind me to tell you about my time in Afghanistan. Only when we have lots of babies, and I’m too old to remember the stories correctly. In which case, I’ll never tell you.” Brooke and Jonas chuckled.
“Jonas Blackstone, you make me happy. I don’t know when I’ve laughed more and felt at peace.” Jonas glanced over at Brooke. He’d felt the same way since arriving in Miami, and meeting Brooke.
“Where are you going?” Brooke questioned, as Jonas rose then stepping out of the bed on to the hardwood floor.
“You need something to eat, and didn’t you say you have classes tonight. If I read the sun correctly, we’ve been in bed half the day. It’s late. It’s probably 2 p.m.”
“You’re not in the desert and there are clocks. And no it isn’t two it’s three and you’re right. I have a six o’clock class.”
“And you’re going to need something to eat. I warn you the only thing I can do is place bread in the toaster, coffee in the coffeemaker, and order out. Since we don’t have time to order anything to eat now—”
“Toast and coffee is fine. I’m easy and I can get a burger at school if I get hungry.”
****
When Brooke dressed and headed for the kitchen, she didn’t expect a wonderful breakfast of bread, an assortment of jams, and fruit. Reaching for the bread, before eating, she leaned over and kissed Jonas.
“I can see myself in the mornings taking care of you,” Jonas confessed. He wanted to play the submissive after being the Dominant for far too long.
“And if you burn my breakfast, I’ll make you sit at my feet with a collar while we eat.”
“I’ll hire a cook and a maid and you can go to college or whatever your heart desires, and when you get home, I’ll have your bath waiting.” Jonas saw Brooke turn away from him and he reached with his fingers and brought her lovely face back to meet his and their eyes locked. Blue on brown. “Is something wrong, Brooke?”
“Nothing. Sometimes I can see this happening, but I wonder if it ever will. I’ve had too many disappointments in my life. I can’t believe you’re real. Are you real, Jonas?”
Jonas walked around and sat at the kitchen island next to Brooke. “I’m real and the life we want together will come true. Just wait until I tell my brother, Max, and his wife, Alex. You will have everything you’ve wanted in life.”
“All I want is you, Jonas. No one but you. I knew what I wanted the moment I saw you.”
“And so did I, baby,” Jonas admitted. They sat and drank coffee and ate the brunch Jonas had prepared.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to go home and then drive to school.”
“I don’t mind at all. We overslept and there are things I have to take care of that I didn’t get a chance to do before. I’m buying a mall.”
Brooke glanced up, “You have that kind of money.”
“I do but my sister-in-law is going to help me out. I don’t want to ask my brother who’s looking over the estate. She agreed to make me a loan. I’m planning on opening a bar, and the place is near the beach. It’s in walking distance, and the college crowd can come out of the surf, and fall into my bar. I don’t have a name for it yet, but soon. I need to finalize the papers with this realtor who is eager to make some money. However, first I have to contact a lawyer. Do you know any lawyers?”
“I’m sorry, Jonas. I wish I did. I don’t have a need for lawyers. I don’t have any money.”
“How do you pay for that home and car?” Jonas asked.
“It doesn’t belong to me. I have access to them as long as I’m with Mark.”
“Who is Mark?”
“The man you saw me with the other night. I knew you were there. I just wanted to know if you knew everything about me, whether you would want me, or not. I got my answer. That’s why I told Mark to go fuck himself. He wanted to bring other men in to fuck me because he can’t. I tie him up and use a whip on his ass, then he likes to watch men fuck me, and—”
“I don’t want to know about anything else in your life. You’re going to start over with me. We’re both starting over. Now go get your clothes, better yet don’t take any clothes. Leave Mark a note and the keys to the house and car. I’ll pay for everything and I don’t want anything from you, but your word that you’re mine, and you don’t belong to anyone else. You can have your freedom to go and come as you wish. When you’re tired of me, then you can leave and I’ll give you whatever you want to take care of you.”
Brooke glanced over at Jonas and tears welled in her eyes. “I don’t want to be with anyone else. You’re all I want and all I’ve ever hoped for, Jonas.” She wrapped her arms around Jonas’s neck and he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
When they emerged, Brooke had a half hour to get back to the house, drop the keys, get the car, and rush to school. She’d planned on calling Mark and telling him where he could find the keys in the car, and put that life with him to rest.
After kissing Jonas, Brooke left to head out to school and Jonas called Dottie to tell her he’d be late. But first he needed to call Alex. He wanted Alex to know how happy he was and that he’d found his Alex.
“Alex, how are you?”
As usual it’s snowing, it’s a snow day, and the children are home, but Max isn’t. Enough of me. How are you? What’s going on? Now that you’ve had a chance to look over Miami, what do you think?”
“I’ll tell you later when I’ve had a chance to enjoy the place. Right now I’m trying to buy this place that looks like a good investment. But that’s another story, and the truth, I called you because I knew you’d be happy for me. I found a woman. Just like you.”
There was a long silence. “Are you there, Alex?”
“I’m here.”
“Why the silence? Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Of course. I wish you all the happiness in the world, but holding me up as a measurement for the type of woman you’re looking for isn’t fair to the woman, or me. I’ve had a lot of bad breaks in my life and good ones when I met Max. But you know all the drama that’s involved with being a part of this family. I never thought—”
“You never thought that I’d find anyone for me. I know I’m a lot of things Alex, but I believed you were the main one who would want me to be with someone like me and like you.”
“What does that mean?” Alex questioned.
“You know what it means. You can’t hold on to both of us—”
“You are wrong, Jonas. There are a lot of things about you that I’ve been wrong about, but I know in my heart that I’m not wrong now. You’ll have to face it that I won’t be that other half of Max you want.” Another long silence. “Tell me about her,” Alex said, with a sigh that was so loud that Jonas heard it, yet he didn’t say anything. He wanted to tell Alex about Brooke. He’d been so full with love that he had to tell someone, or he’d die.
He told Alex her complete name, and that he’d only known her for a day at most, she was beautiful just like Alex, she had amber eyes, and he’d fallen in love with her at first sight.
Wasn’t that the same when Alex knew she’d fallen in love with Max and had to find him and make him pay attention to her? Brooke had been about the same age when Alex met Max if Jonas remembered correctly.
“Does she love you, Jonas?”
“She said she did. That’s good enough for me.” Alex knew that Jonas loved easily and often, but she didn’t want to spoil his happiness. If he thought Brooke loved him that was good enough for her, for now. Furthermore, she’d prayed that Jonas would find a woman that kept him out of trouble so she could go on with her family, and devote herself to Max and the children. That had been a dream of hers since she’d met Max. Just be a loving sexy woman for his eyes only and bring some stability into their home.
“Alex? Alex are you there?”
“Yes, Jonas.”
“I’m going to ask her to marry me as soon as I get the bar up and running, and I want you and Max to be at the wedding. Can you promise me that you will be there?”
“Of course, Jonas. Just tell me the date and I’ll tell Max. I can’t get the kids out of school, so don’t expect them.”
A moment of silence was all Alex heard and perhaps she felt she’d hurt Jonas. She never wanted to hurt him, she thought he was fragile, and Alex thought she should say something. “I can’t promise you that they’ll come, but we’ll see. I have to check with Max first.”
“As long as you and Max are here. That’s all I ask for.” There was hope in Jonas’s voice when he hit the red button. He held the phone close to his heart. It had been great hearing Alex’s voice again and as often, he’d missed her so much. Just talking to her wouldn’t do it for him. He had to see her one more time before he’d get married again, but this time it would be different.