I grabbed his hand and took the liberty of sitting on the side of his bed, not wanting to miss anything my living hero had to say. And honestly, the view was not bad. Even roughed up and on pain killers the man was possibly the most gorgeous man on the planet.
“Do you know when you’ll be released?”
He smiled softly and I watched his perfectly shaped lips lift and fall back into place.
Dreamy.
The man was incredibly good looking, and if I didn’t have so much adrenaline running through my system after all we’d been through, I would have been a puddle of goo at his feet.
“My name’s Jonah by the way. Jonah Fontaine.”
“Jonah.” I tried his name on for size and found I liked it very much. A little thrill of hope rippled through my already over-sensitized system.
I trembled and he narrowed his eyes. “You need to get home. Except not your home. Since the perp absconded with your vehicle, I’m assuming your purse, phone, and address were in the car too?”
My sister put her arm out and squeezed my shoulder. I glanced over to her.
“You are not going home. You shouldn’t be in that tiny box anyway. You’re moving in with me,” Sonia stated flatly, going right into Big Sister Says So mode. I hated that mode and found the off switch when I turned twenty-one, but she constantly tried to flip that sucker back on and make decisions about my life.
I shook my head. “No way. I’m going back to my house.”
“The hell you are. I forbid it.” My overprotective older sister positively vibrated as a red flush encompassed her cheeks and chest, showing her burgeoning anger.
“SoSo, I’m a grown woman. No, I will not go home tonight. I agree it’s too dangerous.”
Her shoulders fell two inches and a sigh of relief escaped her perfectly painted red lips.
I glanced back at Jonah. “Though I’m sure Agent Fontaine and his perfectly capable crew of hundreds can tell me when it’s safe to return. I will need to go there tomorrow to pick up some things at least for the next week or so depending on what they say. I’ll just stay with Mama Kerri in our old room until all this is worked out. No muss, no fuss.”
“Damn, you’re one helluva strong woman, Simone.” Jonah ran his thumb over the top of my hand, and I felt the caress careen straight through to my heart.
“Thank you.” I smiled. I’d never been called strong a day in my life. Resilient, yes. Strong, no. Most often people saw me as the people pleaser. The sister always willing to help out with anyone’s desires or dreams but never having any of her own. I’d been pegged as reliable but not responsible. Late but always in attendance. Hardworking but never driven. I was good at a lot of things but master of none. Unfortunately, it was all true. Except hearing this man call me strong gave me a huge sense of pride when I very rarely felt that emotion.
“Simone, you can stay with me. The guest room can easily be transitioned into your room. You know I’d love to have you. And I’m rarely home anyway…”
I stood up and hugged my sister, wrapping my arms around her much taller and far more fit frame. Men considered me voluptuous and on the curvy side. My sister was elegance in motion. An athletic build she worked hard to keep. Said working out cleared her mind. I found my workouts by being on my feet slinging drinks and carrying dinner trays over my head, though I enjoyed eating and drinking far more than my sister. Hence the curves.
“You know I love you more than my own life…”
“And I you, that’s why I think you should stay with me, in my guarded and secure apartment.” She tried again.
“That’s not a bad idea, Simone. There’s a serial killer on the loose. And you don’t get much more guarded than an elected official, unless of course you’re the President or a celebrity,” Jonah added.
I shook my head. “Sorry. I’d be more comfortable back at Kerrighan House. Plenty of room. Mom’s there to feed and baby me. You know how it is. When something bad happens…”
“You just want to go home,” Sonia said the phrase that meant so much to the both of us. We’d always been one another’s safe place, but it was a bit different for me. I was only six when we arrived at Kerrighan House. She’d been twelve. It was the only home I really remembered or knew. To her, I was home. Not that she didn’t love our foster mother to pieces.
“Besides, if I didn’t go to her house, you know Mama’d end up at yours.”
Sonia smiled wide breaking up the tension that had built in the room. “That is true. You’re likely not going to get away from her for a while.”
I shrugged. “Why would I want to?” My foster mother was the coolest mom ever. Everyone that met her agreed. She was one of those people you just adored being around.
Sonia nodded. “Okay then. I’m going to talk to the men about perhaps seeing if we could secure a couple officers doing some rounds of the house during their patrols. It would make me feel safer knowing they have an eye on you and Mama Kerri.”
“Sure,” I relented. The woman would not settle if I didn’t give her something.
Sonia nodded. “I’ll leave you two to visit.” She turned and left.
When I focused back on Jonah, he was opening and closing his eyes as though he were fighting a battle to stay awake.
“I’ll take you to your house tomorrow afternoon. I don’t want you, your sister, or mother going there alone.”
“You really have done enough already…”
He pursed his lips and adjusted his position with a wince. “Promise me you’ll give him your information and wait for our call?”
I patted his hand. “I promise. It’s the least I can do. What’s your favorite cookie?”
He frowned and shook his head. Sleep trying to take over. “Chocolate chip. Why?”
“Because I’m going to make you and the other officers that helped us some.”
Jonah smiled. “Simone, you are something else.”
“Like what?”
He closed his eyes. “I don’t know, but it will be fun finding out.”
And that was all he said before his head fell to the side and his chest moved up and down in a deep breathing pattern, telling me he’d fallen asleep.
I leaned over and went to kiss his forehead but in the last moment, strayed down and placed my lips feather light against his, stealing a tiny kiss from the man that saved my life. A man I wanted to get to know better. In every way that counted.
“I’ll look forward to that,” I whispered and cupped his cheek, soaking in his dark, beautiful features one last time before I let him go and slipped out of his room.
I couldn’t wait until tomorrow when I’d see him again.
Circumstances be damned.
Meeting this man, surviving what could have been a horrible tragedy, changed everything I knew in one evening.
It was time to live for me.
Work toward what I wanted, and grab hold with everything I had inside of me.
And the first thing I wanted…
To get to know my savior, FBI Agent Jonah Fontaine.
Sleep slipped away as I felt a weight across my stomach and heat at both of my sides.
What in the world?
Blinking my scratchy eyes open, I came face to face with culprit number one. Her bouncy brown curls were all over the place in messy waves. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows, even in rest, gave her a sleeping beauty affect. Only this sleeping beauty was little and a spunky Latina to her core. My sister Liliana slept soundly, her face right against my wounded shoulder but not hurting me in the least. Her arm was slung over my waist holding on. Next to that arm was yet another slender limb not of my own, this one ghost white in color. Her perfectly painted nails were a startling purple and the tattoo she had down the side of her hand of a cross was prominent against her pale skin.