Текст книги "Surrender to Love"

Автор книги: J. C. Valentine

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

 Jon shook his head, stepping down off the porch. The rain had let up a bit, reduced to a drizzle. “I told you, I need to take off.”

 Realization grabbed Patti and shook her. She crossed the porch to stand in front of him. “You’re leaving?”

 “I’m afraid I don’t have a choice,” Jon smirked. “I wouldn’t be much of a tease if I let you have everything without having to work for it first.”

 “You’re kidding me, right?” Patti couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d given him an open invitation to have sex with her and he was turning her down? What kind of guy did that?

 Jon’s expression grew serious and he took her hand in his. His thumb traced over the tender skin around her wrist before he brought it to his mouth and kissed her. “Go out with me again.”

 It didn’t escape Patti that he hadn’t so much had asked her but told her, but his strong tone and heated eyes made her want to fall into his arms and submit to his will without question. “Okay,” she agreed readily, “but only if I get to pick the place.”

 “That’s fine,” Jon said without hesitation.

 “And I’m paying,” she added.

 Jon arched a quizzical brow and Patti prepared herself for an argument that never came. “A woman willing to wine and dine the man? My wallet thanks you, Ms. Jacobs.”

 Patti laughed outright. “Then it’s settled.”

 “It seems it is,” Jon agreed. “So when and where will you be taking me?”

 Patti pursed her lips. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “How about I call you?”

 “Oh, spoken like a true player. Tell me now, should I wait by the phone to hear your pretty voice?”

 Patti’s heart sped up as he closed in on her once more. Reaching inside her purse, she found what she was looking for almost immediately. Jon’s brows furrowed as he reached into his pocket. Staring her straight in the eyes, he swiped his finger across the screen and brought the phone to his ear.

 “Jonathon speaking.”

 Her eyes never leaving his, Patti lifted her phone to her ear. “Definitely.”

 Catching the back of her head, Jon brought her face to his and kissed her hard. When he released her, they were both breathing heavily. “I’ll be waiting.”

 Patti watched him walk to his truck and climb inside before she let herself into the house. Turning, she paused in the open doorway and waved at the silhouette behind the wheel. She could feel his eyes on her just as she could still feel his scorching touch on her body. As he pulled away from the curb, Patti shut the door and flipped the locks. She released a heavy breath and pressed her palm over her thundering heart.

 Then it struck her.

 She couldn’t remember the last time she had ever felt this happy.

 Smiling, Patti walked through the house turning off all the lights and set about tucking herself into bed.

9

The office was curiously quiet, Jon decided. He sat at his desk, tapping his pen to a disjointed rhythm. He’d been busy all week handling business and scrounging for things to do to keep his mind busy.

It was not an easy task.

In the mornings, Jon jogged, taking his usual route around his neighborhood. He delved into his work, actively discussing contracts and accounts, which turned out to be far more interesting than he’d imagined. He never cared enough to bother with the details before, but now that he was forcing himself to pay attention, it was informative, and dare he admit it, mildly entertaining.

Every afternoon Jon spent his lunch hour with his best buddy, Travis. They ate great food, discussed women, and hit a few balls out on the range, but none of it could distract him from his own mind when it came to the lonely evening hours waiting for him at the end of a long day.

Jon glanced at his cell phone, an act that had become habit since leaving Patricia’s house last Tuesday night. He found the screen dark and lifeless, unchanging. When would she call? Would she call? He asked himself that question too many times to count over the last week. Even his own brain was becoming annoyed with its repetitive thoughts.

Just to be safe, he swiped his finger across the screen and pulled up his messages. Nothing.

Was this what the women he promised to call felt like, he wondered?

If so, it sucked balls.

There wasn’t one second that ticked by that wasn’t consumed with thoughts of her. Even the best distractions were weak. What was it about her that held his attention so steadfast? She was beautiful, but no glamor model. She wasn’t tall or stick-thin, but short and healthy looking. Absolutely nothing about her save her straight white teeth and contagious smile bore any resemblance to the women he usually dated. Or fucked, rather.

Perhaps that was the draw, Jon pondered.

All he knew was that he found himself smiling every time he thought about her, and that had to be a good thing…depending on the angle you viewed it from, anyway.

He twisted around in his chair to face the impressive view of the Chicago skyline. Visions of Patricia’s face, cast in shadows as she writhed in pleasure that he had inflicted on her, replayed in Jon’s mind. He could still feel the vice-like grip of her thighs around his hips and her fingers digging into his scalp.

Looking down at his hands, he flexed his fingers, recalling the way her inner muscles felt as they clenched around them. His cock jumped, straining against his pant leg. More than anything, he wanted to know what it would feel like to be buried in her succulent body, feeling the walls of her pussy milking him dry.

She was like no woman he had ever met before. Funny, witty, sexy, smart, and she knew her way around a car—she had it all. The total package.

He glanced at his phone again, willing it to ring. Again, it sat there in silence.

“Mr. Bradshaw? Knock, knock.” Jon looked up to see Poppy entering his office wearing her trademark friendly smile.

“Ms. Montgomery,” Jon said with a nod. “What can I do for you?”

Poppy strode across the room with confidence. Taking a seat in the chair across from him, she regarded him with frank, assessing eyes. “I want you to know that, while I appreciate you believing in my abilities enough to want me to find you a new accountant, I can’t accept the added responsibility at this time.”

“Well, you certainly don’t waste any time,” Jon commented. He pulled his chair closer, tucking his legs under the desk. “I like that about you, Ms. Montgomery.”

“Poppy, please.”

Jon tipped his head in acquiescence. “Poppy. While I appreciate your situation, I’ve seen how well you multitask and feel that you would, in fact, be capable of maintaining your responsibilities to Mr. Sinclair while also finding a smidgen of time to allocate to finding a much-needed accountant.” He inhaled deeply. “I’m sure I don’t need to impress upon you why having a capable accountant on the payroll is necessary.”

“No, that’s not necessary,” Poppy said through gritted teeth. Jon had to hand it to her, though. As pissed off as she was, her smile never faltered. “But with all due respect, I have a lot on my plate and I don’t think I could give this the attention it needs and deserves.”

“With all due respect,” Jon returned stiffly, “I never asked. The fact is, this company needs an accountant, one that is knowledgeable and a trusted member of their field, and you are the person I want on the job. Besides, I’ll be the one interviewing them. You just need to find them.” Through with this conversation, Jon stood. “I have utmost faith in you, Ms. Montgomery.” He led her to the door and followed her out.

“Mr. Bradshaw,” Poppy protested in a final effort to sway him.

Jon held up his hand, stopping her in her tracks. “The job is yours. Handle it how you see fit, Ms. Montgomery. I trust your judgment, but understand this, there isn’t a soul here I trust, nor any that have the time to take on this responsibility, aside from you. If you refuse it, you’ll be costing many people their livelihood. I don’t like being wrong, so don’t make me regret my decision.”

He stared at her pointedly, making sure she got the message loud and clear. He didn’t want to have to fire her, but he would. There was no room for softies in this business, only sharks.

“Whatever you want,” Poppy said. Pivoting on her heel, she stormed toward Felix’s office.

Shaking his head in mild amusement, Jon turned his attention to the young, blonde receptionist posted at the front of the office. “I’m heading out for the rest of the day. Hold all my calls and forward any important messages to my cell.”

“Will do, Mr. Bradshaw. Enjoy your evening.”

Jon rode the elevator down to the first floor. It was blazing hot when he stepped outside, and he hurried to his truck. Sweat had already begun to dampen his skin, making his suit cling to him. He tore off the blazer, tossing it into the passenger seat, and rolled up his shirtsleeves to get some relief from the heat.

With the air conditioning on full blast, he pulled out his cell phone once more. Finding no new messages, Jon tucked it away and pulled on to the road with determination. If the mountain wouldn’t come to Mohammad, Mohammad would come to the mountain.

* * *

As it turned out, Jon didn’t have to go to the mountain. He’d passed through two traffic lights when his phone buzzed. Reaching across the seats, Jon retrieved the phone from his suit jacket and put it on speakerphone.

Expecting it to be another business call, he answered in his usual gruff manner. “Jonathon Bradshaw speaking.”

“Hey, it’s me. Patti. Is this a bad time?”

Jon’s stomach dropped and his heart sped up at the sound of her sweet voice. “Patricia,” he drawled. “I was beginning to wonder whether I should start considering recasting my line.”

“Only been a week and already you’re thinking about fishing,” she teased.

“I’m afraid it wouldn’t be a very fruitful venture. I’ve never been much of a fisherman.” Now that he had her on the phone, relief swelled in his chest. Abandoning his original mission, Jon began to head for home.

“Is that so?”

Jon’s grin turned devilish. “It is. You see, I’ve never had much need to learn. The fish always just jumped into the boat.”

“Lucky man,” Patti said, playing along.

“Depends on how you look at it.”

Silence passed between them and Jon could practically hear her mulling over her words. Pulling into his reserved parking spot outside his condo, he waited patiently. “So, I was wondering…were you still interested in going out on another date?”

“Hmm,” Jon hedged. He stared blankly at the brick building in front of him, enjoying the moment where he held her in suspense. “You did make me wait an awful long time, but I guess I can let you take me out. Assuming you promise to make it up to me,” he tacked on.

“Oh, I think I can manage something,” Patricia said. “Pick you up at ten on Saturday?”

“Are you sure you’ll be ready in time?” he asked, referring to her state of undress when he’d gone to pick her up for their first date.

“It’ll mean keeping my distance from heavy machinery, but I’m sure I can arrange something.”

“Mm, what a shame. I kind of enjoyed the grease monkey look,” Jon admitted. “And where will you be taking me, Ms. Jacobs?”

“It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you, Mr. Bradshaw,” she said coyly.

Jon rubbed two fingers over his smooth chin. “What’s the attire?”

She hummed, pretending to think. “Very casual,” she decided.

“Jeans and T-shirt casual or business casual?” Jon had plenty of clothing hanging in his closet, but his dresser drawers came up short to an almost embarrassing degree when it came to anything less than top of the line. That was the danger in being wealthy. Everywhere you showed your face required nothing but the best from the cut of your hair down to the shoes on your feet. He longed for the casual style of his roots when he didn’t mind getting dirt on his knees or tears in his clothing. It sounded like Patricia was going to give that to him.

“Definitely jeans and a T-shirt,” she confirmed.

“Noted.”

“See you Saturday morning, then?”

“Count on it. Oh, and Patricia?” Jon said before she could hang up.

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since that night on your porch.”

“Me either,” she confessed.

“I can’t wait to kiss you again.”

“I can still taste you on my lips,” Patricia said.

Jon felt himself getting excited and decided it was time to cut it off before he lost control and drove to her place to finish what they’d started. “I’ll see you Saturday, and, Patricia?”

“Hmm?”

“Wear something short. If we’re going to be in public, I want those sexy legs at my disposal.”

“Okay,” came her breathy reply.

Jon ended the call and gathered up his jacket. His cock pressed firmly against his thigh as he climbed down from the truck and headed inside. If he were going to get through the next two days, he was going to need an ice-cold shower and some hard liquor.

* * *

Jon didn’t have hard liquor, but he did have ice-cold beer. Slumping down on the couch, he flipped on the television and settled in for some mindless evening programming. He’d made it halfway through an episode of Road Rules when his phone rang.

Leaning forward, he snatched the phone from the table, glanced at who was calling, and swiped the screen. “Hey, Mom,” he answered, “what’s up?”

“Nothing much,” she replied. “Just calling to check in and see how life is treating you.”

“Life is treating me great at the moment,” he said, grinning ear to ear as memories of Patricia in his arms came flooding back.

“I’m glad to hear that. And what about work? Have you found a new accountant yet?”

Jon’s lips thinned and he swallowed down a gulp of his beer. He was still a little bitter over that particular wrench, but there was nothing he could do about it aside from finding a suitable replacement. “No, nothing yet, but I have Poppy on the job so I can’t imagine it will take very long.”

“Poppy is such a nice girl,” his mother said passionately. “I really like that one. Is she dating anyone?”

Jon laughed. “Mom, don’t try to set me up. You don’t have the matchmaking gene. Besides, I’m pretty sure Poppy is spoken for.”

His Mom sighed. “Well, what a pity. I think she would have been perfect for you.”

Jon knew exactly who would be perfect for him, and it wasn’t Poppy.

“So your sister met someone,” his mom said, steering the conversation away from his love life. “He seems nice. I think he went to school with you,” she said, her voice rising in excitement. “Mike Sawyer?”

Of course he knew Mike. “Yeah, I remember him,” he said incredulously. “How could I forget? The guy used to spend the night damn near every weekend.” What he opted to leave out was the amount of trouble the two of them used to get into together. Even ten years later, he knew his mother well enough to know she’d have a fit if she ever found out about some of the things they used to do when the rest of the town was fast asleep.

Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure how he felt about his old pal dating his little sister, but he suspected that no matter what guy she brought home, they would never be good enough in his eyes. Although, he would be more than happy if she died a virginal old maid.

He voiced his concerns to his mother. “Tell Dad that when I come over for our next family dinner, he and I can team up on the guy and see what he’s all about.”

“Jonathon Michael Bradshaw,” his mother scolded, “don’t you dare! Your sister is as happy as a clam and I won’t have you boys trying to ruin it for her. Just let her be.”

“I promise not to ruin it,” Jon said whole-heartedly, “but you know as well as I do that this guy needs to go through the Bradshaw test. It’s tradition.”

She sighed in resignation. “Fine, do what you have to do, but keep it simple. Nothing too extreme, got it? I think she really likes this one.”

That was the last thing Jon wanted to hear. Casey was too good for any guy, especially any guy he had ever hung out with, but he wasn’t her warden. The best he could do is subject Mike to the best torture he could come up with and see if he had the wherewithal to stick around. “I’ll do my best to rein it in, but I can’t speak for Dad.”

“You let me worry about your father. So, what’s this about a new woman you’re dating?”

That threw Jon for a loop. “I don’t recall saying anything about dating anyone,” he said, confused.

“Oh, sweetie, you didn’t have to. It’s a mother’s job to know these things.”

“Are you spying on me?” He looked around the room, only half-joking. Still, temptation clawed at him to draw the curtains and shut off all the lights to check for any red, blinking lights hidden in the potted plants.

“Are you kidding? Where would I find the time?” she squeaked in protest. “Besides, that’s what the private investigator I hired is for.”

“I can totally see you doing that,” Jon said, somewhat serious. His mother loved her children so much, she’d probably move in with them if given half a chance just to make sure they had on clean underwear each day.

“You make me sound like such an ogre, Jon, seriously,” she complained.

“Then tell me how you simply knew I was seeing someone,” he challenged.

“It was the way you said life was treating you well. I could hear that dopey smile all the way through the telephone. So, who is she and when do I get to meet her?”

He did not have a dopey smile. Sometimes, Jon thought to himself, mothers could be just plain cruel. “Her name is Patricia Jacobs, and I don’t know. We’ve only been out the one time. It’s all very new still.”

She shrugged his excuse off. “New is good. New is exciting. So where did you take her for your date?”

“Just to dinner. She’s great, Mom,” Jon said softly, a hint of sadness seeping into his voice.

His mother’s tone softened to match his. “If you picked her, then I know she is.”

“I’m worried I’ll mess it all up,” he croaked. He swallowed past the growing lump in his throat.

“Oh, honey, as long as you don’t stand in the way of your own happiness, you won’t.”

The problem with that was that Jon had no idea how to step out of his own way. He wasn’t sure he even deserved to.

Clearing her throat, his mother switched gears. “You should bring her with you,” she chirped.

“What, to the dinner?” Jon asked, his brows pinching as he tried to keep up with her.

“Sure, that too! But I meant to the yard sale. Bring her along. Your dad and I would love to meet her.”

Jon let loose a boisterous laugh. “Um, no. I have enough problems holding onto the women in my life as it is. The last thing I need is to have her frightened away by my family before I get to know her myself.”

“You’re so dramatic,” his mother accused. “It’s not as if we’d do anything to embarrass you.”

“Not on purpose, no,” Jon agreed.

“Fine, I’m throwing my hands up,” his mother said in exasperation. “At least promise me you’ll consider it.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “Okay, I promise I’ll consider it.”

“Good, I’ll see you two then. Love you, sweetie, bye!”

Jon’s mouth gaped open. “That little trickster,” he muttered. No matter what, his mother always found a way to get what she wanted, and she’d just locked him into not only bringing Patricia along to a family gathering, but to a block sale that was bound to be nothing short of eventful.

10

Patti laughed so hard she choked on her soda.

“You okay there? You’re not going to die on me are ya?” Jules reached across the table and pounded her on the back.

“I’m good,” Patti wheezed, raising her hand to ward off the beating. “I’m okay.”

Jules sat back in the chair and picked at her cinnamon raisin bagel. “As I was saying, I just don’t know why any guy would ever wear a bra. I don’t care if they are for men or not, it’s just not acceptable attire for a man.”

“Maybe he has moobs,” Patti offered, trying to keep a straight face.

“Oh, he had moobs alright,” Jules said with wide eyes. She looked down as she cupped her breasts. “Put these puppies to shame.”

Patti reached out and placed a comforting hand on Jules’ arm. “Aw, sweetie, are you jealous?”

“That my date filled out his bra better than I do?” Jules screeched. “Hell yes I’m jealous!” She muttered a few choice words as she picked apart her bagel, placing the raisins in a pile on her napkin.

“Why do you buy those if you don’t like the raisins?” Patti asked her.

“Because I like the cinnamon, duh.” Jules rolled her eyes as though the question were absurd. “So you never said…how did your date with that guy turn out?”

Patti felt her face flame as she thought about what they’d done right out in the open on her front porch. “It went ‘well’?”

Jules sat up and hunched over the table. “How well is ‘well’?”

Patti sucked in a breath, considering how much was too much to tell. Screw it. Girls didn’t hold out on their friends. “Well enough to need a bucket of aloe vera for my back the next day.”

Jules slapped her arm, hard. “Shut the front door! You two had sex?”

Patti’s eyes darted around the noisy café. “Shhh!” she hissed, shoving her away while at the same time leaning closer. Their heads met in the center of the table so they could speak without being overheard. “No, we didn’t have sex, but we might as well have.”

“Then how did your back get all messed up?” Jules asked, her gaze sliding to the space beyond her shoulder, as if she might be able to catch a glimpse of the damage through her clothing if she stared hard enough.

“Let’s just say that when a guy pins you against a wall of wood covered in chipped paint, you’re bound to feel it in the morning.”

“Shut up! You fooled around on the front porch?” Jules hissed, both shocked and intrigued by the concept. She slumped back in her chair. “I swear you are just as bad as Piper.

Patti pointed an offended finger at her. “Hey, at least it was dark out, and it wasn’t like I had my skirt hiked up around my waist in the middle of the restaurant. Jon was a gentleman,” she sniffed.

Jules snorted. “Name one ‘gentleman’ who would feel up a woman on the first date, in public no less?”

“Mr. Darcy,” she said definitively.

“What?” Jules spluttered. “Mr. Darcy would never do such a thing. He was a gentleman.”

“He was a jerk and—”

“He. Was. A gentleman.” Jules’ wide eyes and dangerous tone had Patti falling over in a fit of giggles.

“You’re too easy,” she panted. Jules had always been a diehard romantic, and her idea of epic romance had been, since the age of thirteen, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

“Ninny,” Jules said petulantly, and stuck out her tongue. Her hollow anger dissolved in an instant and she snatched up Patti’s wrist, bringing it closer for inspection. “Where the hell did you get those bruises?”

Flushing, Patti tugged her hand back and tucked it under the table. “The same place I got the scratches on my back.”

Anger flared in her friend’s eyes. “And that’s okay with you? Jesus, Patti, I know some chicks like it rough, but don’t you think that might be going a little far?”

“He wasn’t trying to hurt me,” Patti defended. “We just got a little carried away.” She dipped her head. “I liked it,” she whispered bashfully.

Jules stared at her for a long time, contemplating her words. Finally, her expression shifted to casual indifference. “Just remember, if this guy ever gets out of line, I’ll kick his ass.”

What Patti loved most about Jules was that, not only had they been best friends since grade school, which ensured that they argued like sisters, was that she knew the woman always had her back. She knew beyond a doubt that if anyone ever dared to hurt her, Jules wouldn’t hesitate to take them out at the kneecaps. It was no less than what she would do for her if the situation were reversed.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” she told her, sending her friend a warm smile. “So,” she continued, brightening up. “I’m taking Jon out on Saturday. I have big plans. I can’t wait to see his reaction.” She grew more animated as her thoughts carried forward. “I just finished the detail work on the GTO. I finally finished banging out the dent in the bumper, so all I have left to do now is buff out the scratches and repaint.”

Jules popped a piece of raisin-less bread in her mouth. “Honestly, you and your cars.” She shrugged. “I’m sure whatever you have planned, Jon will enjoy.”

Patti was hopeful. She couldn’t wait to introduce Jon to her version of fun.

After Patti and Jules parted ways, Patti climbed into her Toyota and headed for home with a smile etched into her face so deep, she didn’t think she’d ever frown again.

* * *

Saturday couldn’t come fast enough. Patti drove to Jon’s house bright and early with knots in her stomach. She hadn’t seen him since their date over a week ago, and he had left a big impression. She was both nervous and excited to see him again. Nervous because she wasn’t sure what to expect, and excited because she was about to let him glimpse a part of her world, not to mention that she had an idea of how she’d like their date to end.

Patti roared into a parking spot positioned directly in front of the address he’d given her. “Okay, Patti,” she murmured to herself, “you can do this. Your heart won’t explode—it just feels like it will.” With shaking hands, she let herself out of the car and made her way up the short walkway.

Jon lived in one of those ultra-modern single-level condos that were joined to several more just like it. His sat on the outside edge, giving it the unique feature of having windows on three of its four sides. There was nothing in the way of landscaping and the front yard was an unimpressive square of bright green grass that was too small even for someone of her height to stretch out on. It was nothing special, yet it probably cost him an absolute fortune.

The door swung open before Patti could knock. “Hey,” she said, her fist still poised in the air. She lowered it to her side and folded her hands in front of her.

Jon stood in the doorway smiling down at her. He presented a gorgeous picture of the perfect male specimen in a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a striped polo. His hair was gelled into soft spikes, creating a faux Mohawk that made him look far less than the wealthy businessman she was accustomed to, and much more like a regular guy.

“Hey, yourself,” Jon said brightly. “You’re early.”

“Expecting me to be late were you?”

Jon let his gaze roam over her, giving her chills. “I don’t know what I was expecting exactly,” he said, distracted. “You wore shorts.”

The shortest pair she owned, in fact. Powder blue, they rode low on her waist and ended just below the crease of her butt. Jon said he wanted her legs at his disposal, so she gave him as much leg as she could short of showing up in her underwear. She looked down. “It seems I have,” she said, returning a teasing smile.

Without warning, Jon took her hand in his and bent down, placing a chaste kiss to her lips. “You look stunning.”

“They’re just shorts,” Patti said, attempting to catch her breath. Jon had a way of stealing it from her.

“They’re incredible shorts,” Jon amended. “Come inside. I just have to grab my wallet and phone and we can head out.”

Patti allowed Jon to pull her inside and marveled at what she saw. The condo was done in an open concept design, and from her position, she could see everything it had to offer. Off to her left sat a spacious living room with white walls and lush white carpet. The furniture was also white, punctuated by colorful throw pillows in red, blue, and green satins. A few pieces of artwork hung on the walls that she was willing to bet cost more than an entire year of her salary. The dining room sat adjacent to the living room, complete with a large glass top table surrounded by black metal chairs. Beautiful pale stone floors extended into the kitchen, which was outfitted by white cabinets and shining black countertops, and beyond that, she could see the beginning of a hallway, which she assumed led to the bedrooms.

“Wow, nice place,” she said, soaking it all in.

“Thank you,” Jon said as he pocketed his phone and wallet.

“I take it you like white?”

Jon glanced up at her and studied her face. “Are you being smart?”

“Not at all,” Patti said innocently. “It’s just a lot of white.”

Reaching out to her, Jon pulled Patti into his arms. “White represents purity, a blank slate. White presents the opportunity to color your future any way you want. I like white.”

“I can see that you do,” Patti said, looking up into eyes that burned.

“Would you like a tour?” Jon asked her, staring at her mouth as if he would devour it any second. “I just redecorated the master bedroom. We could start there.”

Boy did she ever! Patti sighed with regret. “As fun as that sounds, we can’t, unless you want to miss out on what I have planned for us.”

“Ah, that’s right. I almost forgot. You have a surprise for me.” Dropping a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, Jon swatted her on the butt and set her away from him. “I guess we’ll have to save the tour for another time.”

Patti couldn’t deny that she was a tad disappointed, but she sucked it up like a big girl and preceded him out the door.

“Holy shit,” Jon gasped, pulling up short.

Patti spun around to see what was wrong. She found Jon rooted to the sidewalk, his mouth agape. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t realize you had your car repaired,” he said, taking a cautious step toward it.

Patti moved aside so he could get a closer look. “Actually, I did it myself,” she said, lifting her chin. She was proud of her accomplishment. Not many women took the time to learn the ins and outs of how their car ran, let alone got their hands dirty repairing it. It was what she’d often heard it referred to as a man’s job. It was total bullshit if you asked her. Still, Jon didn’t seem to be put off by her abilities in the least.

She watched as he slowly moved around the car, letting his fingers glide over its body. She imagined those fingers touching her with the same reverence, and shivered. If she had it her way, she’d be getting that tour by the end of the night. “I don’t remember these being here,” he said, running his hand over the bold red racing stripes running from the front end to the back.

“They weren’t,” Patti confirmed, moving to stand in front of it. “After I finished banging out the last of the dents, I guess I got a little design happy and decided to give it a little extra flair.” She shrugged. “I think it makes her look dangerous,” she said with a wink in his direction. “Sexy and sleek. Fast.”