“Higher,” Patti moaned, but Jon only moved lower. She could have complained, but Jon’s fingers were magical and within seconds, she was on board for whatever he wanted to do to her. “Oh, there. There!” While just when he made her feel so good she thought she might scream, he moved higher again. Patti’s body was coiled tight with frustration and agonizing need. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take of his constant give and take.

 “Jon, please. I need to come,” she whimpered, throwing her head back against the siding. “Please.”

 She heard his deep chuckle, but she was too wrought, too lost in his torturous game to utter another word of protest.

 “Is that all you wanted?” he asked. Patti cracked open her eyes. He was smiling, but his eyes were dark and full of mischief. “Well, far be it from me to keep a lady waiting.”

 Prying her fingers free of his hair, Jon gathered both of Patti’s hands in one of his, and pinned them above her head. Only the weight of his body and her thighs clenched tightly around his hips kept her from falling flat on her ass. With his free hand, Jon tugged aside her panties and pushed two thick fingers inside of her.

 “Mmmm,” he hummed in her ear. “You’re so fucking tight, Patricia, and very, very wet. Is this all for me?”

 Patti squeezed her eyes shut, unable to speak. Everything she felt just then was one hundred percent his.

 Jon worked his fingers in and out, twisting and turning them, caressing her inner walls until she quivered with need. Her orgasm was building, the pressure becoming so great, she felt she might combust.

 “That’s right, Patricia. It’s mine. All of it.” His hips ground against her, pushing and retreating, mimicking the sex she craved. Each thrust against the back of his hand shoved his fingers impossibly deeper, wringing carnal noises from Patti that she never thought she was capable of producing.

 “Jon,” she cried out, flexing her fingers, fisting and releasing, needing something to hold on to but finding nothing. Jon’s hand gripped her wrists, trussing her to the siding and threatening to cut off circulation. And still she didn’t care. Her body was too busy chasing pleasure to bother with something so trivial.

 “Come for me, Patricia.” Jon curled his fingers inside of her, hitting that ever-elusive spot, while his thumb pressed down on her swollen clit. The dueling sensations consumed her like a fire raging out of control. Lightning lit up the sky as Patti splintered apart. “That’s it, baby. Good girl.”

 As Patti returned to herself, she became aware of Jon’s tender words. He feathered kisses across her chest, her shoulders, up her neck and finally, her mouth. He took her lips tenderly, taking his time with her, letting her know that he was still with her. Gently, he released her wrists and Patti felt her skin prickle as blood rushed back to her fingertips.

 Circling his arms around her waist, Jon supported her weight fully, and Patti sighed as she slumped forward, draping herself over his shoulder. She buried her face in his neck, placing lazy, wet kisses along the side of it.

 When he was sure she could stand, Jon set her back on her feet. Tipping her head back, that dazed feeling still swimming around inside her head, Patti stared up at him.

 A dark, sexy smile spread slowly across Jon’s face. He took a step back. And then another.

 “Are you going to come inside?” Patti asked coyly. She figured after what they had just done it was a done deal. He’d come inside, they’d have sex, and then they would see where they stood when dawn rose over the horizon. The fact that he was backing away from her was truly puzzling.

 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.