Surrender to Love (26 page)

“There’s no other woman for me, Patricia,” Jon said,
tucking her hair behind her ear. The gesture was so tender that Patti had to fight not to lean into his touch. “You’re the only woman I want, the only woman I’ll ever want. You’re my heart, Patricia. You’ve healed it and you alone have the power to destroy it.”

Patti looked up at him with accusation in her eyes. “You turned your back on me.”

Jon’s face twisted and he shifted to cup her face in both of his large hands. “Baby, believe me when I tell you, I had no idea when I walked away how much you meant to me. I have never been so torn apart by anything or anyone before you. I’m only sorry that it took losing you to realize that.”

Without thinking, Patti’s hands found Jon’s shirt. She gripped the soft cotton in her fists, focusing on the heavy rise and fall of his chest as she tried to sort out her thoughts. That past week had armed her with so much, from her talk with her mother to the heart-to-heart with her father, she felt like she finally had the courage to face her demons head-on.

Her father wasn’t perfect. Neither was Jon. She already knew that she loved Jon more than she had ever loved another man. It wasn’t difficult to see that if she let him walk out of her life now, she would be losing a chance at something great.

Plus, Jon was the father of her unborn child. There was no way she could let him go without first giving their relationship a fighting chance. She owed it to herself to try.

“I’m scared, Jon,” she admitted, pulling him closer. Her eyes shined as she looked up at him. “But I love you so much. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Oh, baby, never,” Jon said, his voice catching as he dipped his head and captured her mouth. “You’ve got me. You’ve got me,” he repeated.

Patti clung to him, pouring all of her love into her kiss. Jon didn’t kiss her softly or gently, but devoured her mouth in a kiss so passionate and hungry that Patti’s entire body trembled. When he pulled away, they were both breathing heavily and Jon had to keep one arm around Patti’s waist to hold her up.

“I love you,” Jon said, stroking her cheek.

“Ditto,” Patti said, smiling at him. Jon released a long, heavy breath that told Patti that he was building up to something. “What’s wrong,” she asked worriedly.

The corner of Jon’s mouth tipped up. “I was just bracing myself.”

“For what?”

“For meeting your dad.”

Patti’s eyes welled. Taking his hand in hers, she stepped away from the truck. “Come on.” She led him across the manicured lawn. When they stopped in front of her father’s grave, she gave Jon’s hand a squeeze. It was crazy, but standing there made her feel like she was a teenager again. Nerves made her voice small as she said, “Daddy, I’d like you to meet Jonathon Bradshaw.” Her gaze lifted as she fell into Jon’s warm blue eyes that shone with adoration and reflected back what she felt in her heart a hundred fold. It gave her the courage she needed as she held his eyes and told her father, “The father of my baby.”

26

Being held in Patti’s arms felt like coming home. Jon traced his finger around her dusky areola, watching as each pass caused the nipple to pucker until it became a hardened point.

“That feels good,” Patti said on a shiver.

“So does what you’re doing.” Closing his eyes, Jon enjoyed the feeling of her fingers combing through his hair as well as the heat of her body pressed up against his. He was lying on her, his arm draped over the thinnest part of her waist, his cheek pressed against her breast. It was perfection personified.

After a proper introduction to her father, Patricia followed Jon back to his condo and he’d promptly kicked Casey out for the day.
It embarrassed her to have thought ill of his sister, but he and Casey both assured her that it wasn’t anything to worry about, and Casey was just thrilled that they had worked things out. Giving them her blessing and asking that they keep the action in the bedroom and not on the couch, she was out the door so fast she put The Flash to shame.

Jon didn’t waste another minute talking. As soon as the door was closed, he whisked Patricia into his r
oom and tore their clothes off, and then he spent the rest of the afternoon worshiping every inch of her body.

Now, as they basked in the afterglow, he couldn’t imagine a more perfect reunion. Everything felt complete now that he had her back in his life and in his bed where she belonged. Now that he had her, he knew he was never going to let her go. “You’re stuck with me now, you know,” he
informed her, skimming his fingers lightly down her side.

A breathy laugh left her as she squirmed. “I was afraid of that.”

She laughed outright when Jon gave her hip a playful pinch. “I’ll never let you out of my sight. I’m going to be your shadow.”

“Mm, sound
s
creeptastic
,” she teased.  “And what about work? You have to leave sometime.”

Shaking his head, Jon
craned his neck back and wrapped his mouth around her nipple. Giving it a firm suck, he released it with a pop. “I’ll work from home. Teleconference. Maybe I’ll hire a stand-in. We’ll never have to leave the house again.”

“Oh really?” Patricia chuckled. “What about food? How will we eat?”

“We’ll order in.”

“What about our friends? Our family? They’re going to worry when we suddenly disappear off the face of the earth.”

“They can come here and visit us. We’ll open the door just long enough to let them slip inside, entertain them for an hour, and then send them packing.” Jon leaned up and nipped her bottom lip. “It’s the only time we’ll ever have to get dressed.”

“It sounds like you’ve got everything all figured out.” Grasping the back of his head, Patricia drew him in for one of her sweet kisses.

When Jon came up for air, he stared into Patricia’s heavenly blue eyes and felt utter contentment wash over him. He smoothed her golden hair away from her face, enjoying the way it spread across his pillow and fanned out around her slender shoulders. My God, he thought in wonderment as he dipped his head to kiss the hollow of her throat, he was in love with a goddess. “I got your gift,” he blurted out, continuing to kiss a path down her chest. He lavished attention on each breast, licking her nipples until they beaded against his tongue, then moving further south.

He was so in tune with her body, he felt the instant Patricia’s muscles tensed beneath him. “
And?” she asked hesitantly.

Jon smiled into the valley between her breasts. “And I can’t think of a more perfect gift.”

“I know we didn’t get a chance to talk about it, but are you sure? You’re not upset?”

“It’s not something I expected,” he admitted. “I kind of always pictured my life moving in a series of events, but
no, I’m not upset.” He reached her flat stomach and pressed a kiss to the soft skin just below her belly button. When he lifted his gaze, they were shining with his happiness. “I love him already.”

Reaching for him, Patricia ran her fingers through the hair at his temple. “Him? I hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a girl.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I have a sixth sense about these things.”

Jon’s eyes flashed and a grin spread across his face. “I think you just pulled that out of your ass.”

Patricia burst out laughing, making her breasts jiggle deliciously. As Jon crawled up her body and nestled himself between her legs, he took in her toothy smile and felt his stomach flip. “A daddy’s girl,” he mused, nuzzling his nose against hers. “I think I can live with that.”

Patricia cinched her legs around his hips and her arms around his shoulders, her expression growing serious. “I want this to work.”

“So do I.”

“I mean, I don’t want to hurt you again. I know we don’t really know each other, and everything is moving so fast now, but I’ve never felt like this about anyone before.”

Jon silenced her with a kiss. “You’re right, things are moving fast, but sometimes I think that’s what it takes to open your eyes to what’s standing right in front of you.”

“Aren’t you afraid?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Not in the least, and do you know why,” Jon
asked, reaching between them to guide himself inside of her, “because I love you, and I know that you love me.” He pushed deep inside of her, dragging a moan out of both of them. “We have all the time in the world to figure out the rest.”

They made slow, passionate love
, and when they were both spent, Jon eased them under the covers, holding Patricia and their baby as close to his heart as physically possible. He knew that she was scared of the unknown, of how fast things were progressing between them, but Jon knew what it was like to be without her, and he never wanted to experience that again. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he would do anything and everything to ensure that they never spent another day apart. She was his life and his future now, and he would protect and nurture her until he breathed his last breath.

Those were Jon’s last thoughts before he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

Patti awoke to the shrill sound of a telephone ringing.

Jon let out a small groan as she slipped out of his arms. Scooping his oversized T-shirt off the floor, she slipped it over her head and tiptoed into the living room to dig her phone out of her purse.

It took a moment for her to recognize the number, and
when she did, she swiped her finger across the screen, her heart beating a mile a minute. “Tate,” she answered, holding the phone to her ear in a death grip.

“Patti,” he said, his voice strained. “Sorry to wake you, but we’ve just checked in at the hospital.”

Patti’s smile spread so wide she thought her face might crack. “Okay. I just need to get dressed and freshen up and I’ll be on my way.” She skidded to a stop just outside the bedroom door. “Tate, I’m so happy for you guys.”

“Yeah, yeah, none of the sappy stuff. It’s just a baby. People do this every day, right?” he said flippantly, but Patti knew by the slight tremor she detected in his voice that he was just trying to remain calm.

“Of course they do,” she assured him. “Just let Piper know that I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I will, and Patti,” Tate said just as Patti was about to hang up. “Were you able to work things out with Jon?”

Peeking through the bedroom door, Patti looked at Jon, who was just tossing his feet over the side of the bed. He was gloriously naked, his muscles flexing as he pushed his fists into the side of the mattress and stood. Even with bleary eyes and dark hair sticking up at odd angles, the devilish look he sent her made her breath catch and moisture flood between her legs.

Would she ever get enough of this man?

“Yeah, we worked everything out,” she responded, completely distracted as Jon opened his arms, and she walked into them.

“Good, I’m glad to hear it. Tell him not to forget the cigars.”

“I heard that,” Jon said, taking her hand with the phone in it and bringing it to his ear. Patti rested her head against his chest, listening to the hollow depth of his voice as he laughed about something she couldn’t hear, too busy enjoying the warmth and comfort of being in his arms.

“I guess we’re headed out,” Jon said a moment later, handing Patti back her phone. She lifted her chin to look at him, and Jon took the opportunity to pinch it between his thumb and forefinger and drop a kiss to her lips. “As much as I’d love to keep you in bed all day, we should get moving.”

Patti stuck out her bottom lip. “I thought you said that we weren’t leaving the house ever again?”

Jon’s hand swung at her, smacking her butt with a resounding crack
, and Patti shrieked, jumping away from him. “There’s another one where that came from. Now get dressed, wench.”

“Is this what I signed on for?” Patti asked,
feigning shock and dismay.

“If by that you mean keeping you barefoot and pregnant, a slave to my every whim, then
, yes. Yes, you did.”

Patti watched longingly as Jon slipped into the same pair of jeans he’d been wearing only hours
before. “Don’t forget the occasional spanking,” she rebutted.

“There’s that, too.”

Patti sat on the edge of the bed and slid her legs into her pants. After buttoning and zipping them, she fingered the hem of Jon’s shirt, reluctant to take it off.

“Keep it on,” Jon said, rounding the side of the bed and snaking his arms around her waist. His mouth captured the side of her neck, licking and sucking just over her pulse point. “There’s nothing sexier than seeing you wearing my things.”

He pushed her back on the bed, inching his hands under the shirt to cup her breasts in his palms. “Jon, we’re never going to leave if we don’t stop now,” Patti moaned, tilting her head back to give him better access to her throat. She felt the button on her jeans pop free, and then Jon’s hand was burrowing underneath the material. He found her wet and wanting in a matter of seconds.

“Oh, baby, you are so ready for me.”

“I’m always ready for you.” She sucked in a breath, barely containing a scream as Jon pushed two of his thick fingers inside of her.

Dropping his forehead to rest in the curve between her neck and shoulder, Jon groaned as though in agony. His hips surged forward, grinding his thick, hard cock against her inner thigh. “Fuck, I don’t want to stop. Tell me to stop,” he begged.

Patti held his head to her, spreading her legs wider as she focused on the feel of his fingers pumping inside of her. She couldn’t find her voice even if she wanted to…And she didn’t. The last thing she wanted to do was to tell him to stop.

Lifting his head, Jon watched her from above as he worked his fingers deeper, curving them so that they hit just where she needed them to
be. Patti’s back arched and her eyes slid closed. “No, baby,” Jon said, his voice almost guttural. “Look at me. I want to look into your eyes when you come. I want to see how good I make you feel.”

His words sent Patti soaring higher toward her climax. She felt the tightening in the base of her spine, a tingling working its way through her body, one cell at a time.

“That’s it, baby,” Jon said, twisting his fingers, making room for a third. Patti could feel her muscles stretching at the same time they began to constrict. She was on the edge, barely able to keep her eyes open. “Come for me, Patricia. Show me how you come for me.”

Patti’s eyes dropped low
, watching the muscles and tendons in his thick wrists working hard between her legs. Then her eyes widened, hunger taking her over as she watched Jon unzip his pants and release his cock. He took it into his palm, swirling his thumb through the clear fluid seeping from the swollen head, using it as lubricant as he took his shaft in a firm grip and began pumping it up and down in long strokes. “Look at what you do to me,” he growled.

T
he veins bulging out all down his arms as he sought his own release fascinated her. She was so close, her own muscles bunching in preparation, when reached out to wrap her hand around the base of his shaft.

Jon looked down at her, his eyes blazing. “I want it in my mouth,” she told him,
urging him on to the bed with a gentle tug. Placing one knee on the mattress, Jon climbed up and knelt beside her head, his fingers still buried in her swollen folds. Lifting her head, Patti opened her mouth and wrapped her lips around him.

“Fuck, Patricia, that feels amazing,” Jon gasped, cupping the back of her head in his hand to drive himself deeper down her throat.

Patti focused on the feel of his fingers inside of her as she bobbed her head, swirling her tongue around his head and swallowing him down again, careful not to scrape him with her teeth. It didn’t take long before she tasted the salty, bitter fluid on her tongue telling her that he would come soon. She imagined the hot spurts hitting her tongue, coating her throat, and felt the answering clench between her legs.

“Oh, baby, that’s it. I can feel your pussy squeezing me,” Jon told her, driving his fingers deeper and harder. He dragged his fingers from her hot sheath and Patti moaned in protest, but she didn’t stop sucking. “Look at me,” Jon told her, and when she peeled her eyes open, she watched, rapt, as Jon stuck his fingers in his mouth and licked them clean. “You taste so fucking good.”