Wicked Things We Crave

Chapter Thirteen

They'd cut it short so the mystery wouldn't unravel itself, but Jonah clearly saw the uneasiness in his soon-to-be former friend. Maybe it would have been better to have just said he needed a change of scenery, or to lie and say he'd be moving to Florida to take care of his parents.

But the truth would come out whether or not Astrid chose him, and Jonah didn't want Scott to be any more blindsided than he already would be. A slight tear in their friendship from the uncertainty would make this easier for the two of them once the time came. The betrayal wouldn't be any less, but maybe the final shred after it was already strained would work in everyone's favor.

Jonah could only hope. Anything to make would make this easier for Scott would be welcome, except for never laying hands on the guy's daughter again, that is.

Even though he'd only showered ten hours ago, Jonah went straight up the stairs of his house and turned on the faucet. It took a little while for water to heat in the old house, so he always did that before grabbing something to wear. Except when he went into his room, a small woman's figure was laying in his bed, fast asleep with a tissue clutched in her hand.

It had always been Jonah's job to dry her tears and make her smile in the saddest of times, yet he just couldn't seem to stop causing them. Maybe it would be better to never touch her again, to just walk away from her, tell Scott the truth, and start over with his life. Except that briefest thought was enough for him to come undone inside that he couldn't imagine what the execution of it would do to him. Jonah could do a lot of things, but he was pretty damn sure walking away from this woman in any regard wasn't an option.

Jonah walked back out of the room, turned off the faucet, came back and stripped back down to his boxers and crawled into bed beside her. Watching her stir was like watching the greatest movie ever made for the very first time. Seeing her eyes fluttering open took his breath away in the cheesiest way imaginable.

How many times had he seen it all before and it hadn't fazed him?

"Hey."

Jonah smiled at the quiet tone of her voice and wiped a lock of blonde hair away from her face. "Hey back."

She snuggled deeper into his pillow, looking as if she belonged in this room. His room. His bed. His home.

"I need to know what last night was for you," Astrid asked in a tone even quieter than before. "And I need to know what you want from all this."

Jonah knew this woman better than his own reflection. When she got all meek and quiet like she was in this moment, it meant she was nervous despite her desire to try something. It was as if she was just begging for a push, and Jonah was determined to give that to her. "It would have been a lot easier if it'd been some drunken night and a mistake, but that's not what it was. Instead, it was something I gave up searching for a long time ago, and for some reason it only seems fitting that I found it with you."

He took her hand that rest on the bedsheet into his own. "As far as what I want... the answer is pretty damn simple. I want you, sweetheart. I want to fall asleep next to you at night and wake up to you in the morning. I want normal couple shit. Cuddling on the couch, having your feet or head in my lap while you read a book, making you dinner, ordering dinner after I've burned everything.

"I know this is happening a mile a minute, but I can keep up. What I want is to ask you out on a date, have my way with you as soon as that date's over, and not have to hide our relationship. I'm ready to make all of that happen, and if you aren't, I should let you know that I fully plan on fighting for you and pursuing you until you give in."

Astrid looked down at the hand covering her own and kissed one of his knuckles. "Sounds like you're up for a challenge. Do you like girls who play hard to get, Mr. Dawson?"