WeirdNights

  Jonah shrugged. “I can’t remember anyone else right now. No one before you.”

  “Ha-ha.” She shook her head. What could she expect? Never a good idea to ask a guy about previous experience when he had her half undressed.

  “I’m serious. You wiped all other women from my memory, Mindy.”

  “Okay.” She poked him in the belly and he grinned. “Enough of that.”

  Jonah rolled over and grabbed the lo mein from the carton. He picked up some of the noodles and placed them on her stomach. They felt slimy and she would have complained except for the heated look in Jonah’s eyes that kept all of her attention.

  “Mindy.” He swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “I want you so fucking bad. Today was hell with those kids. I want to be inside your pussy.”

  “That’s what I came here for.” She stroked the side of his face. “I want it too.”

  “Oh. And here I thought you showed up at midnight to eat Chinese food.” He leaned over her and took the noodle in his mouth. His tongue reached out to lick her stomach when he did and she shivered. Damn it. This man made her so hot.

  He slurped up the last bit of food dramatically, really making a show of how loud he could be eating it. She giggled. When had sex ever been this fun? Not to mention she now knew how it would end—hot, sticky and unforgettable.

  Jonah tugged off her pants. He threw them onto the floor and then looked up to raise an eyebrow at her. “Commando?”

  “Well, I was really hoping I wouldn’t need any panties tonight.”

  He smiled. “You wore a bra.”

  “I can’t go out in public without one. I bang around so much I might end up giving myself a black eye.”

  He snorted and then laughed outright. “Awesome. You’re so fucking awesome.”

  Jonah discarded his pants and leaned over her to pull out a condom from the drawer next to his bed. He covered himself and her mouth watered watching him. She hadn’t forgotten just how incredible it had been to have him in her mouth. They’d have to find the time to do that again. Soon. But for now she craved him inside her.

  He reached inside her and stroked her clit. “I love how you feel between my fingers. It’s as if I were made to touch you. Every noise you make, every time you squirm, it makes me hot as hell.”

  “I love how you do that.” She reached to touch his cock, but he stopped her.

  “If you do that now I won’t get inside you. My balls ache. I’m not going to embarrass myself.”

  She moaned when he changed the rhythm he used to stroke her. Yes, that was what she wanted. “Then don’t wait. Come inside me now, hot stuff.”

  “You and your nicknames.”

  He moved over her and pushed himself inside of her balls deep.

  “Shit, Jonah. How you fill me up.” Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled him even tighter.

  “Mindy, you’re so tight. It’s like heaven around me.” His words sounded strained and the muscles in his neck clenched.

  She grinned, raising her hips to meet his thrust. Jonah really was on the edge and once again she’d been the woman to bring him there. His movements rubbed against her clit and she cried out.

  Pressure formed at the base of her spine. She knew it wouldn’t be long. For a woman who had never managed an orgasm pre-Jonah, he seemed to be able to bring her to the finish line awfully fast.

  She closed her eyes. When Jonah moved inside of her the rest of the world didn’t exist.

  “Open those lids and look at me.”

  His words commanded her and she did as he said. “It’s…” She panted. “Too much.”

  Jonah slammed into her again and again. Each movement brought her closer and closer to the edge.

  “It’s not too much to look at me. I want to see you. I like to watch the passion hit you.”

  “Ah.” She could barely speak. If he wanted to watch, he could get his fill right at that moment. Stars passed before her eyes and the world exploded around her. Her muscles clenched and her pussy wept.

  Jonah grinned above her but she could barely see him for the colors passing before her eyes. Seconds later, he called out her name and surged inside of her.

  Mindy panted as she held him close. She shouldn’t need this so much. They’d only been intimate a few times. How could she already be so addicted?

  She bit down on his shoulder and he lifted his head. “Am I crushing you?”

  “Just a little.”

  Jonah rolled off her, pulling her into his arms. “I wanted this so badly. From the first moment I saw you—when it was totally inappropriate to have so much desire for you—I wanted this.”

  Her boyfriend, whom she had been getting ready to break up with, had been murdered by an insane demonic clown while she watched. Her hair had turned bright white. She’d been temporarily catatonic. Only Jonah could think she looked hot.

  “Maybe we need to get you to a doctor. Your eyesight has got to be going.”

  He kissed the side of her cheek. “Do you think I’m a lowlife for admitting that?”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s not as if you tried to act on it. You sat outside my room, made me feel safe and I could sleep because you were there. Then you saved my life when the hellhound attacked. Not a lowlife, Jonah.”

  She paused while she tried to decide if she wanted to say the next thing that had popped into her mind. Was it too typical?

  “Thanks, Mindy. I appreciate that.” He yawned.

  “What are we doing?” She’d managed not to ask if he was her boyfriend. That had to count for something. “I mean are we just fucking or…I guess, where do you see this going?”

  “We’re not just fucking.” He readjusted where she laid her head so she was closer. “They’ll never be anything just about you. And as for us. I want you. I don’t want anyone else to have you.”

  Mindy waited. Was he going to say something more than that? She looked up at him. His eyes were closed and he breathed deeply. Had he fallen asleep? “I want you and I don’t want anyone else to have you” and then out like a light?

  Mindy grit her teeth. Well, it had to be a good thing that he didn’t want anyone else to have her. Didn’t it? Or was she caught in some kind of little boy thing where he wanted her like he desired his new toy and didn’t want to share it? The problem was that little boys got sick of their toys when a new model showed up.

  Was that what would happen? He’d suddenly see some woman with normal hair and an unscarred face, want that woman instead?

  She snuggled closer. He still made her feel safe even after everything she had seen that told her she would never really be secure.

  Her stomach growled and she wondered if it would be really uncool of her to get up and eat the Chinese food. Instead she closed her eyes and snuggled deeper against him. She’d have to figure out the small details in the morning. That would be soon enough.

  * * * * *

  Jonah sat up in the bed. The room was quiet, dark. He looked around. Next to him where Mindy should be was empty instead. Jonah touched the sheets where her naked, half-displayed form should have been.

  Had she snuck out while he slept? Why would she do that?

  Movement in the darkness caught his attention and he jolted forward. Something was in the room with him.

  Jonah leaned over and switched on the light. Only it didn’t come on. Darkness remained in the room, filling everything, making shadows on the wall. But he’d been trained to know when something was amiss.

  And something was wrong in his room—not just the fact that Mindy had left.

  “Who’s there?” he called out.

  No one answered and he waited a few beats to see if someone would. When nothing happened, he swung his feet over the bed and stood up. His feet hit the ground and for a second he felt relief. When he’d first moved to Foy’s house he’d had the strangest fear that at night, if he swung his legs over the bed, there would be no floor for him to stand on.

&nbs
p; Jonah shook his head. Why had he thought that right then? He hadn’t been bothered by those thoughts since he’d gone through puberty.

  Jonah pulled his pants off the floor and put them back on. Whatever was in the room—human or otherwise—would be better dealt with clothes on.

  A rustling noise by his closet caught his attention and he turned that way. “I don’t know what’s in here but I have to tell you that I’m going to kill you and ask questions later.” He clenched his fists. “With my bare hands if needed.”

  Jonah moved closer and a beam of moonlight illuminated the side of the room where he headed. Well. He shook his head. That was awfully convenient.

  He blinked as the figure he’d been sure was there turned into something he recognized quite well. Damian. The little boy from the Satan worshipers’ house. The son. He was supposed to be with Child Protective Services.

  “Damian.” Jonah wiped his brow. Thank God he didn’t carry a gun. He would have killed the kid. “What are you doing here? How did you even get here or know where I was?”

  The child didn’t talk. He stared at him with the big brown eyes that seemed to see too much. Jonah wanted to look away. He’d had the same sensation in the house earlier and like then he resisted the urge.

  Truth was, Jonah didn’t even know if Damian spoke. He’d never heard him utter a word.

  The little boy walked toward him, his face pale beneath those huge eyes. Or maybe it was the moonlight streaming through the window. Either way the child looked ethereal. Almost otherworldly.

  Damian’s footsteps were measured. He walked like a trained martial artist, not the shaking boy of earlier.

  Jonah took a step back and then stopped. Why was he running from a kid? He needed to get the lights on in the room and then all of this would feel normal. Somehow.

  Damian reached him and took his hand. The boy’s fingers were freezing and Jonah gasped. “What the fuck?”

  Normally, he’d watch his mouth around kids but the boy’s hands felt like a corpse’s. That couldn’t be right. Something about this was horribly wrong.

  Damian opened his mouth and spoke one word. “Remember.”

  Jonah shot up in bed, panting. He was drenched in sweat. Next to him, Mindy moaned and rolled over.

  Light streamed through the window, the early morning variety. He’d guess it was around five and a glance at the clock told him he was correct.

  That had been a really, really strange dream. What had the kid said to him before he’d woken up? Remember? Did his dream mean something or was it just random? Some kind of reaction to the stress of the day?

  He looked over at Mindy. Part of him wanted to roll over and just take her until he could make the whole thing vanish. Damian had been a creepy kid but he hadn’t warranted quite so strong a reaction.

  Jonah resisted the urge to disturb Mindy’s sleep. She had a full day ahead of her and if he didn’t let her rest she wouldn’t make any more spontaneous visits to his room at midnight or let him do the same to her.

  Since they’d worked out that they were together, officially, he needed to make sure he could have access to her when he wanted her, which as it turned out was all the time.

  Quietly, he snuck from the bed. She didn’t stir. He liked that she could sleep so soundly in his bed. On silent feet, he changed into his workout clothes and left the room.

  Foy would tell him to meditate but Jonah knew he’d never be able to get his head unclogged enough to do so. A run was in order. Nothing else—short of Mindy—would do.

  * * * * *

  He crept back in the room to find Mindy still asleep. Jonah had run for a good hour and his head felt back where it belonged. His mind was clearer. That didn’t, however, mean that he still didn’t want to wake the woman in his bed and take her from behind.

  Most likely, he’d always want that.

  The thought didn’t throw him off balance as much as it should. In the corner of the room the small cactus he occasionally watered moved. Jonah blinked and stared at the vase, which now stayed totally still. Had it actually budged?

  He bent over to unlace his shoes. It simply wasn’t possible. First off, it was early morning. Hauntings didn’t happen at six in the morning. They stopped. Second, he was in Foy’s house and although he’d forgotten it in his dream, he knew in his waking life that Foy’s house was so well guarded from supernatural things—incantations, prayers and spells all worked together to make it the safest place on earth to not have an encounter with dark things.

  Jonah shook his head. He was losing his mind. Nothing had moved. First, he needed a shower. Grinning, he walked over to Mindy. If he was going to get wet, so was she.

  With him. Under the spray. Forget moving cacti and his eyes playing tricks on him.

  * * * * *

  It had been a long day. After taking Mindy in the shower he’d had to let her go home so he could teach a few classes for Foy. When his two-year shift was done he was going to enjoy being free of his responsibility to the man. Studying with him had been different. Back then the man had been attentive and helpful. These days, however, he was distant and more removed than ever.

  Things had started to change after Master’s divorce. Jonah shook his head. It had to be hell to lose your woman in the midst of all the crap they dealt in. Having Mindy now made him understand that.

  “Can I take your order?” Jonah looked down at the couple that had just been seated in his section. Young, attractive and hip. They were dressed in outfits that looked as if they should be on the cover of some kind of magazine.

  The restaurant was busy but then again the restaurant was always busy. That’s why he did so well in tips. No restaurant got to remain the hot spot forever. Sooner or later the crowds would move on and then so would Jonah.

  Still, he hated the work. He wanted to be back in New Orleans opening his own studio as Foy had done. Now Christian had also accomplished the feat. While Jonah counted days in Chicago.

  Only Mindy made it bearable now.

  The couple was having a hard time deciding on a bottle of wine and Jonah left to get the sommelier to help them. In the meantime he needed to check on another table’s desserts. They should have been out two minutes ago.

  Jonah walked past an empty table. It wouldn’t be that way for very long. They were booked all night.

  The vase on the table shifted. He stopped and stared at it.

  Any number of things could make the vase move. It was a busy restaurant. Cars drove on the street. They were running major equipment in the kitchen. Things sometimes shook.

  He rubbed his head and kept moving. There was no time for him to lose his mind. None.

  “Get it together, Jonah,” he muttered to himself.

  Two minutes later, he was back on the floor, desserts delivered, bill dropped off, and back with the couple who at least now knew they wanted red not white. If it was his restaurant, he would fire the sommelier. Instead, he got to smile and not say a word against the man.

  “Tell you what. Why don’t you guys start with some cocktails and then we’ll move on from there? Are you guys martini drinkers?”

  Just as he asked the question, their napkins, still on the table and not on their laps, caught on fire. They screamed, darting from the table as Jonah stood there open-mouthed, staring at the red flames.

  Well. That was not normal. Goose bumps erupted on his arms. Spontaneous combustion was officially a new thing for Jonah. And that was saying a lot.

  Chapter Eight

  Mindy drove up to the restaurant and took a deep breath. She really, really hoped Jonah liked her hair. She touched it. Her locks were now cut right above her shoulders and dyed to a shade closer to her former color, blonde. Before she’d whitened, she’d been a little more honey shaded but they hadn’t been able to re-create it exactly.

  It had to be better than the white mess she’d been for months. Still, she worried. Maybe it made her a ridiculous girl but she wanted him to think she was beautiful. Surprising
him at the end of his shift had seemed romantic.

  A fire truck drove away from the restaurant and Mindy’s heart fell into her stomach. The daughter of people who died suddenly, she knew everything could be over in a mere second. Had there been a fire in the restaurant?

  Jonah’s form caught her attention. He walked out of the back of the restaurant, head down, seemingly caught in his own thoughts.

  She rolled down her window. “Jonah.”

  He jumped and turned around. After a second, his eyes widened and he walked to the car. “You dyed it?”

  That didn’t come across as unabashed adoration for the change she had made. Still, she tried to paste a smile on her face. “As you see.”

  “You’re gorgeous.” He smiled. “A real sight for sore eyes. Feels as if it’s been days since I saw you instead of hours.”

  “Let me turn off the car.”

  He shook his head. “No. You need to stay away from me for a while. I’m not safe. You go home. I’ll see you later.”

  Mindy shook his head. What had he just said? “I don’t understand.”

  “I’m not safe to be around. Stay away. I’ll call you when it’s good again.” He tapped on the outside of the car and nodded, which she didn’t understand, before taking a step back. “And your hair is really hot. Going to give me nice dreams.”

  She slammed open the car door and nearly got run over getting out of the car. The vehicle that almost hit her honked while it passed and she resisted the urge to flick them off.

  Jonah rushed to her side and pulled her against him. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Maybe.” She pounded on his chest. “Because I believed you. When you said last night that you wanted me and you didn’t want anyone else to have me. I’m just a moron. You’re already done. I did this to my hair because I thought you’d like it. I’m such a fucking idiot.”

  Mindy shoved at Jonah and was rewarded when he actually took two steps backward. She really must be getting stronger.

  “Damn it, Mindy.” He pulled her up against him. “I’m not breaking up with you. I did mean that. You’re mine. Do you understand? I am trying to protect you.”