Jonnas looked equally stubborn. “I’m not leaving my car downtown overnight.”
“You’re both idiots,” Elias muttered.
“Probably,” Dani agreed cheerfully. That was the truth. She should’ve listened to her friends. She should’ve let Aliza put her into an Uber and send her safely home. Instead, an hour later, Dani found herself standing inside Jonnas’s penthouse apartment trying not to stare too obviously at the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.
“This is insane,” she blurted.
Jonnas tossed his keys onto the counter. “What is?” he asked.
“That you live here,” she said.
His mouth twitched slightly. “It’s just an apartment.”
“It’s bigger than my entire apartment building,” she said. That earned her another one of his rare real laughs. God. She liked that sound way too much.
“You want water?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good girl,” he breathed. Something about the praise in his voice made heat curl low in her stomach. Jonnas handed her a glass before loosening his tie completely, and Dani watched him a little too closely. Next, he rolled up his sleeves, and she noticed his strong forearms and tattoos that he had kept hidden under his suits. Her brain was officially malfunctioning.
“You’re staring again,” he murmured.
“I blame the alcohol,” she lied. Actually, she should blame the fact that she hadn’t gotten laid in a damn long time.
“I don’t,” he countered. The tension between them thickened instantly, and Dani’s breath caught as he stepped closer. He was standing close enough that she could smell whiskey and his expensive cologne. He was close enough that she suddenly forgot every coherent thought in her head.
“You should go home,” he said softly.
She blinked up at him. “Do you want me to leave?” she asked, hoping like hell that he didn’t.
“No.” The honesty in that single word shattered her remaining restraint. Dani crossed the room and kissed him first. The kiss was messy and desperate. Jonnas groaned against her mouth immediately, his hands gripping her hips hard enough to make her gasp into his mouth. And then, everything spiraled beautifully out of control.
He backed her against the kitchen counter, kissing her slowly and deeply until her knees weakened. “Careful,” he murmured against her lips. “You’re gonna fall, baby girl.” Baby girl—that nickname hit her like lightning.
A soft sound escaped her before she could stop it, and Jonnas froze. His eyes darkened with dangerous understanding. “There it is,” he said quietly.
Dani’s face burned. Oh God—he knew. Somehow, he already knew what she liked. “You like that?” he asked softly. She should’ve denied it; instead, her body betrayed her completely as Jonnas’s hand slid up her throat gently, tilting her face upward. “Use your words.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
The approval in his expression nearly destroyed her. “Good girl,” he breathed. Dani whimpered as need crashed inside her so hard it made her dizzy. Jonnas kissed her again, slower this time, more controlled, like he was savoring her reactions—like he enjoyed unraveling her.
“Bedroom,” he muttered against her mouth. Dani barely remembered getting there—only pieces of their night stayed with her. His hands carefully undressing her, and the way he kept praising her softly every time she obeyed him. And God, the safety she felt beneath him as he covered her body on the bed, plunging into her without permission. She had already given that to him when she let him take her back to his bedroom. He wasn’t rough with her, even when she begged him for more.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured against her skin. No one had ever said things like that to her before—not like him. Not like they meant them. Dani clung to him helplessly as he guided her through every moment with steady confidence.
“Look at me, baby girl,” he growled. She did instantly, and the approval in his eyes made her entire body tremble.
“That’s it,” he praised softly. Everything about him overwhelmed her—the weight of him on top of her, the calm authority in his voice, and the way he touched her like she was precious instead of temporary. And when they both found their releases, the whispered praises were nearly her undoing.
Afterward, Dani ended up curled against his chest while his fingers lazily stroked through her hair. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt safe with another person. “You okay?” he asked quietly. Dani nodded against him sleepily. “Good girl.” That soft praise followed her all the way into sleep, and neither of them realized that one reckless night was about to change both of their lives forever.
Jonnas
Jonnas Black was a player. He didn’t mind when women called him that, and he certainly didn’t deny it. He had learned a long time ago to embrace who he was—for better or worse. But the woman standing in front of him, holding a pregnancy test and telling him that the baby was his, was about to change his status. He didn’t know too many dads in their forties who he’d consider to be players. Maybe his playing days were over. Or maybe the woman was just looking for someone to pin her kid on, and he just happened to be a good fit.
He didn’t remember sleeping with her, but that didn’t mean anything. He had slept with countless women whom he didn’t remember the next day. That’s why he didn’t date anyone at the hospital where he worked. As a hospital administrator, HR frowned upon him dating the nurses and doctors who worked there. And he learned a long time ago that he shouldn’t shit where he ate—as vulgar as that sounded.