Page 17 of F Is for Honey Bee

Just them. A stolen moment in time where Kijani’s lips made Jonah feel whole and cherished, gently healing the bruise inflicted on him.

Kijani cupped Jonah’s ass in a tight squeeze of hands, bringing their bodies impossibly closer. Hard, delectable muscles were flexing and bunching, rippling under Jonah’s palms.

“Pure ambrosia, honey bee.” Kijani’s voice was deep and velvety, a slight growl around the edges, his eyes now a smoky shade darker.

Kijani pulled away and retrieved his cup of coffee, putting a good ten feet between them. Jonah drew in a shuddering breath and trembled, dazed and unsteady from a kiss that had detonated inside of him like a nuclear blast.

“Are you sold on the nickname now?”

“It’s growing on me.” Jonah took a sip of his coffee to hide his smirk.

“On an epic level,” Kijani teased.

Jonah leveled a finger at him. “You’re not allowed to hold hostage anything I said while under the influence.”

“And what influence might that be?” Kijani arched a dark brow. The sexy son of a bitch must have practiced that sultry look until he’d mastered it because he was wielding it like a provocative sword.

“Coffee wasn’t the only thing my brain was immersed in.” Jonah could add stupidity to the immersion. He could also add “one smoldering glance” to the list of things that reeled him in.

And “one mind-blowing kiss” too.

He was definitely screwed.

“Are you going to tell me?” Kijani asked.

Jonah set his cup in the sink, hid his grin, and headed for the living room. “F is for figure it out.”

* * * *

In an effort to distract himself from the apprehension of being home alone at night, Jonah popped in his earbuds and pulled out his cleaning supplies. He meticulously wiped away every nonexistent speck of dust, washed already-clean bedding and curtains, and vigorously scrubbed his spotless floors.

Well, almost spotless except for the lingering traces of blood still clinging to the wood grains. To maintain his sanity, since he was washing away Kijani’s blood, Jonah played upbeat music as he scrubbed until his arms ached.

If he hadn’t slept until early afternoon, his intense cleaning session might’ve been enough to help him get some sleep before he had to be to work in the morning.

But it was nearly midnight, and he was still wide-awake, wandering around the house looking for another task he could throw himself into. The music drowned out the silence of the house but wasn’t enough to chase away the increasing edginess or the constant bombardment of thoughts that refused to leave him alone.

Jonah now hated Flint intensely, but some of the blame landed on his own shoulders. If he’d kicked the bastard out at the first sign of instability instead of letting it drag on for a month, things wouldn’t have escalated to the point of physical violence. And Jonah wouldn’t have lost his sense of safety and security within his own goddamn home.

He dropped onto the couch and removed his earbuds, wishing he didn’t miss Kijani so much. His hug had held a silent promise of always lending an embrace when Jonah needed one.

Right now, Jonah was desperate for one.

“You just have to push through this,” he said to himself. “Flint is currently locked up. For now, he’s not a threat to you.”

That didn’t mean the danger had passed. Even Kijani couldn’t predict what would happen once Flint reached Maple Grove. Would he get off with just a fine, or could he potentially face prison time for the aggravated assault charge?

Completely tangled in his grim thoughts, Jonah shot off the couch and nearly screamed when his doorbell rang. He glanced at his wall clock and saw it was now closer to one in the morning.

He hesitated, unsure if he should answer it or sprint out his back door.

“Open up, honey bee.”

Even though he’d nearly had a freaking heart attack, profound relief flooded Jonah at the sound of Kijani’s deep and soothing voice.

Forcing himself not to run and snatch the door open like a lunatic, Jonah walked at a normal pace, unlocked the door, then opened it to let Kijani inside.

“You didn’t say anything about stopping by on your shift.”

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