Page 25 of Jonathan

Leonie felt the fear blossoming inside her chest. Putting down the cup, she looked up as Helen bustled into the room. “Not hungry?”

She managed a faint smile. “Not really.”

“Master Jon was in a hurry.” The housekeeper picked up a plate and started to heap eggs and bacon on and added a slice of wheat toast, before putting it in front of her. “We have a lot to get through today and you will need your strength.”

“You’re right of course. But first, there is something I have to take care of, just as soon as I finish eating.”

*****

She took a bath. The tub was one of those antiquated deals- a claw footed porcelain in the middle of the floor. After he left, she had laid there for several minutes, thinking. And her thoughts had been troubling. She was intensely attracted to him. And she had enjoyed the novelty of sleeping with him for the entire night.

Rubbing the sponge over her arm, she stretched her legs out and watched the suds stick and then slid off. The water was steaming hot, just the way she liked it. The scent of raspberry filled the air along with the steam rising from the water.

Parts of her skin stung where his hair roughened jaw had touched. Her nipples were sore and very sensitive.

Her sex was tender to the touch and using the sponge there was setting off all sorts of evocative memories. Like when he used his tongue to drive her over the edge. And his fingers and … Letting out a breath, she pressed a hand against her breast to feel the thumping of her heart.

She was thinking about him more than she should. Finishing the bath, she rose and reached for a towel to wrap around her. She had just reached the bedroom when she heard the knock on the door. If that was him, he was to get a very cool greeting and a conversation about boundaries.

Securing the towel around her and knotting it, she marched towards the door and yanked it open.

The blistering tirade she had been about to deliver, died instantly as she stood there staring at the woman standing on the porch.

There was no mistaking who she was. Even if Kamilah had not seen picture of her, she would have recognized Leonie McCarthy.

The woman had passed her incredible blue eyes to her son and the thick ash blonde hair. Standing straight and tall, even though she was barely five feet four inches, Jonathan’s mother radiated sophistication and class that was inbred.

She had on faded denims and a thick emerald, green sweater and was wearing boots. A glance behind her showed her mode of transportation was a dust covered serviceable red jeep.

“May I come in?” The voice was polished and cultured and filled with authority.

“Of course.” Belatedly realizing that she was naked except for the towel, Kamilah closed the door. “Let me get dressed.”

“I will wait in the living area.”

Leonie watched as the younger woman walked away before taking a look around. She knew the cabin of course. It belonged to them and had a certain rustic charm about it.

And up close, the food critic was stunning, even more so than she had been told.

She turned when Kamilah came back into the room, wearing leggings and a cream-colored sweater. She had not bothered with makeup, but with a complexion like hers, did not really need it.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No thank you. Shall we have a seat?” It was posed as a question but it clearly wasn’t.

Kamilah perched on the edge of a maroon sofa and waited while the woman took the opposite one across from her.

“I did not get a chance to welcome you to our town,” Leonie began.

“Not a problem.”

“My son has been more than accommodating, I hear.”

Kamilah’s eyebrows lifted. “We have met, yes.”

Leonie smiled slightly. “I would say it’s a little more than that, isn’t it?”

Kamilah kept her wits about her and responded graciously. This was a new situation for her – a guy’s mother confronting her. “Are you asking if we are intimate?”

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