Page 70 of Challenged By You
And for the rest of the day, I allow myself to dream this lead to something long-term because for me I’m afraid it’s already becoming real.
Chapter 26
Trina
We’re taking the elevator up to Jonas’s condo, and his arm is holding me tightly against him. “How long can you stay?” His mouth moves against my hair.
“What time is it?”
“Just after one.”
“I don’t have to be back until six. Remember, Mrs. McPhearson has the kids.”
The elevator dings, doors sliding open. Guiding me out, we walk out entwined to the door of Jonas’s condo. “I feel so much right now.”
“That’s why they built it, so we wouldn’t forget to feel.” We enter his condo. He slips my jacket off and tosses it on the coat hanger before leading me over to the long leather sofa where we both shuck our shoes. “Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and that day we were reminded of that.”
I curl up next to him, snug under the warmth of his arm draped over my shoulder. I let the power of what I experienced fill me. “Sometimes I think we all forget that in the day-to-day responsibilities of just surviving.”
“What was it like when you found out you were pregnant with the twins?” Jonas shifts me so I’m partially lying across him.
I frown. “Are you sure you want to know?”
He runs a hand through my hair, his fingers untangling any catches along the way. “Yes.”
“Imagine being told you can have the best meal you ever had over and over again anytime you request it for the rest of your life. That’s being a parent for me, every single day.” I run my fingers along the arm banded under my breasts. “But the day I found out I was pregnant was like the fight in the hall with my mother.”
“Jesus, Trina.” Jonas’s fingers clench in my hair.
“I understood Will being nervous about becoming a father. I mean, with my own stellar childhood, I was anxious myself. But the further along I was, the more distant he became.” My voice is devoid of emotion. “By the time Chris and Annie were born, we were essentially roommates—not a couple. And when Elle and I put all the pieces together…” My head twists to look out the bank of windows.
“You walked in on them,” he says flatly.
I nod. “When the kids were about six months old? And to be honest, Jonas, it was a relief. At the beginning before the lawsuit, I didn’t ask for much—just enough money to help keep the kids in daycare. If he didn’t want to see his children”—I shrug—“well, that was on him.”
“But something changed.”
“He didn’t count on his lover having such a fervent desire for children. And Will had two ready-made. He thought they were for the taking; I proved him wrong.”
“So you kicked their ass.” The harshness of his voice surprises me.
“I have never, nor will I ever, fight for anything the way I did the custody of those children except their happiness.” It’s a vow.
He grips my hair until my eyes meet his. “Then count yourself among one of New York’s heroes, sweetheart.”
My lips part in shock even as he leans forward and brushes the barest of kisses against my lips. “All morning, you were in awe over everyday people who did the same thing you do every single day. Tell me how the fight you went through was different when in the end all you wanted is a better tomorrow for the people you love.”
Tears fall silently down my cheeks. “Jonas, it’s beautiful you think that, but it’s different,” I protest.
His chest rises and falls for a moment before he says, “If you say so.”
I shift until I’m curled on his lap. “But I’m honored you think so,” I whisper in his ear.
With a groan, he turns his head to the side and takes my lips in a gentle kiss. A moan escapes me, giving him the opportunity to change the angle of the kiss. His tongue lazily strokes across the seam of mine, seeking entrance until I let him in.
I wrap my arms around his neck, my fingers threading through the dark hair growing along the nape of his neck. I tremble as the pleasure courses through my body. God, I need this, need him.
The material of his shirt crumbles beneath my fingertips as I grab onto anything I can beneath the onslaught of his kisses. When Jonas tears his mouth away, his dark hair has fallen over his brow. My hand is trembling as I reach up to brush it back. As I pull back, he captures it and presses a warm kiss in the palm. “Be with me. Let me show you what I feel for you.”
