Amanda nodded. “Tell Cyndi I’ll be there.”
Shamus stopped long enough to give her a peck on the cheek. “Will do.”
He was gone before she realized it, leaving her alone with Jonah. There was no hiding any longer. Squaring her shoulders, she faced him. “I’ll need an estimate before you begin to work.” She’d never dealt with these sorts of repairs before, but she knew enough to get it in writing.
“I’ll be fair.”
She raised an eyebrow and stared at him. He had a lot of nerve to assume she’d take his word for anything after the way he questioned her professional reputation. “I’ll need references as well.”
His eyes widened. Obviously, he wasn’t used to having his word questioned. It was childish for sure, but she was glad to be able to give him a taste of his own medicine.
His frown disappeared and a slow smile spread across his face. Oh, no. She locked her knees, ignoring the way that his smile made her stomach, and other parts of her body, flutter wildly.
“I guess I deserve that.” He set his mug down on the counter, the sound echoing in the mostly empty room. “The thing is, I’ve only been back in town a few months so I haven’t done that many jobs for private citizens. Most of my work has been as a subcontractor to B & O Construction. Shamus is my best reference and he was the one who called me.”
He was right about that. “I still want an estimate.” She wouldn’t compromise on that.
“Fair enough. I’ll have one to you by tomorrow.” Jonah walked toward her and she found herself backing away from him. He ignored her and went straight to his toolbox.
Pulling a screwdriver and a few other items from his pockets, he crouched down and put them back in the box before closing the lid.
What he’d said was still ringing in her brain. “I thought you grew up here.”
“I did.” He stood, brushing his hands on the front of his jeans. “But I was gone for more than fifteen years.”
“What did you do all those years?” She placed her mug on the counter beside his and folded her arms loosely across her stomach, trying to calm the fluttering feeling in her belly.
“Army.”
She smiled then. “Excuse me for saying so, but I’m having a hard time picturing you in the army. You don’t seem like the type who would take orders well.”
He gave a small chuckle and threaded his fingers through his hair, pushing the dark mass away from his face. “That was a problem at times, but my group had a lot of leeway and we were pretty independent.”
“Your group?” She could hear the affection and respect in his voice.
“Special Forces.” He turned away and walked toward the window. He stood with his back to her, peering out over the slightly overgrown yard. She knew all the trees needed to be pruned and the grass needed to be cut. When it was done, it would be a beautiful space for her to enjoy.
“Why did you come back?” She knew it was none of her business, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Everything about Jonah fascinated her. She couldn’t claim to know him well, but she could hear the pride he had in his former career.
He turned to face her, hands on his hips. “My father died and my sister needed me.”
The brusque tone told her that this was a closed subject.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s not. But you’d hear about it eventually anyway. The one thing that never changes in a small town is the love of gossip.” He came toward her and this time she forced herself not to back away from him. It wasn’t easy.
He was bigger than her, but not as big as Shamus. She frowned. Shamus might be taller, but Jonah exuded a sense of power, of menace. Maybe it was because she was attracted to Jonah, while Shamus was nothing more than a friend. Whatever the reason, Jonah made her heart pound faster with each step closer he came. He stopped right in front of her.
Reaching out his hand, he touched her hair. She scowled. “I know it’s a mess.”
“It’s beautiful. Like fire.” He threaded his fingers through the mass that fell below the ponytail holder. “Much like you. You try and keep all that fire contained, but it’s there just below the surface. Waiting for the right man to release it.”
Having Jonah close to her set her internal furnace rumbling on full. Her earlier chill was gone and Amanda could feel a bead of sweat rolling down the center of her back.
She swallowed, trying to think of something witty to say. She came up empty. No man had ever said anything like that to her before.
She was no virgin, but she wasn’t exactly overly experienced either. Two serious relationships, both with staid, sensible men, did not make her an expert by any means.
Still, she had to say something. “You think you’re the right man?” She couldn’t believe she was challenging him. Was she out of her mind? A man like him would respond instantly to a challenge. Was that what she wanted?
Jonah’s smile deepened. “Oh yeah, sugar. I’m definitely the man to release all that pent-up fire.” He shifted his body so close she could feel the heat rolling off him even though they weren’t touching anywhere. Her nipples tightened and her core clenched.
His fingers feathered over her cheek and down the side of her neck. A shiver racked her body, raising goose bumps on her arms, but it certainly wasn’t because she was cold.
If anything she was hot. Too hot.
He traced her collarbone and even through the layers of her shirt and her sweater, she felt scorched by the heat of his touch.
“Maybe,” she countered.
He closed his hand over her breast and squeezed gently. “Definitely.” She moaned, unable to stop herself.
He only cupped her breast for a second before sliding his hand over her belly.
Amanda felt her arms falling to her sides and her breath caught in her chest as his fingers crept lower. When they were almost to her mound, he stopped. “Thing is, I’m not looking for a relationship. Nothing permanent.”
His words dampened her sexual excitement as effectively as a cold shower, but they didn’t smother them completely. Arousal still simmered beneath her skin as she forced herself to take a step away from him. “I see.”
He sighed and let his hand drop back to his side. “Do you?” Jonah stared at her, his green eyes ablaze with pure sexual heat. “I want you, Amanda. Make no mistake about it.
But I’m not the settling down type of guy.”
“I see.” She wished she could think of something else to say, but those two words seemed to be the extent of her vocabulary at the moment. Knowing she needed to collect herself, she turned away from him and walked over to stand in the empty eating nook.
“I’m not the kind of woman who has a one-night stand.”
“It wouldn’t be one night.” The whisper startled her. She hadn’t heard him moving to stand right behind her. “I’d need a lot more time than that to sate myself with you. That will take days, maybe weeks. I want to take you fast and hard. Then I want to fuck you slow and easy. I want to pound into your sweet flesh until you scream with pleasure.”
Amanda swayed. The pictures he was putting in her brain threatened to overwhelm her totally. “I can’t think.” This was outside of her realm of experience. Hot guys like Jonah didn’t say things like this to a frizzy-headed woman with freckles. Sleek, sophisticated blondes were more likely to be the target of all this potent testosterone. “I don’t understand.”
“What’s to understand?” He pressed closer and she could feel the hard ridge of his erection against her ass. “I want you and you want me. We’re both single, healthy adults.
What’s the harm?”
He stepped back then and went calmly to his toolbox. “I’ll have an estimate for you by tomorrow.”