Owned By Fate(50)

As she passed, he brushed her hair back over her shoulder so the teeth marks would be visible, but Caroline only glanced up at him with interest, not perceiving his intention. Jonah smiled down at her, not caring if that omission made him a son of a bitch. Their interlude on the deserted patio hadn’t been enough to dissipate his jealousy. It still had a firm grip around his neck, and with his hand riding the small of her back protectively, her petite body displaying signs of his passion for her, it only seemed to increase. When they entered the dining room, the bastard still sat at their table, talking into his cell phone.

Caroline glanced at him in confusion when he led her away from the table, toward the stairs leading down to ground level. “I have to go pay the check. It’s a business meeting.”

“We’ll pay it downstairs.”

“Jonah—”

He leaned down to speak, very precisely, into her ear. “You will not return to another man after I’ve just come inside you, Caroline. I won’t be able to stand it.”

She stared at him for long moments but finally nodded. “He’s an asshole anyway.”

Something ugly curled in his belly at the implication she’d been treated with anything less than respect. “Really.”

When Caroline turned and began to descend the stairs, Jonah saw the man sit straighter in his chair with a frown, noticing her departure and looking less than happy about it. Too bad, motherfucker. Then the guy turned and looked at Jonah, understanding dawning on his face. Jonah sent the man a wink, resisting the primal urge to suck the taste of her off his fingers while the other man watched.

Leaving the man gaping after him, he followed Caroline down the stairs and joined her at the bar, where she was signing a credit card receipt. She handed him his hat, which he’d left sitting on the bar beside his half-empty glass of whiskey.

One corner of her mouth quirked up. “Again with the hat?”

“Baby.” He smoothed her lip with the pad of his thumb. “Don’t act like you don’t love the hat.”

Looking cautiously amused, she let him retrieve her coat from the attendant and lead her from the restaurant. They walked along the sidewalk, letting the sounds of the city surround them. Cabs whizzing past, racing from one fare to the next. Groups of friends laughing and stumbling between bars, cigarettes being lit up and stomped out. Wind tunneling through the surrounding skyscrapers, lifting his coat and Caroline’s hair, weaving the myriad sounds together into a patchwork quilt of noise. Neither one of them spoke for several blocks, still getting used to each other’s presence in a public place. He couldn’t deny the fierce surge of satisfaction he felt having her beside him, looking well fucked and gorgeous, dangerous as that enjoyment might be.

Noting the block they were on, Jonah took her hand and led her down a side street. He knew of a quiet underground jazz club where she wouldn’t have to worry about being seen by anyone and would hopefully let her guard drop for a while. Even now, her hand was tense in his, eyes scanning the street, presumably for anyone she knew. Jonah refused to let it bother him. Tomorrow, when he inevitably began to miss her again, he would use it as a reason to convince himself he was better off without her. It might even work for an hour or two.

Caroline didn’t question him as he led her down the dimly lit staircase with a single blue lightbulb hanging over the entrance. Before he opened the door for her, Jonah leaned down and kissed her, just a gentle teasing of the lips that had her swaying toward him.

“After you,” he whispered against her mouth.

Her gaze lit with challenge. As she bypassed him into the small club, she let her breasts press and drag against his chest, eliciting a low groan from his throat. Wishing he’d convinced her to go home with him instead, he let his hand skate over her ass and squeeze the supple flesh as he followed her inside.

Almost immediately inside the door, the bar greeted them on the left, while a stage and a handful of tables were stationed on the right. Couples sat close, paying only fleeting attention to the trio of musicians onstage, the sultry music doing its job in creating an intimate atmosphere. No one paid them the slightest bit of attention as they slipped through the darkness and found a round table. When Caroline moved to pull back her own chair, Jonah shook his head and tugged her down onto his lap instead. A gasp of surprise puffed past her swollen lips, sending arousal slithering through his stomach. He thought she still might protest, but after a moment, she seemed to notice the other customers’ lack of interest and relaxed against him.

“Shouldn’t you be at Serve right now?” Caroline asked softly. Respectful of the performers, Jonah imagined. “It has to be packed tonight.”