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  His lids opened and for a second he looked zoned out then he blinked rapidly before focusing on her. “Mindy?”

  “That’s right.” She took his hand. “You okay?”

  “How did I get here? The last thing I remember…” His voice faded off.

  “Is being in your childhood home? Under some kind of attack.” She finished for him.

  “Yes.” He tried to sit up and fell back down on the bed. “You’re not safe with me. There are things after me.”

  “No.” She shook her head before leaning down to kiss his knuckles. Mindy needed contact with him. Any kind she could get. “No one is going to hurt you. Nothing paranormal either. We need to talk but I don’t think you’re up to it yet.”

  “Mindy.” His voice sounded strained. “If there is something I need to know, just lay it on me now. I can’t sit around trying to recover from something if I don’t know what it is.”

  “You have re-created a poltergeist and the things you’re living…basically, you’re doing them to yourself.” She expected denial or rage. What she got instead was his already paled-out skin whitening another shade. “Please don’t pass out. We’ll work this out. Foy has experience. You’re the strongest person I know. If anyone can figure out how to rid himself of this it’s you.”

  This time, Jonah managed to sit up. “You need to leave.”

  “What?” He had another think coming if he thought she was going anywhere.

  “I said get out.” He spoke through gritted teeth. Days—hell, even hours earlier—she would have heard venom in his voice. Now she could hear only fear and knowing him the way she did she knew it wasn’t fear for himself motivating him.

  He didn’t want her hurt.

  “You’re not going to get rid of me by acting like a douchebag. So drop the anger routine and let’s talk about what we can and cannot do here. Deal?”

  “Why are you bothering with this shit?” He pulled himself upright until he stood. She could see the strain on his muscles. Jonah happened to be one of the most in-shape people she’d ever known. If he was having that much trouble standing then it was fair to say he was really down for the count.

  “Are you going to answer me?” he hollered but the way he gripped onto the bedpost took some of the sting from his words. “Why are you doing this? Go back to Austin. You’ve fixed your hair, you’ve clearly managed to get your shit back to together. Go live life. Get out of here.”

  He turned his back to her, walking impressively steadily considering the rough shape she knew him to be in.

  A million retorts came to her mouth. One of which involved telling him where he could shove his attitude. It basically involved putting it where the sun didn’t shine and then falling off a large cliff.

  Broken. Braxton’s earlier words resonated in her mind. She couldn’t fix Jonah. He had to do that for himself. But maybe she could show him that he was worth the effort.

  “I’m staying here because I’m in love with you.”

  He swung around, nearly falling over before he righted himself upward. “What?”

  “I think you heard me. I’m in love with you. I don’t know if you feel the same way. It would be nice if you did, but I suppose it’s really neither here nor there if you do when it comes down to it.” She walked toward him. “I love how you always try so hard to take care of everyone around you, even if they don’t notice. I love how you feel things so deeply, especially the needs of others. I’m convinced it’s why Damian’s poltergeist triggered yours. You just felt his pain too strongly.”

  “Mindy…”

  She wasn’t going to let him put her off. “You’re funny, charming when you want to be, kind to strangers and when you don’t expect someone to be watching you. When you look at me…it feels as if you really see me. Your friends adore you, even if you don’t know it. Foy respects you. I could keep going but you look as if your head might explode. Listen, I love you. This is how I feel. So I can’t give up on you and I need you to not give up on yourself.”

  She didn’t know how he’d respond. Looking at her feet seemed a good idea and since she didn’t have the strength left in her to fight both for him and her own insecurities she let herself check out her sneakers.

  For the first time in her life she’d said “I love you” to the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and all she was getting was silence. Mindy took a deep breath just before he hauled her against him.

  She looked up. “What?”

  He pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her hard. Mindy sighed. Kissing Jonah always felt so right.

  Only this time something felt different. She pulled back as she realized what it was. His body shook against hers.

  God, she’d forgotten how hurt Jonah happened to be. “I’m sorry. You need to go lie down.”

  “Only if you’re going with me.” He kissed her forehead, her cheek, her nose. “You think you can tell me what I’ve wanted to hear from you for six months and then send me off to bed like a child? Mindy, you have to be out of your mind. I’m the son of devil worshipers. I’ve created a poltergeist. You should be running for your life, not telling me you love me.”

  When he said the word love, his voice lowered as if he couldn’t believe he was speaking it. “Well, I do. So deal with it.”

  “All right.” His grin was slow. “I think you said something about lying down.”

  “Right. You’re not well.”

  “Baby.” He shook his head. “I’m well enough.”

  * * * * *

  Jonah swung her around and she shrieked. Mindy must not have thought he’d be able to manage that much physically but with her declaration in his head he could climb mountains if she wanted him to.

  He pushed her down until he lay on top of her.

  “Jonah.” She touched the side of his face and goose bumps broke out on his skin. “You’re deeply wounded right now. You don’t have to do this.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. She had such a sexy one. In fact, there wasn’t any part of her body he didn’t find that way. “If you think there is a have-to factor to this then I must be doing it wrong.”

  “Jonah.” He could see the determination in the strong set of her jaw and the way she narrowed her eyes. The woman didn’t want him hurting himself.

  “Mindy.” He swallowed. She’d confessed her feelings and changed his life. He could feel the cold spots inside him warming. Jonah could do nothing else but give her the same. “I’ve been in love with you for six months. Since the moment I laid eyes on you and I didn’t even believe in love at first sight before then. Christian had to shut me up from saying something inappropriate the first night we met.”

  She smiled and his heart turned over. Every move Mindy made touched him deep inside where he hadn’t known he needed to be. “Jonah, why do you think I followed you to Chicago? I love you. Your words mean everything to me but it doesn’t mean that I want to risk you overdoing things right now.”

  “Tell you what. You can fuss over me all you want in a couple of hours. For now I feel strong. I need to be in you, to know your warmth. Don’t say no.”

  Mindy narrowed her gaze at him. “If you collapse on top of me it’s going to cause permanent psychological problems.”

  “I can absolutely guarantee that won’t happen.”

  He kissed her, needing to feel her lips, needing to caress her body. Needing her altogether, which should scare the fuck out of him. Only he’d never felt better in his life. Strong. Able. If it was going to be temporary then he needed to take advantage of it the best way he could. Making love to his woman.

  They’d had hot sex every time they’d been together but this felt different. They always had intensity between them. But this? In his bones he knew it was sacred.

  She didn’t argue and he bit down on her bottom lip. Somehow, he was going to have to resist the urge to mark her all over. Never before had he wanted to make physical proof on a woman’s body of his possession. But of course he’d never before
had a woman like Mindy loving him.

  Goose bumps erupted on his skin at the thought. She. Loved. Him.

  He ripped at her shirt, breaking some of the buttons. Mindy looked down at his maneuverings and then back up to make eye contact with him. “This is not a cheap shirt.”

  “Well, its garbage now.” He ripped it apart. “Anything that gets in the way of me touching you is going to be destroyed.”

  “Is that true for all things or just clothing?”

  “I meant what I said. Anything that comes between us gets destroyed.” Including his own personal demons.

  “The same goes for me. You might be mister tough guy but I will always be there on your side. Get it?”

  He bit down lightly on her earlobe. “I’ve got it.”

  After unhooking her bra, he took her nipple in her mouth. It perked under his tongue, hardening while she moaned. “Yes. Like that, Jonah.”

  He tweaked the other nipple while he continued to suck on her breast. Her skin tasted sweet and he pulled back to lick her. She shivered and he grinned. Making Mindy squirm had to be one of the ultimate pleasures of his life.

  His balls tightened and his cock ached. Down, boy. He wasn’t ready for that yet. Not when there were still so many parts of her body he wanted to touch.

  She tugged at his shirt. “Why am I always so naked when you remain dressed?”

  “Because I really, really like you nude.” It was, in fact, his favorite image. His getting that way was only useful because it got him inside her.

  Additionally, he did love the way it felt when she touched him. Skin-to-skin contact with Mindy made his senses go insane. Somehow he had to figure out how to get her to touch him all of the time.

  He pulled at her pants until he got them off and then undressed himself. With her eyes watching his every movement, he felt exposed and for the first time ever didn’t mind the experience. Jonah could be exposed to Mindy and nothing bad would happen to him. She would take care of his soul.

  Jonah yanked off her undies and then his own. They were both completely naked and once again he was struck by how perfect her curves were. Mindy was round in all the right places. He stroked down her chest toward her belly, rubbing his hands across her tummy.

  “You’re so beautiful. So soft. What are you doing loving me, baby? Could have anyone you want.”

  She whacked him on the arm. “Knock that off. Do you have any idea what you look like?”

  He smiled. If she saw him that way he wouldn’t complain. But she clearly looked at him through rose-colored glasses.

  Jonah plunged one finger inside her warmth. She sighed and he moved his hand deeper. She was already wet. He loved that about Mindy. Whenever he wanted her, she seemed to be ready. God knew he was always more than able to get hard for her.

  Thoughts of his cock made his erection jump and he bit back a groan. How could he already be this hard? He’d barely touched her. His body begged to lay claim to the words he’d spoken earlier, to show her in their joining that he meant what he said.

  Finding her clit, he rubbed it between his fingers. She squirmed, grabbing his arms. Her eyes fluttered shut.

  “Mindy.” She opened her eyes to look at him. “Stay with me. I want to look in your eyes and see you staring back at me.”

  He knew he could be a real son-of-a-bitch ordering her around but he needed that. Mindy with him, body and soul.

  “I want that too.” She smiled and he could see all the love she professed staring back at him in her gaze.

  With a quick movement he sheathed himself in the condom he pulled out of his drawer. Then he lined himself up and plunged into her core. She jolted and then her muscles stretched to accommodate him.

  He kissed her, hard, as he began to move inside her. She tasted sweet. He was readily on his way to becoming addicted to her and that was fine. He’d gladly spend the rest of his life this way.

  In and out they moved, their tongues dancing at the same time. She clenched around him and he drove himself balls deep into her, rubbing against her clit with every thrust. She rewarded him with a moan.

  “You like that?” He rubbed her again. “I’ll do it as much as you want, baby. For as long as you want, until you are writhing against me.”

  Because that was all he wanted in the world. Jonah lost track of time and his world tunneled to just them. Her noises, her movements, the wetness between their bodies. Heat radiated from their skin. The moment was hot, charged—so intense he wasn’t sure he could bear it except that he wanted it to never end.

  With a gasp, Mindy exploded around him. Her head thrown back, her hands fisting the sheets of the bed. God, she was so beautiful. Like this, he could almost believe in fate, destiny and that everything he had to endure had been so he could have her, live in this moment.

  His cock ached and his balls throbbed. The pressure built and built. It spread throughout his body and as Mindy drove against him, finding her pleasure, he finally had to give in to his own.

  The world lost color and only his release, plowing into her until he eked every last bit of pleasure between them—for his love—mattered.

  Eventually, he collapsed on top of her. He’d move before he hurt her. Somehow he’d manage to make his body move.

  * * * * *

  He must have rolled off her but he didn’t remember when. She slept in his arms now, her breathing even and soft against his chest. Jonah kissed her head. She smelled of strawberries.

  Jonah felt so peaceful. Had he ever felt this way before? Ever?

  A movement caught his attention. The lampshade on the other side of the room swayed. He stared at it in the darkness.

  It had to be a breeze. He was calm, happy. No way, no how would he be creating a poltergeist at that moment.

  The whole lamp jolted up and down on the table. Jonah sat up straight, waking Mindy. He would feel bad but she did need to get out of there if danger had poured down on their sanctified moment together.

  “Damn it.” He swore.

  “Jonah.” Mindy rubbed her eyes. “What’s the matter?”

  “Look.” He pointed at the lamp, now floating over the table.

  “Oh no.” She bit down on her lip, he could see the worry in the strain of her neck and the clench of her jaw.

  The lamp flew toward them. “Mindy.” He jumped up, taking the blow of the lamp against his body. It stung, ached. He was sure it would leave a mark as it banged into him over and over again. “Run.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Mindy ducked, getting out of the way of a flying chair. Things had gone downhill rapidly. After missing her, the chair swung at Jonah, hitting him in the arm. She’d seen him take down a hoard of hellhounds without a scratch. But he couldn’t fight his self-made demons nearly as well.

  He kept shouting at her to run but there was no way she was leaving him. Not for long anyway.

  “I’m going for some help. Don’t worry,” she called over the fray of cracking and clashing in the room. Hopefully, he could hear her. She grabbed his robe to cover the nakedness that moments earlier had been so safe. Now exposure made her shiver.

  Muttering to herself, she tore out the door into the hallway. “Please don’t kill yourself with your bedroom furniture.”

  She rushed down the hall toward the only person she could think to help. Somehow all her research and martial arts training were proving to be null and void when helping Jonah with this situation.

  Mindy banged on Foy’s door and he answered it a few seconds later. He raised his eyebrows when he saw her. “Problem?”

  “You didn’t see this coming or whatever you do?” she panted.

  “It’s not an exact science.” He shook his head. “You want to sneer at me or tell me what has you running down the hall to me with your robe half open. Braxton told me Jonah was okay.”

  “He was.” Heat infused her cheeks at Foy’s reprimand. She adjusted her robe. He was right and she shouldn’t have said what she did. But being out of control made her tw
itchy. Striking out was easier than being afraid, even as immature as it happened to be. “But now he’s not. Things are flying everywhere.”

  “Shit. Move.” He shoved her out of the way and she rubbed her arm as she chased him down the hall. Foy called over his shoulder. “Sorry I pushed you that hard.”

  “Just get to Jonah and all will be forgiven.”

  The scene she saw when she walked in the room made her gasp. Jonah writhed on the floor holding his head. Foy charged to him and looked down. Nothing flew or banged so that had to be an improvement. The agony radiating from her love was not.

  She swallowed her tears. He needed strength from her, not weeping. For the first time ever she understood why Foy had told them to pick women who could handle the life.

  “Jonah.” Foy bent down. “You okay, son?”

  That was the second time she’d heard Foy call Jonah son. She wondered if he did it to all the blood-oathed or just Jonah?

  “You can’t tell me this is all in my head.”

  At least he could hear them this time. When they’d arrived in the house it had been a different story altogether. He’d been completely unaware of them.

  “What do you see?” Foy looked up at her and shook his head.

  She didn’t understand his shorthand but shaking his head like that couldn’t be a good thing.

  “BoBo and flying demons. Everywhere.”

  Her mouth went dry. As far as she was concerned, she couldn’t imagine a worse delusion to envision. BoBo had been responsible for all of her pain earlier in the year. He was gone. Dodie had killed him.

  “Not here, Jonah.” Foy knelt down. “I can promise you that. This is a no-demon zone in this house. It’s been warded so many times by so many people I can’t think of anything bad that could get through the door.”

  “I know.” Jonah removed his hand from his eyes. He stared at Foy. She knew before he opened his mouth that he was going to say something she didn’t like. Maybe it was the hard set of his eyes or maybe it was just that she’d come to know him really well. Whatever he said next was going to make her heart hurt. “You have to do something for me, Foy.”