Way of the Warrior (Troubleshooters #17.5)(98)
“Hurry up! You’re ruining the light,” shouted the petite woman whose current annoyance didn’t squash her buoyant personality.
His feet were like lead as he just stood there and stared at her. Alisha hadn’t changed one bit, except perhaps she was even more beautiful than he remembered, as if she had grown into her charms.
“Seriously! I’m talking to you.” She looked over her shoulder. Her eyes went wide with shock and then she was tumbling off the ladder.
He dumped the toolbox he was holding, and before the lot even hit the ground, was there to intercept what gravity was dropping into his waiting arms. Catching her weight to him, he cuddled her close. The smell of her perfume was intoxicating, much nicer than the strong paint fumes, and a memory flashed in this mind of her guiding him to her neck and asking him to follow his nose…
A part of him responded instantly, like his instincts knew she was his. It was impossible to ignore the past; her, her presence, and the bliss of her body called to him. Not a pretty sight when a big man like him could be felled by a small thunderclap like her.
Soft strands of her hair caressed his skin, and he barely resisted the urge to bury his nose in her beautiful long mane.
Large eyes with thick lashes batted at him. They didn’t look happy. Peeved was probably the emotion he would have chosen to describe that look.
His brain flipped through conversation starters. He’d never been at a loss for words. But, it was her. She was an anomaly. After several long seconds, he said, “Are you okay?”
She turned her head to the side slightly, as if she were getting a better view of him. Her gaze softened briefly, becoming almost dewy, and he had an overwhelming urge to kiss her.
“Alisha,” he murmured. Leaning in, he decided to give in to the wish…
In the space of two breaths, her demeanor changed back to brittle. Her hands pushed on his chest, and she demanded, “Put me down!”
He sighed and relinquished his hold on her. Placing the woman on her feet was a serious buzzkill.
She shook her head and then rubbed her fingers over her clothes as if smoothing away imaginary wrinkles. When she finally looked up at him again, her eyes were bright with fire. “Jonah.”
He struggled not to grin. She was working so hard to keep a lid on her anger, and though he had no interest in becoming the recipient of those flames, he knew the emotion was bound to burst out. “Alisha.” He paused, allowing his eyes to travel the length of her before settling on her steely gaze. “You look well.”
She took a tiny step closer to him, her hands settling on her hips. “You can’t show up here and pretend it was yesterday.” Her shoulders squared. The timbre of her voice dropped to a whisper. “We need to talk.”
His left eyebrow lifted. “Oh, I’m looking forward to it.”
A voice came from the other room. “Hey! Is that my mellow bud?”
Jonah couldn’t resist caressing her skin with his hand as he skirted by her to greet Kevin. The frown she sent in his direction only made his smile grow. Oh yes, he was definitely going to enjoy talking to her.
CHAPTER 2
“You ugly SOB! Why didn’t you tell me you were back?” teased Kevin as he reached up from his wheelchair to embrace Jonah. Both of the men had large shoulders and thick necks, but what was housed above those necks was very different in Alisha’s opinion. Kevin was open, forthright, and very compassionate, and Jonah was secretive, manipulative, and too handsome for his own good.
“Seems like the ugly parade would have alerted you to my presence considering that you’re their king,” replied Jonah with a grin.
Alisha crossed her arms over her chest. No woman liked being ignored, but what these guys did was just short of a bromance. One more moment of the two of them giving each other another line of baloney was more than she could stand. Taking a few steps backward, she reversed course and made a great show of organizing her color-coded To Do chart that covered half a wall.
Frowning at the list, she realized that if she stayed all night and part of the next day, the projects might be completed on time. Julie and Kevin planned an open house the next day at noon to thank everyone who had participated in the build. She wanted everything to be perfect!
“You’re the man, Kev,” laughed Jonah as he high-fived his buddy about some asinine story regarding a launch from a submarine. Who would want to be in a torpedo tube while it was filled with water? She shivered.
Just then Julie rounded the corner with an armful of new paintbrushes and roller pans that she promptly dropped on the floor as she ran toward Jonah with a squeal of delight. “You’re here! Oh, I knew you’d come. Somehow, I just knew.” She threw her arms around him for a huge hug.
Didn’t anyone understand how hard this was for her? The answer was a resounding N.O., as the Tomses and Jonah joked around. It was as if she wasn’t even there.
Alisha was dismayed. The havoc that Jonah had wrought in her life was enormous, and Julie knew it. Not that Alisha was willing to admit that she still carried a torch for the SEAL. Why did men have to be so infuriating?
Opening up the can, she stirred the celery-colored paint. Sweet. This was going to be a gorgeous trim for the bright yellow walls of the kitchen, and it would complement the pastel dreamland of wildflowers in the mosaic tiles of the backsplash behind the stove. Julie understood her artistic palette, and she wasn’t afraid of allowing Alisha to demonstrate her love of the rainbow on these walls.