Page 59 of Dumbstruck
It’s that surrender that gives me the courage to close my eyes and press my lips to his.
Jonah’s lips are soft. Warm. And though his hands tighten their grip on me, he does nothing else but meet my tentative kiss with his own. It is gentle and beautiful and not nearly enough. “June,” he whispers against my lips.
“What’s your real name?” I whisper back.
I feel him smile. “Are you sure you want to know? I told you you’ll be disappointed.”
“When it comes to you, I don’t know if anything can disappoint me.”
He kisses me again, then pulls back slightly, his eyes dancing when I look at him. “My name is John.”
“John,” I repeat, tangling my fingers in his hair again. “That’s not all that different from Jonah.”
“Maybe not.”
“John Martin…what? I’m guessing it’s not James.”
He shakes his head, his smile growing. “No, it’s not. If I tell you my last name, will you let me kiss you properly?”
“That wasn’t a proper kiss?” I don’t need him to answer that question. Every kiss with Jonah has been amazing, but they have been as tame as kisses can get.
He chuckles. “If that was all I got with you, I would be happy. But no, it wasn’t.” His hands slide more around me and pull me closer. “I am so ready to really kiss you, June Harper.”
I bite my lip. “First tell me your full name.”
“John.” He brushes a kiss against the corner of my mouth. “Martin.” Kisses the other corner. “Smith.”
My gasp is swallowed up as he captures my mouth with his, not with a sweet, simple kiss but with the kind of kiss that leaves me breathless. His hands jump to my head, pulling me in as his mouth moves against mine, over and over again in the most delicious way. But I can tell he’s holding back, and I am not going to walk out of this closet regretting what could be my best chance to fully kiss Jonah James.John.
“Mr. Smith,” I say with a little laugh, then claim his mouth for my own, tucking my arms around his neck and taking command. Jonah responds eagerly, matching everything I do with leashed enthusiasm, letting me decide each step in a way no one has ever done before. The level of respect and adoration is enough to completely silence my thoughts and worries.
But I’m ready to set him free.
“Kiss me,” I whisper.
With a breathless laugh, Jonah does as I ask, tugging me closer and kissing me deeper until Ireallycan’t think straight. His hands are on my waist, in my hair, running down my back, while I explore his chest, his shoulders, anywhere I can touch. He kisses as confidently as he does everything else, and I will never get enough.
“Jonah?”
I gasp and break away from Jonah at the sound of Richie’s voice, though I’m surprised I heard it. The closet door is still closed, but light spills from underneath.
“Jonah!” Richie calls again, sounding frantic now.
I move to get up, but Jonah’s arms tighten around me, and he gives me a warning look. “What happened to wanting to get out of here?” I ask with a chuckle.
He shakes his head, a flash of fear warring with the desire in his eyes. “Not yet.”
I think he knows as well as I do that as soon as we get rescued, it could be a long time before we’re ever alone again. Surely this can’t be the only chance we get, can it? A lifetime of always having Richie or Dexter or a stranger right there to keep us apart? It would be hard enough formeto be in the tabloids like Hank, but can Jonah really live in the spotlight for the rest of his life? I don’t think he minds that part, and it comes with his job, so… Reality is never going to change, even if he does cut back on projects. Choosing to be with him means choosing to sacrifice the quiet life I’ve built for myself.
Jonah buries his hand in my hair, pulling my head down until my forehead rests against his. “We can figure this out,” he says, as if he read all my worries on my face. “It might not be easy, but we can make it work.”
“How?” I whisper, curling myself up against him and burying my face in his neck. “Jonah—John—what do I even call you now?”
Though a commotion starts up outside, probably the production team realizing no one can find Jonah, Jonah tucks his arms around me in the most protective hold I’ve ever felt. “Honestly, I prefer Jonah. It’s been my name almost as long as John was. And it’s the name that brought me to you.”
Okay, I love that. But I still need to know how we’re going to go forward. “Jonah. As much as I want to say I’d be fine, I don’t think I can live in Los Angeles.”
“I know.”
