“I’m tired of waiting, Jasper. If you don’t want me, you can’t stop anyone else from having me. So, wipe that glare off your fucking face,” I tell him. His mouth pops open in shock because I have never raised my voice at him or maybe it’s because I finally said something to him about us. I don’t know but my heart hurts too bad to care right now. I’m tired of being in love with a man that won’t love me back.
Chapter Three
Jasper
What the fuck am I watching here? Twenty minutes ago, I watched her dash outside. She looked so sad, all I wanted to do was kiss away her sadness, but I waited a bit to let her collect her thoughts or enjoy the view, whatever she went out there for. I can see now that was a fucking mistake. I should have known that this isn’t Heart Falls and no one here but Alex knows that she’s mine. I went out to the patio with every intention to stake my claim on her but when I saw her sitting there drinking with another man, I froze. I never freeze. Part of my job is ensuring I can handle high pressure situations at a moment’s notice. This is different though. Pure panic and anger waged through my body and I thought I lost her. I clenched my fists as she laughs easily with the dick bag sitting next to her. She has never laughed so easily with me and the thought of that kills me.
At home, the chemistry between us is off the charts. There’s no way in hell I could have imagined that. Every time we are in the same room, I feel like I’m the one on fire. My blood boils and my heart races. Everything between us is coiled so tightly sometimes I can’t tell if she even likes me or not.
Their conversation reaches me word for word and I don’t like it one fucking bit. The asshole asked her out, but she said no. Then she looks around and our eyes lock. Her eyes are glinting in the lights and her lips raise in the slightest smirk, but somehow, she still manages to look like the most beautiful and mischievous Cheshire cat in the world. She’s about to do something crazy, I can tell.
“Sure, tomorrow,” she says. She sounds excited about it, but I take great satisfaction in the fact that she doesn’t look excited about it. I know she’s doing this to goad me, and I’m going to take great pleasure in making her mine and so will she.
“Great,” the man replies brightly. This date will happen over my dead body, bet on that. I watch in abject horror and anger, like I’ve never known, as she leans over and kisses him on the cheek. I see red and growl, but the waves drown out the sound. I start to charge the scene, but then her next words hit my ears, and I pause.
“Thanks for cheering me up. I needed it more than I thought I did.” My chest clenches and I realize that my blind following of the rules put in place by an ineffectual, entitled asshole of a boss has hurt her. Any fool could see it, why couldn’t I? Why did it take a stranger to make me see? Suddenly my grandmother’s soft voice drifts into my head. “Don’t just crave who you want, adore them as well. Keep them happy and safe. Everything works out in the end.” She died when I was eight and she was talking to my dad, Eli, about my stepmom, Elena, so I don’t know why her words of wisdom would be coming to me now, but I’ll heed them.
“Anytime,” the man says and my anger returns. I am supposed to be the one to cheer her up. I don’t just crave her, I love her, more than that I adore her. She turns away from the table, her eyes finding mine again. She glares at me, her jaw squared. She looks adorable, even though she’s clearly pissed off. She moves to walk past me but stops short and looks up at me. She’s 5’6 to my 6’4 and reaches my pecs. She has to crane her head when we stand this close, which isn’t often enough for my tastes.
“I’m tired of waiting, Jasper. If you don’t want me, you can’t stop anyone else from having me. So, wipe that glare off your fucking face,” she seethes at me. Her tiny fists are clenched at her sides. My mouth drops open at the sound of her furious voice. I’ve never heard her shout except for the time the Broncos made a touchdown that they desperately needed to win but that was out of excitement, this right here is anger and it’s sexy as hell. My cock is hard and not for the first time for her. She’s all my dick has thought about, to the point that not even my hand is good enough anymore.