He Hates Me Not (Hate & Love Duet 2)

Fuck, again.

At this rate, I’m going to faint and that’s never good.

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” he says.

“No.” I shake my head once. Lucio will find me in no time and kill me. “Take me home.”

“But boss…”

“Home. Sicily.” I croak.

Home. Petal.10GeorginaI tell myself I’m only upset because I can’t escape.

Because even though Jasper left, Enzo is here and he’s watching me like a hawk.

Jasper went out early this morning with Angelo, and while he always goes out to work, this time was different. One, they seemed tense. Two, he usually returns to have lunch with me.

Not today.

It’s already night time and there’s no trace of him.

Everyone refuses to tell me where Jasper went as if this is some sort of a secret I can’t be privy to. Even Salli says she doesn’t know and that these things are none of her business.

I thought Jasper’s absence would give me more incentive to escape, but I find myself by the window watching for a car to arrive or something.

It’s getting late and yet I can’t sleep. I feel like something is missing.

Or wrong.

I did lay in bed but without his warmth in it, it felt empty, almost too empty.

What is wrong with you, Georgina?

I force myself to go to bed and lie on top; my hands are crossed over my stomach and I keep staring at the ceiling. Images of when Jasper spanked me then fucked me raw on this same bed trickle back to memory.

Letting my hand trail to my neck, I touch the collar and sigh. It’s like I always have a part of him with me in the form of this collar.

I immediately drop my hand.

Happy thoughts. I need happy thoughts.

Today, I managed to spy a back way through the fields. It’s where the trucks load the supplies and leave. They’re not farm people so they don’t work for Jasper and his family — whom I discovered is super big around here.

According to Salli, people consider the Vitallios their benefactors, and that’s why they respect Jasper to the point of reverence.

Or rather Alessio.

No one calls him Jasper here. It’s either Senior Vitallio or Alessio. I like his other name.

“Alessio…” I murmur as if I want to get a feel of it on my tongue.

I still like the fact I’m the only one who gets to call him Jasper, though. Just like he’s the only one who calls me Petal.

Closing my eyes, I decide that I’m going to forget about Jasper as soon as I’m out of here. I’m going to forget about his firm hand and consuming kisses and the way he brought each of my fantasies to reality.

I’m going to forget about his wicked tongue and the gleam in his icy blue eyes or how his thick hair feels beneath my fingers.

As soon as I’m out of here...

I doze off or I think I do.

Instead of dreaming about an escape, I dream about Jasper lying beside me, slowly waking me up so he’d thrust inside me and make love to me.

Wait. Make love?

“Miss!”

I jolt awake at the harsh accented voice. I’m disoriented from sleep, I don’t focus for a bit, and when I do, I wish I didn’t.

Angelo is wrapping his arm around an unconscious Jasper’s shoulder. Blood drips down his white shirt soaking it in red.

His head lolls to the side and his eyes move beneath his lids.

My heart nearly stops beating and it takes everything in me to form a voice. “W-what happened?”

“He was shot. Can you help him?”

I tuck away all the emotional reactions swirling in the front of my head and I jump to my feet. He’s a patient. A patient.

“Let’s take him to the hospital.”

“Negative,” Angelo says. “No hospitals.”

I know I can argue from here to tomorrow, but Jasper’s men are just like him; if they don’t want to do something, they won’t do it.

Besides, this must be because of criminal activities.

“Put him here.” I motion to the bed.

I try not to focus on how much blood he lost and fail. That’s a lot of blood soaking his shirt. Shit.

“Is there a medical kit here?” I ask Angelo as I rip the buttons off Jasper’s shirt.

“I can check with Salli.”

“Do it, now! And get hot water.”

I take my first look at the wound. It’s a graze, there’s no bullet, but it’s a deep graze that hit vessels and it’s why he lost a lot of blood. It’s been oozing out of him for a long time, hours I assume.

“Jasper!” I hit his cheek. “Jas, come on, open your eyes.”

They move behind his lids but he doesn’t open them. I need to stop the bleeding and stitch him up fast.

“What have you gotten yourself into this time, you idiot?” I try to use my stern nurse voice but it comes out as something close to a sob.