Page 6 of Off-Limits Mate

“I know. You’d never believe it, since this looks like such a dump, but the whole Earthship model is really big right now, especially for people in places like Boulder who are kind of hippies but kind of not and have new money and nowhere to spend it,” I say.

I’m babbling. For the love of everything holy, I’m babbling.

I’m not a babbler. It’s something that I like about myself. I think before I speak, and I’m usually pretty dead on when I do.

But around Jasper, I don’t even have a mind. I’m just… a puddle. A puddle of hormones and memories and the realization that he might look good, but he smells so good it makes my stomach ache and…

Wow, Amara. Wow.

This man is literally stealing the thoughts from my mind, taking me down crazy tangents, and it absolutely has to stop.

“Never thought Nolan would want an… Earthship,” Jasper says with a grimace.

I take a deep breath. No babbling. “Right?”

“Sorry. Not just Nolan. You live here, too,” he says.

He doesn’t just say it. He rumbles. The words that come through his chest are literally so deep that they make the back of my neck tingle.

His voice sounds good because it has to. He was in a band. It doesn’t mean anything.

As long as I keep telling myself it doesn’t mean anything, it’s going to come true. I hope.

Then I realize he thinks I still live with my brother.

Shame punches me in the stomach. He must think I’m a total loser, and honestly… I’m not. Well. I might be, but like hell am I going to let Jasper Rayburn know that.

I throw my shoulders back. “I have my own house, actually. I’m a graphic designer, and I bought it last year because I picked up so many new clients, I could finally get my own space.”

Jasper’s lips twitch, right at the corners. “Congratulations. Sorry, I assumed because Nolan said you’d be here if he wasn’t.”

Ugh. Now he thinks I was waiting for him here, and I think that might be even worse. “It flooded,” I blurt.

Jasper looks at me with confusion, and I realize that I provided absolutely zero context to that. “My house. It’s a little older, a cabin that’s kind of far from here, and a bunch of tree roots dug through the sewage line. Calista’s daughter Juniper was inside eating cereal, and she told us the sink was throwing up, and that was kind of the last time I’ve actually been in my own house,” I say.

Jasper’s eyes widen. “The sink threw up?”

I nod. “Water was everywhere. We ended up having to strip the entire interior, and we’re still waiting on the plumbing to be fully fixed. I’ve been here with Nolan since then, but…”

This is way too much information. Jasper doesn’t care about my literal shitstorm of a home. He’s just being polite.

I sip my lemonade, repressing the urge to tell him everything. Something about Jasper has always made me comfortable, and I don’t want him to know exactly how comfortable he makes me. Especially because we aren’t anyone or anything to each other, outside of Nolan. We’re literally strangers. It’s not like Jasper was really ever my friend. He’s Nolan’s friend. I am Nolan’s annoying burden of a sister. That’s it.

I need to get a freaking grip.

“Yeah. My house is a mess,” I finish.

Jasper frowns. “I’m sorry, Amara.”

“It’s fine. Nolan’s been helping me. Not that I need help. I could do a lot of it on my own. If I wanted to. I just get busy,” I say.

Babbling. Again with the babbling. Ugh.

“Anyway. How are you? What’s new?”

I have clearly asked the wrong question, because Jasper’s face, which has been at least somewhat pleasant looking as he listens, immediately shutters. I swear, I can see a dark shadow pass behind his eyes.

“I’m here,” he says shortly.

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