Page 137 of Sweet Little Thing

Tears burned my eyes as the frustration grew. I shouldn’t have slept all day. And why was I crying about it? My emotions were all over the place.

“You slept in your car?” he asked me.

“Yes! It’s free!”

“Jesus,” he muttered something else under his breath, but I didn’t understand it, nor did I care. I wasn’t helpless. I was smart about it.

“I know where we can stop tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll let you guide me. I promise. But tonight, you’re sleeping in a bed in a fucking hotel. Do it for my safety if not for yours. Because if Stone ever found out I allowed you to sleep in this car, he’d murder me with his bare hands.”

I doubted that, but I also knew Jasper wasn’t going to let up on this. I was sure he had never slept in a car in his life. I didn’t imagine he would start tonight, no matter how much I demanded.

“Fine. But tomorrow, this ends. I find a town and I stay there. You get on a plane back to Manhattan and live your life. Forget what you know and trust my decisions.” Because I will leave as soon as you’re gone and move somewhere else.

“I’ll do whatever you say,” he replied.

I had a hard time believing that, but I had to trust him and let him take us to a hotel. The day was almost over. And he was right. I wanted to get out and walk around. My legs ached frombeing in the car most of the day.

A sign up ahead said Beaufort. I’d heard of Beaufort. That was too close to Savannah. What was he doing? This wasn’t my idea of distance. “Why are we so close to Savannah? This is not the way to North Carolina,” I said, stating the obvious.

He shrugged. “I thought we’d drive up the coast.”

More wasted time and gas.

“They’ve got some decent hotels here,” he said as if that made it all better.

“Yes, hotels that will cost a fortune.”

He frowned. “Not really. It’s the river, not the actual coast.”

I just rolled my eyes. Jasper would think anything less than a five-star was average. It was his world, and I never belonged there to begin with.

I stayed silent as he chose a hotel that wasn’t on the water but wasn’t cheap either. When he pulled up to the front, he turned to face me. “They’ll get your bag.” I wanted to grab my beat-up duffel bag and haul it inside with me, but I got out and managed to smile at the man holding my door open before heading into the building.

Frustrated with myself more than anything, I sulked while Jasper checked us into the hotel. He brought me a room key. “Try and get some rest,” he paused, and his eyes seemed almost as if he were asking for forgiveness. “I only want to help. That was my goal—to make up for all the harm I caused.”

I felt bad for being so difficult. He had been nothing but nice and patient with me. If I was honest, not being alone had made this easier. He wasn’t trying to upset me. This was just his way of doing things. “Thank you. You’ve been great today. I’m just…I’ve got a lot on my mind, and I don’t mean to be so testy.”

He smiled. “It’ll all be okay.”

One day, maybe it would be—it wouldn’t be for a while. I didn’t say that, though. I simply nodded. “Goodnight,” I said instead.

“Goodnight, Beulah.” The way he said my name sounded like it meant more. There was something in his tone that struck me. I paused and studied him a moment. Then figured I was reading too much into it.

With one last smile, I left him there and went to find my room.

Chapter

Eighty-Five

Stone

I stood outside the hotel in Beaufort, South Carolina, where Jasper had said he’d take her. When he called me earlier today, I didn’t want to answer his call. My father had just sent word from his lawyer to mine that if I continued my course of action, I would regret it.

He knew I was going to fight for Wills, so he sent him away. Wills wasn’t at a boarding school; I had found that out quickly enough. He was staying in my father’s newest house in London. The boarding school had been a smokescreen.

I answered the call because Jasper was with Beulah. I hadn’t expected him to call me when he was with her. I fully expected him to take advantage of the situation to try and win her back. His calling had concerned me as much as it had relieved me. But I’d not wanted him to know that. My pride was suffering from her leaving me when I loved her so goddamn much.

I greeted him by saying if he couldn’t take care of her, I’dsend someone else. Which was a fucking lie. What he said next, however, had brought me here.

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