Page 39 of His Custody

“I know you said you didn’t want anything for your birthday, but we have theater tickets and I didn’t think you’d want them to go to waste. There’s a dress set out for you. We need to leave in an hour to be on time.”

He glanced at his watch as if to double-check what time it was and then looked up at her.

The theater? She hadn’t been to a play in ages. Not since... Well, it wasn’t like she had other plans for tonight. It was Friday so she couldn’t use homework as an excuse, and the idea of being seen somewhere with Jasper? Looking like he did? That sealed the deal.

She didn’t say a word but walked out the door, casting a pointed glance over her shoulder as she turned to the left, toward the bedrooms. It was her birthday, she was allowed to be bratty.

Jasper smiled at her, the split of his mouth breaking up the harsh lines of his face. He was even more handsome when he smiled. Not many people got to see this side of him. It was precious, hers, so she smiled back before heading down the hallway.

When she got back to the library, she’d changed into the dress that had been hanging up in her closet: a cocktail length, emerald green lace sheath. If she’d been the type of girl who relished sneaking into clubs, it would’ve been easy to tonight. She looked so... sophisticated. And pretty. God, did she look pretty.

She pushed the door open and was amused Jasper seemed to be pacing in front of the fireplace. He stopped when he heard her and for a split second, there was the wildest look on his face. Greedy. Possessive. And though she’d never used the word before, it was perfect for this instant:coveting. It ought to have scared her, but it didn’t. It thrilled her. But before she could feel too much beyond her initial reaction, the look was gone.

“You look nice.” The corner of her mouth rose. The words had come out of his mouth like smoke from flames being smothered. Yes, “nice” was a word.

“So do you.”

Jasper stared at her for another second, his head tipping in a way that reminded her of Gavin. How he’d looked at her sometimes when he couldn’t quite believe she was real and she was his, she’d chosen him. Jasper shook his head like a wet dog and pulled something out of an inner pocket of his jacket.

“Don’t get mad, Tinker Bell,” he said, cutting off her protests before they made it out of her mouth. “They’re on loan so it’s not a present.”

He opened the box and nestled into a cushion of velvet were the most beautiful earrings she’d ever seen. Emeralds the exact shade of her dress cut into teardrops and surrounded by diamonds. She was a little sad she couldn’t keep them forever, especially when Jasper took them out of their comfy home and brushed away some hair that had curled in a tendril by her neck. She shivered at the pass of his fingers over the sensitive skin and the way his fingers gripped her lobe as he fixed the clasp. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath so she wouldn’t sigh. Or moan. God, that would be embarrassing.

Jasper cleared his throat. “All right then. Ready?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice with words.

***

He fidgeted on the way to the play. Jasper Andersson did not fidget. He was either stony, unyielding, or he was a blur of predator about to sink his teeth into someone’s throat. Neither of which allowed forfidgeting. He tried to make small talk with Keyne, asked her about school, but they talked so much every day there wasn’t much to say.

She’d probably dream-walked her way through today anyway. Better than sobbing. He didn’t blame her for wanting to escape some. As long as it didn’t last too long, he’d let her.

She must’ve been wondering about where they were going. They went into Manhattan often enough she must’ve realized that’s not where they were headed. Or maybe she didn’t, lost in her own world. How much time did she spend in the past, with them? He missed them, too. If he let himself. But he couldn’t let himself, because she needed him.

If he fell down that rabbit hole, he’d never climb out.

They pulled up in front of the building an hour later. Keyne was staring out the window, but she wasn’t seeing anything. She’d have something to say about it if she did. He climbed out and walked around to her side of the car, offering her a hand. When she’d eased her way out, she snapped back to the present.

“Where the hell—”

“Language, Keyne. There are children present.”

He studied her shocked expression as she gaped at her surroundings and smugness overcame him when she narrowed her eyes after seeing a sandwich board proclaiming tonight’s entertainment.

“You brought me to the Keep Community Children’s Theater production ofPeter Pan?”

“Yes, I did. I’ll have you know, these tickets weren’t easy to get ahold of. You’re lucky I have connections.”

She tried to keep the scowl on her face, but she couldn’t. Not once the delight started to form cracks. That corner of her mouth perking up always gave her away. Had since she was a little girl.

“Try not to smile, Tallulah Tinker Bell. I dare you,” they’d say to her when she was in the middle of a particularly bad emotional maelstrom. She hadn’t been able to resist as a small child and she couldn’t now.

She almost knocked the wind out of him with how hard she flung herself against him, throwing her arms around his waist and burrowing her head into his chest.

He gritted his teeth and hugged her back.You cannot get hard when you’re holding her, Andersson. You can’t.When she’d walked into that library, he’d almost choked on nothing but air. He knew the dress would be flattering on her. It was a perfect color and would cling in a way that would show off the few curves she had. But he hadn’t anticipated how beautiful she would be. How feminine, how delicate, but most of all howadultshe looked. He had to keep reminding himself she was eighteen. Had literally just turned eighteen.

She was eighteen and he was thirty-two and her guardian. No way, no how should he think of her as anything but a child whose life he was responsible for. When she pulled away, the earnest delight made it easier to remember. No grown woman would let that amount of glee shine so brightly on her face. It was like the way kids laughed, with total abandon. He promptly forgot when she came up on tip-toe and laid a hand on his chest while she kissed him on the cheek.

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