Page 23 of Jasper

“Where did you fall? Did you trip?”

Her blue eyes stare up at me, wide and innocent, yet I already know as her lips part that she’s about to lie to me. Too bad for her, before the night is over, she’s going to tell me everything I want to know, whether she likes it or not. And it’s going to be the truth.

10

ARIANA

Shoot. I should have put on my sweater before coming out of my room. The guest room, I mean. It’s only mine for the night. Tomorrow I’m going to figure out how to get to my car and get it running, and then skip out of this town.

“I fell,” I say quickly, too quickly.

“Where did you fall? Did you trip?” he presses.

I divert my attention to his neck vein, which seems to be pulsing really quickly. “Outside.”

His jaw tics. “Outside, where?”

Why does he care? What does it matter?

My mouth opens, then closes. I hate lying, but I also really hate how he’s looking at me. Like he’s seconds away from losing his shit.

“I don’t know, just outside.”

He glares and leans closer, so his face is only inches from mine.

Boy, if looks could kill, I’d be a goner. Instead, a shiver runs through me.

“Don’tlie to me.”

“I’m not?—”

He cuts me off, stepping even closer. We’re practically nose to nose and my bottom tingles for some reason. “Yes, you are. You don’t just fall and end up with scratches like that. Tell me the truth.”

He’s not going to let it go. Of course he isn’t. The man is a wall of intensity and control and bossiness. He’s definitely a murderer.

“I was leaving the bar. I went to get some hot water,” I admit quietly. “In the parking lot, I saw a guy hurting a woman.”

Jasper doesn’t say a word, but I feel his energy shift. Darken.

“I yelled at him to back off, but he didn’t. So I shoved him off her. He lost his balance, and I did too. I fell onto the gravel.”

Silence stretches between us. Danger signs flash in my mind telling me to stop while I’m ahead.

“You tried to take on a man?” he growls.

I look up. “He was hurting her. What was I supposed to do—walk away?”

He steps forward, his fists clenched at his sides. “Who was he?”

“I don’t know.”

“What did he look like? What was he driving?”

“I don’t know, Jasper. It was dark, and I was trying to get away from him, but he started chasing me.”

He lets out a long exhale, hands bracing on his hips as he turns, muttering curses under his breath. The kind that makes my stomach twist and my core tighten at the same time.

“It’s not a big deal,” I add.

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