Page 46 of Jasper

He stares at me, completely stunned.

I reach out, panic rising in my throat. “I didn’t mean to?—”

My fingers brush his bicep, and he flinches like I burned him, jerking away so fast he nearly knocks Rowie’s popcorn out of her hands.

Then he’s on his feet, putting space between us like he doesn’t know what to do.

Horror swallows me whole.

Everyone is silent, staring at us, unsure how to react. Before anyone can say a word, I scramble off the couch and bolt from the room, my bare feet flying up the stairs.

I throw open the door and close it as quickly as I can, pressing my back to the wood, my chest heaving as the humiliation of what just happened replays over and over.

Theo hates me so much that he doesn’t want me to even touch him.

And right now, I can’t say I blame him.

17

JASPER

Istand outside the bar, leaning against the cool metal of my truck, a chill creeping in, and it’s not the mountain air.

Ariana’s taken up space in my head, in all the best ways, yet there’s still that anger boiling inside—frustration over the shit she had to deal with, frustration over the man who wanted to hurt her. And right now, I want to take out my rage on him.

Cage, Ghost, and Cassian are gathered around me, arms crossed, their faces hardened with determination. They know why we’re here. They’ve all seen the footage. We all hate guys like him.

“Bet he thinks he’s some sort of tough guy,” Cage mutters, scanning the street like a wolf searching for his next meal.

“Let him think that,” I reply, cracking my knuckles as I lean against the truck. “He’ll find out real quick that he’s just a coward.”

Cassian chuckles darkly, shaking his head. “I’m just hoping we get the chance to teach him a lesson before he runs off.”

There’s a calmness to the air about us, an unspoken understanding that whatever happens tonight, we’re good with it. Even if it ends with us disposing of a body.

We wait while pedestrians come and go, the laughter and life of the bar rippling out from the entrance.

I scan the area, letting the calm of the night envelop me as my mind races. I want to get home to Ariana. To get her ready for bed and feel her small body curl into me while we both fall asleep. I want to kiss her again. To strip her naked and lick every inch of her tight body before I plunge my cock into her.

Jesus. What is wrong with me? She’s a virgin. And while that pleases me way more than it should, I can’t go all fucking caveman and fuck her into next week… Not the first time, at least.

Then, we catch sight of him. The guy from the parking lot. Dressed in a faded flannel, jeans stretched tight around his frame. He’s got that cocky slouch, the kind that screams “I was the small-town high school quarterback twenty years ago and I think I’m still the shit because of it.” Even from a distance, I can see the arrogance in his posture, oblivious to the danger lurking around him.

“That’s the fucker,” I say, nodding toward him.

My brothers have already spotted him and they’re ready to fuck this guy up. It doesn’t matter that Ariana is still basically a stranger to them. She’s important to me, so she is to them, and they’ll die protecting her without question. It’s what we do. It’s what we signed up for when we were recruited by The Agency to The Elite Team.

We’re not here for small talk; the moment has come.

“Let’s go,” Ghost announces, leading the charge.

We approach him quickly, our strides purposeful and intimidating. He doesn’t seem to notice at first, too engrossed in his conversation with some unsuspecting woman, probably trying to woo her with fake charm and empty promises.

“What’s up?” the guy asks, glancing over impatiently. As soon as he lays eyes on us, he does a double-take and then confusion flickers in his eyes as he takes in our collective presence.

Heat prickles at the back of my neck, and my knuckles ache for the pain of punching him right in the fucking face.

“Step away from her,” I growl, my voice low and filled with barely-contained fury.

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