Page 27 of Jasper

“You,” she says, a huge smile spreading across those swollen lips when she breaks apart the kiss.

“Me?”

“You told Mara to stockmybooks?”

“Of course I did.”

“You remembered.”

“You thought I forgot you were Vanessa Sterling, up and coming children’s book author?”

“Well, yeah.”

I cup her cheek, stroking the soft skin with my thumb. “Sweetheart, I remembereverythingabout that weekend. I remember everything about you. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

“I guess it took me a while.”

Is Admiral Wheeler…smiling?

“So funny story,” Vanessa says glancing back at her dad a moment. She bites her bottom lip when her attention returns to me. “My dad was playing matchmaker.”

“No way.”

“Apparently, he hated David and was planning to use you to break us up. But then I showed up without him and made his whole scheme that much easier to implement.”

“Your dad…approves?”

“Why are you surprised? You’re apparently his favorite.”

“No I’m not.”

She rolls her eyes. “Tell that to entire J-Squad.”

“What about your rule not to date a military man?”

“So, Dad and I had a good long chat about Mom this morning. He thinks Mom would never have given me that advice if she’d been lucky enough to meet you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“So what now?”

“First, you’re going to take me back to your place so I can thoroughly thank you in private,” she says, licking her lips.

“Second?”

“Then you’re going to take me to the hotel to pack.”

“Pack?”

“I need to head back to Houston for a couple of weeks to tie up loose ends. Close a business, rescind an offer on a house, and pack up my life. You know, the usual things you have to do to move to a remote Alaska town with the man you love.”

“I like the sound of that,” I say, eager to get started on the first step.

“Would you like the sound of coming with me?” she asks.

“In bed?”

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