Page 28 of The Twelve Knots of Christmas
Heat rushed into my face and I sucked down too much too fast, making me cough. I still had to force out, “I wasn’t wondering.”
“She likes Omegas, you know, and you’re just her type,” he purred.
As if my face couldn’t get any hotter, it felt like I was a boiled lobster. I covered it with a hand and wished I had my hair down to hide behind like Emberlee often did. If only my friends were here with me now. Lyla was the witty one and Emberlee would probably scold Jasper for saying such a thing. I couldn’t manage to get my tongue to cooperate to say anything.
Jasper’s fingers rested on his glass, picking it up now and then to slowly swirl the ice around. When the embarrassmentwas nearly out of my system, he tipped his head to the side to regard me. “So why don’t you like Christmas?”
Everything I’d been feeling before was whacked away by my anger. We were not going back to this shit again. “Why are you such a jerk?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “You want us to help you. It’s no small favor.”
“No, I get that. But Balthazar and Lucian didn’t seem to have an issue with it.” They had other expectations, but I didn’t want to get into that either.
“Because they’re thinking with their hearts and not nearly as much with their dicks.” Jasper said it with a straight face. No trace of humor. My eyes widened, and I started to protest, but he shook his head and cut me off. “No, that’s what they’re doing. Since I’m the only one with a clear head, it’s my job to make sure you aren’t trouble wrapped in a cute little package.”
“I’m not trouble!” No one in my life had ever called me that. I was responsible and level-headed. Taking another drink of my gin rickey, I huffed. “And why does me not liking Christmas have anything to do that?”
“Since you feel very strongly about it, it lets me see what type of person you really are. You say you’re being completely honest and you aren’t looking for anything out of this other than help with your heat, but are you the type to fool with an Alpha’s heart? Dip your hand into his wallet? Or just generally fuck up his life.” Jasper’s expression hardened as he kept talking, and the seriousness of his tone had a queasiness rolling in my stomach. “Because this is my pack. No one fucks over my pack and gets away with it.”
He glared at me accusingly, but something tightened between my legs and made me ache for him. Not sure what to say, I had another sip only to realize that I’d finished mydrink. Was I reacting to the gleam in his gorgeous eyes or his protectiveness over his pack? Oh God, both. It was both.
“You should slow down with the gin. I don’t want to have to carry you home.”
Maybe I wanted him to. Snuggled against his hard body, breathing in that very male scent as I nibbled his neck. My nipples hardened, and wetness soaked my panties. Fuck. Was that slick?
“What kind of person are you, Mariska?” Jasper pushed onward, and I gasped as if he just thrust into me. His eyes widened and darkened, leaning toward me.
I pushed backwards, sitting as far back in my chair as it would allow. “I don’t want to cause any trouble. I don’t want a pack. I was clear on that. I’ve never played a game with anyone’s feelings before in my life. That’s just cruel.” Except my own. So many times over the years I tried to convince myself of certain things with my family and Jack and even the stupid Blue Skies board, but that was just me. Was Jasper staring at my breasts now? Determined to prove myself, I kept rambling. “Christmas reminds me of family. A family that emotionally abandoned me after my grandmother died when I was a kid. I was swept away to Omega school and none of them ever thought about me again. I was alone. Alone every holiday.”
Tears started to form, and I blinked rapidly. No way was I going to cry. “I don’t want a mate, so I’m not going to mess with anyone’s heart. I don’t need anyone’s money. I’m financially secure on my own. If you still think I’m going to fuck with your pack, just say so and we’ll call all this off. I’ll deal with my heat alone as I’ve dealt with every other big thing in my life.”
Pushing back from the table, I put a stranglehold on the threat of tears and started to stand. “Yeah. This is too much to put on someone else. The deal’s off. I’m going.”
I stood and swayed slightly. Shit. I really had downed that gin rickey too fast.
Jasper was fast on his feet and took my hands in his. Fire roared through my body, and I may have whimpered. “Sit down.”
I sat back in my chair. No hesitation.
He released one hand but not the other. His fingers weren’t tight but firmly embraced my smaller hand. I could feel every point of contact. My breaths came faster and my heart thumped hard.
“Lauren, bring over a plate of canapés, please.” Jasper returned to his seat and scooted it closer to mine. He lowered his voice, but it was twice as intense. “You’re not calling off the deal. No one is abandoning you during your heat. We’ll help any way you need us to.”
“But you said…” He’d said a lot of things and they were jumbled in my head along with my hormones screaming for him to touch more than just my hand. “Balthazar and Lucian… they want…”
“I know what I said. That will be an issue, but I’ll handle it. What you need to know about us is that we don’t abandon anyone. We’re here for you, Mariska.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m here for you.”
My body vibrated with his words. I should leave, run far away, but I also wanted to throw myself at him and let him knot me and claim me. To have someone that would never let me down, a mate who would love and respect me—
Lauren set a plate on our table with delicious goodies. “This week’s spread has chestnut profiteroles, brie and cranberry twists, and pecan stuffed dates.” She pointed each one out as she named them, and also put a glass of water next to me before picking up my empty gin rickey. “Let me know whatyou think. Lindy made the profiteroles, so they’re fabulous, but I tried my hand at the other two.”
“Thanks, Lauren. They look amazing.” Jasper excused her, never taking his eyes from me. Once she had returned to the bar, he picked up one of the bow tie shaped twists. “Eat. I was going to wait until we had appetizers at the Saffron Lounge, but you need food to soak up the gin. If I’d known what a lightweight you were, I'd have ordered your drink without the alcohol.”
His hand remained over my hand. What would his lips feel like pressed to mine? His hot body between my legs?
Did he just call me a lightweight? “I am not!”
“Eat.” Jasper repeated and held up the canapé to my mouth. The command couldn’t be ignored, and dammit, I knew I needed to. I opened my mouth and he put the twist in. “Good girl.”
