Page 30 of Claimed
Chapter Ten
The maid brought my garments, which included freshly washed panties and a bra. Even my coat had a laundered scent. She also gave me red cashmere earmuffs and a matching scarf, both courtesy of Jasper. We didn’t leave right away, though. I had to finish drying my hair,and he had to confirm our new flight plans. His security detail was racing up and down the hallways, knowing that Arthur Valentine wasn’t going to just lie down and take whatever punch Jasper threw at him.
Jasper was right on time. As soon as I was done dressing, he walked into the bedroom and asked if I was ready. We couldn’t delay our departure one minute longer. On our way out, he revealedthat Julia was being detained in one of the main elevators but would be released once we were in the sky and far away from the building.
I could hardly believe what he was telling me. As far as I was concerned, the rabbit hole was just getting deeper.
“You know that’s kidnapping, right?” I said.
“No. It’s a mechanical difficulty.”
I snorted as the cold air hit my face.Jasper took hold of my hand, and we walked with our heads down toward the helicopter. There was a break in the weather. Even though enough snow had fallen to cover the whole outside floor of the expansive terrace, there wasn’t a sliver of ice on the concrete. It was clear that not only did he own the entire outside space, but the ground must have been heated as well, a convenience that surelycost a lot of money.Goodness, the man is richer than God.
The sound of the blades racing was deafening. Jasper helped me into the aircraft, and I knew to put on the headset that was in my seat. This time, Jasper sat beside me. Once he had settled himself like I had, he took my hand again. His grip was tight, as if he was afraid I would somehow slip away from him. But he didn’t have toworry—despite his deep, dark secrets, I wasn’t going anywhere.
The helicopter wasstrong and mighty,but every now and then, it would get rattled by the weather. When that happened, I would focus on the pilot, whose body held no tension. Also, Jasper would hold me tighter to ease my worry. I figured if the aircraft dropped from the sky, at least we would die together. I used that thought to ease my fear. The darkness was all around us and beneath us. About half an hour into the ride, I knewwe weren’t on our way to Teterboro. I would have asked Jasper to enlighten me about our destination, but I was too exhausted to talk over the noise the aircraft made. So I yawned, and he held me closer and kissed the top of my head.
“Babe,”Jasper faintly called. Then he said it louder.
I opened my eyes wide. My head was still groggy, and I realized I had fallen asleep.
Jasper unbuckled my seat belt. “Come on. Let’s get you inside and into bed,” he said loudly.
My entire body felt heavy. Despite being able to smell the ocean and feel the sort of moisture that came frombeing near the sea, I could hardly keep my eyes open. It was as if the last four days had come crashing down on me.
Jasper reminded me to keep my head down as we disembarked. His arms were around my waist as we walked off the helipad across a short space of lawn. I gazed up at the Christmas mansion sitting in the distance, then we got into the back seat of a black car with dark-tinted windows.That was the change in plans. Instead of taking an airplane, the helicopter had carried us the length to Newport, Rhode Island. If I’d had enough energy to ask Jasper to explain why we’d made that particular change, I would have. But as soon as the car started moving, I was asleep again.
The first thingI noticed was the comfortable mattress and sheets beneath me. I stretched and squirmed as my body rose to full awareness. The sort of light that was muted by clouds filled the room. Next, I realized I was naked. Finally, I became aware that I was alone in bed.
I sat up fast with a gasp, but my heart stopped pounding like thunder as myeyes connected with Jasper’s. He was sitting in a chair by the window, watching me.
“Good morning.” He looked as if he hadn’t slept a wink.
My hand slid over the empty side of the bed. “Good morning.” I was sure I looked as worried as I sounded. “How did I end up here?”
“I carried you in and put you to bed. I hope you don’t mind.”
I shook my head emphatically. “Notin the least.” My gaze roamed the room. We were in the cottage, and I was in the same bed Jasper and I had made love in twice. “We didn’t go to the main house…”
Jasper held up a book. I craned my neck to get a better look. The cover was made of green silk fabric, and the edges of the page were sprayed with gold paint.
“It’s my mother’s diary.”
I felt my entire face collapseinto a frown. “Your mother’s diary?”
He picked up the key that was on top of the round table he sat next to and held it up. “There’s an antique table in the foyer of this cottage. This key opened a hidden drawer.”
“How did you know the desk held that drawer?” Just as I asked the question, I lost a handle on the portion of sheet I was using to cover my breasts.
Jasper’s eyesveered down to my exposed tits. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he frowned as he focused on my face again. “I don’t know. I just remembered,” he said quietly.
I felt as if I had somehow annoyed him by showing him my breasts. I wanted to apologize and let him know I hadn’t done it on purpose, but he dropped the diary on the table, stood, and pulled down his pajamas, freeinghis erection.
Then I understood his expression. The first time I’d seen it was when I accidentally took his mother’s space as my guest room and found him already in it, sitting in the chair. He’d glared at me as if he both wanted to fuck my brains out and scold me for doing something wrong. He’d looked at me the same confounded way again later when he tried to bully me into signing a nondisclosureagreement to not write about his family while taking residence at their house as a guest. I recalled how I’d stood up to him—how hot and bothered I had become just from being near him. Deep down inside, it had been clear to me that sooner or later, we would bang out our sexual desire for each other.
I smirked naughtily as I cast my legs over the edge of the bed and trotted to the bathroom.“Wait, I have to pee.”
It was the most inopportune time to fuck, but as usual, Jasper and I could hardly help ourselves. As I sat on the toilet, it seemed as if my pee would last forever.Did I drink that much liquid?I expected my period to start in a few days, and my stomach felt bloated as if my cycle was just around the corner. Jasper and I had done so much fucking without a condom—morewithout than with lately—that I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d ended up pregnant. Interestingly enough, I didn’t feel as if I wanted to dodge that bullet. I’d never given a thought to the sort of mother I would be. The idea of having children scared me, though. I always figured if it happened, then it would be God’s will, and that was that, but I had definitely been testing divine will lately.
