Page 44 of Claimed
I groaned. I’d always thought such a heavy task would be impossible for me. “Do you think we’ll last that long?”
He kissed the back of my hand again. “Longer.” He grinned smugly. “And by the way, my purchase of BCN is back on. Katherine’s biggest investor couldn’t come up with thefunding.”
“Was that investor Valentine?”
“Damn it, you’re so fucking smart. It turns me on.”
I chuckled as I rolled my eyes. “Your boastful grin gave it away, that’s all.”
He raised an eyebrow. “But you noticed.”
We smiled at each other.Why does it feel like I’ve been looking at Jasper’s face my entire life?“By the way, I’m still not interested in working intelevision,” I said.
“As I said before, and I’ll say again, I didn’t submit my bid to purchase BCN to control you. I was interested in owning the company long before Mrs. Givens hired you. A good friend of mine, Vincent Adams, talked me into purchasing the company.”
“Oh,” I said, surprised. The Christmases were so dark that I never would have guessed they’d be associated with thatcaliber of executive. “You mean Vincent Adams of AEE?” I needed clarification.
Jasper scowled. “Yes. I sense you have an issue with that?”
I threw my hands up in objection. “No way. I’m happy for you. I just…”
“You just what?”
“I mean, you’re the dark Christmases, and Vincent Adams is the light.”
Jasper studied me. I hoped I hadn’t offended him, but if I had,tough luck. I couldn’t be in a relationship where a simple statement of truth would bruise my man’s ego.
Finally, he smirked. “Well, that’s the point. Vince intends to shine some light on our darkness.”
It was definitely a good thing that we were grinning flirtatiously at each other. I wanted to kiss but not more than I wanted to satiate my curiosity.
“So…” I whispered seductively.“Are you two going to eventually become a conglomerate?”
He snorted then leaned away from me. “Nice try, beautiful, but I wouldn’t answer that question even you if you were asking as my girlfriend because when it all shakes out, you’re still a journalist.”
Hearing Jasper say that made something click inside me.Why am I questioning what I am?
Silence fell between us. A clearthought had been trying to emerge in my mind for a while, and finally, I could voice it, since the agony associated with my professional identity had been eased.
“By the way,” I said. “I think I know why Kylie included Benjamin Dow in the email she sent me.”
He winked. “I’m listening.”
I took a moment to display my smile. I loved it when he was so open to hearing whateverI had to say. Jasper made me feel so validated, as if every word I spoke held significant importance for him.
“Well…” I cleared my throat to get a handle on my desire for him. All I wanted to do was kiss him, not talk. “Um, I think she threw his name in the mix as a free radical. She must’ve gotten the name from a different source associated with another story and added it to the mix, hopingI would dig deeper and find who this guy is. And I would’ve done exactly that if you hadn’t exposed her to me.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Okay, then, what would’ve been your next step?”
I smirked. “I would have asked you if you could think of anyplace where Randolph would hide his financial records. Guys like him, who keep company with people like Valentine, often keepproof of shady dealings just in case they have to throw someone under the bus to save their own asses.”
“And I would say to you that I’m way ahead of you. I’ve been working on it.”
I raised my eyebrows. “And?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll update you as soon as I hear anything.”
We beamed at each other until he closed my computer and put it back in the case. Jasper unfastenedmy seat belt and set me on his lap, and we continued stroking each other’s erogenous zones and making out. We only stopped to be served an assortment of éclairs by Chef Bart—eating was akin to the orgasms Jasper had given me the previous day in his office chair. It was an honor when Chef Bart came out of the kitchen to take a bow and thank me for being a fan.
“You really have a kitchenin your private airplane?” I asked Jasper.
“Wait until we travel in the luxury liner. I have a bed in that one.” His eyes smoldered. Apparently, we had the same thing on our minds.
Thank goodness the captain announced that it was time to prepare for landing. Otherwise, Jasper and I would have cleared the cabin and fucked each other’s brains out.
