Page 5 of Claimed
“I missed you too,” I said before I could take it back. However, I didn’t want Jasper to skillfully alter our conversation. “What changed?”
“You first.”
I turned my head slightly. “Me first?”
“Why does this Eve woman resemble my sister?”
I shrugged. “I don’t knowyet. That’s why we’re on our way to her house. I mean, I could make an educated guess or two.”
“I’d like to hear them.” He turned down a street lined thickly with trees, their branches intermingling dangerously with the power lines.
I turned away from the row of weather-beaten houses to eye him incredulously. “You’re diverting the conversation away from the topic again.”
The GPS announced that our destination was one mile away. Jasper slowed down.
“I’m not. How I’ve subdued Valentine is a long story. Let’s save it for later. Right now, we have to focus on what’s right before us.”
I pressed my lips together as I nodded. Once again, he was right. “Okay, but I’ll go talk to her first,” I said, seeing my plan play out clearly in my mind.
He shookhis head adamantly. “I don’t think so.”
I huffed. He was back to being controlling Jasper, which irritated the hell out of me. “You don’t have all the answers, you know,” I snapped.
“I understand that,” he said. I found his calm just as irritating as his need to control. “But there’s no way she stays out in the open.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“She’s coming with us.”
“Us? And where arewesupposed to be going?”
“To a safe place,” he said.
My jaw dropped, and I was speechless until the GPS announced that we had arrived. I’d already ascertained that a woman who gave us the slip at the grocery store because she figured out we were looking for her was not going to easily give in to Jasper’s control and do what he wanted.
I forced mygaze off his to focus on the Dutch-style home with snow already coating the roof. A little red compact car without any ice on it sat in the driveway. The vehicle wasn’t collecting snow because it was still warm. That more than likely meant the car belonged to Eve and she was home.
I was aboutto insist I go knock on the door—instead of the tall, imposing, and beautiful but very intimidating Jasper—when he squeezed my hand. I looked at him in awe.
“I want you to know that I hear you, Holly,” he said.
I frowned. “Huh?”
“I’ve listened to everything you’ve ever said to me, and I hear you. I should’ve figured out a wayto contact you last night and let you know what happened. You matter to me, and I hate hurting you.”
I studied the lines and turns of his anguished expression, searching for signs of insincerity. My father was a master manipulator when it came to lying and faking feelings of affection as a means to an end. But not Jasper. He meant what he said—I could tell.
I swallowed, dampeningmy dry throat. “Thank you.”
His face came toward mine, and I gave him access to my lips. I moaned as we kissed. The sound came from the depths of my throat. My body was happy to have his warm tongue twisting around mine. My mind drifted off beyond the house and trees and snowfall. I didn’t want our kiss to end, but alas, it had to.
“Mm…” I said and broke lip contact.
Jaspersmirked. “To be continued.” He winked at me. “You stay put.”
I quickly reached up and took him by the shoulder. “Wait.”
His wide eyes asked,What?
