Page 15 of Intrigued
“Not Spencer. Jasper.”
She and I looked at each other.
“He’ll break you into a million pieces.”
I frowned. “I thought you said he might be gay.”
“He’s not.”
I grunted as I rolled my eyes. “If you want me to work for you, Bryn, then that lying shit you always do, you’re going to have to put it on hold.”
“I’m not lying now. Don’t screw around with Jasper.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ve always considered you a true friend, Holly. That’s why I’m warning you. Stay away from him.”
I didn’t know what to say. Could I stay away from Jasper Christmas? Perhaps. I would try.
“Okay,” I whispered.
Bryn rubbed my back. She seemed to be satisfied with what I hoped deep down would turn into a lie.
* * *
When I madeit back to my room, my legs were still weak from remembering Jasper whispering in my ear. It wasn’t as if I were a horny, immature woman. Sure, I was only twenty-nine, but I had always lived as if I had been born ten years earlier. Usually, a man had to be more than hot to stimulate my lusts. He also had to be something other than rude, arrogant, controlling, and, according to his sister, dangerous in more ways than one.
I locked the door before stripping off my dress, washing off my makeup, and putting on my nightshirt. Soon, there was a knock on my door, and a female’s voice announced dessert. I rushed over to let her in, thinking that if dessert was as good as dinner, then I was certainly in for the experience of a lifetime.
A woman wearing a chef’s jacket brought in a dessert tray and had two men set up a table between the two high-backed chairs. They capped off their service by setting a beautiful gold wine bucket in the center of the table. It held an open bottle of Chablis. My instructions were to ring the kitchen once I was done.
Despite Bryn’s odd brothers, I was loving every moment of being a guest in their mansion. I fired up my laptop, connected to my hotspot, and searched the news databases to which I had access. I found as many articles as I could about the Christmases. As I read, I took my time devouring the treats, which included mini chocolate cake with a different filling in each of its seven layers, tarts, and lightly whipped cream cheese pies.
Time flew by. When I gave in to the fact that there was hardly any negative information on the Christmases to discover, only a little more than half a bottle of wine was left, but not a bite of dessert remained on any of the tiers. Of course I found it odd and untrue that there was no negative information on the family. Jasper’s sexy face came to mind. I had no doubt he was the one who’d made sure there was no damaging information on the Christmases to consume.
I sighed as I closed my laptop. Yes, Bryn was very smart to hire me. I would be able to get to the core of all the Christmases’ secrets. She was also right to warn me about her brother. Anyone who could keep his family’s reputation as polished as it was had a reach so far and wide that not even God could touch him. I cracked a tiny smirk. Those were just the sorts of people I enjoyed bringing to their knees.
I yawned. The two full glasses of wine had made me dizzy and sleepy. I called for the servants to pick up the dessert trays, which they did in record time. Then I went directly to bed. And I did not forget to lock the door beforehand. All I needed was Spencer waking me up in the middle of the night with that hard-on he claimed I kept giving him throughout dinner.
Chapter Six
No. I was not dreaming.Is it a ghost I’m hearing?
“Miss Henderson,” a man’s voice called.
The ghost that would probably haunt the room would more than likely be a woman, not a man.
I slowly opened my eyes and let my sight adjust to the darkness. Then my heart nearly stopped as I clenched a hand over my chest and gasped. I sat up and pinched my back against the luxurious headboard.
“It’s me, Jasper,” the man whispered.
I reached over to turn on the lamp sitting on top of the nightstand. My eyes expanded. It was him. “What are you doing here?” I asked, out of breath.
“Do you want me to leave?” The fire in his eyes was so sexy. He was shirtless, and the hills and crests of his chest made his body look as if it were carved of limestone. He had on loose-fitting pajama pants, and his full-blown erection poked the material. I had no doubt Jasper wanted to fuck, and the thought of him entering me made me cream.
“But how did you get in here?” I asked.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked again with such intensity.
I shook my head.
“Stand up,” he demanded.
