Page 45 of Jasper
I glance down at my hands and tell it to her straight, “If you don’t want me, I won’t push myself on you. I’ll respect your no and keep my hands to myself,” I say, resting both palms flat on my thighs. “I’ll continue working on your house and keep to ouragreement. And to be honest, I’ll still walk out feeling like the luckiest bastard alive having you as my baby mama.”
That does it. She smiles at me, genuinely pleased with my words.
“In my family, we don’t pressure women. We sure as hell don’t force anything on them. If I ever crossed a line, all you’d have to do is mention it to my old man or my brothers. They’d beat my ass so fast I wouldn’t know what happened.”
Then she stands, steps around the coffee table. “I don’t think we need to get them involved.”
She leans down and kisses me. It’s soft at first. Sweet, careful, and the sexiest kiss I’ve ever had.
But then she moves a little closer, and I feel it. The catch in her breath. The way her fingers graze my jaw. There’s heat here. Unless I miss my guess, this mild-mannered woman has wild, restrained passion that she’s holding carefully in check.
I put one steady hand to her hip, careful not to pull on her. She tastes of coffee, and I want her more than I’ve wanted anything in my whole life.
But before we can take things further, there’s a sudden crack followed by an explosion. I jump up from the chair as Tessa runs towards the window.
She pulls back the curtain and I see an orange glow. Not needing to think, I know immediately it’s flames. I’m on my feet before I know I’ve moved. I grab the doorknob, twist, and throw her front door open.
My bike’s a goddamn bonfire. Flames cover the seat, swallowing the handlebars, and creeping across the chrometrim. It smells like burning oil. I’d recognize that acrid scent anywhere, meaning this was no accident. It was sabotage.
Sprayed across the sidewalk right in front of the porch is a red letter H, clearly for Hyenas. They would tag the scene of the crime with a big, bold, territorial mark. These brazen fuckers have no fear. Damn, Tessa isn’t safe in her own home anymore. I scan the street. The Hyenas are already gone, leaving behind my pride and joy in a fiery heap in the driveway.
Chapter 17
Tessa
Itake a step closer to the door, stopping just shy of the threshold. My hand lands on the doorframe because I’m so shocked that my legs are shaking. The fire in my driveway casts an eerie orange glow all around my yard and onto the sidewalk. Jasper rushes out to investigate as I stand here trying to wrap my head around who and why someone would do this. It makes no rational sense.
I watch Jasper squat down and run two fingers through something on the sidewalk. Without taking my eyes off him, I reach over and flip my porch light on. That’s when I see the letter H painted on the sidewalk directly in front of my porch. It’s red, and something about seeing that color reminds me of the fire extinguisher I’ve got stored away under my kitchen sink. Instead of standing there looking shocked, I turn around and rush to the kitchen to retrieve it.
By the time I make it outside, Jasper is on his feet and standing in front of his bike. I hold the fire extinguisher out to him, and he makes quick work of putting the fire out. With his bike still in a smoking mess on the pavement, he grabs my arm with his free hand and starts dragging me back up the steps. I try to keep up with him because I don’t have to be half smart to know that whoever did this could still be outside.
Jasper slams the door behind us and turns to me. His eyes are wild. “Pack a bag.”
My mouth parts. “What? Don’t we need to call the police?”
“No. We need to get you somewhere safe.”
“Wait. I’m not safe in my own home?” Suddenly, it hits me what he’s saying without words. “Are you saying whoever did this could come back and burn my house down?”
He tosses aside the fire extinguisher that he’s been holding onto this whole time and begins moving me towards the steps leading upstairs. “There’s no time to go into it all right now.”
“I don’t want to abandon my house. I want to call the police and stand my ground.” Jerking my arm out of his hand, I tell him sharply, “I was raised in this house. I can’t just leave.”
His expression morphs into one of anger. “You’re not staying here tonight. End of discussion.”
“I can’t just leave on the spur of the moment.”
When he curses under his breath, I reach for him, laying one hand on his heaving chest. “Jasper, please talk to me.”
His voice is rough. “I know who did this. They lit my bike up right in front of your house. Painted their gang sign on your sidewalk. I’m so damn sorry that I brought this kind of trouble to your front door. But if you’ve ever trusted me, trust me now. I’ve got to get you the hell outta here before they circle back around for fuckin’ round two.”
Even though he said it was a gang, I want to argue that I’ll be fine. Insist this is just intimidation. But I can’t lie—not to myself, and definitely not to him. Realization hits me pretty hard that this house is just bricks and mortar. As much as I love this house, I can’t put it before our lives and the life of our unborn child.
He murmurs, “You’re mine to look after. And right now, that means getting you somewhere safe.”
“Alright,” I tell him. “We can take my car, but I’m going to take the things that are important to me.”
He steps closer to me. His chest is no longer heaving, but I feel the rapid beat of his heart under my palm. “That’s the right call. You tell me what you want, and I’ll load it into your car.”
