Djinn in Love (Mystical Matchmakers #4)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Veronica woke in stages. She was warm and cozy on the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept on.

Though she was halfway tempted to let herself drift back to sleep, she opened her eyes and blinked several times. Jasper’s face was only a few inches from hers, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even. He didn’t look younger in sleep. But he did seem much more peaceful. With his eyes closed, she wasn’t distracted by the intense, nearly black color of his irises or the way he looked at her as though he could read her mind.

He was so handsome that her fingers tingled with the need to touch him to see if he was real. As she continued to look at him and listen to him breathe, Veronica could no longer resist. Her fingers trailed over his brow bone and down to his cheek. His skin was so hot, as though fire burned within him.

At her touch, his eyes opened and locked on her face. His gaze was warm and still sleepy as he looked at her. The intensity that usually surrounded him was at rest. Looking at Jasper right now, Veronica was no longer intimidated. He looked like the kind of man she could fall in love with.

The urge to kiss him came out of nowhere. Veronica couldn’t stop herself from looking down at his mouth. A low rumble emerged from his throat, and she decided to stop holding back. With his words and actions yesterday, Jasper made it clear that this weekend wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other.

Veronica inched forward, her gaze moving from his lips to his eyes. They stared at each other as she closed the distance. She sensed he wanted to let her decide if she would kiss him or not.

When their lips touched, his hand glided up her arm to the base of her neck, slipping beneath her braid to curve his fingers around her nape. It wasn’t until his mouth opened against hers, that Veronica thought about the fact that she had morning breath.

Inhaling sharply, she started to pull away. “Let me brush my?—”

Before she could finish her sentence, he rolled, pulling her on top of him, and his mouth found hers again. Veronica forgot about morning breath, about her insecurities, about the world in general. All her mental shields came crashing down at the sensations. She could feel the pleasure he took from the kiss. The arousal that poured through him. Or maybe that was hers. She couldn’t tell.

Jasper wrapped her braid around his fist, tugging her head back to bare her throat. He kissed just below her ear before his mouth moved to the place where her neck and shoulder met. The light scrape of teeth made her shiver and Veronica rocked against him, her knees parting to dig into the mattress on each side of his hips.

His mouth moved back to hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth. His free hand moved to her ass, pressing her tighter against his body. Veronica felt the hard length of his dick beneath her and her breath caught in her throat. He liked what she was doing, she could feel that.

Jasper released his hold on her braid, his hand moving down her back to the hem of her t-shirt. Hot fingers slipping beneath the cotton and branding the flesh of her side. She shivered at the rough scrape of his palm against her ribs. When his hand cupped her breast, his thumb brushing over her nipple, Veronica gasped against his lips. Her body shuddered as she panted against his mouth.

Her reaction seemed to break the spell forming over them. Jasper’s lips eased on hers, his kiss becoming lighter and more teasing. His hand returned to her braid, tugging it lightly until she tilted her head back. He pressed another kiss to the side of her throat, wringing another shiver from her.

He released her hair, and Veronica lowered her chin so she could look at him again.

“Good morning,” he murmured, his voice low and rough.

Another shudder ran through her muscles, which made him smirk at her.

“Good morning,” she replied.

They stared at each other in the morning light. He was smiling and relaxed, more than she’d ever seen from him before. She thought that she could stay right here for the rest of the day. But only if he stayed with her. Unfortunately, she knew it wouldn’t be possible.

“What’s on the agenda today?” she asked.

“The groomsmen are playing golf this morning and the bridal party is having a spa day.” He paused. “I made you an appointment for a few treatments when my mother asked me about it. I know you don’t really know Prema or anyone else, so I made sure your treatments would be after theirs. I wanted you to have some privacy, so you wouldn’t be tired before the dinner tonight.”

She continued to stare down at him, taken aback that he’d gone to so much trouble for her.

When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “Or you can come play golf with me and go to the wedding rehearsal after or just hang out in the room or at the indoor pool. There’s a luncheon today, but most of the wedding party won’t be there. It’s more for the family to have a chance to visit with each other before tomorrow. Do whatever makes you happy.”

Whatever made her happy?

She hadn’t thought about what made her happy in a long time. Veronica started to shift off him, but Jasper’s hands clamped onto her hips, holding her still.

Finally, she asked, “What spa treatments did you book for me?”

He grinned up at her, his thumbs massaging her hipbones through her shorts. “A facial, a sauna session, and a massage.”

An answering smile spread across her face. “I think I’d like to do that, especially if it’s just me.”

“Good.”

Jasper looked so satisfied that she laughed. She realized that her mental shields were down, that she’d never put them back up after the kiss. All she sensed from him was peace.

Her surprise must have shown on her face because he asked, “What?”

“You’re so peaceful. I don’t even need to shield myself from you,” she answered. “It’s nice to be able to let my guard down.”

His smile faded and his hands clutched her tighter. His usual intensity returned as he stared up at her. “You make me calmer. Being near you eases the chaos in my mind. I’m usually as loud and quick-tempered as the rest of my family, but you…you bring out something inside of me that I’ve never felt before. I like who I am when I’m with you.”

Her stomach clenched. “I don’t want you to change for me.”

That was the last thing that she wanted. She liked what she was learning about Jasper. And she knew what it was like to have the person you were with want you to change. It hurt.

He shook his head. “I’m not changing for you. I’m changing because of you .” His hands slid up to her shoulder blades, tugging her down until their faces were a few inches apart. “I like it.”

He kissed her and, once again, Veronica felt his pleasure and his sincerity. He released her mouth and rolled them over so that she was beneath him.

“I don’t want you to be anything but who you are, Veronica,” he said. His hands brushed stray strands of hair from her face. “I’m learning more about you every day and I like what I know so far.”

She nodded and he kissed her one last time before he levered himself off the bed. She blushed when he adjusted his erection in his lounge pants but didn’t take her eyes off him as he picked up the phone.

Glancing at her, he asked, “What do you want for breakfast? And you like coffee, right?”

“Something light. Toast or fruit. I’m not very hungry in the morning. And I do like coffee, but with cream and sugar.”

He nodded and pressed a button on the phone. A few moments later, he placed an order for croissants, fruit, bacon, and a pot of coffee. There was a single-serve coffee machine in the kitchen, but there weren’t many pods.

They took turns in the bathroom and Veronica took a minute to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she emerged, breakfast had arrived. The service at Devil’s Playground was top-notch, that was for sure.

Glancing at his watch, Jasper said, “I need to shower. Are you done in the bathroom?”

Veronica nodded and took a bite of bacon as he disappeared inside the bathroom. Thank God she was done with her light breakfast when he came out fifteen minutes later. The door opened with a puff of steam that carried the scent of his soap. Jasper emerged in nothing but a white towel wrapped around his hips.

If she’d been eating, she would have choked at the sight of him. His arms, shoulders, and chest were roped with thick muscle. Hair covered his pectorals and taut belly. Veronica swallowed hard because her mouth was watering at the sight of him. His black hair was damp and messy, and he hadn’t bothered shaving the scruff on his cheeks. He could have stepped out of the pages of one of the romance novels she liked to read.

She tried not to gape as he walked into the closet, giving her an excellent view of his bare, muscled back and round backside covered by the towel.

Veronica grabbed the neck of her t-shirt and fanned it, trying to cool down. Was it suddenly hot in the cabin?

Jasper came out of the closet with a stack of clothes in his hands. He tossed them on the end of the bed and pulled a pair of black underwear off the top. She couldn’t control her eyes as he stepped into them and pulled them up beneath his towel. Her gaze followed his movements until she realized what he was doing, and she forced herself to look down at the coffee cup in her lap.

A second later, she heard the towel hit the floor and the blood rushed to her face. Dear God, he was standing less than five feet in front of her in nothing but his underwear. The temptation to look at him was intense, but she didn’t dare. At least not until she heard the rustle of fabric followed by the sound of a zipper.

She glanced up and found herself staring into Jasper’s black eyes as he shook out a t-shirt. Veronica could barely breathe when she saw the heat in his stare. He tugged the shirt over his head, breaking the intense eye contact and covering his torso. Veronica couldn’t help one last glance at his chest before the fabric fell over it. He followed the t-shirt with a light sweater. She supposed he would need it if the groomsmen were going to play golf this afternoon.

Jasper’s hair was messy from pulling on his shirt. He ran his fingers through it as he came around the bed and sat down next to her hip. Veronica let him take her coffee cup, watching as he put it off to the side.

“Look at me,” he murmured.

She did as he said. He leaned closer, placing his palm on the bed on the other side of her body, bringing his face a few inches from hers.

“Your spa appointments are at two o’clock this afternoon. We should both be done by five-thirty and we’ll have the evening free.”

Technically, that was a lie. There was another family event—a dinner—but he’d already told his parents that he wasn’t coming or bringing Veronica because she needed to be rested before the wedding since they would need to be in attendance most of the next day.

His free hand came up to push a few strands of hair away from her cheek. “I’d like to have dinner with you tonight. Just you and me. Is that okay with you?”

Veronica nodded. “That sounds really nice.”

“Really nice?”

Her cheeks warmed but she smiled. “I’d like to spend the evening with you.”

“Better,” he murmured. His hand moved from her hair to her cheek, holding her head steady as he leaned forward. He kissed her, a light, gentle caress. Her breath was a warm flutter against his lips as he pulled back. “Enjoy your day, Veronica.”

She couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her when he said her name. She knew he felt it because his eyes heated and his fingers slipped back into her hair, tugging lightly at the strands.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

When he kissed her again, his lips opened over hers and their tongues tangled, slow and wet. Veronica lost herself in the kiss, her hands coming up to clutch his shoulders. The shudder that ran through her was larger this time. Tingles rushed over her scalp and down her spine, settling between her legs.

She was panting when they parted, her lips swollen and hot. Part of her wanted to tug him back onto the bed and tell him to finish what they’d started this morning, but the rest of her was still hesitant. As much as she wanted Jasper, her previous experiences hadn’t been all that great. She’d managed an orgasm with one of her boyfriends during sex, but most of the time, she’d been unable to let herself go and enjoy what was happening between them. She’d been too intent on keeping her mental shields up and the effort and thought it required meant that she couldn’t allow herself to fully immerse herself in how her body felt and any pleasure she might be experiencing.

“I’ll see you in a few hours,” Jasper whispered.

“Okay.”

Veronica listened to him leave the cabin, her entire body humming with arousal. She understood then why his touch and his kisses had affected her so deeply. She didn’t need her mental shields with him. Not anymore.

The question was—what was she going to do now?