Chapter 20
Tessa
Waking up drowsy, the first thing I feel is the warmth of a big, strong body snuggled up behind me. Jasper’s arm is wrapped around my waist, his big hand resting just below my ribs. His breathing is slow and even.
I don’t move because I enjoy the feel of his warmth, the weight of his arm slung over me, and the softness of his bed. Whoever thought one man could mean so much to me in such a short period of time? I never did.
The sheets are tangled at our feet, and my legs are still pressed against his. A memory floats through my mind of him climbing into bed wearing his boxer briefs. I can feel his nearly naked, muscular body rubbing roughly against mine. It should be too intimate, too soon, but it isn’t.
After having to pull a runner to get away from my last boyfriend, I’ve been prepared to spend the rest of my life alone. And then Jasper comes storming into my life and everything changed. He’s nothing like what I thought I wanted in a man but is proving to be everything I need.
Moving back slightly, I press my body into his, letting myself feel the rise and fall of his chest against my back. It’s the first time in days I’ve woken up feeling this warm and safe. His arm tightens around me, dragging me closer still.
My eyes pop open when I realize he’s awake. His bedroom is dim. The light is filtering in through the blinds. Not much is getting through, and it makes me wonder if he has blackout shades.
My hand drifts down to my stomach. I press gently, to see if I feel different.
I’m still awed that I have a new life growing inside me.
And not a baby for the Whitmores, but one for Jasper and myself.
I’m at some strange halfway point between being his surrogate and maybe being something more.
I get lost trying to imagine what life would look like if we were together.
Rubbing my belly, I can’t help but wonder if our unborn child is sleeping too, and if they know how fast the world outside can change.
One moment I was alone and being bullied by the man who wanted me to get rid of this baby in order to make room for his own child, and the next moment, I find myself safely wrapped in Jasper’s protective embrace.
Once, I was broke, and now I not only have what I need to survive but enough to pay for Gran’s medical copays too.
Everything changed in the blink of an eye when I met Jasper, and it was for the better.
When he shifts again, I feel something pressing against my back.
My breath catches when I realize he’s hard.
His hand shifts, brushing over mine. I glance back to find his eyes half-lidded, the soft curve of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He knows he’s being naughty by letting me feel his hard-on.
“Do you always rub your clearly ginormous junk on people while they’re sleeping?” I tease him.
“Nope, I never slept with a woman before you, so I don’t know what’s considered polite.” His voice is rough with sleep, but it’s deep and masculine.
I slowly turn in his arms, feeling the t-shirt I wore to bed twisting around my body. “So, you’re a virgin?” I ask gleefully. I already know he’s not, so his warm chuckle doesn’t catch me by surprise.
“Hell no. I’m a busy man who’s mostly had quick fucks in high school, never made it to college, and in the military, I always lived in the barracks, which made bringing women home with me damn near impossible.”
“What about all the club girls? You must have brought some of the nice ones up to your room before.”
He sighs and runs one hand through his dark hair.
“You gotta understand club culture. If I brought a woman up here, everyone would think I’m tryin’ to make her my old lady.
My old man always warned us about that shit early on.
He said it’s a lot easier to turn a lady into a whore than it is to turn a whore into a lady. ”
“Do you believe women are whores simply because they’ve had more than one sexual partner?”
“Wait. What? No. I never said that. Our club girls trade sex for a situationship.”
Not willing to accept that explanation, I tell him, “No. They do chores to earn their keep. That means the sex is free.”
He rolls over onto his back with a groan. His hand comes up to slap his forehead. “Why didn’t my sperm end up in a stupid woman that I could easily win an argument with?”
I laugh at that. He’s acting like a Neanderthal and deserves a good challenge when he first wakes up. I crawl the fingers of one hand up his naked chest, teasing him physically as well as mentally. “This is the part where you say I’m right and club girls aren’t technically whores.”
He rolls over onto his side, all muscles, tousled hair, and sexy tattoos. His blue eyes are intense, but he does the right thing. “Okay, they’re not whores. They’re just women who like to fuck.”
Just when I think I’ve won the argument, he adds, “You notice we ain’t running a geriatric residential establishment, where old ladies come here to live and pay for their stay by doing chores, right?”
Damn, he’s a smart one. “Yeah, I guess they’re only allowed to stay in the first place because they’re young, energetic, and like to sex it up with hot bikers, right?”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “You’re not wrong about that, darlin’.”
I roll onto my back and look up at him fully as he moves over me. Jasper props himself up on one elbow. There’s a small scar near his collarbone I hadn’t noticed before. A faded bruise near his ribs. I bring up one hand to trace the scar.
“Yeah, I’ve got scars. Little reminders that my world ain’t very fuckin’ forgiving of weakness.”
“Yeah, I hear it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, handsome.”
Jasper’s expression softens. “You’re not the least bit scared of me, are ya?”
I slip my hand around the back of his neck and drag him down. Right before our lips meet, I answer his question, “No, should I be?”
He answers me with a kiss. At first, he’s gentle but it quickly gets passionate. Just when I think it’s going to turn into more, he eases up and pulls back. Although his expression has a thick overlay of lust, he clears his throat and speaks.
“You sleep okay last night?”
I nod, still reeling from the lip lock he just gave me. “I did,” I tell him breathlessly. “It was the best sleep I’ve had in weeks.”
His fingers find mine again and link them together, resting them gently against my stomach.
“Good,” he says. “I want you here with me, in my suite, and in my bed.”
I nod, my throat tightening. “For how long?” I ask hesitantly.
“As long as you want.”
“That might be a while. If I start wearing out my welcome, just let me know,” I tell him.
He reaches behind him and grabs the alarm clock off the nightstand. It hasn’t gone off yet and he turns the ringer off to make sure it doesn’t.
Checking the time, he jerks his chin at me. “It’s still early,” he says. “You hungry?”
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
He nods, then swings his legs over the side of the bed and stands. The light from the window falls across his back, catching every ridge and line of muscle. He stretches, arms overhead, completely unselfconscious. My breath catches, and I’m not proud of it, but I let my eyes linger.
He glances over his shoulder and gives a lopsided smile. “See something you like?”
I arch a brow. “Your ink is amazing.”
“The ink only took a minute compared to buildin’ the body. That took years of workin’ out. You know that, right?”
As my eyes drift over the mountains of muscle and his six-pack, I murmur, “I don’t doubt it.”
He laughs. The sound is low and warm and thoroughly arousing. It’s starting to feel like everything about this man was designed to make me want him.
“Join me in the shower if you want,” he says as he heads into the bathroom.
The sexy bastard leaves the door open, no doubt to remind me that joining him is a standing invitation.
I hear water running, and suddenly a nice hot shower sounds like the best thing in the world right now.
Feeling fearless, I strip off the t-shirt and follow him.
Jasper is standing at the sink, brushing his teeth, one hip leaning against the counter.
When he catches my reflection in the mirror, his eyes light up and a huge grin spreads across his face.
He tilts his head towards the open shower stall.
“There’s plenty of hot water,” he says through foam. “Jump in and I’ll join ya.”
I step into the stall and let the spray hit me. It’s hot and soothing, just like I thought it would be. The pressure loosens the tightness in my shoulders, washes away the weight of yesterday in steam. I close my eyes, tilt my head back, and breathe.
Then I feel him getting into the shower behind me.
His hands come to rest lightly on my hips, his chest brushing against my back.
“Is this okay?” he asks in a deep voice, as his hands slide up my arms, down my sides.
“God, yeah. It feels amazing,” I tell him.
He reaches for the bottle of soap, lathers it between his palms, and starts washing me, beginning with my shoulders.
His strong hands make it more like a massage.
Jasper works the shoulder muscles with quiet focus, then moves down my spine with strong, sure fingers.
By the time he’s at my lower back, I’m barely breathing.
“I like taking care of you,” he says quietly. I can feel his breath on the back of my neck, so I know he’s close.
I press my hands to the tiled wall in front of me and murmur, “You have a nice touch.”
His hands trail lower, over my hips, then forward to slide over my belly. He’s careful, slower here. One palm rests flat beneath my navel, the other cupping the side of my waist.
“She’s going to be strong,” he says, “just like her mom.”
“Unless she turns out to be a he,” I say, glancing over my shoulder. “In which case, he’ll probably be hell on wheels like his dad.”