Chapter 26
Jasper
The smell of maple and cinnamon hung in the air as I wandered into the kitchen.
Over the last couple of months, I’d noticed that Evie would throw herself into a project when she was stressed or something was bothering her.
After my run, I had peeled my sweat-soaked T-shirt off outside, then come in to refill my water bottle.
I still wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but staying away was impossible.
Crossing my arms, I leaned against the counter, watching her scoop dough with surgical precision.
“Smells delicious,” I said. “Is it just me, or do you bake when you’re trying to avoid something?”
She pinned me with a delicious glare. “They’re for Ruby. And is it just me, or do you seem to lurk when you want something but are too chickenshit to ask?”
Her sass had my athletic shorts tightening. God, this woman drove me wild in the best ways.
“Guess we both have bad habits.” Shrugging, I pushed off the counter and took a step toward her.
She slid the cookie tray into the oven and turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. Fuck, the sight of her, tank top with no bra, hair down and wild, made me desperate to touch her.
“You’re awfully smug for the guy whose big romantic moment was ruined by a coffee table.”
Oh shit. “I’d forgotten about that.” I ran my hand through my hair, searching for the courage to dive into this conversation. We’d been tiptoeing around this for months. That night last year.
The night that changed everything.
“I limped around like an old man for days. That shit left a bruise.” I eyed my now heeled shin. “Was it placed there strategically, so I’d end up injured? Or was it just a poor interior design choice?”
Her mouth twitched. “You’re the only man I’ve ever known who could bruise himself mid-kiss and act like it was the inanimate object’s fault.”
I held up my hands. “In my defense, I was ambushed by the hottest women I’d ever seen, so I was distracted.”
Her eyes flared with heat, despite her schooled expression.
“And that damn table came out of nowhere.”
My leg could have been severed, and it would not have kept me from kissing Evie. The morning after, it hurt like a bitch, but it was so worth it.
“You were drunk.”
“Tipsy,” I corrected. “You, on the other hand.”
“Don’t even start, Lawrence.”
I arched a brow. “Oh, I’m starting. You dragged me onto the dance floor during that ridiculous Bon Jovi cover, said you needed to dance. And by dancing, you meant endangering the lives of everyone around us.”
She clamped her mouth shut to keep from laughing. “That’s right. You stepped on my feet several times.”
“Don’t remember you caring.” I lifted my chin. “In fact, you were laughing and smiling like you were having the time of your life.”
Her energy shifted then, the humor softening, like a breeze quieting. “I can’t believe we’re talking about that night.”
“We should talk about it.” I took another step closer and cupped her cheek. “We can’t just forget about it.”
“The night that rearranged my life? All the cells in my body and my entire universe?” She huffed.
“No chance I’ll ever forget that.” Chin tucked, she wrung her hands, but she eventually looked back up at me.
“It was so out of character for me,” she said quietly.
“That night. You. I don’t do things like that. I don’t… let go.”
My heart stumbled over itself. “Maybe you didn’t lose control. Maybe you chose me that night.”
“No. It wasn’t like that,” she rushed out. “It was silly, drunken antics.”
“Nope.” I wouldn’t let her dismiss what we shared.
If we were talking about this, then we were talking about it.
“You think it was random? That I’d never noticed you before that night?
” I took a step back, heat prickling up my spine.
“For months, you were this calm in the middle of the noise. Always poised and serious and trying so damn hard not to be seen. Made me want to look even harder.”
“You n-noticed me?” The raw vulnerability on her face made me wish I could go back in time and kick the asses of everyone who’d ever made her feel worthless.
“The first time I saw you was in line at Bean There, Sipped That,” I said. “Two years ago, I think. You were wearing this black skirt suit and sky-high heels with red soles. You looked professional yet also sexy and badass.”
A pink flush creeped into her cheeks.
“You should have looked out of place,” I continued. “But you fit right in. Your confidence and your energy were so damn attractive. You seemed to know who you were.”
“While waiting in line for caffeine?” she gasped.
Her confidence that day had drawn me in. And every day after. She marched into the equivalent of an L.L.Bean store in her red-heeled shoes and just kicked ass.
Eventually, I heard the typical town gossip about the newcomer. The new VP of marketing at Sugar Moon. The woman from New York who had all the bright ideas and was knocking everyone dead.
The woman who immediately befriended Frankie Dunne, a Maplewood citizen who hated everyone.
The woman who made this town a tiny bit brighter every day.
She’d bought a craftsman on Spruce Lane and on the occasions that I’d driven by, she always seemed to be out planting flowers, painting a fence, or hanging Christmas lights.
“You seemed untouchable,” I told her. “Beautiful and accomplished. The kind of woman I knew existed in this world but was sure I couldn’t have.
And so I let you live your life. Smiled politely when we crossed paths, knowing that you were destined for better.
But that one night? I couldn’t help myself. ”
The way she danced, the way she looked in that dress? I just had to talk to her.
When I was a kid, my dad had given me a talk about using my powers for good and not evil. Most of the time, I did. I swear, but once in a while, I would pop a dimple and drop a sexy smirk to get what I wanted.
And I wanted Evie. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, though she quickly narrowed her eyes on me.
“You sure remember a lot for a guy who didn’t even text the next day.”
Wincing, I rubbed the back of my neck. “You told me several times that night that you weren’t looking for anything. In fact, if I recall, you said it to me mid-blow job …”
Her cheeks flushed quickly, the sight so damn satisfying.
But again, she recovered quickly. “I didn’t want anything messy.”
“And I was nothing but messy back then.” I admitted. “I thought I was doing what you wanted, following your instructions. I felt lucky to have gotten even that little bit of time with you.”
“You’re still messy,” she said, inching closer.
“Maybe. But I’m trying to clean myself up,” I promised. “Become the type of man you’d give a second chance.”
The oven timer beeped loudly, breaking the spell, and Evie blinked rapidly and busied herself donning oven mitts and opening the oven.
“I meant what I said,” she whispered, still facing the oven. “That night wasn’t me. It was like I was being pulled toward you and I couldn’t stop it.” She set the cookie sheet on the top of the stove, and when she freed her hands from the oven mitts, they were shaking.
I swallowed hard, my gut tightening. “Then maybe it wasn’t a mistake. Maybe it was the one time in your life where you followed your heart and did what you wanted rather than what was expected of you.”
She turned quickly, eyes bright. “And look how that turned out.”
I eyed the baby monitor on the counter and crossed my arms over my chest again. “It turned out perfectly.”
I was an easygoing guy. I didn’t push for much, but I wasn’t going to let her off the hook. This was the most I’d gotten out of this woman in a year. So I’d keep pushing until she could be honest with me and herself.
“Can you at least put a shirt on?” she snapped. “It’s hard to argue with you with all those muscles on display.”
I smirked, my chest expanding. “These aren’t even my best,” I teased. “If you want a distraction I’ll turn around and give you an eyeful of my best asset.” Spinning, I shook my ass at her.
She giggled, the sound lighting me up inside.
With another spin back, I said, “I never skip leg day.”
She looked down at her own thick, delicious thighs. “Apparently I don’t skip leg day either.”
“Oh, I know.” I stalked toward her and backed her into the countertop, caging her in. “My girl is strong as hell. And it’d be my absolute privilege to wear those thighs as earmuffs tonight.”
The scent of warm sugar filled the air as we stood, focus fixed on one another, the world narrowing down to just the space between us.
Finally, she exhaled. “You’re trouble, Jasper Lawrence.”
I leaned in, ghosting my lips over the shell of her ear, relishing the way the contact made her shudder. “You say it like it’s a bad thing, Evangelina Marino.”
She gasped at the sound of her name on my lips.
But I kept going, gently pressing my mouth to her neck. “You say it like trouble isn’t exactly your type.”
She tilted her head to the side, giving me more access. “It wasn’t. Until I met you.”