Chapter 33
Jasper
Evie didn’t let go of my hand the entire ride back to Vermont. The trip was more than five hours, with a stop in Springfield for a bathroom break, snacks, and a diaper change. Her fingers were cold, but her grip was like iron. Like she was anchoring herself to me.
We didn’t speak much, and here and there she teared up, but when I’d peer over to check on her, she just squeezed my hand, her jaw set and determined.
“You needed to. It was all true.”
She sat quietly for a few minutes more, letting the sound of Fleetwood Mac fill the car.
“I think I realized something.”
I looked over at her.
“I’m not scared of him anymore. It’s a strange feeling. He holds no power over my life or my decisions. His anger doesn’t hurt like it used to.”
My stomach ached. How could someone be blessed with a daughter like Evie and not understand how incredible she was? My own parents would have been obsessed with her, I knew that in my bones.
“I’m proud of you. You’re evolving.”
“Hardly.”
“Nope.” I squeezed her hand. “And I’m lucky I get to be here while you do it.”
A shaky laugh escaped her, soft and a bit disbelieving. “You know what’s wild? When I first met you, I thought you were so …” Her voice trailed off as she looked out the window. “Wild. Reckless. Immature.”
I scoffed. “Hey. I resent that.” My mouth pulled into a grin I couldn’t fight. “I prefer heroic, charming, and handsome.”
She nudged my shoulder and stuck her tongue out at me. Her teasing was a balm, her voice lighter than it had been in days. Hell, maybe since I’d met her.
“Let me rephrase for you. The first time you saw me, you fell a little bit in love with my rakish good looks, my bulging biceps, and my heroism.”
She chuckled. “It took me a while to notice you, actually.”
My face fell. Wow, that was a blow to my ego.
“No, you need to understand. I don’t notice men. Especially the good-looking ones. At an early age, I learned that they have no interest in me, so I conditioned myself to have no interest in them.”
I brought her knuckles to my lips and pressed a kiss to them. “I hate to break it to you, but men notice you.”
She shook her head. “Not like that. Trust me, I’ve had enough rejection. But I’d seen you here and there. Usually flirting, dancing, and hanging all over a pretty girl.”
Oh great. Now my face was burning.
“I avoided you. Flirty guys are trouble.”
I grinned. “I will neither confirm nor deny that one.”
“So I assumed you were a hot fuck boy and forgot you existed.”
Wow, that one hit me like an arrow straight to the chest. “Damn. You really know how to wound a man.”
She patted my arm and smiled. “But at Ruby’s bachelorette party, something shifted.”
My heart lifted a little. Now we were getting somewhere. The vision of her in the dark room, swaying slowly to the music had been burned into my brain. The curl of her hair, the flare of her hips, the mischief in those dark eyes.
“When we talked, I felt things. When you pulled me into your arms to dance, it felt inevitable. And when you smiled at me.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “I damn near melted.”
I chuckled. This conversation had taken an excellent turn. We’d gone back to her place after, and I’d slowly peeled her clothes off, then propped her up on the counter so I could devour her.
Fuck, my jeans got tight just thinking about it.
“And what do you think now?” I asked. “Still a menace?”
She contemplated my question as we drove through town.
By the time I pulled into the driveway, she still hadn’t answered.
“I think,” she said as we gathered our things from the trunk, “that you are steady. And brave.”
I smiled, securing Vincent’s bucket seat in the crook of my elbow.
“And somehow exactly what I needed when I didn’t even know I needed anything.”
I opened my mouth to respond and then shut it. I had no words.
So I tilted her chin up and kissed her instead.
She wrapped her free arm around my waist. “Vincent chose well,” she said into my chest.
Pain and joy and hope twisted together in my gut. “He’s smarter than both of us.”
“He is,” she murmured. “And he loves you so much.”
I swallowed hard. Every instinct inside me screamed to wrap her up, promise her I’d never let anything or anyone hurt her or Vincent again. But she didn’t need promises, she needed the truth.
We carried our stuff inside, and while we got Vincent settled on his playmat, I searched for the right words.
“You know.” I stared at the carpet so I didn’t lose my nerve.
“After my parents died, I just…” My voice cracked.
“I told myself I’d never have what they had. That I could never live up to them.”
She sighed. “Jasper.”
“I mean it. I thought I was better off as the good-time guy. The fun guy. I could be useful. Work hard. Throw myself into burning buildings because it’s easier than thinking about what I lost.”
She sank down next to me on the floor, wrapping her arms around me.
“You deserve everything. You are everything. To Vincent and to me. You believe in us. Hell, you believed in me, even when I was pushing you away.”
“I will always believe in you. And I’ll work my ass off to be worthy of you. When you stood up to your father? You were so strong. I just—” My throat tightened. “I realized then that we’re a family. You, me, and Vincent. It’s us against the world.”
She was crying now, happy tears as she kissed me softly. “I believe in you too,” she said as her kisses turned urgent. “And I believe in us.”
We kissed and kissed, clinging to one another tightly.
“I can’t believe I have to go to work,” I hissed, cupping her chin.
“It’s going to be a long twenty-four hours.” She climbed into my lap.
“But then we’ve got the Founder’s Festival this weekend,” I said. “And I’m off for two days.”
I kissed her again, enjoying the tease, going slow. For so long, I’d been desperate to soak up every minute I got with this woman, never knowing when they’d run out. Now, I knew I had time. There was so much to look forward to.
“How long until you have to be at work?” she asked.
I checked my watch. “One hour.”
She broke into a grin. “Good. Give me five minutes.”
She picked up Vincent and Sophie the Giraffe, then hustled toward the nursery.
When she returned, she was pulling her shirt over her head.
My heart skipped a beat. “What—”
She put her fingers to her lips, then sank to her knees. “He’s in his crib. We have a few minutes.”
“But—” I protested, though all rational thought left me when she was half naked and this close.
“I’m not going to see you for twenty-four hours,” she said, her fingers at my fly. “I need to make the most of this time.”
With quick, precise movements, she pulled my aching cock out, and when she kissed the tip, my knees buckled.
I had an active imagination and had spent the better part of a year obsessing about this. Her smell, her taste, the way she glared at me when I annoyed her.
But nothing my brain could imagine came close to the sight of her on her knees for me. To the desire in those hooded dark eyes as she opened those plush pink lips and took me to the back of her throat.
I groaned, swaying a little. Fuck. Get it together, man. The sight of her was already awe-inspiring, but add the feel of her mouth and hands, and I was close to blacking out in seconds.
She trailed her fingers down my abs, her focus locked on my face.
Gripping me hard, she ran her tongue up my shaft.
I raked my hands through her hair and inhaled sharply.
“You like?” The playfulness in her tone gave me all kinds of dirty ideas.
“I love,” I said. “But I want a turn to play.”
She shook her head. “I’m in charge right now.”
Before I could protest, she took me to the back of her throat again.
Head dropped back, I groaned. “You’re always in charge, mama. I’m just here to do what you tell me.”
She released me with a pop and smiled. “Good. Now fuck my mouth.”
I damn near collapsed, but I would not disappoint my girl. If there was one thing I was good at, it was following orders.
“Anything for you,” I gritted out as she worked me over. There was no more teasing, no hesitation. Just the hottest and most intense blow job of my life.
“Fuck, Evie. Your mouth.” My legs shook and every muscle in my body clenched.
When she looked up at me again, that was it. The eye contact did me in. There was no going back. There was no making this last. I was powerless when it came to this woman. I’d give her anything and everything. Always.