Chapter 35
Jasper
Once the cruiser pulled out, we loaded Vincent in his stroller and walked to Evie’s house as quickly as we could.
She was stunned. Shaken and confused. She didn’t speak the whole way home. Inside, I went straight to the bathroom to run water for Vincent’s bath.
“They arrested her,” she said as I came out to take him from her. Her expression was blank, like she’d drifted elsewhere. “Just walked right up and took her away. A few hours earlier, she was cooing at Vincent and we were talking about fried dough.”
“We’ll figure this out. I’ll call Gabe.” My mind raced. I knew nothing about Louisa Meyer other than that she owned the company Evie worked for. And although she wasn’t well-liked in town as a citizen, she was respected as a business leader and was generous to our community.
She frowned, her lips trembling. “Do you think it’s related to…?”
I shook my head. It couldn’t be. Whatever had happened to Will was dark and dangerous. Bad guys and deals gone wrong. I couldn’t imagine a forty-something CEO doing that to him.
“If the CEO of the biggest employer in town can be hauled off like that, what does it mean for the rest of us?” she whispered. “For the employees and the farmers and the town?”
I wanted to tell her it would be fine, that it had to be a misunderstanding.
That the town wasn’t unraveling at the seams. But I didn’t make promises I couldn’t keep.
So instead, I went with the truth. “I don’t know.
But you’re amazing and brilliant. Regardless of what happens, you will land on your feet. And I’m here to help. Always.”
She looked up at me, her face so beautiful, her expression earnest. “Is that what you think? That I always land on my feet?” Her lips trembled then, her confidence slipping. Worry and exhaustion were taking over, along with the fierce sense of responsibility she carried for everyone but herself.
I clasped her hand, giving it a squeeze.
Then I kissed the inside of her wrist. Damn, I wished I could fix it.
Take away all her stress and worries. But Evie didn’t need me to step in and solve her problems. She needed me to stand by her side while she handled them herself. “There is nothing you can’t do.”
Together we bathed Vincent, and while she fed him and rocked him to sleep, I did a load of laundry. As we stood side by side over his crib, watching the rise and fall of his little chest, she grabbed my hand again.
“This town,” she whispered. “I really thought it was perfect. My home. But then this happened. I want to raise him somewhere safe. Give him that magical kind of childhood.”
That sensation tugged at my chest again. The one that had taken up residence, like a second heartbeat. The constant urge to protect them. My family. I hugged and kissed her forehead.
“Come on. I’ll make dinner. Then we can make some calls, see what we can learn.”
I had no answers. I had no reassurance. Nothing had been the same since Will’s murder. The entire town had changed, and who knew how deep all this ran. All I could do was protect my family. Evie and Vincent. Give them everything I had and hope for the best.
“What if…” She turned and ran her hands up my chest. “What if I want to be distracted for a bit?”
I sighed, considering what kinds of activities would help her manage this anxiety. “Do you want to play Scrabble?” I whispered. “Or watch that Martha Stewart documentary on Netflix?”
She tipped her head and bit her lip, her eyes flashing even in the dark. “Jasper,” she teased. “I’m talking about a naked distraction.”
It took a minute to register in my brain. I was deep in problem-solving protector mode. So when she turned around, threaded her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss, I was a bit confused.
“I don’t want to think right now,” she said, her hand resting on the waistband of my pants.
I tilted her chin up, kissing her again. If my girl wanted distraction, I would deliver. Anything. Anytime.
“Tell me,” I murmured, my lips brushing her neck. “What does my girl want?”
She whimpered, her body shuddering
I was already rock hard, desperate to feel all of her.
“My tongue?” I teased, gently biting along her jawline. God, I want to taste her. To spread her wide right here on the floor and make a meal of her. “My fingers?” I asked, my hand snaking up the back of her shirt to the clasp of her bra.
“Actually,” she breathed. “I had this dream.”
I paused, my hand pressed against her spine. “You had a dream?”
With her lip caught between her teeth, she nodded. Then she tugged her shirt over her head.
As her glorious tits came into view, I momentarily lost my train of thought. Fuck it was impossible to keep my hands off them.
“I had a sexy dream,” she admitted as I palmed one breast. “A few nights ago.”
“You had a sexy dream and didn’t tell me immediately?”
“You were at the firehouse.”
“You should have called 911.” I took one nipple into my mouth. “Had dispatch send me over so I could hear all about it in real time.”
She groaned, her head dropped back. “That seems like a poor use of public resources.”
I eased her panties down, my fingers trailing over her hips. “Don’t care. Now tell me everything.”
Kneeling in front of her, I pushed her panties and shorts all the way to the floor and nipped at her inner thighs. “I’m waiting.” Brows lifted, I peered up at her.
Her face was pink and her breathing shallow. “I dreamed you bent me over the couch. It was hard and fast and dirty and I—”
I slipped one finger inside her, and she moaned, the sound low and drawn out. Fuck, she was already soaked.
“You want me to bend you over the couch and fuck you from behind?” I found her clit and rubbed a circle around it.
In answer, she threw her head back.
“What was that?” I teased.
“Yes,” she cried. “Please.”
Holy. Hell. She was shaking and trembling and detailing a sex dream to me. What had I done to deserve this incredible woman?
“Anything.” I scooped her up and carried her to the couch, marveling at how fucking gorgeous she looked naked and in my arms. “I will do anything for you. Anytime. Anywhere.”
With an arm looped around my neck, she kissed me.
I was on top of the fucking world. Taking care of Evie, being the man she depended on was the most exhilarating thing I’d ever experienced. And I’d never do anything to hurt her.