15. Jasper
FIFTEEN
JASPER
My brother is lucky that I love him.
If this was anyone else, or any other circumstance, I’d be pushing back on this ludicrous plan, fighting tooth and nail to protect what’s mine, but if Carter says she can handle this, I have to trust her intuition.
Something in her has shifted since last night, maybe our kiss and honest confessions being the driving force, but I love nothing more than watching her get riled up.
Of course, I’m keeping a close eye on her facial expressions, body language, and reactive behaviors, but so far, she’s proven that when given a mission, she doesn’t stop until it’s complete.
“That’s too tight, Ty.” I point out, noting a red ring of rope burn around her forearm where he’s tying another knot.
Currently, we’re gearing up for a photoshoot, faking a kidnapping for the ages that Tyson believes is the key to Carter’s freedom.
I’m not as convinced, but playing along as he ties her up, pinning her arms behind her back and binding her ankles together. She squirms under the rope, but a quick glance in my direction tells the full story, her way of telling me to relax, without using words.
As hard as it is, I’m doing everything in my power to assist by setting the scene, leaving small droplets of information – albeit false – that will end up in the photographs sent to the Cassini Don.
“We need to put this back on for the proof of life video,” Tyson says, pulling the engagement ring from his pocket, and Carter’s face slightly deflates at the sight, her visible disgust making my stomach turn.
“For the last time,” she whispers, and we both nod in response, Ty slipping it on her finger with tenderness.
“Everything is in place. The takeout menus are carefully lined on the table, next to the address you had me write down. I left a map of deceit just like you asked,” I tell Tyson, and instead of checking my work, he just takes my word for it.
Everything about him since getting Carter back has been uncharacteristic, his anger showing at times where I’d usually expect his nurturing side, but I can only chalk that up to the amount of pressure we’re under to get it right this time.
Life doesn’t always give second chances, but we’re lucky enough to have this opportunity, and there’s nothing left to do but take what has been graced upon us.
Nothing is more important than getting Carter out safely, as well as staying as whole as possible, so if we need to do a few things that are uncomfortable, I’m going to play along with little to no complaints.
“Are you okay, Principessina?” I ask, the sounds of her heavy breathing and the camera clicking the only thing echoing off these walls.
“I’m fine, Jasper,” she smiles weakly, the tears welling in her eyes, but I know she’s conjuring a character, attempting to make the fear look real.
“All that’s left is the video, and then we’ll get you out of this, okay?” Tyson kisses her cheek, stroking her hair while she nods, a trusting look in her eye that warms my heart.
They shared a moment of their own this morning, a push toward healing, and rather than interrupt the time they needed all to themselves, I gave them the space to work out the damaged pieces of their own relationship.
It’s the least I could do, but hearing her attempt to go into the water, to face that newfound fear, only furthered my dedication to this plan.
Using her strength to channel my own, I’m here doing the very thing that could become my worst nightmare.
“My name is Carter Cassini, and I’m unharmed,” she recites, following Tyson’s script to the letter until he steps in front of the camera, making a grand declaration of random demands.
“Three million dollars for the safe return of your heiress, at a location of our choosing. You have twenty-four hours to respond, or every time you see her, she’ll be at the mercy of a different man.
Refuse, and we’ll kill her once she’s all used up.
” Tyson stares into the light like a man possessed, a seriousness behind his words that gives me the chills, but Carter plays the role of a hostage perfectly, even pretending to struggle against the restraints.
“That should be enough, baby girl. Come here, you did so good.” Tyson and I rush to her side, making quick work of the knots, rubbing the places of her skin that turned red.
“Oh my god. I can’t … oh my god,” she breathes, tears slipping down her cheeks, and once Ty slices the final rope, I scoop her into my arms, resting her head on my chest.
“We’ve got you, my little warrior. You did amazing, and you never have to do that again, I promise,” I whisper, feeling as her body slowly releases the tension being held in her muscles, and her breathing returns to normal.
“You were in control the entire time. Nobody stole anything from you, held you against your will, or forced you to do what you didn’t want.
” Tyson joins me on the floor, snaking her legs over his lap, drawing circles on her skin with his fingers while she absorbs his words, their eye contact never breaking.
“You’re right, I was in control,” she agrees, a certain acceptance entering her mind, and before long, I can feel the life re-enter her body.
“I want to feel powerful again, like I used to. Kiss me,” she asserts, a playful smile crossing her lips, and that’s one order I have no problem following.
“Take charge, Principessina. Kiss me. Do whatever you want with me,” I offer, willingly giving myself up to her on a silver platter to use as she pleases, hoping she finds every ounce of power in the game of control.
Slowly, she sits up and straddles my lap, a sinister smile breaking across her face as she presses a single finger under my chin, forcing me to meet her lips in the middle.
Rather than devour her, I let her set the pace, waiting in delicious anticipation for the moment her tongue finds mine, and feeling the sparks erupt from my body when it finally does.
She starts off gently, exploring my mouth while slowly working her hips against my crotch, and I fight the urge to wrap my hands around her throat, to dominate her kiss with every fiber of my being.
Reaching for my hands, she laces our fingers together while pushing my arms above my head, pinning me in place and leaving me completely at her mercy.
“Tyson, come here and kiss me,” she breathes, breaking our lips apart and immediately searching for him, releasing my hands while she climbs onto his lap.
I’m in awe as I sit back to watch the show, the intimate way she envelops herself into him all while tangling their tongues at a slower pace.
Gentle, soft moans leave her lips, like she’s truly enjoying the feeling of having us in the palm of her hands, but in reality, it’s always been this way.
Whether Tyson was giving commands, or if I were to dictate how things would go, the same thing would be true every single time, and that is the fact that Carter controls our every breath.
We don’t move a muscle unless it benefits her, makes her smile, or brings her down to her knees in pleasure, but I’ll play into her little game, if only to lure the confident little vixen out from her hiding place within the depths of Carter’s mind.
“Oh, babygirl. We’ll have plenty of time to make up for the moments we’ve lost, but for now, we need to send these files.” Tyson gently pulls her off his lap, tapping her ass for good measure while she nods, a satisfied look brewing in her eyes as she reclaims her spot against my chest.
“What do you need from me?”
“An email would be the right place to start, that way I can run the encryption software,” he says, the tech jargon flying over both of our heads, but she provides the contact information we need to get this shit going.
“How long is this supposed to take?” I ask, not really interested in a morning spent staring at Ty while he stares at his laptop.
“An hour or two, why?”
“I have an errand to run. But I’ll be careful,” I rush to say, beating him to the lesson of a lecture before he can take a breath.
“Massi. That is quite literally the worst fucking idea you’ve ever had,” he argues, and although I’m happy to be back with him, this constant state of bickering we’re in is starting to grind my nerves.
“I have an order to pick up. I’ll be in and out, fully protected. I’m not asking for permission, Ty. I’ll be right back.” I stand my ground, not folding under the death glare coming from the opposite end of the room, and finally, he waves me off, turning back to face his laptop.
“Jasper, be careful. I’m nowhere near glued back together enough to kill someone who messes with you.” Carter places a hand on my cheek, gazing up at me with genuine concern painted on her pretty face.
“I’ll be okay, Principessina. I want you to rest while I’m gone. We have mountains to move, and I need you at your very best,” I tell her, gently kissing her nose while a soft moan escapes her lips, the frightened girl from last night nowhere to be seen, at least for now.
Give a fierce, independent, blood-thirsty little devil a mission, and she’ll melt in your arms, right before dropping a lethal strike on her enemies.
“I swear to whoever is presiding over Hell that I will fucking kill you if you come back with so much as a scratch on that pretty face,” she warns, a distinct fire in her words, and eyes, that I believe in, shaking me down to my core.
“I just got you back, there’s not a slim chance in those torturous, pearly gates of Heaven that’d keep me from crawling across glass until I crash landed at your feet.”
“God, you’re such a romantic.” She fans herself with her hand dramatically, and I can’t help but smile, every barb we trade slowly bringing that smart mouthed little temptress I fell for back to the light.
She pulls me by the back of my neck until our lips meet in the middle, a few quick pecks that solidify a promise to return, even though I’m quite literally walking two blocks away.
“Massi, grab these packages for me, too? Same place as where you’re going.” Ty tosses me his credit card, along with a key card that accesses a special drop box he bought, specifically for online purchases, keeping our contact with delivery men at a minimum.
“Yes, Master. Anything else?” I quip, and he barely huffs a breath in my direction, his focus solely on the screen in his face.
Thankfully, he’s back, and better than ever, meaning I no longer have to torture myself with the tall task of sitting behind a laptop in the foreseeable future.
After all the hours spent hunched over a screen, I’m positive that I burned any and all chances of skating through life without needing glasses.
As much as I don’t want to leave Carter, preferring to spend every second possible in her orbit, I believe that we’re on the cusp of having that every day, for the rest of our lives, and the errand I’m running is solely for her.
After he revealed just how much money we’re rolling in, I may have splurged with Tyson’s credit card, picking out a few things necessary to bring my Principessina back to life, essential items that I know she’s been deprived of for far too long.
I’ve never had the desire to see the West Coast, and that sentiment rings true as I slip out of our motel room, the unforgiving sun burning into my skin the second I start down the road.
Wherever we decide to live has to be less humid, and certainly on a coastline somewhere, access to the beach being a priority on the top of my list.
Without a hitch, I cross two blocks, finding Tyson’s dropbox easily and grabbing the things we ordered solely to bring a smile to Carter’s face.
Her healing is all I care about, besides getting out of the country, and these little trinkets will replace the trauma she’s been battling, even if only for a few moments.
Previously on the verge of killing her, I’ve been reborn since being back in her orbit, all those things I accused Tyson of falling for can easily be thrown right back at me, as I’m completely trapped under the spell of Carter Cassini, once again.
This time, though, I’m planning to fall victim to her special brand of chaos, her hand-crafted magic potion until the end of time.