Page 24 of Djinn in Love

Jasper suppressed the scowl that wanted to take over his face. The Shah’s were a nice family, but Prema’s mother, Darya, and his mother had been pressuring him to attend the wedding with Prema’s younger sister, Jasmine. He’d tried to be polite in his refusal, but he worried that Darya and Jasmine would expect him to act as her escort during the wedding since they were paying for his cabin.

Jasper took the keycards, trying not to crush them in his fist. “Thank you.”

He took a firm hold on his temper as he guided Veronica away from the counter. “I am so sorry,” he repeated. “I know I warned you that my mother was a bit of meddler, but I wasn’t expecting something like this.”

“You think your mom is the reason there are no extra rooms?” Veronica asked, obviously bewildered. He understood her confusion. Most parents would never go to such extremes to get their way.

He glanced down at her, quirking a brow. “I inherited my determination to get what I want from my mother, and I can assure you, this was all her.”

Veronica chuckled, which took him by surprise.

“You think this is funny?” he asked. As they walked out the front door, his mother and brother were noticeably absent. It was clear they had decided to escape while he was distracted by checking in.

“Not necessarily this…only at the idea that there is someone who might be more devious and pushier than you. And that it annoys you so much.”

She was looking straight ahead, so she missed the way he looked at her, surprised that was her response. He knew he was a pushy, bossy, arrogant asshole. He just couldn’t believe that Veronica was discussing those aspects of his character as though they amused her rather than upset her.

Maybe this weekend wouldn’t become a disaster after all.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Veronica was shockingly calm.

When Leila Bayat announced that Veronica and Jasper would have to share a room, nerves had erupted in her belly, threatening to overwhelm her. She’d been so distracted by the nervous anticipation gripping her that she’d almost missed the wave of smugness that came from his mother.

The sensation had brought her back into her head with a thud. Even with her mental shields firmly in place, Veronica could sense Leila’s satisfaction with the situation. It seemed that Jasper wasn’t the only member of his family who broadcasted his emotions without thought.

It was clear that Leila wanted them to room together. That she’d even taken steps to ensure that happened.

Milo’s amusement washed over her as well, quickly followed by affection. It was clear that he was used to his mother’s machinations and that he was enjoying his brother’s plight.

Veronica decided then and there that she was going to go with the flow this weekend. It was clear that Jasper’s family didn’t resent her presence. In fact, it was obvious that his mother intended to play matchmaker. She deliberately ignored the little voice in the back of her head that said they might not feel thesame once they discovered that she was an empath. If his mother and brother were anything like Jasper, they wouldn’t decide that her abilities made her undesirable.

But if they did, Veronica was beginning to believe that it wouldn’t matter to Jasper. That he made his own choices and wasn’t the type to cave to pressure from his friends or family.

Jasper swept her along out to the car, and he insisted on opening the door for her again. He didn’t say anything as he followed the drive in a wide circle back to the narrow concrete road that led behind the main lodge. Veronica noticed that his knuckles were white as he gripped the wheel, but he had his emotions locked down tightly. There wasn’t even a whisper of anger or stress coming off him.

While she appreciated the effort he was making to keep his own mental walls up, she didn’t want him to shut down completely. She didn’t want him to feel the same kind of pressure that she felt when she was with a partner.

He stopped the car in front of the fourth cabin on the left, turning into the drive and pulling beneath the carport next to the golf cart. Before Jasper could open the door and climb out of the car, Veronica put her hand on his forearm.

“Jasper, I’m going to say something, but I don’t want to upset you.”

He turned to face her. “Whatever it is, just tell me. Don’t worry about upsetting me. I’m a big boy and I can handle it.”

Veronica took a deep breath. “Okay. I can sense that you’ve locked your emotions down tightly. I know it’s because you don’t want to overwhelm me, but I also don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself.” She tilted her head, gazing into his eyes. “Does that make sense?”

“It does,” he answered. “And you’re right. I’ve been working on my mental shields, so you don’t have to worry about protecting yourself from me. Just like you want me to be myself,I want you to be able to do the same.” He laid his other hand over hers on his arm. “So, what are we going to do?”

Veronica shrugged. “I’m not sure. You’re the first man I’ve ever dated that cared enough to try.”

He suppressed the scowl that wanted to take over his face and focused on what she said. “Are we dating?” he asked.

That tell-tale blush worked its way up her neck to her cheeks again. “Um…well…I assumed after you kissed me that meant…” Veronica stopped speaking and cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. She dropped her eyes to the steering wheel, no longer looking at him.

When she tried to withdraw her hand from his arm, Jasper held it fast. “Look at me, Veronica.” He could tell she didn’t want to, but, after visibly steeling herself, she met his gaze. “If you’re okay with it, we are dating.”

“If I’m okay with it?”

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