Page 41 of Djinn in Love

He tugged her closer until she let her weight rest against his side. Veronica soaked up the contact. It had been a long time since she’d been held like this. Yes, he’d climbed into bed with her the night before, but they hadn’t been touching when she woke up.

This was different. She was aware of the firm muscled length of his body, the heat of his skin soaking through her pajamas,and the slow, steady beat of his heart against her cheek. Though she was still relaxed from the spa treatments, a low hum of arousal began in her blood. It had been so long since anyone had touched her with more than platonic affection that just cuddling with Jasper affected her more than she expected.

“Thank you again for scheduling the spa treatments for me,” she murmured. “The ladies wouldn’t even let me tip them. They said it was taken care of.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me,” he replied, his fingers gently running through the ends of her hair. The movement tugged at her scalp and tingles spread from her head to down to her neck. “Did it help you relax?”

“I’m more relaxed than I’ve ever been.”

She could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “Good.”

Hesitant, Veronica lifted her hand, pausing for a moment before she finally placed it on the center of his chest, just next to her cheek. Immediately, Jasper’s free hand came up to cover hers, pressing it closer. She tilted her head back, pulling away slightly.

He looked down at her, his dark eyes soft as they met hers. She loved the way he was looking at her. As though there was nowhere else he would rather be. Without thinking, she moved her hand, cupping his cheek. As she lifted her chin, Veronica pulled him toward her.

His lips were hot and felt like a brand against hers. That heat spread throughout her entire body. It was only their second day here and none of this felt fake anymore. The way he looked at her, the way he treated her, it reflected his true emotions. He liked her. He wanted her.

And the way he made her feel wasn’t false either. She was falling for him. It was too fast, too frightening, but she wasn’t sure she could stop it even if she wanted to.

Veronica opened her mouth when his lips parted over hers and a low hum escaped her at the touch of his tongue against hers. Jasper deepened the kiss by degrees, taking his time as though he would have been satisfied just to kiss her all night long.

But that wasn’t enough for her. Not tonight. Veronica shifted, turning her body further into his. Jasper cradled her against him, but she wanted to be closer. She brought her leg around, placing a knee on each side of his hips, straddling his lap.

Jasper tangled his hands in her hair, holding her closer. His lips moved from hers, over her jaw and down to brand the side of her throat. She rocked against him, feeling the hard length of his erection beneath her.

The mental shields he’d built around his mind cracked, letting some of his emotions leak through. Veronica’s breath caught in her throat. They were like a gossamer thread, so thin that it shouldn’t have affected her. But they did, because as tiny as the leak in his shields was, it had the same strength and honed edge as a scalpel. It stole her thoughts and her control.

He wanted her with an intensity that matched her own. He ached with it, just as she ached. He took pleasure in her touch and in touching her in return. His own desire fed hers. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Veronica was swept along the wave of his emotions, her muscles winding tighter as though her entire body was hot and on the verge of melting.

Jasper’s hands clasped her hips, holding her still, and his mouth left the skin of her neck. “Veronica, I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

“I won’t.”

His dark eyes remained locked on hers, as though he were trying to read her mind. Or at least determine her level of honesty with herself. His hands gripped her hips tighter,bringing her closer. “I need you to be sure because this will change things.”

“How?”

“You’ll have to be open to the idea that this isn’t pretend. That you’re dating me. That we’re in a relationship.”

She leaned back a little so she could see his face clearly. “I know it’s not fake anymore. I believe what you said before. About wanting to be with me.”

“I have a confession to make,” he said.

Veronica froze as she felt a thread of worry worm through his mental walls. “What?”

“It was never fake for me.”

She blinked at him. Once. Twice. Three times. “I’m sorry. What?”

“I never wanted for you to pretend to date me. I wanted you to actually date me,” he admitted. “But every time I asked you out at Mystical Matchmakers, you shot me down and held me at a distance. None of the matches you found me worked out because they weren’t the woman I wanted. They weren’t you.”

She didn’t know what to say to that.

“It probably makes me an asshole, but I used the situation to my advantage, hoping that you would open up to the idea once we spent some time together. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t keep pushing because I do understand the word no. I just felt like you were seeing me as a client and not a man and I wanted a chance to change that.”

“It was never fake for you?” she asked. “Truly?”

He shook his head. Veronica could sense that he was worried she would be angry. But that he also didn’t feel guilty about it at all.

---