Page 10 of Caligo

I lay awake all night in Jasper’s arms, thinking. My mind was cycling, and I couldn’t shut it off. I wasn’t sure how everything would work with my parents. If they couldn’t accept Jasper, I wasn’t sure I wanted them in my life. What Jasper had said was true. I had wanted to take this slow, to know I was making my own choices in life, not leaving them up to some unknown fate. Unfortunately, my parents had forced my hand. My gut was telling me to trust the person who had been honest with me, and that was the man sleeping next to me. My heart told me to trust him. There was still some real danger in Merrillan, and I wasn’t about to let Jasper take that on by himself. I must have made a noise of frustration, because Jasper stirred. He slid his hand down my hip. “Hey,” he mumbled, his voice husky with sleep. “What’s wrong?”

I didn’t want to burden him with my worries, not when he was already feeling guilty about my tempestuous relationship with my parents. I turned to face him. “Nothing. Just thinking about our dinner with Mollie tomorrow. Go back to sleep.” I kissed his forehead, and he gave me a small smile without opening his eyes. He settled back into my bed, the sheets slipping to reveal his sculpted abs. His tan skin shone pure in the moonlight filtering through my thin curtains, contrasting with the dark ink spidering across his body. This view in my bed alone was worth a bit of trouble. I wasn’t lying to him. I had vocalized my anxiety about dinner with Mollie to him earlier. Mollie had been busy transitioning to a new role at work, and I hadn’t seen her as much as I normally did, though we still kept in touch over text and the occasional call. When I had first proposed a dinner, Mollie had been wary.

“I don’t know, Ava. He seems like bad news,” she had told me over the phone. “You won’t be able to change him.”

But really, what was there to change? Jasper treated me with respect, and almost a reverence. I had convinced her to give him another shot, but her excitement had yet to build. Mollie was instinctively very protective of me, and I didn’t want her to interrogate Jasper, or worse -- threaten him. I pictured tiny Mollie cornering Jasper’s large frame in her kitchen, her threat ten times scarier than anything Jasper could manage. The amusing image finally broke through my intrusive thoughts, allowing me to fall asleep safe in Jasper’s arms. Now that I knew what contentment was like, I couldn’t imagine sleeping anywhere else.

* * *

We pulled into Mollie’s apartment parking lot on Jasper’s bike promptly at 5:30 the next day. Jasper was wearing a clean shirt and jeans, but with his beat-up old combat boots still on. My personal opinion was he looked hot in them, but Mollie might have other opinions. I was trying to pretend I wasn’t nervous for Jasper’s sake, but I was really hopeful everyone would get along tonight.

Jasper looked like he wanted to say something, so I elbowed him as I took my helmet off. “What’s up? I promise, you have nothing to worry about. You’ll probably like Mollie more than you like me.”

“That’s not what I was thinking,” he said, laughing. He ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. “Does she know? What I am, I mean. I wouldn’t blame you for telling her. I should know what I’m getting into.”

“Mollie doesn’t know. I didn’t think any of this was my place to say. And Mollie won’t even watch the trailer for a scary movie. I didn’t want to be the one to break it to her all that stuff is real.” I took a deep breath. “If it’s okay with you, I was hoping we could keep the whole wolf thing on the downlow for right now.”

Jasper immediately relaxed. “More than okay. If I’m already going to have to win her over, I didn’t want to add another problem to the mix.” He slipped his hand into the back pocket of my jeans as we walked towards Mollie’s ground level apartment. “By the way, have I told you I love these jeans on you?”

“Once or twice.” I blushed. Jasper was back to his normal self. Now I was the nervous wreck.

As we reached Mollie’s door and I knocked, he leaned closer towards me. “I’ll love them even more off of you later tonight,” he breathed.

Fuck.That’s all I would be able to think about throughout dinner now. And from his satisfied smirk, he knew exactly what he was doing. Luckily for him, Ben answered the door before I could retaliate.

“Ava!” Ben greeted me warmly, giving me a hug when he saw me. But I could feel his judgement as he ran his gaze over Jasper, the worn leather jacket, and the tattoos peeking over the neckline of his shirt. He offered his hand. “You must be Jasper. We’re so happy you guys could make it.” Jasper took his hand, shaking it firmly, and I could see Ben trying not to wince with the force of his grip. Sometimes Jasper underestimated his own strength.

“Thank you for having us over,” Jasper told him, smiling. I let out the breath I was holding. Hopefully we’d all get through this night in one piece. Ben opened the door wide, and gestured for us to follow him into their cozy living room. I started to walk behind him, but Jasper pulled me back by my wrist. “Relax, baby,” he whispered, winking at me. “I promise I won’t shift in the middle of dinner.” He dragged his nail down the back of my neck, exposed by my high bun, and I squirmed under his touch.

“Ava, are you guys coming in or what?” Mollie called from the direction of the kitchen, and I tugged Jasper forward. He trailed behind me into their living room, taking an easy seat next to me on their small couch.

“Can I get you two a drink?” Ben asked from the doorway. “I think Mollie opened a bottle of wine.”

“Wine is good with me, Ben, thanks.” They were the perfect hosts every time I came over. And in return, I usually offered them take out and dusty drinks. He turned to Jasper.

“Wine would be great, thanks. But a small one. I’ve got the bike tonight and I’ve got to make sure this one stays upright.” He glared at me pointedly, and I knew he was remembering the last time I rode his bike after a few drinks. I glared back, but not before I noticed Ben’s impressed face as he headed to get our wine.

“Well, look at that.” I rested my hand on his thigh, enjoying the tensing of his muscles beneath my hand. “You’re already off to a great start with Ben! Who knew you were all about sobriety in case your girlfriend gets loaded?”

Jasper gave me a sharp look. “Girlfriend, huh?”

Shit.Had I said that out loud? I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to admit what I had said or play it cool.

Jasper flipped me so I was straddling his lap, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Jasper!” I protested in a loud whisper. “Ben will be back any second!” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t there.

“Then you have a second to answer my question.” He feathered his fingertips down my spine over my thin shirt, pressing a kiss against my collarbone. “Do you consider yourself my girlfriend?”

I couldn’t think with his hands against me and his lips kissing my neck so gently I might have been imagining it. I moaned softly, and he nipped my skin. “Shush,” he scolded. “You don’t want Ben to hear, do you? Now, I think you have a question to answer.” His hands dipped to my front, skimming the waistband of my jeans, and I stopped breathing. Fuck. He wouldn’t. Would he?

Jasper’s caramel eyes were mischievous and I knew he definitely would if I didn’t answer his question. He had the upper hand, and he was well aware of it. “Yes,” I whispered.

His eyes were bright, but guarded. “Yes, what?”

I met his gaze, and put a hand on either side of his face. “Yes. I consider myself your girlfriend.”

He crushed his lips against mine in a forceful kiss, his arms wrapping around me in a bear hug. I felt every muscle in his body straining, and could feel himself holding back his full strength. I had made him happy, and that made me happy. I kissed him back with enthusiasm until he pulled away. Jasper responded with a goofy smile, brushing his thumb against my lips. “God, baby, I never thought it would take you this long to submit to my charm.”

“Sorry, are we interrupting something here?” Mollie’s voice echoed over my shoulder, and I hurried to get off of Jasper’s lap and make myself presentable in the seat next to him. My face grew hot, and I was sure my entire body was a deep shade of red.

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