Page 31 of Jasper

And he’d been worried about her the entire time he’d been gone to locate some of the things he’d needed to set up a security system until the one he’d ordered came in. And that meant driving into the biggest city he could find. Over two hours away. In truth, the thought of her being alone terrified him after he’d spent a good chunk of the night researching the men she was running from. They were legit and deadly.

“He had no right to tell you.” A stubborn glint appeared in her eye, and he almost snorted. Almost.

“Yes, he did, Sloane. It’s not just you this affects. Did you ever think about me in this equation of yours? If these guys think you’re a threat to them and track you down here, then that leaves me wide open to get killed because I didn’t know to be watching for them.”

Some of the stubbornness left her gaze, replaced by shock. He could see that particular thought never even crossed her mind.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t.”

He waved her apology away. “This is what I do for a living, Sloane. It’s part of why your cousin sent you here. He knew I’d protect you with my own life if necessary because you’re his family. There are some rules you’re going to need to follow, though.”

“Rules?” she asked warily.

“Yes, rules.” He leaned against the truck and crossed his arms, his I-mean-business pose. “First, you will not go anywhere without telling me, and that means on this property too. If you need to go into town, you will wait until I can go with you.”

“Do I need to ask permission to pee too?” she interrupted, her expression taking on that stubborn glint once more.

“Possibly.” He kept a straight face. For a girl who’d been jumping out of her skin for the last two days, she sure had found her backbone. No woman liked being told what to do, though. She was probably still terrified, but he’d blindsided her with this.

Her eyes narrowed. “You wait just a minute, there, bucko…”

“Bucko?” Where the hell did she get that name?

“Yes, bucko. It’s what my dad called assholes when he was alive.”

“I’m an asshole for trying to keep you safe?”

She took in a breath and let it out. “No, you’re an asshole for acting like an asshole about something I didn’t want you to know.”

“Why didn’t you want me to know, Sloane?” The question had been rolling around in his head since he’d met her. “I told you what I did for a living. Didn’t it cross your mind I could help you?”

“That wasn’t the point.”

“It’s very much the point. Not only were you risking your life, you were risking mine.” He didn’t really care about that, but Sloane appeared to, and he wasn’t above using it to his advantage.

“I wasn’t sure I could trust you.” Her shoulders slumped. “I know it was probably stupid, but…”

“Your ex?” he asked mildly.

Her head snapped. “Jarrod told you about Brad?”

“Only that he’s the reason you have an issue with some men.”

Her lips thinned, but he figured it was best to have no secrets from her. At least regarding her safety. No way in hell was he telling her Jarrod basically gave Jasper his blessing to seduce Sloane. Now, in Jarrod’s defense, he was assuming Jasper would fall for her, but Jasper wasn’t interested in a relationship with any woman right now. He wasn’t the settling down kind of man, and Sloane deserved better than a weekend fling. A really long weekend fling, but still, he’d move on when this was done. She needed someone who would stick around.

And that sure as hell wasn’t him.

“You’re pissed. You think he violated your privacy.”

She nodded, crossing her arms defensively. It was cute.

“I get it, but in this instance, I’m going to have to agree with Jay. He’s only got your best interest at heart, and so do I. I’m not trying to control you just to control you, Sloane. My rules are for your safety. I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are. It’s that simple.”

Sloane sighed and looked down. “I don’t handle stress well.”

He wasn’t touching that with a ten-foot pole.

“I know you’re right, and I should have told you. I was just scared and freaked and not thinking. Still am, really.”

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