Page 66 of Jasper

“It’s the yellow walls.”

“My blonde hair?”

“Nope.” He snaked an arm around her waist and hauled her close. “It reminds me of the warmth of a summer day, and that’s what I think of when you’re around. The sun coming out and chasing away the clouds. You’re sunshine and everything good.”

Sloane swallowed, not expecting that. She was still trying to figure out how to respond when he leaned down and kissed her. It was soft and gentle, the barest of touches, but she felt it more deeply than she had any of the other ones. It left her breathless.

“I’m going to get the rest of our shit out of the truck, and then you and I are going to sleep for the next twelve hours straight because I know we’re safe here.”

Jasper kissed the tip of her nose, as was his habit, and left her standing there in the middle of the room. She glanced around again, bereft without him. She’d gotten so used to his presence, it was odd when he wasn’t here.

She looked around and saw the room had a bathroom, so she ducked in there to take care of business while Jasper was gone. The bathroom was just as nice as the bedroom, with a full tub and separate shower. Whoever designed these rooms had a feminine touch. There were too many small details a man wouldn’t think of.

Not that she would have thought of half of them either. At twenty-three, she was barely an adult. She felt older, though. Some days, she felt like she was sixty, which was ridiculous, but her life forced her to grow up faster.

She hoped her life calmed down soon because she wasn’t sure how much more of this she could deal with. Instead of being out with friends, Christmas shopping and enjoying the holiday season, she was hiding from Mexican mobsters.

Normal. All she’d ever wanted was a nice, normal life, but the universe laughed its ass off and threw her curveball after curveball. First her father’s suicide, then her mother’s death before she’d even graduated high school, and now her own continued existence was in danger. Was death the new central theme of her life?

God, she hoped not.

Sloane washed her hands, checked on the kittens, and then lay down. She was exhausted. Hopefully, Jasper would be back soon. She slept better when he was close. Her eyes were heavy, and she let them close, intending to just rest until Jasper returned, but her body had other plans.

She fell asleep listening to the sounds of New York City right outside her window.

“You can go upstairs after we talk.”

Kade blocked Jasper’s path up the stairs, and it pissed him off. He wanted to get back to Sloane and make sure she was okay. After her shock, he’d watched her carefully to make sure she didn’t slip away again. She was a strong woman, but as he’d seen, even the strongest person had their breaking point.

“Not now, Kade. We’ll talk tomorrow. I need sleep.”

“No, you’ll sleep after we fucking talk.” He pointed down the hall toward the offices. “This is not a request.”

Jasper dropped the bags where he stood and stalked down the hallway to Kade’s office. He was angry. Irrationally so. Being back here only made it worse. He hated that he needed help to keep Sloane safe, that he couldn’t do it on his own. It ate him up inside.

Kade getting in his face only heightened his anger. He’d never liked him, couldn’t understand what Angel saw in a man who fucking forgot he was married. Angel was too good for the bastard.

But he respected his years of service in the FBI and the police force. He wanted Kade to respect him. Which only pissed him off more.

Kade walked into his office behind Jasper and closed the door. He leaned against it. “You turned your phone off.”

“I was on leave. I was allowed to take the time that was approved.”

“I specifically told you we might need you.”

“And I was on leave. I needed the time, or I wouldn’t have asked for it.”

“We had two clients who went elsewhere because you were unavailable.”

“Who?”

“Jordan Dean and Marcus Santos.”

He remembered them. She was a movie star, and Marcus was a congressman trying to work his way into the Senate. It shocked him to hear they only wanted to work with him. He’d done his best for them, but he hadn’t thought he’d made any sort of impression on them.

“They trust you and refused to work with Cole.”

“So, you expected me to come back and take care of business when I told you I needed time.”

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