Page 89 of Jasper

“I missed you too.” She bumped his shoulder as they rode the elevator up to the fourth floor of the apartment building. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me too.”

They got off the elevator when it stopped, and Sloane dug her keys out. “I need to move some junk out of the guest room. We’ve been using it to store the Christmas decoration boxes.”

“I bet your place looks like Santa’s workshop.”

“Close to it,” she agreed and stuck the key into the lock. “Once we get you settled, we’ll go find someplace open for dinner…”

Her words died when she swung the door open and saw what was waiting for her in the middle of the living room floor.

Jasper stood there, wearing nothing but Santa’s coat—wide open, mind you—and a pair of red boxers with a big present held right in front of his junk with a Santa hat on his head.

Jarrod cleared his throat, and she felt her face flame up. Oh, dear God.

“Well, if I knew this was the kind of welcome I’d be getting, I’d have come home a lot sooner,” Jarrod teased.

Jasper’s grin faded, and he looked from the present he was holding, to her, then to Jarrod. Then his face turned this bright shade of red, brighter than the coat he wore.

“Get your ass inside, Sloane, unless you want the neighbors to see your man in his underwear.”

That got her moving. She rushed ahead of Jarrod and hastily closed the door when he moved inside. The woman who lived two doors down had been hitting on Jasper since she moved in a month ago, and Sloane was ready to go lay the smackdown on her. Josephine offered to help. The two of them had become fast friends since she moved to New York.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed and threw the blanket on the back of the couch at him.

“Jarrod?” he croaked.

“In the flesh…though I think you might be showing more skin than me, man.”

“I…” Jasper cleared his throat. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Clearly.” Jarrod winked. “I take it you didn’t get all dressed up just for me?”

“Clearly,” Jasper said dryly and tossed the present and the throw on the couch. He hugged his friend. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I called Sloane. I thought she called you.”

“I told him I was bringing home a surprise.”

Jasper didn’t care. Jarrod was home, and that was all that mattered. “While you ruined my surprise, I’m glad you’re here. Are you on leave?”

“Nope. I’m home for good.”

Jasper slapped him on the back. “Awesome. I already talked to Viktor about you. He said to come talk to him any time you want a job. Most of the crew are either ex-military or police.”

“Put some pants on!” Sloane hissed at him, and he laughed. She looked embarrassed for him.

“Baby, I don’t need pants. You can’t keep all this contained.” He motioned to himself. “I’m sexy, and I know it.”

“Still an idiot, I see.” Jarrod smiled, and Jasper saw the shadows in his eyes. He hoped coming home would help, but if it didn’t, he’d make him go talk to someone. Therapy was something that needed to be encouraged now that he was on the therapy train.

“Go get cleaned up, my friend. I have dinner warming in the oven. Take a shower, change, and we’ll eat. It’ll give me time to give my woman her Christmas present.”

“I do not want to come back out here and see my cousin half-naked,” Jarrod warned.

“Please…she’d be fully naked, and you know it.”

Jarrod growled.

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