Page 18 of Moonlight and Mischief
Jasper exhales in a rush, leaning back against the sofa and looking at the ceiling. “Yeah, they weren’t afraid of punishing us like any other pack member. Beating, withholding food, whatever.”
He’s quiet like he’s trying to think of anything else and not relive some of those memories.
I knew his parents were awful. They’ve committed numerous crimes, and it’s easy to deduce that they weren’t warm and caring parents either. But the idea of them hurting Jasper as a child has me seething. My nails cut into my palms. But this anger doesn’t help him, so I let it burn through me and quickly cool.
Rotating to face him, I wrap my arms around him and squeeze. He encircles my ribs and pulls me closer. Suddenly, I’m in his lap, my ass over his legs. His arms band around me with comforting pressure.
My breathing stutters, but Jasper doesn’t seem to notice. Or he doesn’t care. I focus on comforting him, running my fingers through his silky hair.
“You didn’t deserve that,” I murmur.
He buries his face in my hair and stills, each breath slower than the one before. He’s calming down.
The moment could be ten minutes or ten seconds. My brain shorts out and I’ve lost all sense of time and place.
Slowly, Jasper loosens his hold and I’m able to slide onto the sofa beside him, though his arm stays across my shoulders.
“You’re nothing like your family,” I say softly.
“Thanks.” Clearing his throat, he untangles himself and stands. “It’s getting late, and I’m gonna take an early morning run again.”
“Good night,” I say hurriedly, folding the blanket and setting it aside neatly.
“Thanks, Marigold,” he says, his smile smaller and slightly sad.
I look into his eyes, noticing they’re slightly red. “Any time.”
The solitude of my room seems so vast after being wrapped up in Jasper’s hug, cocooned in a thick blanket. The smell of detergent, dust, and dirt I’ve tracked in is astringent compared to his comforting scent.
Pulling the covers up to my chin, I force myself to relax. If I’m being honest, the proximity of him alone in his personal space has every nerve in my body on overdrive. I can hardly think straight.
He’s just a friend. But hell, I’m not immune to utter masculine perfection. The golden stubble across his jaw and the way it feels against my cheek. The size of his hands over my hips as he embraces me. The more of his heart that I see, the more I adore him. I might be in trouble.
4. Rosemary and Rejection
JASPER
My beautiful roommate dominates my thoughts all morning. She gets ready while I am running and then slips past me to grab breakfast at the diner before heading to her classroom.
Even after she leaves, I can smell her herbal scent all over my cabin. It’s tempting to step into her room and bury my nose in her pillow, but that would be creepy - not to mention she might be able to tell, so I keep my feet firmly at the threshold.
Driven to distraction, my performance at training suffers. Fisher pairs me with Onyx, and normally I would have him on the ground in seconds. But hewhirls around me and twists my arm, forcing me to my knees.
“See? I can absolutely whoop your ass!” he croons, turning to make sure there were witnesses.
“You’re ridiculous,” I say, brushing myself off.
Onyx grins. “Maybe, but I still won.”
Fisher walks past and crosses his arms, scowling at me and his son. “Get your head in the game, kid.”
“Yes, sir,” I reply automatically.
“Want to go again?” Onyx bounces between the balls of his feet.
My wrist twinges as I rotate it. “Sure.” I roll my shoulders before stepping back to the mat. “Hey, can we switch patrols? I’d like an earlier lunch today if that’s okay.”
“No problem.”
