Page 53 of Glass & Groundwork
Gio
Jasper seemed to be in better spirits on the drive back and had been happily chattering about Queen Beeatrix and what a great momma she was. It had been really fun to get to share that part of my world with him. The closer we got to the house, though, the lightness of it seemed to wear off as we returned to reality. As he climbed out of the suit, I could practically hear his thoughts getting louder.
“What are you thinking?”
“It’s almost the weekend, and there’s Heartcraft on Saturday, so I’m thinking Monday, would that work? I think you’ll need to be present for the paperwork side of things when we present the marriage certificate. Oh, you might need your birth certificate, too, and ID’s and proof of residence. I don’t know. Whatever legal documents you have so we can make sure there’s nothingfor them to question. Only… we’ll have to meet my parents beforehand, but early enough so we have time to get to the bank before it closes because I don’t want to have to spend the night out there. Shit, I’ve gotta call my parents and set it up, they hate being surprised, and that didn’t work out well last time. This is going to be a fucking mess.”
He pressed his palms to his eyes and rested his forehead against my shoulder. I hugged him tight and brushed my lips against his cheek. “We can handle this. You and I have both done hard things, and now this is one we’ll do together, but it will be worth it. You’ll be able to break away from their control.”
“The fucked up thing is that I still care what they think, I still want them to accept me and to care about what I care about.”
“Oh, beautiful, that’s not fucked up at all, it’s only natural to want acceptance from your parents. I did, even when things were at their worst. It’s a hard part to let go of. But me, the kids, we love you exactly as you are and celebrate you for being you. Remember that, Jasper.”
He stared up at me, eyes locked onto mine, and even through the darkness, a slow smile began to stretch on his beautiful face. “Did you just say you love me?”
“I…” I thought back over my words and realized the word had tumbled out without thinking about it. I coughed to clear my throat and felt my cheeks heat. “Yeah, I guess I did. It’s true. I love you, Jasper, you’re part of my family. You hold a special place in my heart because of that.”
One brow arched high. “So it’s afamiliallove?”
I searched within myself and the way the word felt. If I was honest, the answer was easy. If I wasreallyhonest, the answer wasn't. Since we had spent the morning opening up to each other, anything but open would be the wrong direction. I drew in a deep breath and brushed one of Jasper's curls away from his face. “It's multi-faceted. The family part, that's a given. Myheart opened up to you the moment you first joined us for dinner. Papa Tom taught me how to leave it open and showed me there was room for any that needed it. As for romantic feelings, I'm not sure I'm quite ready to define it yet. I like you, a lot, more than I probably should, given how quickly everything has happened. But I don't have a lot of experience with these things and I want to be sure I'm honoring both of us in how this develops, and not rushing it because of my inexperience.”
Jasper offered a slight smile. “I guess we sort of started backward, didn't we?”
I nodded. “It's a lot like the barn. From the outside, it appears to be a complete building, but it wasn't ready to be your shop. There was a lot of work to doinside. And now it has a foundation which will support the rest of the shop. Little by little, work is being done, changing it into a complete glass studio.”
He lifted his arms to fold his hands behind my neck, tilting his head up to hold my gaze. “We're married, we have the building.”
“Yes. The foundation has been laid, and I think we have something really solid to build on. I'm happy with you, Jasper. Like deliriously so. I never imagined I would feel the way I do when I'm with you, but I think it's only the beginning, too. You wouldn't cut corners for your shop because you had a vision of what you wanted it to be, and you wanted to do it the right way. I have a vision of what I want with you. Damn, if it isn't scary, but it'll be worth the work.”
“It will be.” Jasper smiled with a look of adoration. A look that made my own heart leap. “I'm not afraid of a little work, Daddy. You and I… we are going to build something unbreakable together.”
My arms tightened around him, lifting him off his toes, as I smashed my mouth into his. It was as good or better than the words that hung between us. I loved him, I really did, but Iwas ready to put in the work toshowhim how I felt, instead of rushing to say it.
After breaking our kiss and setting him down, Jasper met my gaze with a sultry look. “You know… construction tends to get very physical andverysweaty.”
I felt a rush of heat flowing through me and I pursed my lips, trying to hold back a grin. “I have heard that, yes.”
“I think we should go lay a little more groundwork right now.” Jasper gave me a wink and walked into the house, not waiting for my reply. I didn't have one, except to adjust my cock, and happily follow him.
When we were in our bedroom, Jasper closed the door behind me and kissed me hard. He slid his hand down my front until he gripped me through my jeans, making me moan loudly in his mouth.
Jasper poked at my chest while he ran a tongue over his lips. “I need a few minutes to get ready, but when I come out, I expect you to be naked. Contrary to last time, I don't want to deal with clothes.”
I let out a laugh. “Okay. No clothes. Got it.”
With a wiggle of his fingers, Jasper headed to the bathroom. I made quick work of untucking my pants from my socks and my shirt from my pants, and began throwing clothes everywhere, uncaring of where they landed. Not wanting them in the way, I set my glasses on the bedside table and sat on the bed. Then I laid down on my side, facing the door. I sat up again and let my legs fall open. Closing my legs, I ran a hand through my hair. I got under the covers and pulled the blanket up to my chin. Tossing the blanket off, I tried to lean against the headboard. There was no way to sit here waiting, knowing he was…getting ready, and act totally calm and casual. Standing up, I stared at the bed like it was a sentient thing that was mocking me. Iheld out my middle finger to it, which is how Jasper found me—flipping off my bed.
A loud laugh barked out of him and he slapped a hand over his mouth. “What are you doing?”
Heat flared in my cheeks, as I took in the gorgeous vision of him completely naked. That hair around his belly button drawing my attention, before lowering to his beautiful half-hard cock.
“I, uh, don't know what to do with myself.”
Jasper walked toward me, suppressing a laugh. “Luckily, I knowexactlywhat to do with you.”
With his finger at my chest, he pushed, until I backed up, sitting on the edge of the bed. Jasper leaned down and flicked his tongue over my ear, making hot shivers crawl over my skin. “First things first, I believe you have a favor to return.”
Jasper stood again, standing between my legs, placing his cock right in my vision. I felt myself salivating at the sight of him growing hard before me, and nodded eagerly. “Fuck, yeah, I do.”
