Page 20 of Goldie and Her Bears (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 3)

“Jasper…” she softly said as I started to close the door.

I settled my attention on her beautiful blue eyes. She seemed nervous but still managed to keep that smile of hers. “Yes?”

“Lay down with me?” she asked.

I gaped at her. “You really should get some rest. I’ll stay in the room if it would help you sleep better, but I don’t think sharing a bed is the best idea right now.”

“No strings. Simply sleep,” she added.

“I still think this is a bad idea,” I said.

“Jasper, it’s not like I’m asking you to marry me. I don’t want to be alone right now, and I feel safe with you. Plus, I’m cold. I could use the body heat.”

I clamped my mouth shut and closed the door behind me after I stepped into the room. My mind emptied of all logic as I made my way to the other side of the bed and laid down next to her.

“Since you put it so nicely,” I said, settling in, “I’ll stay for a little bit.”

The bed seemed so much smaller with the both of us on it. But it was the most comfortable I had ever been.

Then she rolled into me and hissed against the pain her leg caused her. “Thank you.”

Without thinking, I squeezed her closer to me and kissed her on the top of her head.

She bent her neck to gaze up at me. I met her eyes. She smiled.

This woman changed me on a cellular level. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I knew that as I stared into her eyes, falling deeper into her world. Her enchantment.

9

CASSIE

“What was that for?” I asked, staring deep into Jasper’s bright blue eyes.

Jasper shrugged. “I don’t know. Just felt like doing it.”

I rested my head on his chest and breathed in deep his intoxicating scent. There was something between us from the first time we met. A spark of something I couldn’t put my finger on. My sister would probably call it something that would make it weird. But she wasn’t here. Whatever the sensation was, I didn’t want it to end. I felt pulled to him from the moment he stood in my house.

Back then, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see him again. Not with the way he ran away that night. But now? It seemed he wasn’t the only one that got a second chance.

I never knew why he left the way he did, but I wanted to find out.

“What happened that first night when we met?” I asked, curling into him more. I was careful not to move my leg again. The pain that filled it was almost worse than the initial trap closing on my leg. I needed to baby it for now.

He ran his fingers up and down my back as he took deep breaths. I settled my gaze on him. He met my eyes, but there was a darkness to them. A secret he couldn’t reveal.

“You can’t tell me, can you?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I will someday. Just not right now. Right now, the only thing I want you to worry about is getting rest and staying off that leg.”

His fingers brushed through my hair, coaxing me toward sleep. But I didn’t want to fall asleep. The exhaustion I had felt took a back seat to a different sensation. A more powerful one that had me hot around the collar.

I wanted Jasper. All of him. It might have been somewhat of an attempt to reaffirm my life, but I didn’t care. Not at the moment. All I cared about was feeling something more positive than the guilt of my mistakes.

My eyes focused on the shape of his lips that were almost hidden beneath his thick beard, making me curious. I wanted to know what they would feel like on mine. Before my inhibitions could get in the way, I lifted my mouth to his and gently kissed him.

He sucked in a breath and tightened his arms around me. His lips touched mine again, and I deepened the kiss.

“We shouldn’t do this,” he muttered between kisses.

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