Jasper is so much better at trivia than I am, it’s not even funny. That man is a walking encyclopedia, full of random information ranging from who won the rowing portion of the 1994 Olympic games to who invented the breadmaker—that would be Joseph Lee, by the way. I’d be fooling myself if I claimed his level of intelligence didn’t turn me on. Not that he really has to try hard to turn me on anyway. He isn’t drinking this time—he has insisted on being sober throughout our time together tonight, given how he was last Trivia Tuesday. I wasn’t originally planning on drinking, but intrusive thoughts about Joy got the better of me, so I ended up caving and deciding to drink just a little to take the edge off.
We’ve already played a couple rounds of trivia, so we stepped away to take a break. Jasper is holding me in his arms against his bulge, careful not to let anyone get near me. Being cradled in his arms feels like serendipity personified. I used to make fun of couples who whispered sweet nothings in each other’s ears because I never understood the allure—now, I do. And it’s downright terrifying. I want to let go and fall intothis, but the idea of plummeting to the earth after the fall petrifies me as much as it entices me.
“You okay, Greene?” he whispers, tucking a strand of hair gently behind my ear. He kisses the back of my neck and rests his head on my shoulder while awaiting my response, still pulling my waist toward him.
“Yeah.” I glance at him over my shoulder, smiling. He quirks an eyebrow at me, scowling.
“Bullshit.” He tightens his hold on my waist. “What’s bothering you?”
“How can you tell if somethingmaybe bothering me?” I ask playfully, avoiding his question.
“I’d like to think I’ve gotten decent at reading you.” He spins me toward him and stares into my eyes.That makes one of us. “You can talk to me.”
“Are you interested in dating Joy?” I blurt out, to which his eyes widen.
“Why would you ask that?”
“Is that a yes?” I ask, breaking eye contact to look down at my feet. He tilts my chin up so our eyes can meet again.
“Iris, if you think I’m interested in dating Joy, then I must be doing something seriously wrong here.” His gray eyes search mine. “I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I need to be frank. You’re the only girl I want, Greene. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
After an initial wave of shock, his confession sends me straight into a state of ease.Thank goodness his feelings are real.I lean into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I part my lips, inviting him to kiss me, an invitation he hungrily accepts. Our tongues dance with each other momentarily before I remember we’re in public. I gently pull away as heat fills my cheeks and stomach simultaneously. “The feeling is mutual, Jasper.”
“It better be.” He smirks. “Want to get out of here, love?”
I glance over his shoulder to see Callie still having the time of her life, crushing opponents in trivia. We make eye contact for a second, and she gives me a cheesy thumbs-up and grin, waving me off. I let out a giggle and nod, feeling weightless because of this man and this moment and memory. The pull I feel toward Jasper feels magnetic—otherworldly, even.
“I can’t wait for ourplannedsleepover tonight,” I joke from the front seat of his car. “I even packed my own change of clothes this time.”
“That’s a shame,” he sighs, “I love seeing you in mine.”
“Perhaps that can be arranged,” I taunt as a blush spreads across my cheeks. “We’ll see.”
“That, we will.” He casts a devilish grin my way. Jasper and I didn’t spend too much time apart over the last few days, I know. But the amount of time we spent apart made tonight feel special. Upon walking into his cozy house, the air feels noticeably different. This home no longer feels like a stranger to me. As I walk inside, it embraces me in a way I haven’t experienced before. In this exact moment, I realize—this is what it feels like to have a home. However, I don’t think this feeling in the air is entirely due to the house. After setting my bag down, I turn around, looking at the real reason why this home feels the way it does tonight. Jasper has opened his heart to me. As terrifying as it may be, I intend to do the same for him. It feels unexplainably right.
“Do you want anything to drink? You know the drill by now. I havegrosscoffee, decent tea, and wat—” I collide with him mid-sentence, cutting him off. I grip his neck, crashing my lips into his. He wastes no time. His hand lowers down the slope of my back, pulling me into him tightly. My lips pull away from his.
“I wantyou, Jasper,” I whisper breathlessly, gazing into his silver eyes. Caught off-guard, he staggers for a moment before speaking.
“Are you absolutely sure, Greene? There’s no turning back once we go down this road.” His eyes bore into mine with intensity as he drops his gaze to my lips. Although I’m typically the most indecisive person in the world, I have zero doubts about what I want right now. Finally, I feel certain aboutsomething. I want nothing more than to simplybewith Jasper Alcott. I will no longer hide—not from him.
“Don’t make me second-guess myself, Jasper.” I bite my lip, toying with him.
"To hell with it," he breathes, parting his lips and slipping his tongue into my mouth hungrily. He tastes like mint, refreshing me with every swipe. I press myself against him, his bulge hard as it pulses against my stomach. His hands roam down, gripping my ass to sweep me off the ground into a straddle, carrying me through the hallway to his bedroom smoothly. Up until now, I’ve never seen his room. With a single lit lamp in the corner alongside a shelf of books and some Vinyl records decoratively on display, it’s warmer than I anticipated—but now isn’t the time to take note of his decor. He lays me across his bed and spreads my legs, kissing meeverywhere. I take his shirt off and run my fingers along his stomach, resting them just above the seam of his pants, grazing his abs. Suddenly, his hands take hold of mine, pinning my hands to the bed over my head. He rapidly kisses my neck, nipping and sucking, too.
“I’ve been wanting this more than you know, baby,” he groans, sliding his tongue down my neck. I gasp, trying to break loose from his grip so I can touch him the way he’s touching me. A strand of his ebony hair falls across his face as he shakes his head. “I’m not done with you yet, Greene.”
He runs his tongue across my collarbone inching his way down my body to the skirt of my dress. He lifts it up, gazing at my lacy pink thong.Okay, fine, I admit it—maybe I was hoping this would happen tonight.He gulps.
He slowly pulls my thong off, sliding it down my bare legs, then reaches upward to slip my dress off. His eyes slowly sweep across my body as he stands, seeming to take in every inch. He drags his gaze back up to meet mine.
“Oh my—fuck, Iris,” he rasps, placing a kiss on my ear. “It’s settled. You are a goddess.”
I blush as he grips my waist, pulling me up to him. He releases a guttural groan while greedily massaging me. “Oh, you’re more than a handful, aren’t you, baby?”
I gasp in pleasure as his lips find my breast. He flicks his tongue hungrily seeming to plead for even more. I’m in pure bliss. I reach down to grab ahold of him, gripping his length the best I can given its size. Realizing he's still wearing pants, I push him away and pull them down, drinking in the sight of his defined body.
“What are we waiting for?” I gaze into his hooded eyes while stroking him.
