“I’m sure,” I say quickly. “Areyou?”
“I am. But I’m questioning why you would want to be with me when I’m so…” He shakes his head and waves a hand around as if trying to grasp the right word from the air.
I stifle a laugh. “You make me nervous too if it makes you feel any better. I’ve liked you for a while now and I don’t take this lightly.”
His eyes soften. The sweet, almost surprised smile that graces his face nearly takes my breath away. I expect him to say more. To talk about our friendship and where this might lead, how it could change things. My heart is racing and, while I wouldn’t say I’m having doubts, it occurs to me how fast this is happening. How we’re going from zero to one hundred in the span of a few minutes.
I wonder what he and Evan were talking about earlier that made Evan encourage Jasper to throw caution to the wind. Is it possible they were talking about me? Aboutus? Evan knows how I feel about his brother…
Warm hands cup my face, startling me from my racing thoughts. “I’d love to know what’s going on in your head right now.”
Jasper knows about my anxiety and what I call my ‘chronic overthinking’. My hyperactive brain tends to be quieter when he’s around, though. I don’t second-guess every thought I have or every word before it comes out of my mouth. I hold up a finger for him to wait as I go to the ensuite bathroom attached to my room. When I was putting my toiletries away earlier, I noticed a basket of supplies on the vanity. Most of it was things you’d find in a fancy hotel—toothpaste, extra toothbrushes, floss, mini soaps—and also more personal products like pads and tampons. I go straight for the shiny foil packets, mentally thanking Mrs. Murphy, the owner of the rental, for caring about safe sex practices, especially since I’m certain Jasper’s not the type to carry condoms around in his wallet.
Jasper hops to his feet when I exit the bathroom. I join him in front of the bed and we stare at each other for a long moment, our bodies close but not touching. Finally, he says, “What do you want to do, Willow?”
I take a deep breath through my nose and release it slowly through my mouth. Jasper’s eyes dip to my lips. “Part of me wants to talk about this. About us and what we’re feeling for each other.”
He nods. “And the other part of you?”
I reach past him and set the condoms on the nightstand. His gaze follows the movements, eyes going wide when he sees what I was holding. I gently place my hands on his chest, letting them drift up until they grip his shoulders. “The other part of me wants to let our mouths and hands and bodies speak for us. At least for tonight.”
Jasper’s eyes darken. He cups my face again and the smile that pulls at one side of his mouth is completely different from any of the others I’ve seen in the last few weeks. I’m used to small smiles, often tentative ones, like he’s unaccustomed to using those particular muscles and is still getting used to them. This one, though…whoo boy.I’ve heard of panty-dropping smiles before, and this knowing, sultry smile of Jasper’s is definitely making me want to drop mine.
His hands leave my face to gather me close, strong arms wrapping around me as his mouth meets mine. I melt into him, letting my hands roam over his back and shoulders, feeling his muscles tense and ripple under my fingers. On the rare occasions I’ve allowed myself to fantasize about Jasper, I’ve imagined he’d be soft and slow and gentle. Maybe a bit timid, uncertain. That’s certainly what I was picturing earlier with how flustered he was. But there’s nothing timid or uncertain about the way he’s kissing me now.
His mouth moves to my neck, and his hot, wet kisses leave me weak in the knees. I need to be closer to him, need to feel more than the softness of his shirt. I give him another minute because he just found one of my sweet spots and then, with great effort, I free myself and take a step back, gripping the hem of his sweater. Our eyes lock as I pull the material up and over his head. My eyes lower to his chest and stomach, my hands soon following to run over his soft skin. I look up to find him watching me with hooded eyes. When my fingers trail through the light dusting of hair that disappears under the waistband of his jeans, he lays his hands over mine to stop them.
He swoops in to cover my mouth with his again. His hands releases mine, and they go back to their exploration as his hands sneak under the hem of my shirt. His fingers brush back and forth against my stomach, making my muscles quiver. I don’t normally like it when men touch my belly—it’s soft and squishy and, while I’ve come to love and accept it as part of who I am, it still sometimes makes me self-conscious—but I have no desire to brush Jasper’s hands away. I want to feel them everywhere.
Before I know it, my shirt joins Jasper’s on the floor. I wriggle out of my jeans as Jasper trails kisses over my collarbones and chest. My jeans catch on my ankles and, when I free myself to pull them off, Jasper shucks his own pants and socks.
We face each other, wearing nothing but our underwear. My eyes dip below his waist, taking in the hard outline of his cock encased in black boxer briefs. The sight of Jasper in just his underwear is sexy as hell and yet my nerves must be catching up to me because for some inexplicable reason the sight forces me to stifle a laugh. I think part of me pictured Jasper wearing tighty whities.
He must see my lips twitching because he lets out a strangled laugh. “Willow, a man doesn’t really like to see a woman trying to hide laughter when he takes off his clothes.”
I lean against his chest, hiding my face and allowing the laughter to come. “I’m so sorry. The reality of this situation is hitting me and I can’t quite believe it.”
He grips my upper arms, gently pushing me away from him. His searching look makes the giggles die in my throat. “Do you want to stop?”
The fact he’d ask me that while we’re both standing here in nothing but our underwear makes me want him even more. Instead of answering, I reach behind me and unclasp my bra, letting it fall to the floor with the rest of our clothes. Jasper’s eyes stay on mine for a moment, as if making sure I’m certain, and then his gaze drifts down. Heat flares in his eyes as his hands release my arms to cup my breasts.
Things become a blur of sensation at that point. The next thing I know, I’m reclining on the bed and Jasper is moving over me. His underwear has disappeared, and he peels mine off slowly, kissing my thighs and stomach and breasts, then my neck and face, before our lips finally lock once more.
His fingers move between my legs. As I writhe beneath him, he keeps his mouth on mine, swallowing my whimpers and soft cries. When I tell him I need him inside me, he takes a condom from the bedside table and rolls it on.
He braces himself on his forearms on either side of me and positions himself between my legs. “Willow,” he whispers. “We may not have known each other long, but I feel as if I’ve wanted you forever.”
My heart swells at his words, then feels like it’s going to burst when he follows them with the sweetest, softest kiss. When our lips part, I trail my fingers over his cheeks, my gaze sweeping his face. “You sure hid it well.”
His smile is rueful. “It seemed impossible that you might want someone like me or think of me in that way.”
“I want you, Jasper. I wantallof you.”
And then there are no more words. I clutch at his back as he pushes inside me, stretching and filling me in the most perfect way. His movements are slow and controlled at first, and he maintains eye contact with me as we move together. It’s too much and not enough at the same time, and I know Jasper is going to have little half moon marks from my nails all over his back and ass tomorrow from my clutching hands.
We move together, picking up the pace until it’s almost frantic. When he reaches between us to touch me, it doesn’t take long before I’m throwing my head back, clenching my eyes closed, and riding wave after wave of indescribable pleasure. Jasper’s not far behind, his hips pinning me to the bed, hot breath on my neck, murmuring things my overwrought brain can’t comprehend.
We stay like that for a few moments, both trying to catch our breath. Jasper peppers my face with kisses and then pulls out of me, rolling away to take care of the condom. I slip out of the bed and grab his sweater, yanking it over my head as I dash to the bathroom. When I emerge a couple minutes later, I’m relieved and delighted to find Jasper reclining on the bed, the sheets covering him from the waist down.
“Is it okay if I stay?” he asks as I climb into bed beside him.
“Are you kidding? There’s no way I’d let you leave.” I shuck his shirt and toss it back onto the pile of our discarded clothes before snuggling against him under the sheets. His arm goes around me, and I fall asleep to the soft sound of Jasper’s breathing and the gentle caress of his fingers on my arm.
