“And when you get back, we’ll talk. You can tell me what’s been going on. No more secrets, Jas. Promise.”
“Promise. Thanks, Ma. Say hi to Jax and those two idiot brothers of mine. I’ll talk to you again soon.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.” And with that, I hung up, sucking in a deep breath as I stood, knowing what I needed to do.
TRAVIS
“Thank you both for coming.I know you’re both angry with me, and you have every right to be.”
Jasper stood at the head of the rectangular dining table, silhouetted by the sun, so he practically glowed. If I didn’t know him better, I’d have thought he timed it perfectly, so he looked hot as hell, standing there in his tight white t-shirt and his low-hung ripped jeans, his hands in his pockets making his muscles pop and his bare feet making him look relaxed and at home, despite the pinched look of worry on his face. I couldn’t get over his new appearance. He looked so unlike the Jasper I’d known. Maybe it was for the best. It was easier to hate this version of him. He felt unfamiliar despite how hot he looked with his short hair and clean-shaven face.
“You’re the boss,” I grumbled. “We’re just your minions, doing as we’re told.”
I kept my eyes pinned on Jasper. Yes, I was angry with him, but I was even more pissed off with the man next to me because no matter how nice he appeared and how ridiculous it seemed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Finn Wells had somehow stolen my man. Despite him never being mine.
“Do you need something, Professor?” Finn asked, causing my jaw to harden with annoyance.
“How can you be so nice?” I muttered.
“What?” Finn asked.
I turned in my seat, looking across at him. I’d managed to avoid both of them today, going out on the boat while we tested robots and took some observed samples so we could QA their data collection, so I’d not seen Finn and seeing him there, wearing a deep blue shirt with a corset over the top, caught me off guard. He was smaller than me and Jasper, thinner, but ridiculously toned. After I found out who my ‘competition’ was, I checked him out, not expecting him to be an ex-ballet and contemporary dancer. I refused to think about how long I spent watching videos of him.
There was something incredibly charming about Finn, but I refused to fall for it.
“I said, how can you be so nice?”
“Because it takes nothing to be polite.”
“Even if he used you?”
“Travis,” Jasper chided. “That’s not true.”
I scoffed. “It’s what you think, though, isn’t it, Twinkle?”
His eyes widened, his expression turning murderous, and I kind of liked that I’d ruffled his perfectly calm feathers.
“Oh, great name. Is that because I look like a twink, or because I’m a dancer… because, while I know you’re some sort of deep sea whizz, I don’t think you have the brain power to come up with a name all by your pretty little self.”
I brought my hands to my chest. “Aw, you think I’m pretty. Maybe we should cut out the professor and get together ourselves.”
I winked, and Finn’s hands curled round the arms of the chair.
“That’s enough,” Jasper interrupted. “Don’t be a dick, Trav. It doesn’t suit you.”
I lifted my brow in his direction. “Being nice didn’t work that well for me, so I’m trying something new. What? Are you going to sack me?”
Silence fell across the room. I knew I was being a dick, and I hated it, but I was hurt. Hurt that he’d come out after he’d spent years with me. Hurt that he’d run to Finn. Hurt that Finn had got to touch him, taste him, fuck him.
My heart ached at the thought.
“Look, I want to talk to you both, then if you still want to go, you can leave. I’ll call everyone in the industry and tell them you’re free to take a new job.”
I sat straighter. “Really?”
Jasper looked between us. “Really.” He pulled out the chair and sat, gripping the back of his neck as he took a long, audible breath.
