by KB Winters
Fuck the princesses.
But when I closed my eyes, I had it. All of it.
The man. The baby. The money. And even a few girlfriends over for lunch.
Loud pounding on my door startled me for a hot minute until I realized that there were only a handful of people who could get up to the penthouse floor without the concierge alerting me. Other than Hulu, they all answered to the name Ashby. The pounding continued while I sat a little taller on the sofa, wondering who was at my door and what the hell the urgent knocking was all about.
I let the loud pounding continue until I heard a guttural sound that could have been my name, followed by more pounding.
Jasper.
I shot up off the sofa, smoothed my floor-length black nightgown over my hips, and reached for the matching robe as I made my way to the front door. I had no clue what Jasper wanted, other than sex, so I inhaled deeply for seven seconds, held it for eight, and exhaled for ten seconds before opening the door.
Holy shit. I expected Jasper to look drunk and disheveled, but he was stone cold sober and hot as shit in a deep green button up that highlighted the different shades of green in his eyes and a pair of jeans that were fitted and worn in all the right places.
Everything about the outfit, as casual as it was, screamed expensive. Designer brand. Rich as fuck and twice as hot. Being sober doesn’t mean he’s not here for a quick fuck, the cynical bitch who lived in my head reminded me.
I wanted to tell her to shut up. To mind her business.
But the bitch was right.
I blinked to clear my mind of how delicious Jasper looked standing in front of me, that trademark scowl on his handsome face.
“Jasper. What brings you by?”
I did my best to sound casual, to act like I didn’t care one way or the other why he was at my door.
“I came to see you.” His words came out on a throaty growl that sent wonderfully erotic shivers down my spine; his tone said he thought the reason for his visit was obvious.
“Okaaaay. What is it that you need?” There were just two reasons Jasper sought me out, sex or work, and I wouldn’t let my stupid, starved heart think or believe otherwise.
In an instant, his scowl disappeared and was slowly replaced by a lopsided grin. “Not happy to see me, Mo?”
I shrugged. “I’m not happy or unhappy, just confused about why you’re here.”
Jasper was mercurial as hell, and the question triggered something dark within him. He got in my personal face, intimidating but not threatening.
“You’re having my baby, Mo. What in the hell do you think I’m doing here?”
I took a step back and folded my arms, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the possessive way he looked at me. It made me feel things that were impossible, things that just weren’t true. Instead of absorbing his words, I shook my head as if that act alone could ward off the effect they were having on me.
“No, I’m not. I’m having my baby.”
“Are we back to that, now?”
“I heard you and the boys talking. Mo is such a slut; she fucks everyone; are you sure the baby is yours?”
I clenched my teeth against the ache those words caused deep in my chest. “And you know what else I heard? The deafening silence that came from you.”
“I don’t like eavesdropping, Maureen.” His tone was hard and commanding, and dammit, I liked it.
More importantly, my nipples liked it. “I don’t like being called a liar, Jasper. I don’t like being judged, either.”
Jasper nodded his agreement and stepped inside, forcing me to take a few steps back. “Fine. I’m here now.”
But he wasn’t, not really. “I don’t want or need you here out of pity or obligation.”
Jasper’s black-booted foot pushed the door closed, and he walked forward as if this was his place instead of mine.
“Then tell me, Mo, what do you want? Want do you need?”
You. The answer was just that simple, but that wasn’t what Jasper meant. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, and even if it was, I wasn’t brave enough to say those words out loud.
“It doesn’t matter what I want because you can’t or won’t give it to me.”
I followed him to the living room, where he dropped down on the sofa and threaded his fingers behind his head. “Try me.”
Could I? Could I vocalize my deepest, darkest desires? Could I take that risk now that I had Jasper’s full attention on me? His baby growing inside me? No.
My shoulders rose and fell casually as if the words I was about to say were my big truth when they weren’t.
“I want the dream, Jasper. The picket fence with the loving husband, the big house, and two point five kids. I want PTA meetings and bake sales, carpooling, and hating other boring-ass soccer moms. I want all the shit that was stolen from me when I was a kid, including a man who loves me, who is with me because that’s where he wants to be, not because it’s the right thing to do.”
I was breathless after the last word left my mouth, but I tilted my chin in defiance, daring him to laugh at the part of my dream I was courageous enough to share.
Jasper stared up at me and nodded from his spot on my sofa. He nodded and stared for so long that my shoulders fell because I knew that I wouldn’t be getting what I wanted from him. Not today. Not ever.
Finally, he let out a long, slow breath, accompanied by another nod. “Okay, but what do you want or need right now this very second?”
He wanted something easy. Something simple. I could do that, give him an easy out. “Food,” I sighed. “I want something to eat.”
Jasper smiled and pushed off the sofa. “Get dressed.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going somewhere to eat.” His smile was still in place, but if I wasn’t imagining things, there was a small wobble to it.
Wishful thinking. “I can order room service.” That was exactly what I planned to do as soon as my heroine got her happy ending.
Jasper stepped over the coffee table and stood toe to toe with me, towering over me.
“Go get dressed, Maureen. Or if you prefer, I can carry you out of here in what you’re wearing now. The choice is yours.”
A shiver stole through me at his command, his threat, and I pushed at his chest. Jasper didn’t budge. “Fine. I’ll be back.”
“Hurry.”
“Don’t rush me,” I grumbled as I walked away, a smile on my face. I had no idea what Jasper was up to, and I was too afraid to ask. He could be taking me to the desert to kill me, a doctor to abort the baby, or, hope against hope, home to Ashby manor where he would have his wicked way with me and tell me he loved me too. That he finally saw me.
“Yeah, right,” I whispered to myself as I grabbed a pair of jeans and a V-neck sweater from my closet.
My first instinct was to grab something sexy, maybe fitted and low-cut, but I kept it simple because I was too tired and entirely too hormonal to deal with more rejection. I tamped down my expectations, reminding myself that despite his ruthless tendencies, Jasper was a stand-up guy. He wanted to do the right thing, but that was all this was.
It wasn’t romance, and it sure as fuck wasn’t love.
Not on his part anyway.
After a quick coat of mascara and colored lip gloss, I met Jasper in the living room. “Ready.”
Jasper stood and looked at me for a long moment, desire flaring in his green eyes as he took in every detail of my simple outfit. He licked his lips, sealing whatever he’d been about to say behind them.
“Let’s go.” Jasper reached a hand out to me, and I stared at it like it was a grenade, threatening to explode in my face at any moment.
But when would this ever happen again? Jasper wasn’t the hand-holding type, so I put my palm to his and let him take me away. To heaven or to hell, I still wasn’t sure yet.
“Where are we going?”
Jasper sat behind the wheel, no driver or security anywhere I could see, and
started the engine. “What’s the matter, Mo, you don’t trust me?”
“I trust you, but I also know you.”
A rumble of deep laughter spilled from him, and he looked even more gorgeous. Happy and amused Jasper was even more dangerous than the scowling, bossy version. The smile on his face lifted my heart and hardened my nipples. “In that case, does it matter where we’re going?”
“Nope.” I was doomed either way.
“Good girl.” He laughed again and dropped a hand on my thigh, giving it a squeeze that I felt all the way up to my scalp.
I gasped when he pulled into the private airstrip and parked inside the massive hangar.
“Don’t worry, you’ll like where we’re going. I promise.” My heart doubled its tempo at the smile he sent my way.
I love this man. Help me, but I really fucking love him.
“I’m not worried.” At least not how he was thinking. I was worried that this little romantic getaway wouldn’t diminish my feelings for him but would amplify them. I was worried that I would never love a man the way I loved Jasper, and that whatever this was, it was temporary above all else.
Being inside the private jet with the buttery off-white leather seats put a small smile on my lips. This was part of the impossible fantasy, and I would enjoy every minute of it. The jet took off, and a busty flight attendant handed me a ginger ale with a fake ass smile on her face. “Enjoy your flight.”
“Thanks.” I took a sip and turned to Jasper. “Nice jet.”
“Thanks.” His lips twitched with amusement. “I like it.”
“Did you pick it out?”
“I did. Sadie sold her jet because she prefers to have stylists and designers come to her. New York makes her uneasy, at least that’s what she says.”
I sighed and sank into the soft leather seat. “I can’t believe she would give up the chance to hop in a jet to go shopping in Paris or Milan, even London.” That was another part of the dream.
“Vegas has plenty of shopping, and we’re just a few hours from Rodeo Drive.”
I had money, a good amount of it, in fact. It wasn’t Ashby money, which meant I couldn’t afford to hop a jet just to go shopping. “There’s always online shopping.”
We fell into a comfortable silence as the jet cut through the sky, the cities below turning to desert, interrupted by brief strips of thick forest. When the wheels touched down, I didn’t recognize where we were. Other than weekends in the finest hotels in Vegas and one lone weekend in Reno, I hadn’t seen much of Nevada since I’d made it my home. “
Where are we?”
“Rocket.” He took my hand again and guided me as we deplaned the jet in silence.
“It’s beautiful.” The perfect little mountain town left me speechless. Surrounded by tall evergreens on all sides, it was so quiet except for birds singing and the wind rustling through the trees.
“Do you have business here?”
“No. I have a place here.”
A place? “Oh.” What else could I say? Jasper was taking me to some forest hideaway? My pulse increased, and I was so out of my mind with anticipation that I had to clutch Jasper’s hand as we made our way to the tarmac and into a waiting royal blue Mercedes.
Absolute fucking perfection.
It wasn’t real, I knew that, but this was my chance to live a little bit of that impossible dream. “Do you come here often?”
He shrugged and navigated the paved road that turned into a dirt and gravel road. “Not as much as I would like, but I try to come up here when I have free time.”
Alone? “It’s so quiet. I can see why you like it here.” When his cabin came into view, I couldn’t suppress a shocked gasp. “Holy shit, this view.” It was breathtaking.
The cabin was two stories, teak wood shining in the late afternoon sunshine, windows everywhere, probably casting a golden glow throughout the house. It was a real log cabin, so geometric it looked as if an architect had custom designed it to be one of a kind. The front door had a half-moon window on top that almost looked like stained glass.
“Jasper, this place is magnificent.”
He smiled. “Impressed?”
I nodded wordlessly and ducked down to take in the view. As soon as the car came to a stop, I hopped out and turned in a slow circle.
“Totally. The cabin is stunning, truly, but the sheer beauty surrounding it takes my breath away.”
Chapter Thirty
Jasper
You take my breath away. Where the fuck that thought came from, I had no clue, but it was the truth. Watching Mo so entranced by the view of the trees and the mountains, a slight smile on her face, really took my breath away, and that was something I’d never said or thought about any woman. Ever.
“Want a tour?”
She nodded; lips quirked into a pretty smile. “Sure, but make it the ten cents tour because I was promised food.”
“I can do that.” I held out my hand to Mo, and she looked at it like it was a snake. “What’s wrong?”
She blinked, and shock slowly faded from her clear blue eyes, replaced with something I couldn’t identify.
“Oh. Nothing. Show me around?”
Mo hesitated but eventually, her soft, small hand nestled in mine, and it stayed there as I showed her the main bedroom with the waterfall shower, the guest rooms, and the armory room. She didn’t even let go to give the kitchen a long slow perusal, smiling at the smallest details.
“I love the blend of granite and wood grain. It shouldn’t look good together, but it does.”
“Glad you approve.”
She froze for a long second and then shrugged. “I’m just saying it’s nice, that’s all.”
My amused smile turned to a frown. “I know.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders rose and fell again, but a small smile flashed on her lush mouth. “Okay, then.”
“I’m not always an asshole, Mo.”
“No,” she agreed. “Not always.”
Her words had the unexpected effect of pulling a reluctant laugh from me. “That’s what I like about you, Mo. Your honesty.”
She turned a beaming smile up at me. “Glad you approve.”
The second time around, that laugh turned to a full-blown chuckle. “I do.” I never gave it much thought before, not until I had to, but Mo was easy to be around. She wasn’t just sexy and always down to fuck, she was funny and easygoing. Honest about her wants and needs, or so it seemed.
“Nice digs. How long did it take you to build it?”
“A few years because I had to oversee every fucking detail. Terry helped a little, but this is my space, you know?”
She nodded. “Not really. I’ve only ever lived in apartments.”
Something else I was—suddenly—determined to change. “How does dinner and a movie sound?”
Mo flashed a wide grin and put her hands on her hips. “Like a perfectly relaxing evening.” There were questions in her eyes, but she kept them to herself.
“Normally, I just whip something up like a barbecue, or in the winter, some chili and cornbread, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take to convince you to come with me, so I had someone else do it this time.”
“I can’t picture you whipping up anything.” A low, throaty laugh bubbled up out of her, and I felt my cock start to harden behind my zipper.
“If you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll show you my kitchen skills.”
Heat, pure and hot, flashed in her eyes as her tongue slipped out and slicked across her bottom lip. “And if you’re a good boy, maybe I’ll let you.”
Oh, she sure as fuck would. “I have ways of getting what I want, Mo.”
“I know. Believe me, I know.” She didn’t sound happy about it, but I let that remark go. For now.
I had plans for how I wanted this weekend to go, including the fact that Mo had no idea I planned to keep her for the next few days. Now that Sadie was safe at home where she belonged, I could count on Terry and Virgil and the guys to keep her sa
fe while I sorted out a few things.
“You get to pick the movie.”
“Must be my birthday,” she mumbled under her breath.
I had the urge to make things right with Mo. It felt right. I had no clue why, only that it did. Maybe it was her honesty or her easy-going nature. She was carrying my baby, and I wanted her. Like no woman before. I really wanted this to work out.
“Feel free to wear your birthday suit to dinner and a movie, then.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Mo would take up a challenge like that with her usual sensual confidence, but when I stepped inside the entertainment room, all I saw was a heart-shaped ass.
“Damn, Maureen,” I growled.
She stood up and looked over her shoulder, highlighting her hour-glass figure for a hot second. Then, she turned, and I didn’t just regret loading my arms with food; I resented the hell out of that food.
She wasn’t fully naked. No, it was better than that. She wore nothing but a pink thong that matched the color of her nipples. Big, beautiful tits stared at me, nipples hard and begging for my mouth, waist nipped in before flaring out into hips that I ached to grab on to while I slid into her from behind.
“Jasper,” she groaned. “That smells incredible.”
Then, as if she had no idea just how tempting, how fucking gorgeous she was, Mo strolled across the room and relieved me of some of the food I carried. “I got it.”
“And now, so do I.” She grabbed the bowl of biscuits, the small plate with corn on the cob and the big plate stacked with ribs.
“Professional waitress, remember?” She balanced the plates expertly, or at least I think she did. I couldn’t focus on anything except the sway of her hips, the curve of her ass. Mo patted the sofa right in front of the big screen. “Come. Sit.”
Normally, I would have bristled at her command, at anyone’s command, but this time my feet started to move, and the next thing I knew, I sat beside Mo, thighs and arms brushing as we enjoyed the barbecue feast in front of us while some shitty gangster movie played.
“You know this is all bullshit, right?”
Mo looked over at me, a smudge of barbecue sauce lingering on the corner of her mouth. “What?”
