It didn’t help that Anna was all loved up. Gone were the girly nights out that Kait surely needed. Each time she called Anna she was either with Robert or about to go and see him. And when they did meet up, Anna was so buoyed up with new found love that Kait would leave seething with jealously, and she hated to feel like that. She wanted to only be happy for her best friend. And she was; she truly was. She just wanted some happiness for herself.
In a bid to kill time, Kait ran a long, hot bath. One change which had come about since her initial meeting with Jasper was that she no longer worked late. She had told her boss about the attack in the parking lot, leaving out the part where a handsome stranger saves her. She just said that the men with the knife got spooked and fled but it had shaken her up and she no longer wanted to work late.
To both Kait’s surprise and relief, her boss completely understood, and now she left the office at the same time as everyone else. This was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that Kait was more rested and felt less frazzled and wrung out. It also meant that she was spending more time at her apartment. More time dedicated to pining over Jasper.
Lowering a hand, Kait checked the temperature of the water. It was just about right. Removing her robe, she got in and gave a sigh of contentment as she slid beneath the scented bubbles.
She’d bought in a glass of wine to enjoy whilst in the bath along with a book. But after having several sips of the wine, she put down her book and reached for her phone. Before she could talk herself out of it, she looked up Jasper’s Twitter page. There were numerous comments referring to a recent fight of his. From what people were saying, Jasper had taken quite a beating in the ring despite being the victor.
Woah @J_Duboix that look rough but congrats on the win bro!
You’ll be sore tomorrow @J_Duboix but think how sweet victory tastes!
Next time you might not be so lucky @J_Duboix
Kait was intrigued. The last big fight Jasper had been in he’d barely won. Were his struggles in the ring becoming a regular thing? She thought of how badly beaten up he’d seemed in the park. He needed to stop pushing himself. It was getting crazy.
A quick internet search on her phone pulled up a detailed account of the fight from a sports journalist who was there. It made for grim reading.
Several times throughout the tense match, I feared that reigning champion Jasper Duboix might not get up. His blood was streaked across the ring, and he’d lost two of his teeth during the last round. But showing the grit and determination which only a true champion can possess, he pushed through and managed to secure himself another crucial victory.
Kait felt cold despite the warm water around her. Jasper had basically had his teeth knocked out during his last fight. How powerful must a punch be in order to do that? Her teeth chattered fearfully, terrified to just imagine such an impact.
“Jasper, what are you doing?” Kait muttered to herself as she read more about his latest fight. People were quick to speculate about why he wasn’t showing his usual prowess in the ring. Many believed he’d simply lost his touch and that his time as champion was drawing to an end. This pained Kait. She knew how much his career meant to Jasper. He’d be devastated if he was to lose it, and despite all that happened between them, she wanted Jasper to be happy. If victory meant so much to him, she hoped he would always win, but it seemed he was dangerously close to experiencing grave losses or worse: an injury he just couldn’t come back from.
Chapter 35
Worry gnawed at Kait even after she’d dried off and was sat on the sofa watching the television. She kept thinking about the state Jasper must be in. His big match was just the night before. He must be holed up somewhere sore and miserable. A part of her was desperate to go and see him. She yearned to reach out and tell him that he was so much more than the man the public saw in the ring. He was kind and decent; he didn’t need all the championship titles to prove that. He had stepped in and saved Kait, endangering his own life when most men would have walked away.
The sound of her phone ringing made Kait jump. For a few exhilarated seconds, she thought that perhaps it was Jasper calling, that he’d been thinking about her as much as she’d been thinking about him, but her heart sunk when she saw Anna’s name flashing on the screen.
“Anna, hey,” Kait answered as brightly as she could.
“Hey, Kait. You okay?”
“I’m alright.”
“So you’re feeling better?”
Kait suddenly remembered that she was supposed to have a cold. It was the excuse she’d used the previous Friday to avoid going on a double date with Anna, Robert, and one of Robert’s friends. She just wasn’t ready to meet someone new no matter how wonderful Anna insisted he was.
“I’m getting there,” Kait coughed a few times for dramatic effect.
“These stupid viruses,” Anna moaned down the line. “Daniel was so disappointed not to meet you.”
“Yeah,” Kait lied convincingly, “me too.”
“Do you think you’ll be up for going out this Friday?” Anna wondered brightly.
Kait tensed and chewed her lip. She didn’t like lying to her friend and constantly letting her down. And Daniel might well be a simply wonderful man. But her heart wasn’t ready to risk being broken again; it was still recovering from its bout with Jasper in the ring of their non-existent relationship.
“He’s so nice,” Anna enthused. “And handsome too. He wears a suit to work like Robert does. A suit, Kait! How hot is that?”
Kait shrugged. It was hot. To most women it was the ultimate fantasy: a well-dressed man who was polite, kind, and handsome. But Kait’s blood had practically boiled when she saw Jasper in the gym wearing only some nylon shorts and a white t-shirt. There was something raw about his casual attire that she just couldn’t resist. He didn’t dress himself up in a suit and pretend to be something he wasn’t. He embraced his true nature, who he was.
“Oh, darn, I’ve got to work late on Friday.” Kait made the excuse before she even realized what she was doing.
“Really? That sucks,” Anna was audibly disappointed by her friend’s lack of availability. “They need to stop making you work late, especially after what happening the parking lot.”
“Uh huh,” Kait made a sound of agreement.
“So when can you meet Daniel?”
“I don’t know…soon.”
“Okay, well it better be or someone else will snap him up.”
Kait knew that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Daniel surely deserved to go on a date with someone who would be excited to see him, not someone who was doing it just to stop a friend from feeling bad.
After the call ending, Kait gazed gloomily at the television. Jasper was once again front and center of her thoughts. No matter what she did, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was like he had infected her system, and now she would forever be plagued by thoughts of him.
Picking up her phone, she checked his Twitter page yet again. He’d offered a simple statement about his latest fight.
No Pain. No Gain. @J_Duboix
He’d lost teeth! Where did he draw the line about what was too much? Kait gazed sadly at the tweet, wishing she wasn’t as proud as she was. She wanted to march over to the gym and demand he stop being so cavalier about his own physical well-being, but that wasn’t her place. That was a conversation he should be having with his significant other, and that definitely wasn’t Kait. She doubted she even warranted the flimsy title of ex-girlfriend in Jasper’s eyes.
She wished she could stop caring. That she could stop thinking of him as a girlfriend would. But she couldn’t. She spent the rest of the evening looking up pictures of Jasper on the internet, desperate to just have a glimpse of him.
Chapter 36
Jasper felt the pain before he’d even opened his eyes. The moment his mind released him from a dream, he was reminded of the agony currently overwhelming his wrung out body. Wincing, he forced his eyes open against the darkness and panted
heavily as he labored to turn on his bedside light. His entire body was coated in a thin film of sweat.
“Crap,” Jasper gasped as he grabbed a nearby glass of water and popped a few more aspirin. He could feel his muscles burning in protest with every movement he made. Even the cool water that slid down the back of his throat stung his wounded mouth. His jaw throbbed from the time spent in the dentist’s chair the previous afternoon. He now boasted two new false teeth.
Massaging his jaw, Jasper sat up fully in bed. He knew from experience that he’d struggle to get back to sleep. He might as well get up and get a jump start on the day. Carl wanted him back at the gym as soon as possible.
“That last fight made you look weak,” he told Jasper tersely as they sat in the dimly lit changing room after the match.
“But I won,” Jasper protested wearily. Wasn’t that all that mattered? A victory was a victory no matter how narrow the margins around it.
“Yes, but you still look weak!” Carl insisted with a wag of his finger. He was pacing back and forth across the small room, the wrinkles in his face showing as he furrowed his brow thoughtfully.
“I’m not weak,” Jasper lowered his head and was forced to spit yet more blood into the bucket he was holding. Would his gums ever stop bleeding? His tongue inquisitively explored the new spaces in his mouth where his teeth had previously been.
“He knocked your teeth out!” Carl ceased pacing and straightened to stare angrily at Jasper. “On more than one occasion you could barely stand up!”
“I won,” Jasper growled, his voice low and menacing. He was in no mood to be chastised for a fight he’d managed to win.
“Barely!” Carl lamented, spreading his arms. “This will cost you dearly, Jasper. Mark my words! The world has seen how weak you are!”
“Then what do you suggest?” Jasper demanded, pausing to spit out yet more blood.
“We schedule another fight for next Friday. You train hard all week then come out guns blazing, show the world what a powerhouse you truly are.”
“Next Friday?” Jasper asked doubtfully. “Don’t you think I need more time to recover?”
“The longer you take, the weaker you look.”
With a sigh, Jasper lowered his head towards the bucket he was holding and spat again.
“I’ll arrange for you to get your teeth sorted tomorrow,” Carl noted as he reached for his phone and began expertly running his fingers across it as he made the necessary arrangements. “And I know a guy we can call about some enhancements.”
“No.” Jasper said the word so sharply that Carl ceased typing into his phone and stared wide eyed at his client.
“Either I do this clean, or I don’t do it at all.”
“Okay,” Carl nodded. “Your call.”
Alone in his apartment, Jasper did his best to ignore the pain which was searing through his body. Pain which even the aspirin he’d taken couldn’t touch. At least there were no broken bones. A quick x-ray at the hospital had proven that, but there was ample bruising and swelling all over his body. The kind faced nurse had suggested that he seek plenty of rest. He almost laughed in her face. How could he rest when his agent had lined up another big fight for him which was now less than a week away? If he rested now, he risked losing it all and he’d fought so hard to be where he was, not just in the ring.
“I’m fine,” Jasper told himself sternly as he held his hands against his back and grimaced as he staggered to his feet. He just needed to shower. The hot water would ease most of his aches. He flicked on lights as he went he headed towards his large, state of the art en suite bathroom. It boasted all the latest modern conveniences and sparkled thanks to the cleaner who came in on a daily basis.
It took him twice as long as normal to get in to the large cubicle. He had a waterfall shower which cascaded lovingly over his broken body. Jasper leaned against the tiled wall and shuddered gratefully as the warm water caressed his skin. It was helping. But as he stood there he thought of her. What would she say if she could see him now? She’d be mad at him; that was a given. She’d pout in that sexy way of hers and tell him to take better care of himself. And when she spoke to him like that, all he wanted to do was rip her clothes off and ravage her.
Jasper’s body felt unusually heavy as he stood in the shower. His head was spinning with thoughts of Kait. Why was he even thinking about her? She’d walked away from him; they were done. All he needed to do was walk into a bar with his biceps showing, and he’d pick up a new girl in a heartbeat. He could have someone in the shower with him with no effort at all.
Thinking about Kait hurt more than his injuries, throbbed more than his sore jaw. He was only equipped to handle one kind of pain at a time. His feelings over Kait would have to wait, and he knew there was only one way to overcome them; he needed to distract himself.
Chapter 37
Jasper didn’t make it in to the gym that day, but he did enjoy a thorough workout. He’d scrolled through his phone in the early hours and invited three buxom brunettes that he knew. They had to be brunette; if they were blonde, they’d only remind him of Kait, and the last thing he needed was another excuse to think about her.
By ten in the morning, the girls had arrived wearing skimpy clothes and flirtatious smiles. When Jasper opened the door to them, his heart pinched with doubt. He didn’t feel the swell of excitement he’d anticipated when he saw them. Instead, he felt disappointment gnawing at his stomach, disappointment that they weren’t Kait.
But Kait didn’t want him. He had to keep telling himself that. She’d walked away from him, told him goodbye. He needed to move on, to forget about her before he drove himself mad.
The brunettes were eager to ease Jasper of his troubles. They cooed over him as they rubbed his aching shoulders and whispered dirty words into his ear. When they finally made it into the bedroom, Jasper began to doubt if he’d be able to perform. His body ached so badly he was certain it wouldn’t be able to handle all of the women. It was strange because when he was with Kait he was able to forget about all his aches and pains. Yet in the company of the trio of current beauties, he remained acutely aware of it at all times.
“Come on Jasper,” the most curvaceous of the girls purred at him as she knelt upon his bed and removed her tight fitting top with a swift flourish. The sight of her ample, exposed breasts made something stir in Jasper. But the moment he became aroused, he instantly thought of Kait. He closed his eyes in frustration.
“Tell us what we should do,” another girl delivered the words into his ear and then cheekily slid her tongue against him. Jasper groaned. Why wasn’t this working? Usually he’d have bedded all three of them by now.
Desperate, he asked the girls to pleasure one another. He hoped that seeing such an erotic sight would help him break free of Kait’s grip on him, and for a blissful hour it did. Jasper was able to lose himself in the girls at his apartment. Their bodies came together in a writhing mass upon his bed as they took it in turns to pleasure him. It was euphoric yet… empty. No matter how hard Jasper tried, how many positions he eagerly attempted despite his aching body, he couldn’t reach complete satisfaction. The girls giggled and fawned over him, but he knew their attention couldn’t last forever. Eventually he decided to just fake it. Something he’d never had to do in his entire life.
Panting convincingly, he collapsed against his soft pillows as the girls gathered around him, resting their heads upon his chest. One raised a finger and drew it towards one of his scars.
“Don’t touch that,” Jasper barked at her, the words carrying more venom than he’d intended. Burned, the girl retrieved her hand and settled back against his chest. Jasper lay there and listened to their breathing slow as they all fell asleep. Outside, the day was turning to darkness once more as night approached. Regret crept into the room. It was so silent and subtle that Jasper didn’t realize it was there until it was gathered menacingly around his throat, making him struggle to breathe. What had he done? He didn’t want these
girls. As beautiful as they were, they didn’t make his heart race the way Kait did. When he connected with her, it was more than sex. It was something Jasper hadn’t experienced before, and it had certainly ruined him. He’d spent the day living out every man’s fantasy, and yet it hadn’t been enough. What if it was never enough again?
The sound of a distant door opening made Jasper tense. Was it his cleaner? Surely not; she wasn’t supposed to work weekends. He also didn’t want her to find him in bed with his bevvy of beauties. His cleaner was a little old lady with an old fashioned constitution. He risked her having a heart attack if she saw all their gathered naked limbs fused into one collective mass.
“Girls,” Jasper addressed the sleeping beauties who grumbled but did not stir. “Girls, we need to move,” he insisted. “Someone is here.”
Mason: Inked Reapers MC Page 33
