by J. R. Ryder
“Why?” She yawned as she asked the question.
“I’m sorry, are you tired?”
“No. No. Continue. I want to hear what you have to say.”
“You’ve been here a long time, worrying about me. Maybe you should go home and get some rest.” I suggested. “You must be exhausted.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to go home…” She whispered under her breath.
“Why not?”
She was silent for a moment. Anxiously, she bit her bottom lip, refusing to look me in the eye. I could tell that something was wrong – that there was something she didn’t want to tell me. For a moment, I doubted her honesty. Maybe, she was just like all the rest. She would try to use me – to bleed me dry – and then walk away.
No.
Mandy wouldn’t do that to me.
Would she?
Then again, with my memory gone, I had no way to know if she was a good person or not. I was riding on my gut feeling alone and while that was rarely wrong, I still had my doubts.
“Mandy. Tell me why you don’t want to go home.” I demanded in a firm tone of voice.
Her eyes widened. “I…” She stammered, cheeks turning red. “I’m scared…”
“Scared?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “What are you scared of?”
“Some of the Hitchcocks got away…”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t remember but the reason you’re here is that my ex-boyfriend was trying to hurt me. I didn’t know this at the time, but his family is a bad one – a very bad one. They control most of the sex work in the town. They take girls from their homes and turn them into slaves. It makes me sick just thinking about it.” I could see the pain in her eyes and it made my heart ache. I wanted to reach out and fold her into my arms but these blasted wires stopped me from moving very much.
“Haven’t the police agreed to protect you?”
“That won’t be enough…”
“You can’t live your life constantly looking over your shoulder.”
“I know.” She balled her hands into fists. “I shouldn’t be so scared to begin with. I’m a police detective. I should be able to fend for myself – to look dangerous situations in the eye and be able to stand my ground and yet, every time I think about Keith I feel like hiding. It’s pathetic.”
“It’s not,” I said, gently taking her hand in mine. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
She leaned forward, resting her head on my shoulder. “When we were together in your cabin, I felt safe. When we laid together in your bed and I was in your arms, it felt like nothing could ever hurt me.”
I wrapped my arms around her as she spoke. “Shh, don’t worry. I’ll still keep you safe. No matter what happens.”
She shook her head. “ you’re hurt.”
I chuckled. “This is nothing. I used to be a Navy SEAL, you know.”
“When did you manage that?”
“Right after high school. I was naive and young. I thought it was the right thing to do. Despite having a full ride to MIT, I still wanted to try my hand at warfare.” I shook my head. “I don’t regret my decision but I can guarantee you that this little scuffle is nothing in comparison to what I went through while overseas. Just ask Andy. We were both blown to smithereens more times than one.”
She cringed. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“Well, I don’t like thinking about it.”
I smiled. “I’m glad that you care about me.”
“Of course I do.” She took a deep breath. “Honestly, I don’t know how I fell for you so fast or so hard, but I did. I love you, Jasper.”
“I love you too, Mandy.”
“Then, please, try to remember me.” Carefully, she cupped my cheeks in her hands and kissed my cheek. “Because all those memories are precious to me and I want someone to share them with.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll remember,” I promised, leaning forward to gently kiss her lips.
At first, she was a little stiff but soon enough she melted into it. Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me a little bit closer.
She was sweet and innocent. Everything about her felt genuine and real, unlike all the girls who had spent the night in my penthouse suite. All they wanted was the money in my pocket. Mandy, I could tell, was different. She loved me for who I truly was and that made me love her even more.
“I’ll keep you safe,” I whispered into her hair as I ran my fingers through it. “No matter what happens, I’ll always keep you safe.”
Chapter 29 (Mandy)
Six months later.
I must have fallen asleep.
In my dream, I stood in the middle of a battlefield. The landscape was void of color, painted in various shades of gray. Along the horizon crept a cloud of smoke.
Suddenly, a loud whiz sounded overhead. Looking up, I spotted what looked like a miniature rocket cutting through the air. The nose of the cylinder was bright red. It began smaller and smaller as it flew away.
Bang!
Before it could reach the ground, it detonated. A plume of fiery reds colored my world. I admired the explosion for a minute before the aftershock collided into me.
I was thrown back, landing painfully on my side. The second I moved, a radiating pain shot through my rib cage, wrapping around each bone like a serpent. I screamed but no sound came.
Slowly, I touched the wound with my fingers. They came back covered in blood.
Fuck.
Desperately, I tried to crawl my way to safety but there was nowhere to go. All around me, men ran from one place to another, like ants trying to fix their destroyed home. They were trying to salvage the wreckage but there was no longer anything to save.
Somehow, I managed to roll onto my back.
The sky was gray, just like everything else.
Ever so faintly, the sun managed to seep through the bleakness but it wasn’t enough. I could tell that I was going to die here.
I was just about to give up when another explosion sounded, not too far away from here I was. I didn’t even bother to look. to my horror, a body went flying across the sky.
Jasper.
He had turned into a ragdog, with no animation in any of his limbs. I watched in horror as he soared through the sky, eyes closed, arms bent back in an unnatural position, uniform saturated with blood.
Thud.
When he hit the ground it was the only sound I could hear. Everything else faded into the background.
Despite all the pain I felt, I managed to get onto my hands and knees, crawling in his direction. “Jasper, Jasper!” I called out but again, no sound escaped my lips. I crawled faster.
it was already too late.
I propped his head on my lap, smoothing back his disheveled hair. “Jasper…” I whispered, heartbreaking into a million pieces when I saw the extent of his injuries. My stomach churned. Charred skin. Mangled flesh. Broken bones. He was a goner.
No. He was already gone.
I couldn’t let go. Not yet. “Please… wake up.” I shook him but he did not respond. “Jasper!”
Silence.
It was deafening.
“Please… you can’t leave me like this. You promised you would always keep me safe…” Tears poured from my eyes as I held him close to my chest. “Jasper…”
***
“Babe. Wake up. You’re shaking.” Jasper held me tight in his arms, running his hands up and down my back.
My eyes shot open. I took in a sharp intake of breath.
“Another bad dream?” He asked me in a soft whisper.
I nodded.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head.
“You know, Mandy, you can’t keep avoiding the conversation. You’re going to have to tell me sooner or later. Let me help you.”
I buried my head in his chest. “I don’t know where to start…” I mumbled. “It’s all so awful.”
“Start from the beginning.” He told me, gently pinning a strand of hair behind my ear. “You have to get this off your chest.”
I wet my lips, trying to gather the confidence I needed to tell him but like always, it felt like the words were lodged in my throat.
“Here, let me make you some tea, how about that?”
“No. Please don’t leave me.” I grabbed his shirt, clutching it tightly in my hands so he couldn’t get up from the bed.
“Okay. I won’t.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “ you have to tell me what’s going on. I can’t stand to see you like this.”
I sat up, hugging my knees to my chest. “I keep having these nightmares where you die in my arms…”
He was quiet for a moment. “That’s never going to happen.”
“How can you say that? Keith is still on the loose. For all I know, he could break in at any moment and hurt you.”
“That’s not going to happen.” He took my hands, held them firmly in his, and looked into my arms. “I promise that nothing like that is going to happen. We live in a new cabin. The alarm system is armed. Wolf is always on high alert.”
I chuckled. “Wolf would be the first to greet an intruder.”
“He’s gotten better.”
“He still frolics with the rabbits whenever you go hunting.”
Jasper looked at me for a moment before giving in. “Alright, you have a point there.” He laughed. “I’m glad to see you smiling, at least. It really does hurt me to see you upset.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You shouldn’t have to apologize for that.” He placed my hand on his chest so I could hear the beating of his heart. “I just want you to feel safe.”
“I do.”
“No. You don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t have nightmares.”
“I’m just scared that something is going to happen to you,” I whispered. “And, I don’t want that to happen. I want you to be safe too.”
“And, I already told you that there’s nothing to worry about.”
I bit my bottom lip, still unsure. Yes, Jasper was an ex-Navy SEAL that knew how to fend for himself, but I just couldn’t help but worry that something was bound to happen. After all, I had shitty luck like that. Nothing good ever lasts for long.
And, it terrified me to think that I might someday lose Jasper - the man that I have now completely fallen for.
Chapter 30 (Jasper)
“Are you sure you don’t want some tea? It’ll only take me a minute to make.” I suggested, rubbing her arm up and down.
“I’m sure.” She closed her eyes. “Just promise me that if anything happens, you won’t do anything stupid to try and save me.”
“I promise,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “ the police force will find him.”
“It’s been six months… that’s getting into cold case territory.” She grumbled, ever pessimistic about the whole thing.
“Maybe you should consider going back there and lighting a fire under their asses,” I said, trying to lighten up the mood.
She shook her head. “I liked being a detective but it’s irritating to want to do something and then not be able to because the powers that be think you’re too invested in the case. Shouldn’t that be a good thing? Wouldn’t that motivate you toward solving it? I just don’t get it and I really don’t want to play politics.”
“Well, you make a pretty savvy expense manager for the company so I don’t mind.”
“Three years of stats in college is finally paying off.” She laughed.
“Why didn’t you go into accounting?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I thought it was boring at the time. Besides, I never thought I would find a proper job in this economy.”
“You aren’t bored now, are you?”
“Are you kidding? Living with you has been the best thing that could have happened to me. I feel so refreshed living in the mountains. I spend my mornings looking at numbers and then I get to spend my afternoons with the man of my dreams.”
I smiled. “Do you really think I’m the man of your dreams?”
“Well, you’re constantly there when I’m asleep.”
“ usually in your nightmares. I don’t know if that counts.”
She frowned. “Still…”
“Do you ever dream of me not dying?”
“Sometimes.” She blushed.
“What’s up with the face?”
“What face?”
“You turned into a tomato.”
“What are you talking about?”
The bedroom was dark but the moonlight had filtered in through the curtains, illuminating off her face. I could tell that she was blushing and blushing hard. To prove my point, I turned on the bedside lamp, look her cheeks into my hands, and ran my thumbs along her skin. “You’re hot.”
“I…”
Suddenly, I smirked, realizing what was going on. “Oh, I see…” I chuckled. “You have naughty dreams about me, don’t you?”
She blushed even harder.
“That’s exactly what it is.”
“Well, what did you expect? You’re sexy as hell…” She whispered, looking up at me from underneath her eyelashes.
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “I think so…”
“Let’s just see if you’re telling the truth.” Slowly, I crept my hand into her pajama bottoms. I took my time, letting my fingertips dance around her thighs.
“Jasper… I don’t think. We have a lot of work to do in the morning… The budget is due at ten.”
“Fuck the budget. You’re more important right now.” I growled against her neck before nibbling on her skin ever so gently, leaving behind faint teeth marks.
“Jasper…”
“Shh.” To keep her quiet, I planted a firm kiss on her lips.
Instantly, she melted into it, raising her hips into the air to meet mine.
Already, my cock was coming to life between my legs.
I pinned her to the bed, grinding against her, letting her feel just how massive I really was. Soon, the bed rocked underneath our movements but still, we did not stop. Oh no, this was only just the beginning.
Finally, I pressed my hand against her panties, keeping it there for a moment, wondering how she would react.
She whimpered, thrusting her hips into the air, begging for more.
“What’s the matter, baby girl?” I asked almost innocently.
“You can’t…”
“I can’t what?” I teased, nibbling on her earlobe.
She groaned.
I chuckled. “You want it that bad, don’t you?”
She nodded. “You can’t just toy with me like this.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s torture.”
“You seem to like it.”
“I love it.”
“Then maybe I should just play with you until the sun comes up. What do you think about that?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ll do it.” I grinned. “Or, you can beg me really nicely and maybe I’ll give you exactly what you want. I’ll hold your arms over your head, pin you place, and just have my way with you, cock pumping in and out of you. Would you like that, baby?”
“Mmm.” She threw her head back and licked her lips.
“You like it when I talk dirty to you, don’t you?” I started to rub her pussy through her panties. She was already soaking through the wet material. “ tell me exactly what you want,” I demanded.
“Jasper…” Her face was flushed. “I…” Nervously, she tugged at my hair.
It was cute how bashful she became whenever things became intimate. While she was a vixen in bed, sometimes, it took a little coaxing to get her going. This seemed to be one of those times.
“Come on, baby, just tell me what you want.”
She took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. “I want you.”
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” I s
aid, rubbing her even harder, pushing the fabric against her pussy, getting it drenched in her juices.
