Jasper checked his watch. 揗ight take until the morning.?His cheek jerked as if he were trying to subdue a smile. 揂nd then there抯 the surgery, the recovery厰
Aaron shifted. 揥hat are you getting at??
揑 know what抯 he抯 trying to say.?Rita couldn抰 ignore the wings flapping in her chest, especially when Jasper抯 mouth finally lifted in a grin. 揥e抳e got another day in Hurley.?
Chapter Twenty
Well, son of a bitch.
If this wasn抰 a sign, Jasper didn抰 know what constituted one. Rita had been in the process of kissing him good-bye and divine providence had shown up like a goddamn superhero. Right about now, Aaron and Belmont were third and fourth on his list of favorite people, under Rita and Rosemary. If they weren抰 coiled tighter than rattlesnakes on either side of Jasper as he walked the Clarksons back to the Hurley Arms, he might have pulled them into a group hug, unmanly or not.
He wasn抰 even irritated over Rita insisting they didn抰 need an escort back, because he抎 bought himself some time. Or it had been purchased for him, rather, but this was no time to split hairs. He hadn抰 been about to leave three women to break up a second wave of fighting. Nor was he about to let a chance for more Rita go to waste. What she抎 said back in the kitchen桪on抰 you want me back?梙ad burrowed under his skin like the gopher from Caddyshack. He and Rita were going to clear that up real quick. Assuming he could get her alone. Judging from the sly conspiratorial looks Peggy was sending him, Jasper thought he might have an ally.
When they reached the Arms, Belmont walked off into the parking lot. Aaron stared after his brother a moment before slamming into his room. Peggy looped an arm through Sage抯 and urged her toward the seemingly endless line of doors. 揅ome on. Let抯 have a sleepover in your room.?
揥-wait,?Rita sputtered. 揌ave it in our room.?
揑 can抰 hear you厃ou抮e breaking up厰 Peggy called back, faking a static noise by using her hand as an imaginary CB radio. 揟ry again later.?
揢nbelievable,?Rita muttered, whirling for her own room and shoving the key into the lock. 揑抦 starting to have that fantasy again where I抦 adopted.?
Jasper barely managed to catch the door and slip in behind Rita. 揟he one where a rock star and a supermodel show up one day to claim you as their long-lost child??He smiled, flipping on a light and viewing the room without the cover of darkness. 揑 had that one, too. Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall was my personal favorite.?
The personal information slipped out without Jasper noticing, because his focus was on Rita抯 possessions. Her flip-flops stowed in the corner, the giant, noise-canceling headphones on her side table. But the curious, yet guarded, expression on her face had Jasper replaying his words. 揑 just realized I never asked about your parents,?she murmured. 揇id your grandparents raise you??
揟hey did.?He picked up a bottle of lotion, noting the scent. Winter Forest. 揗y parents were more than a little young. Tried to make it work for a while after I was born, but went separate directions.?That particular hurt had been dealt with a long time ago. Built in to become a part of him. When he spoke about his parents with sympathy梩wo kids who抎 been painted into a corner梙e couldn抰 even remember if he meant the sympathy, or if he抎 just begun believing his own patented explanation. Like a callus created over time and forgotten until someone pointed it out. 揗y mother is fine, living in Texas. Not too sure about my father.?
He watched as Rita absorbed that information with a line between her eyes, until she kind of shook herself. 揥e don抰 talk to our father, either. Lawrence. We called him that, even as kids. Shook his hand and called him Lawrence. Isn抰 that funny??She smoothed her palms along her thighs. 揌e split with Miriam after Peggy was born, but he抎 stop by every two weeks, take us to this restaurant called敆she scrunched her brow棑That Pizza Place. He抎 give us five dollars each for the arcade and take us home when we ran out. Then one day he stopped coming. And none of us ever talked about it. Or him.?
揥hy do you suppose that is??
She lowered herself onto the bed with a shrug. 揗aybe because we抎 have to decide how to feel.?
It took a great effort on Jasper抯 end not to pounce all over that statement. It sank down into his stomach, making him wonder if wanting to know how Rita felt about him would only ever be a pipe dream. But he didn抰 say that out loud. Instead, he took a turn around the room, noticing documents beneath the headphones on Rita抯 side table, a red college logo printed across the top. 揗ay I??Her hum was wishy-washy, but he was curious enough to pick them up anyway, scanning the contents. 揋raphic Communication at Baruch College.?
揓ust until I decide on something more specific.?She glanced at Jasper over her shoulder, then away just as fast. 揝o, you see, Jasper? Just because we have one more day厰
Yeah, that was his cue to move. He let the school acceptance letter flutter to the nightstand and went to stand in front of Rita. 揧eah, I heard. You抮e leaving. But I need to straighten something out right now.?He took hold of her hair, winding it around his fists. The position put her at eye level with his lap, which was exactly where he needed her to be, in a minute. But just then he kept her head tilted back, needing those eyes up. 揇on抰 you need me back? Did you actually ask me that, Rita??
揌ard to tell,?she whispered, her lips appearing stiff.
揟hat right??Keeping one hand twisted in Rita抯 hair, Jasper unzipped his jeans with the other. 揥ould you like a clear answer??
Her nod was subtle, thanks to his hold, but her parted lips and stained cheeks gave him the answer before she spoke it out loud. 揧es.?
His dick was almost embarrassingly engorged as he took it out of the restraining denim. His growl of agony snapped Rita抯 spine straight on the bed, those big eyes riveted on the swollen, aching wet-tipped flesh he presented. And damn if a little more fluid didn抰 seep out at her awed reaction. 揝till hard to tell if I want to bang you, Rita??
揘o,?she breathed.
揘o, it ain抰，？Jasper rasped. 揑t抯 pretty obvious I want to strip you naked, fuck you mindless, and leave you whimpering in a pile of sweaty sheets, no idea if you want round two or a week to recover. Isn抰 it??
揧es.?
揋ood, beautiful. As long we抮e on the same page.?
Pretty sure he would die from the agony of stuffing his turgid cock back into the jeans, Jasper managed the feat, nonetheless. Not without a few pained groans, however. Rita was staring up at him in total shock from her position on the bed抯 edge, which he half loved, half detested. They抎 learned a lot about one another tonight, but he appeared to have overshadowed some of that progress with his naughty presentation. Best to get an agreement out of her before she wondered who the hell she抎 let walk into her motel room.
Jasper crouched down with a grimace to plant a kiss on Rita抯 mouth. 揘ow, I抦 going to see you tomorrow, Rita. Whether you come to me or I show up here, that抯 your call, beautiful.?Another, slower, wetter kiss that made him ponder the merits of standing back up and seeing if Rita would unfasten his jeans again and give that same kiss to his cock. That抯 your cue to leave, man. 揑t抣l be early in the morning when I come looking. Or when you show up.?He gripped his erection. 揈ither way, I抣l still have a nasty need to come in Rita抯 name.?
He left Rita swaying on the bed, and prayed like hell he wasn抰 pressing his luck.
Chapter Twenty-One
So. Wedding planning, huh? That must be卹ewarding.?