Jasper Vale (The Edens)

Jasper’s tongue slid against mine in a lazy swirl before he pulled away, planting a kiss on the corner of my mouth. Soft. Sweet. Then he whipped the sweater from my body fast enough to make me gasp.

He swallowed it with a plundering kiss, then devoured my mouth. His palms flattened on my skin, pressing and pushing, his movements rough and feverish.

One moment he was slow. The next, frenzied.

Jasper made my head spin. Just like he had on Saturday. He set the pace, and there was no option but to keep up. There was no predicting his next move. There was no chance for my mind to wander or to think of anything other than Jasper.

My body, my brain, was in a constant state of anticipation, hanging on the edge, waiting, wondering what he’d do next.

No man had ever commanded me so entirely during sex. Probably why no man had ever made me come as hard, as fast, as Jasper. He fucked like delivering pleasure was his sole purpose in life.

“Jasper.” My fingers dove into his hair as his mouth dropped to my pulse, sucking and licking a wet trail toward the hollow of my throat. Shivers erupted on my bare skin.

He cupped my breast, the entire curve fitting into the palm of his capable hands.

It was a gentle caress. His thumb traced my nipple through the lace of my bra. Then with a lightning-quick tug, the cup was yanked down and that same thumb gave the same pebbled nipple a flick.

Then came the pinch.

“Ah.” I hissed, arching into his touch.

His mouth replaced his fingers, drawing the peak of my breast past his lips. His tongue flattened. When his teeth grazed my skin, a fresh wave of desire pooled in my core.

“Yes,” I moaned, my eyes fluttering closed as I leaned into the touch.

One of my hands unthreaded from his hair, trading those dark, soft strands for the smooth fabric of his shirt. I balled it into my fist, holding tight while he tortured my nipple. I held on with all my might, keeping him in place.

“More.”

He bit me again, followed it with a hard suck, and released my nipple with a pop.

Then he trailed his mouth across my sternum, freeing the other breast to give it the same treatment.

The ache in my core felt like a jackhammer, the beat pulsing between my legs.

I shoved his shirt up his ribs, needing to feel his naked skin against my own. Needing to feel him inside me.

“Fuck me. Please.” If he stopped here, left me suffering, I’d never forgive him for it.

Jasper growled, releasing my breast. Then he took hold of my wrist, tearing my hand free from his shirt before he reached behind his head and yanked it free.

My knees quaked. God, that was sexy. I could watch that move a million times and it would never get old.

The chiseled plane of his chest was like a magnet to my hands. I flattened my palms against his pecs, roving up, down, side to side. The dusting of black hair over his heart scraped against my skin.

I rose up on my toes, too short to reach Jasper’s mouth. But it didn’t matter. He slammed his lips on mine, stealing my breath.

Our tongues dueled. Our teeth clashed. It was a kiss between two people who hadn’t memorized each other’s mouths yet but were cramming in every detail, like there’d be a test tomorrow and we were hellbent on a crash course.

My fingers dipped into the valleys of his washboard abs before skimming over their peaks.

Jasper seemed intent on touching every inch of my torso. His touch was like a torch, leaving sparks in its wake as he unclasped my bra and ripped it free from my arms.

The heat from his chest only made my nipples harder. His arousal dug into my hip, sending a shiver down my spine.

Jasper tore his mouth away, his panting breath mingling with my own. His eyes were so dark they were nearly black. A muscle feathered in his jaw. The corded lines of his neck strained.

What was he doing? “Why are you stopping?”

His nostrils flared. “Eloise—”

“Don’t stop,” I whispered, taking a step away, instantly missing the heat from his large body. Then I flicked open the button on my jeans, dragging the zipper down before pushing them off my legs, shimmying them to the floor along with my panties.

His hands balled into fists. The cut muscles in his arms flexed. His cock bulged behind his jeans, long and thick, swelling against his thigh.

My mouth went dry. Jasper was big. I’d been sore after Saturday night, and hiding it from Lyla as we’d traveled home had only made the trip more miserable.

Was this really a good idea?

I shoved that thought away. Maybe it was reckless, but right now, I needed him inside me more than I cared.

“Jasper.” I took another step away, silently pleading with him to follow.

My heart climbed into my throat as we stared at each other.

His indecision was as potent as the desire swimming in my veins.

I craved him. Only one night, and Jasper Vale had become an addiction.

But he stood unmoving, his chest barely rising as he breathed. The only signs of life were those dark eyes dragging over every inch of my naked body.

I fought the urge to cover myself. To reach for my clothes puddled on the floor. This was the boldest I’d ever been. My nerves bubbled to the surface and spewed from my mouth.

“Don’t stop,” I pleaded for the second time, the desperation unmistakable. “Please. I don’t ever act like this. With men. My sex life is dull. The guys I’ve dated have been underwhelming, to say the least.”

An orgasm had been nearly as rare as a phone call the next day—by me, not them. Most of my past lovers hadn’t earned a second chance.

“Then Saturday . . . I didn’t know it could be like that.”

Maybe this was something Jasper could walk away from. Maybe the sex had been just okay. A man with that body, that talented tongue, probably always had it good.

What if I was lackluster? Oh, no. It hadn’t been that good for him, had it? Why hadn’t that occurred to me before I’d taken my clothes off?

“You know what? Never mind. This was a bad idea. We have enough complications. You should go, and I’m going to shut up.”

Then die of embarrassment, naked in my living room.

My hands lifted, about to cover my mound. Except at that exact moment, Jasper surged.

A long stride and the space between us vanished. His lips sealed over mine, and I moaned, the relief a tidal wave that crashed into my bones. Was this pity? Did I care?

No. Not as his tongue slid against mine.

My fingers fumbled with the button on his jeans until I managed to flip it free. The zipper strained to be unlocked. My hand dove into his boxers. I was desperate to feel him in my hand, to stroke that steel.

Except Jasper tore away before I could grip him, batting my hand away as he toed off his boots and wrenched his jeans free from those bulky thighs. His black boxer briefs came with the pants.

My heart skipped at the sight of him, his cock hard and heavy between us. A pearl drop glistened at the head.

Sinew and sin.

I could stare at this naked man for days and not get enough.

Jasper reached for me, taking me by the elbow to spin me around, his chest hot granite against my back. Then he pushed me toward the back of my couch, the leather cold against my belly as he bent over me.

His breath was hot against my skin as he spoke into my ear. His cock fit into the crack of my ass, his palm skating over my cheek. “The next time you talk about any other man inside this body, I’ll spank your ass so red you won’t sit for a week.”

My breath hitched. My pussy clenched. Why did I want that?

Jasper reached around my hip, his fingertips featherlight as they traced the inside of my thigh.

My entire body trembled as he moved higher, inch by torturous inch, until finally they dipped into my drenched slit.

“This body.” He nipped at the base of my neck as his finger slipped inside. “You think I didn’t like fucking you, Eloise?”

Whether it was his skilled finger or the way he growled my name, I wasn’t sure, but my toes curled into the carpet.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this pussy.” His finger eased out, shifting to my clit. “What have you done to me?”

A mewl escaped my throat as he flicked my swollen bundle of nerves. “Jasper. More.”

“You want my cock, angel?”

“Yes.” I pressed against him, tilting my hips.

His finger circled my clit again, driving me wild. Then he lined up at my entrance and, in a single thrust, buried himself to the hilt.

I cried out, my eyes squeezing shut as I adjusted to his size, savoring that stretch as my body molded around his.

“Fuck, you feel good.” His arms wrapped around my chest, trapping me in place. His hips drove him even deeper and the world faded away.

He eased out slowly, then slammed inside again. His arms loosened and he stood tall. When I shifted, trying to straighten too, his palm splayed across my spine, between my shoulders, holding me against the couch.

So I extended my arms, bracing against the back of the couch as I rose up on my toes, pushing against him. My head was already spinning, floating to the stars.

Jasper’s hands gripped me by the hips, his touch bruising.

Tomorrow, I’d have little indents, blue and black, just like I had on Sunday morning. Those marks had faded too fast, and I wanted them back.

He rocked us together, over and over, the sound of slapping skin filling the quiet house.

“Oh God, Jasper. That feels so good.”

A low groan came from his chest, the sound shooting straight to my core. The piston of his hips was perfect and each time he thrust forward, he hit that spot inside that made me shake.

The palm he had on my spine slid down my back, circling the dimples above my ass before trailing around my hip. The caress was so soft compared to the power behind his thrusts. I felt him everywhere, each cell in my body at his mercy.

He tickled my ribs.

It earned a half-laugh, half-cry. Jasper knew exactly where I needed those fingers but he was toying with me.

“Jasper,” I panted, letting go of the couch to snag his hand, bringing it between my legs.

“You want to come?”

“Yes.” My voice was a breathy plea. “Touch me.”

“Touch yourself.” He ripped his hand free of my grip, bringing it to a breast. He rolled my nipple between his finger and thumb, then he plucked. Hard.

“Ah.” My yelp bounced around the room as my fingers slid to my center.

He drove deep, stopping when he was rooted. “Feel us together.”

I obeyed, my fingers hesitant as I reached for where we were connected. I’d never done this before. I’d watched him disappear into my body on Saturday, but this . . . My eyes squeezed shut, my fingers doing the seeing.

My heart thundered, my pulse roared, as I felt his shaft and the stretch of my body around his thickness. A new shiver rolled over my shoulders.

Jasper shifted, his chest pressing against my back once more as his hand abandoned my nipple. He reached for us too, his fingers finding mine. Then he rubbed at my slick folds. “You’re dripping for me.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “Only you.”

He laced his fingers with mine, bringing them to my clit. Then he eased his cock out as his hand guided mine, circling slowly at first as his hips matched the rhythm.

Fire licked my veins as the pleasure built higher and higher. My heart raced as my limbs trembled. His thrusts hit exactly where I needed him. His fingers drove me wild. He sent me flying toward the edge until I shattered.

White stars stole my vision. Pleasure captured my breath. I broke into a thousand tiny pieces as I lost myself to the ecstasy, feeling nothing but Jasper as I came, pulse after pulse, longer and harder than I’d ever come in my life.

“Fuck me.” Jasper came on a roar, the sound dull compared to the blood rushing in my ears. His body shook against mine, all those honed muscles clenching and trembling as he poured inside me.

It took minutes, hours, to float back to earth. I was in a haze when I finally cracked open my eyes.

My hand was still threaded with Jasper’s and touching my core. His other arm had wrapped around my shoulders, holding me against him as his heart pounded against my spine.

“Wow,” I breathed.

He stood, bringing me with him and peeling me from the couch.

My hair was in my eyes. My body felt boneless, and if not for his arm, I probably would have face planted on the floor. My legs had lost all their strength.

His teeth grazed my bare shoulder as he eased out. His come leaked down my thigh, and with our hands still threaded, he touched my center.

“I’m not keeping this a secret forever,” he said. “But I’ll do it. For now.”

That sentence sobered me instantly. My eyes popped open. “How long?”

“Figure out a way to tell them, Eloise. Or I will.”

I gulped but nodded. He was right. This couldn’t continue indefinitely. “Just . . . give me a couple weeks.”

“Fine. In the meantime, don’t pretend like I’m no one.” He smeared our releases along the inside of my thigh, then dragged our sticky fingers to my belly, marking me there too. “Don’t run away from me. Don’t pretend that you don’t know what it feels like when I’m fucking you.”

Okay, so maybe that hadn’t been my best decision earlier. In my defense, I hadn’t expected to see him and I’d panicked.

Jasper tugged his hand free and stepped away, leaving me on swaying legs.

I held on to the couch, regaining my balance.

By the time I turned around, he’d already pulled on his jeans. His shirt came next, tugged quickly over that broad chest still damp with sweat.

“You want me to fuck you for a while, fine.” He stepped into his boots. “I’ll give you the orgasms the losers from your past couldn’t. But when I see you on the street, you look at me.”

A lump formed in my throat.

I hadn’t meant to hurt him. To make him feel like nothing. But I was afraid that when I looked at him, anyone around us would see. They’d see the desire. The craving. The intimacy.

“Jasper—”

He didn’t let me apologize. He marched out the door, slamming it closed behind him.

He left me standing naked in my living room with his come still dripping down my leg.

“Shit.” I buried my face in my hands, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from crying.

I’d messed up. Again.

Somehow, I’d managed to make Jasper feel used. Cheap.

Was that what other men thought of me? Those guys I’d dated and hadn’t called again, did they feel like I’d used them?

My dating history was a train wreck. My marriage history wasn’t any better.

“Oh God. I have a marriage history.”

My stomach churned. Someday, I’d meet the man of my dreams. And when he asked me to marry him, when we exchanged vows, it wouldn’t be for the first time. My heart twisted, my chin beginning to quiver.

I was married.

I was about to have an ex-husband. I would be an ex-wife. Shame spread across my skin like a rash.

There was no erasing what had happened in Las Vegas. My only option at this point was to fix it.

So I squashed the urge to cry, to scream, and collected my clothes from the floor, bundling them against my chest. I carried them down the hallway to my bedroom, where they were dropped in my hamper, then I rushed through a shower, erasing Jasper’s cologne and the scent of sex from my body.

With my damp hair twisted in a knot, I dressed in a pair of sweats and grabbed my laptop from my tiny office. I spent the next three hours researching Montana divorce lawyers.

My top choice was a woman in Missoula. She was far enough away from Quincy that hopefully no one local would ever find out. But she was also close enough I could drive there to meet if needed. I put her at the top of my list, noting my second and third choices to call in the morning. Then I steeled my spine and made a call.

To my husband.

“Yeah,” Jasper answered.

“I’m sorry. About earlier. About running from you and pretending like I didn’t know you. I panicked.”

He blew out a long breath. “It’s all right. This is . . .”

“Fucked up?”

He barked a dry laugh. “Yeah.”

“I’m going to call a lawyer in the morning.”

“’Kay. I left a message with mine.”

“We’ll let them get this sorted. And I’ll tell my family.” Somehow.

He hummed his agreement.

The silence stretched for a few heartbeats. This was when I should hang up, but I just sat and listened to the nothing. Jasper’s scent might not be on my skin anymore, but I was sitting on the couch and his spicy, woodsy scent still clung to the air in the living room.

If they made that smell into a candle, I’d burn it twenty-four seven.

“We should probably stop having sex.” I hated the words the moment they came off my tongue. But it was time to start fixing those mistakes.

“Probably a smart idea,” he said.

It was the smart idea. So why did that make my spirits sink?

“Night, Jasper.”

“Bye, Eloise.”

He ended the call.

As I stared at the screen, something twisted in my stomach.

Like that goodbye wasn’t only for tonight.