Jasper Vale (The Edens)

There was a gap in the trees surrounding the A-frame. It was no more than twenty feet in diameter, but it was enough to see past the needles and boughs and sweeping limbs to the glowing midnight sky above.

The breeze brought with it the scent of pine. Smoke from the fireplace trickled from the cabin’s chimney. An owl hooted in the distance, but otherwise, it was quiet. Peaceful. Empty.

If I stood here long enough, neck craned to the heavens, would the stars offer some advice? I could use some tonight.

Not long after I’d handed that wedding invitation to Eloise, watching closely as she’d read it twice, she’d stood from that cheap folding chair and asked to be driven back to town. She needed time to think about my proposal.

So I’d taken her home, dropped her off at the curb, then watched as she’d dug her key from beneath the mat and slipped inside.

It had gone against every gentlemanly manner my parents, tutors and nannies had instilled in me not to escort Eloise to the door. But damn it, I didn’t trust myself.

A hot, mind-blowing fuck wasn’t going to change the fact that my life was a dumpster fire. Eloise and I had enough complications at the moment.

When I’d returned to the A-frame, I’d spent an hour online, searching for a new dining room set. The card table had always been temporary. It hadn’t bothered me, not until today. Not until Eloise had sat in that cheap, flimsy chair.

She deserved better.

In furniture.

In husbands.

What was she thinking? What was I thinking?

The guilt I’d thought would vanish by spilling our secret had only grown. I’d fucked up. Again.

Eloise had called me a thief.

She hadn’t been wrong.

Telling Foster and Talia, taking that chance from her, might just be the worst thing I’d done in years.

Was that why I’d pitched this idea to stay married? Because I just kept screwing everything up?

Not that it was a horrible idea. The more I thought about it, the more it actually made sense.

Could it help Eloise save face with her family? I owed her that.

Foster had called me earlier, but I’d let it go to voicemail. That was a message I was ignoring until tomorrow.

I’d deal with the fallout tomorrow.

Tonight, I just wanted to be alone. To stare at the stars.

A flicker of light burst through the trees. Headlights. Apparently alone wasn’t in the cards tonight either. It was probably Foster, here to have the conversation I wasn’t ready to have.

I sighed, dropping my gaze and rubbing at the slight kink in my neck. It was too dark to make out the vehicle that turned off Alderson. So I stood in the clearing, waiting until the car neared. When I made out the shape of a Subaru, my pulse jumped.

Eloise.

She parked in front of the cabin and climbed out. The porch lights caressed her face, chasing away the shadows. She’d changed out of the black slacks and soft, blue turtleneck she’d been wearing earlier. Her long, toned legs were encased in dark leggings. Her torso was covered with a racerback tank top, too thin and strappy for the cold night. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot.

“Hey.”

She jumped, startled by my voice and slapped a hand over her heart. “Shit, you scared me.”

“Sorry.” I lifted a hand as I walked over. “Didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

Eloise shrugged those bare shoulders. “I was doing laundry and ran out of soap. I was on my way to the grocery store, but my car sort of just drove itself this way instead.”

“Come on in.” I led her inside, waiting as she kicked off her shoes.

She padded toward the living room, gravitating to the fireplace. “Have you talked to anyone?”

“No. You?”

“Not yet.” She shook her head, stepping even closer to the stove, extending her hands to soak in its warmth.

A tendril of hair draped down the line of her neck, like a crooked arrow down her spine. I followed its trail to the sweet curves of her hips in those leggings.

I’d rather see them on the floor than on her body. All of this seemed simpler, easier, when I was inside her.

“Okay,” she murmured, more to herself than to me. Her shoulders sagged. Her hands dropped to her sides. Then she turned. “Okay. We’ll stay married. We’ll go to that wedding. Then we’ll get divorced.”

For the first time in hours, I breathed. Thank fuck. “Okay.”

Eloise shuffled to the couch, slumping on its edge. “Maybe if everyone thinks this is real, I’ll still get my hotel.”

She’d mentioned this before, last month in her ramble of desperation to keep this a secret. I hadn’t asked at the time what she meant, but if we were going to do this, then I needed to know what she was after.

“You said your parents didn’t want to give you the hotel. They wanted to give it to your brother Knox, right?” I asked, taking the seat beside her.

“Yeah.” She blew out a long breath. “I’ve been managing it for years. Ever since I came home from college. My mom used to run it but she’s stepped away, just like my dad did with the ranch. My oldest brother, Griffin, manages the ranch now.”

I hadn’t met Griffin Eden, but I’d heard the name around town. His wife, Winslow, was the chief of police.

“The hotel is mine.” The aggressive way she spoke, the growl of that word mine. A twinge pinched my side. Almost . . . jealousy?

Was I really jealous of a hotel? No. That would be ridiculous.

“It’s my dream,” she said. “But it’s been in our family for five generations. I’m not the only Eden who loves that hotel. My parents, my siblings, my extended family. The town. Failure isn’t an option.”

“And you think you’ll fail?” Or was that coming from her parents?

“No.” She sighed. “Maybe. I had an issue a few years ago and it rattled my confidence. Mom and Dad’s too. Hence why they wanted to give the hotel to Knox.”

I shifted, turning sideways in the couch to put an arm across the back. Then I crossed a foot over my ankle, wanting to be able to see her as she spoke. “What happened?”

Eloise traced a pattern on the leather cushion between us, drawing imaginary squares and rectangles. “My tender heart. Or that’s what my mother calls it.”

Not once in my life had anyone called my heart tender. I liked that about Eloise. That she was affectionate. Genuine. Unguarded. I liked that she could ramble when she was drunk, saying whatever was on her mind, and lose herself in a moment of passion.

“I had an employee,” she said. “It’s not easy to find reliable, hardworking people all the time, especially those who are willing to clean rooms and scrub toilets. Maybe that’s because Quincy is small. Or maybe I’d have the same problem in a large city. I don’t know. But it’s difficult. I don’t have the luxury to always be choosy. If I don’t have employees . . .”

“Then you do the work yourself,” I said as she trailed off.

“Exactly.” She glanced up but her fingers kept skimming the couch’s leather. “I hired a guy to do housekeeping a few years ago. He seemed nice. He was sincere in his interview. He didn’t have any previous hospitality experience, but it’s rare to find someone who does. And he was only working part-time. I figured we could train him along the way, and if the fit was right, we could bump him to full-time.”

This asshole had taken advantage of her, hadn’t he? “I’m guessing the fit wasn’t right.”

Eloise gave me a sad smile. “I thought it was. At first. He showed up on time. He was nice to me and polite to guests. He didn’t go above and beyond but he did what I asked him to do. Until one day, he skipped a shift. I’d been doing some schedule changes and thought maybe he just missed the calendar update. So I covered for him. The next day when he came in, he apologized over and over. Said he had a lot happening and had gotten confused about the schedule.”

He’d probably seen an opportunity to exploit Eloise’s tender heart.

“It happened again. And again. And again.” She tensed, her shoulders curling inward as that fingertip kept drawing patterns. Circles now, instead of squares. “My mom found out. Which means my dad found out. He came into the hotel one day, called the guy into the office and gave him a warning. Another skipped shift and he was gone. Guess what happened?”

“He skipped another shift.”

“Yep.” Eloise sighed. “Dad fired him. I would have done it, but Dad said he’d take care of it. Mostly, I think Dad was worried I’d cave and give the guy another chance.”

“Would you have?”

“I wish I could say no,” she said quietly. “But I’m honestly not sure.”

“So your parents got mad because they had to fire someone for you?” That didn’t seem like a big deal.

“Oh, no. It gets worse.” She scrunched up her nose. “Back then, most of us would go out to Willie’s for a drink once a month. I invited him to come along. I didn’t want anyone to feel left out. He came once, that first month after he’d started. There was a whole group of us at the bar. We had a few drinks. Played pool. Laughed. And at the end of the night, I hugged him goodbye. I hugged everyone. No big deal.”

There was shame in her voice, like someone had made her feel bad for who she was. For that heart. It pissed me off instantly. Especially if that someone had been in her family.

“I was trying too hard to be a friend instead of a boss. Professional boundaries weren’t exactly my forte.”

“Who told you that?” I asked.

“Well, my parents. But mostly, experience.” Her lip curled. “The week after Dad fired the guy, we were sued for wrongful termination and sexual harassment.”

“Damn.”

“He said I propositioned him.” Eloise’s arms wrapped around her waist. “I’ve never felt so dirty. And you know the worst part? I started to doubt myself. I replayed that night at Willie’s a thousand times. Every smile. Every laugh. Every word. I wondered if I’d gone too far. If anything I’d done could have made him feel uncomfortable. When all I wanted was to be nice. Include him.”

I leaned forward, dropping my elbows to my knees, shifting just a bit closer toward that hand drawing on the couch. “I doubt you did anything wrong.”

“We still got sued. If I had fired him after the first shift he’d skipped, it would have been done.”

“He probably would have sued you anyway.”

She gave me a sad smile. “That’s what my dad says. That no matter what, the guy was always going to be trouble. He got a smarmy lawyer and thought he could get rich suing my family.”

“What happened with the lawsuit?”

“We won.” There wasn’t an ounce of joy in her voice. No victory. “It was stressful and horrible, but at least we won. Mom and Dad dealt with most of it. They knew it was hard on me so they took care of it.”

But in doing so, her parents had decided she couldn’t handle the hotel.

“I’ve worked hard these last few years,” she said. “Really hard. No more friendships with the employees. No more nights at Willie’s. Whenever my parents need a favor, I drop everything to say yes. And I’ve apologized to them more times than I can count. My life is that hotel, and it’s paying off. We’re having one of the best years ever.”

“Then isn’t that enough?”

“It should be.” She blew out a long breath. “My parents came to me last month. They think I’m ready. And in my heart of hearts, I know I can do it. I know I’m the right person to do it.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“It’s taken three years. Three years of being perfect. No mistakes. No reckless decisions. Until—”

“Me.”

Her finger stopped moving. “Please don’t take that the wrong way.”

All that, and she was worried her confession would hurt my feelings. That I didn’t see our marriage as a mistake.

That tender heart was as beautiful as the starry night sky outside.

“I don’t.”

She brought her hand to her lap to fidget with her fingers. “My parents think I’m soft. Too trusting. Too naive. Maybe I am.”

“You’re worried they’ll think I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Yes.”

“Do you worry about that?” I held my breath, waiting for her answer. Waiting to hear what kind of man she thought I was.

“No. I think you need a date to a wedding. And as your wife, I’m the obvious choice. You’re helping me. I’ll help you.”

My frame relaxed. How she trusted me, I wasn’t sure. But she could. I didn’t need any of the Eden fortune. I wasn’t interested in getting involved with their businesses or meddling with the family dynamic. I just . . . was too much of a coward to face Sam alone.

“Why are you going to your ex-wife’s wedding?” Eloise asked.

“It’s complicated.”

She gave me a sideways glance. “She’s not marrying your brother or father or something strange like that, is she? I saw that in a movie once.”

I chuckled. “No, nothing like that. I’m pretty sure she invited me as a dare.”

“A dare? What do you mean?”

“To see if I’d show. She told me once that I’d never be happy without her. This wedding is her way of testing me.”

Except the joke was on her. This wedding was going to be my way of testing myself. Of facing those old demons.

It was probably a horrible decision—wouldn’t be my first or last where Sam was concerned. The smart thing to do was say no. To do my best to forget. Except I’d been trying that for ten fucking years.

And I still couldn’t shake her.

“I get it.” Eloise nodded. “If you don’t go, then she wins. She’ll think you’re miserable or still in love with her.”

“Something like that,” I muttered. “Like I said, we have a complicated relationship.”

“Sounds like it.” Eloise relaxed into the couch, her head against the back. “Thank you for doing this.”

My finger reached out, acting on its own, to touch a wisp of hair at her temple. “I’m the one who should say thanks. It was my idea.”

“Think it will work?”

I shrugged. “No idea. But at this point, I figure . . . it can’t hurt.”

She leaned into my caress, those brilliant, blue eyes looking up at me from beneath long, sooty lashes.

My heart thumped. A spark zinged beneath the finger still toying with her hair.

“We’ll have to convince my family this is real.”

I nodded, my gaze shifting to her soft lips, watching how they formed every word.

Eloise talked fast. At times, the words ran together, and if I wasn’t listening closely, I’d miss something. But if I watched those lips, I caught every word.

Or maybe I was just totally fixated on her mouth.

“Not to jump straight into the fire here, but we should talk logistics,” she said. “First, we probably need to start by living under the same roof.”

The A-frame. I hadn’t seen more than the entryway and living room of her place, but I wanted to stay here.

“Actually . . .” I shifted, inching closer. My hand in her hair threaded deeper, sliding into the thick tresses at her temple. “That’s not the first step.”

“It’s not?” Her breath hitched as I leaned in closer.

“No.” I bent to run my nose along the long column of her throat. “First, we do this.”

I wanted Eloise on my tongue.

Her pulse fluttered beneath my lips as I kissed my way down her neck to her collarbone. Her head lolled to the side as her hand drifted to my hair. “Jasper.”

The way she said my name . . .

I turned hard as a rock.

My hands trailed down her thighs, stopping at her knees. I stood from the couch, and with a fast yank, I pulled her until she was flat on her back.

Eloise reached for me, but I swatted her hand away, reaching for her leggings instead. With the waistband balled in my fists, I peeled them off her legs, whipping them away so fast she yelped and slid even deeper down the couch.

She wore a black thong, the lace delicate with a scalloped edge.

With one swift tug, I shredded the seams, sending the scrap sailing over my shoulder to the floor.

“Hey.” She scowled. “I liked those.”

“When you move in here, panties are optional.”

“Who said I was going to move in here?”

“Me.” I grabbed her ankle and tossed a leg over the back of the couch. Then I dove for her, dragging my tongue through her wet slit.

“Oh my God.” Her hands threaded into my hair. She hummed, relaxing and letting her other leg fall toward the floor. Opening herself up for me entirely, her body so fucking responsive it made my cock weep.

“You taste so good, El.” I lapped at her, flattening my tongue against her center before dropping to my knees to lick and kiss the inside of her thighs.

Eloise trembled, her hips lifting to meet my mouth.

“You like my tongue, angel?”

“Yes.” Her hands wandered over my shoulders, then up my nape. Like she’d done with the couch, for every lick, for every suck, she drew a circle in the back of my hair.

I feasted on her, lost in her sweetness and the sexy moans escaping her throat. When I latched on to her clit, she gasped, her back arching off the couch as her legs began to tremble.

But before she could come, I eased away.

“Make me come.” She lifted, seeking more. “Please. Don’t stop.”

I slid a finger through her tight heat.

Her whimper filled the room. “More. Babe, I need more.”

Babe. I’d do this every fucking day to have her call me babe. Eloise wasn’t the first woman to use that endearment. But I liked it in her voice the best.

It was just more paint. More color, more beauty, covering up my ugly past.

My arousal was painful, straining against my jeans, but I kept my pants on. “Come on my tongue. Then you’ll get my cock.”

Eloise moaned, writhing against my mouth as I devoured her, fluttering my tongue while I plunged two fingers inside, curling them to the spot that made her limbs shake. Her fists gripped my hair, holding me in place as her inner walls began to pulse. “Jasper, I’m—”

Her warning was cut off by a scream, her body nearly rocketing off the couch as she exploded. Every muscle in her body quaked. Her grip on my hair was unforgiving. But no matter how hard she pulled or pulsed, I kept at her, drawing out her orgasm until every last tendril of her pleasure was mine.

She collapsed, boneless and panting, her legs spread wide and her drenched center glistening.

I’d have her in bed next. I’d have that lithe body spread across my sheets, that hair undone and tangled with my pillows.

“Okay.” She let out a dreamy sigh, her mouth turning up at the corners. Her cheeks had a beautiful flush.

“Okay, what?”

“I’ll move in with you. But only because you asked me so nicely.”