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Before he can say anything, I stomp back towards my building and let myself in, forcing myself on autopilot.
No, no. I don’t want to think about it. Not now.
As I'm about to slam the door closed, his footsteps come between us and he forces his way inside.
"Jas, stop it," I hiss, glancing down the hallway to make sure we're alone. "Someone's going to hear."
"Then you better get to your apartment and fast." He motions down the hallway. "Let's go, Pet."
I mutter something under my breath and start walking up the stairs, with him following close behind. I don't want to admit it, but I'm oddly comforted by Jas' presence even with the slight realization swimming in my head.
Once I'm at my door, I motion for him to go. "I'm fine now. Bye."
"I'm checking inside," he insists, pushing past me into my apartment.
"For what?" I groan, following him in. I take off my jacket and push a button on my speakers that reads out messages from my phone.
"Hey babe," Dinah's voice says on the answering machine. She doesn't sound like the Dinah I know at all. She sounds worried and upset. " I'm so sorry about tonight. Seeing Jasper act like that, God... I feel like I should come clean about something."
She sighs heavily and I rub my temples, preparing for whatever is to come.
"I know I'm the one who set you up with this Jasper guy," she rattles off. "But I'm going to be really honest... I don't know him that well at all."
I look at Jasper, fuming. "When were you planning on telling me this?"
"I don't know," he shrugs his jacket off. "Dinah didn't seem too worried."
"Well, she is now! I can't believe you, Jas. You totally ruined my day."
"You ruined mine too, so I guess we're even."
He plops down on the couch and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. He acts as if we're a couple already, like he lives with me or something.
I watch as Mr. Bingley jumps into Jas' lap. He groans as the cat settles down. At least the cats are warming to him – that's got to be a good sign, right?
I'm not going to let him get away with this, I decide as I pour myself a glass of ice-cold water and drink it down in long, thirsty gulps. Jas flicks on the TV and I come to stand in front of him, blocking his view.
"What is it, Pet?" he asks, never taking his eyes off the screen.
"I can't just ignore what you did tonight. You acted like a crazy person."
He doesn't reply, knitting his brows together and flicking through the channels before finally speaking up. "Fine. Maybe it wasn't my best moment."
I scoff and he shoots me a warning look. I guess it's as close to an apology as I'm going to get.
"I'll make it up to you," he goes on, eyes sparkling with mischief. "You have one question. Use it carefully. Ask me anything you want."
The words render me speechless, and I stare at him without a reply.
"Go on, Pet," he grunts. "I thought you had so many things to say. Cat got your tongue now?"
I hiss, crossing my arms and staring him down without fear. You wanted to play this game, Jas. "Your employer. What’s his name?"
"Lucio. What about him?" Jasper folds his hands in his lap and looks back at me with a stone-cold expression.
"The jobs you do for h-him." I hate myself for stuttering, but I can't help it. This is completely out of my league. "Do t-they in-involve... hurting people?" Jasper's eyes darken even more, going from a cool icy blue to an inky, stormy sky.
"Tell me, Jas," I demand. "I deserve to know the truth."
He still doesn't answer and I sigh in frustration.
"Jasper, you're being totally unreasonable," I cry out. "You said one question, and you'd answer it, and –"
He interrupts me by getting up in a flash, pulling me on the couch and holding my body on his lap so I can't move. I can feel his heartbeat, steady and slow, a stark difference to the hammering of my own heart.
"Are you going to tell me?" I whisper as he turns the volume up on the TV.
“You don’t want to know.” He gathers me in his arms as he stands up and I have no choice but to wrap my legs around him as he strides into my bedroom and throws me over the mattress.
Then, he’s on top me, gripping my jaw. “The fun is over. Time for your punishment.”15JasperPeople usually have one strike with me. At the second, they’re out.
It’s fucking finished; their dreams, their lives, and everything in between.
My little Petal has just reached her second strike. The first was getting drunk and dancing with those asshole friends, the second was trying to chase me away.
