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“Are you engaged?”
“No. Not that it’s any of your business,” she said.
He forced himself to stay calm. “Tell me.”
“I can’t,” she whispered, and shifted to face him.
Kaspar took her wine from her and set it on the floor, linking his fingers with hers. “Tell me.”
Jesska licked her lips. “It was Seth’s.”
“Who’s Seth?”
“He was my fiancé.”
Rage flooded him, and she squeaked as she yanked her hands from his and jumped from her seat. She grabbed the necklace again and pressed it against her chest. “Why are you so angry?” she asked. “More importantly, how is it I know you’re so angry?”
“Sorry,” he rushed to say. “I won’t hurt you. Just give me a second.”
Silent tears slipped down her face as he worked to control his jealousy. He desperately wanted to comfort her, but wouldn’t dare in his current state. When he felt he could openly hear her story, he tried to approach her, but she held her hand out. “Don’t.”
“Elskan, I won’t hurt you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I know.” He took a deep breath and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Go ahead and tell me your story from there. I won’t move. Who’s Seth?”
“He was my high school sweetheart. We were planning a life together, but then he was murdered by his best friend. Stabbed in front of me. This ring was his promise ring.” She held up her left hand, the same ring on her finger. “It matches mine. And this is the engagement ring he was going to propose to me with. And this”—she tugged on her sweatshirt— “was his.”
“When did this happen?”
“A little over ten years ago.” She covered her face with her hands, sobbing now.
Kaspar couldn’t keep his promise to give her distance as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“The worst part is that Jason has been released. His lawyer found some technicality and because of overcrowding, they’re letting him live in some halfway house until they can schedule a new trial.”
“Jason? He’s the one who killed Seth?”
She nodded into his chest. “They told Cam that Jason would be on house arrest, but he should have been given the death penalty! He shouldn’t be allowed to live when Seth’s gone.”
“Shhh,” he whispered as he rubbed her back. “It’s okay.”
She took a ragged breath. “You make me feel safe.”
“You are safe, elskan. I will never let anyone hurt you.”
Jesska slipped her hands under his shirt and stroked his back. Within seconds, she had pulled his shirt from his body and started to pepper kisses across his bare chest. Kaspar was so surprised by her assault, he couldn’t react right away. He could just feel, but that was dangerous, because she was too naïve to understand what was happening, and far too vulnerable to handle it.
Kaspar lifted her chin, wincing when her lips left his body. This was the hardest thing he’d ever done... stopping what was so natural to him. “Jesska, wait.”
Jesska blinked and then her face reddened. “Oh my... oh, sorry. What the hell is wrong with me?” She stared at Kaspar, his chest like granite, and her body drawn to him in a way it never had been to anyone else. She found herself reaching for him again, his stomach contracting at her touch. “Sorry.”
He smiled. “If you keep doing that, I’m going to bind you here and now.”
She looked at him and then stared at his chest again.
“Jesska?”
