Jasper

I hadn’t expected the question, but that was an oversight on my part. I couldn’t pretend there wasn’t a very dirty, ugly history between us, and Mina hadn’t come searching for me to offer instant forgiveness. I had a penance to do, and I understood why she would ask. I felt like I owed her an explanation, and that thought told me just how wrong I’d been about my ability to use her.

I wasn’t going to be able to pull off the game, something inside me aching at the thought of ever hurting her again. She was soft and vulnerable, even if she was tough as nails and ready to battle. I didn’t care at the moment what her motives were. She’d enjoyed herself as much as I had, which was a relief and triumph for me, considering how out of practice I was. So, this was a crucial moment, and I just let out the secrets I’d clung to for a decade.

“Your wife?” Mina’s jaw dropped, and I knew it came as a shock. So few people knew about Cindy, aside from my brothers in the MC who’d stood with me through the tragedy, that I wasn’t surprised her lousy PI had been unable to produce that information.

“Yes, my late wife.” I cleared my throat, determined not to get overly emotional. The only way I would be able to talk through this was if I remained somewhat stoic and aloof, as if it was someone else’s story I was telling. “We hadn’t been married long. I met her when I came back from my tour of duty in Afghanistan.”

“You’re ex-military.” She gawked at me, sitting up straighter but not pulling out of my light embrace. That was a good sign.

I nodded, puffing on the cigarette. “I was Special Ops, so those records are sealed pretty tight. But I met Cindy when I got back, and it was kind of a whirlwind. We got married fast. But she ended up sick, and turns out it was a rare blood disorder. There weren’t any approved treatments, but there was some experimental stuff going on in Sweden. It cost a fortune, not just for the treatment, but to get there and stay there, and neither of us would have been able to work for probably a year or more. I would have to take care of her full time. We needed a way to pay for it, and I was never going to find a job that paid enough in time to buy our passage. When they said she might not last six months, I had to do something.”

I stopped, snubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, and started stroking her leg absently with the tips of my fingers. I felt the goosebumps rise and basked in the nearness of a female, one who didn’t pull away from me and was raptly listening to what I had to say. “Anyway, I knew a lot about art, so I obviously knew who your father was. And it just struck me as an option. If I could get the paintings and either leverage them for a ransom that would be paid to an anonymous account offshore, or sell them at auction, we’d be set for as long as we needed.”

I kissed her forehead. “I never meant to hurt anyone, Mina, and if it makes you feel any better, my wife didn’t live to see my trial. She didn’t have to watch me waste away in prison, and luckily, I didn’t have to watch her die slowly while I could do nothing about it.” I shook my head and looked away, no longer able to make eye contact without losing my carefully sustained control. “She died, and it took the daughter we had with her.”

“She was pregnant.” Mina whispered it, and I could do nothing but nod and swallow back the lump in my throat. “Did you know?”

“Not till after she died.” Sam and Tyler had delivered the news, and I’d nearly fallen apart behind closed doors. My cell mate was the only one who knew just how hard it hit me, and he never said a word to anyone. He just gave me a little support here and there, pep talks when I needed them, laughter when I was too down to function.

“I’m so sorry, Jasper,” she said, and the sincerity in her tone nearly broke me as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my head to her soft, full chest. I didn’t know what to think of that. I’d never felt this sort of comfort, even from Cindy. She’d tried, but she was in so much pain all the time she didn’t have the capacity to deal with my worry and my sadness.

I forced myself to recover quickly. I didn’t want this discussion ruining the pleasure of the night, and I didn’t even know how much longer I would have the relief of Mina’s company in this godforsaken apartment. I put my hand to her chin and lifted my head, taking her mouth with slow, enticing strokes of my tongue, wanting to show my appreciation for her tenderness. This woman, who had lost her father as little more than a child because I’d made a selfish decision, had no reason to comfort me, no reason to feel any sympathy toward me. And yet, I felt more whole in that moment, with her in my lap, than I had since the doctor had diagnosed my wife.

Mina pulled out of the kiss breathless, her eyes twinkling and warm and a smile playing over her lips. Her cheeks were red, and I could tell by the tension in her body she was aroused again. I had to admit, with her naked body up against mine like this, it wouldn’t take much to get me ready for another round. After all, it had been more than ten years. I didn’t count a 30-second hand job in the shower to relieve the pressure.

“Jasper…you’re not a career criminal, are you?”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I mean, the guys wanted to try another heist, and I didn’t want to be a part of it. But I owed them. And I’d already spent a large chunk of time preparing for the first heist and then paying for it. I didn’t want to be a career criminal, but I knew it might already be too late. “I don’t want that,” I told her. “I did my time. I don’t want to go back.”

Mina

“I wanted you to.” The words slipped out without my permission, and his eyes went wide. This time, I averted my gaze. He’d been so honest with me, bared his soul, that I knew I could never go through with my original idea. I had never been as desperate as he must have been when he made his choice, but I understood as much as possible. I had to forgive him, and I had to be honest myself. “I wanted to catch you, doing something else horrible, and I wanted to send you back for the rest of your life.”

Slowly, he nodded and reached for another cigarette. “You say that like you don’t want to do that anymore.”

I combed my fingers through my hair, catching them in knots, and I knew I must be a terrible sight. But that wasn’t my biggest issue. I was completely embarrassed. I’d misjudged him, thought he was coldhearted and careless. I’d been very wrong. This man had emotions that ran deep, and he buried them beneath a hard exterior. “No, I don’t.”

He didn’t talk, and I felt the need to fill the silence with an explanation. “Look, I’ve held onto my resentment for a long time. My father and I were so close, and then he got ripped away from me before I was grown. I was in high school, and that meant he was never going to see me graduate or get married or have his grandchildren. And I blamed it on you. But you didn’t mean for things to happen like they did, and you didn’t act out of malice or greed. I’m not sure what I thought about you, but I was way off base.”

“What do you mean?”

I smiled ruefully, and I felt the heat rising in my throat and cheeks. “Well, I thought I would hate you. I thought you’d be this cocky son of a bitch who would rub me the wrong way so that I could hate you more. And I thought that getting close to you would help me, you know, watch for that mistake that would lock you away forever.” How much was I willing to admit right now? I didn’t want to sound like some clingy, needy woman who latched onto someone the moment we had sex.

He scoffed. “I can see how that might be the case. I figured you’d be a snotty, spoiled little girl who whined and complained about having the wrong shade of nail polish.”

I stared at him, indignant. “That’s awful.” But I guess that would be what he thought of me. “The truth is, I actually like you. And don’t get me wrong. You are most definitely a cocky son of a bitch. I knew that the moment you got in my car. But you’re not evil or abrasive.”

I glanced down at his bare chest, and he must have caught me because he started shaking with silent laughter. “Admit it. The only reason you like me is because I’m a god in the sack.”

I met his gaze and quirked a brow at him. “No, that’s a bonus.” I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation. It felt surreal. The man I’d hated for my entire adult life was holding me in his lap, both of us naked, and we were having a heart to heart. I’d just admitted to liking him, and I definitely wanted him, more than ever now that I’d had a taste.

“Well, I have a confession to make,” he said, stroking a finger along my cheekbone and down my jaw. The caress was invigorating, and I tried to remember a time that anyone had touched me in such an innocuous and yet enticing way. “I thought I was going to have to dig your motives out of you, and I’m glad I didn’t. Because in the process of trying to get under your skin, I think you got under mine.”

I frowned. So, what did that mean? When I’d accused him of trying to seduce me, I’d been right? I thought about that, and about the way he reacted, and I realized that he’d changed his mind already at that point. Then, when I asked myself if it mattered, the answer was no, it didn’t. “Did I really?”

He narrowed his eyes pensively and snubbed out the cigarette, only half gone. “I didn’t like you getting made when you thought I was trying to seduce you, and I realized I would never have been able to go through with it. But I still wanted you, and that’s why I kissed you, even if I went about it the wrong way.” He shrugged. “And in the little time I’ve spent with you, I’ve actually been happy. I can’t remember a time when I was truly happy. So, yes, I like your company, and I definitely like your body.”

I preened. Something about the way this man gave a compliment, with his eyes sparkling and the meaning behind them so honest, set me on fire. “So, what do we do now?”

He brushed his hands over my back, and I shivered. “Well, I thought maybe we could head into the bedroom and continue what we started. I’m pretty sure I haven’t wrung you dry yet, and I’ve got ten years to make up for.”

I giggled, but I could feel the heat and moisture gathering between my thighs again at his suggestion. “I don’t think we can make up for ten years in one night.” I hadn’t meant to address the future, but it came out that way, and I couldn’t keep from hoping he’d respond to the bigger picture.

He cupped the back of my neck and pulled me in for a short but heady kiss. As he pulled back, I could feel his arousal growing beneath me. “Oh, I intend to make up for lost time, but not in one night.” His eyes glittered like fireworks reflecting off the surface of a pool, and I nearly fell into them. “We can talk about what comes next in the morning. Tonight, I want to commit every inch of your body to memory while you come over and over again.”

I couldn’t argue with that.