Jasper

There were six other people in New York – and probably the entire world – who could possibly show up at my door, and this was the exact wrong time for any of them. I had to pray it was my parole officer, which was preferable to one of my MC brothers finding me here with a woman. I could lie to Scott, give him a random name, and send him on his way, as long as he didn’t know my file well enough to know Mina’s face. That would be a problem.

But luck was not on my side, and when I opened the door, I stared right into Jake’s face. He didn’t look happy, and he shoved his hand through his hair, which had grown into a messy pompadour. “Hey, Jake, what’s up?”

“We need to talk,” he said, all business, and he started to step forward into the apartment.

I blocked his way and put my hand up, inadvertently pressing against his chest and holding him back. He looked offended, and I didn’t really care. “Wait a minute, bro. You can’t just come in without an invitation. It’s not a good time.”

He scoffed and glanced over me with derision. “You think I care? You can’t show up to talk about shit, I’m going to come and find you.”

“There was no scheduled meeting today, Jake. Now, we’ll talk later. Try calling before you come, and we won’t have this problem. It’s really not a good time.” Now, I was angry. He had no right to barge in on me for any reason.

“What, you have a lady friend here?” He tried to move forward again, and this time I shoved him back. “Hey! Watch it!”

“You watch it, Jake. Back the hell off, and call me later.”

He shook his head, disgusted. “Look at you. You come out of the joint a pussy, scared and sniveling when we talk about another job and even more scared to say no. And then you meet this woman, and the last shred of give-a-fuck you have for your brothers slides out your dick when you stick it in her.”

I wasn’t sure what came over me, but his foulness was too much, especially directed at Mina. She was anything but foul, and I wasn’t going to allow it. So, I reared back and threw a punch that landed just far enough off the center of his nose to avoid breaking it. “Get your punk ass out of here, and don’t bother trying to talk to me about anything until you apologize for your rude fucking mouth.”

He was shell shocked, his nose and lip bleeding and a bruise already forming on his cheek as I slammed the door in his face. But he’d gotten a little too big for his britches, as if he ran the show now, and I wasn’t going to listen to that sideways bullshit. If he wanted money, he could damn well get a job like everyone else. I wasn’t going to risk my freedom for someone who treated me like that.

I was blinded by rage and never saw Mina come out of the bedroom, but suddenly, her soft, cool hand pressed against my cheek and brought me back to reality. I gazed down at her, at the concern written all over her face, and I knew she had questions I was going to have to answer. But first, she wanted to comfort me, and I needed that. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against me, pressing her cheek to my chest and smoothing my hand over her hair. She was so petite I could have curled my entire body around her like a protective cocoon, and yet, I felt her strength seeping into me while I stood there, fuming, with the door at my back.

“You want to talk about it?” she asked softly after a few minutes, lifting her head and searching my face with those gorgeous eyes of hers.

I didn’t, really, but saying no wasn’t an option, so I led her to the couch, almost wishing we were both still naked like we had been last time we sat together. I pulled her tight to my side and draped an arm around her, not sure I could look her in the eyes while we discussed this particular subject. After all, she was bound to ask about the job Jake mentioned, and I still hadn’t decided how to handle that. I couldn’t look directly into her face and lie to her.

“That was Jake. He’s one of the guys I hang out with. There are six of us, and we’ve been a unit for as long as I can remember. We’re actually part of a motorcycle club, although we don’t really hang out and do the wild, crazy things a lot of them do on TV,” I told her, wanting to get that part out of the way. If she didn’t like the idea, I’d find a way out of the club to keep her. I’d already decided that. But I didn’t know if I could leave until the job was done.

“Is Jake the leader of the gang?” she asked.

I laughed. “No, that’s Sam. Jake’s a hotheaded little prick. He wasn’t always that way, but he’s greedy and went through some stuff, I guess, while I was locked up.”

“Okay. So, he can’t tell you what to do.” It was a simple statement, and on the surface, it made sense. I was technically second in command to Sam, but that might have come into question over the last eight years. I didn’t know because I hadn’t bothered to ask.

“No, he can’t, technically. But it’s not that simple.” I sighed and scrubbed my face with my free hand. Then, I reached for a cigarette but didn’t light it. She had yet to give me trouble about smoking, but I thought I’d try to cut back to please her. “The problem is, when the whole group decides we’re going to do something based on a majority vote, you have to follow through.”

She went still, and I knew she was starting to put things together in her head that I never wanted anyone to know. But Mina was smart, so she would have eventually figured it out. And with her, I had a chance at normalcy, more so than ever before, so I would tell her what she wanted to know and do my best to make her happy and keep her around.

Mina

Something clicked in my head, having heard the conversation and actually seen Jasper throw the punch at his friend. Now, with him telling me about this club and the majority vote, I didn’t like what I was hearing. And several realizations hit all at once to the point that my head was spinning with guesses and conjectures.

I pulled away from Jasper, not because I wanted to be separated from him but so I could look into his face. I couldn’t lie to him when we faced each other, and I hoped that rang true for him, too. “Jasper, tell me about what happened the night you broke into the house and stole the paintings. Or tried to.”

He’d been twirling a cigarette in his fingers, and it spun faster now. I reached for the lighter on the coffee table and held it out to him, striking the flame and lighting it for him. It would calm his nerves and make this easier, I knew. “What do you want to know?”

I smirked. “Come on, Jasper. I was a kid, but something never made sense to me. With all the security in the place and the difficulty of getting to the paintings and getting them out, three large canvases, I never understood how you could have done it alone. And that’s because you didn’t, did you?”

His jaw worked side to side, and he took a long drag, casting his glance away from me, then down at his lap before he met my eyes and replied, “No, I didn’t. But it was my idea, my need, and my mistake that got me caught. I owned it and had no need to take everyone down with me. Besides, I needed people out there to take care of my wife and what money I had. Sam did that for me. And the others helped.”

I caught something in his tone, something that angered me. He’d taken the fall for the entire robbery. Every one of those men should have ended up behind bars for at least the same eight years Jasper spent locked up. And they’d all gone free because of Jasper’s sacrifice. And yet…

“Jasper, what aren’t you telling me?” He didn’t say anything, and I knew I was onto something. “You can tell me. I’m not going to judge you for it. I have a feeling I know already anyway.” He still said nothing, shook his head and smoked with his throat bobbing as he obviously fought to hold back his own rage. Jake’s appearance here had really messed with his head. “You don’t owe them anything, you know.”

His head snapped up, his eyes burning into mine. “You can say that all day long, but that’s not how they see it. In their eyes, I fucked up and cost them each millions of dollars that should have lined their pockets. They could have invested in real estate or stocks or anything and been set for life, if I hadn’t gotten a big head.”

I scoffed. “Are you kidding me? You went to prison and didn’t turn them in. You gave them freedom, which is worth so much more than money. Besides, can’t they get jobs?”

“Of course they can.” He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it in his frustration. He was so incredibly sexy, maybe even more so in his frustration and vulnerability. “But these guys…we were all military, and that’s not how a band of brothers works. When you promise something, you follow through. I promised we’d succeed in getting two extremely expensive pieces of art. When we were ahead of schedule, I went for a third, thinking it would be simple. And it was when I took that one down that the alarm sounded. I sent them running, and I took the fall. But we never got the payout.”

Now, I wanted to put a fist through Jake’s face, or maybe a knee in his groin. He had a lot of balls, demanding recompense from Jasper. “They didn’t have to leave. They probably could’ve helped you get out. They sacrificed you to the slaughter. And let me guess, Jake’s mad because now you’re out, and he expects you to fall in line and go after something else. He wants you involved in another big heist because he feels like you owe him more than freedom and no criminal record.”

“He’s not the only one.” Jasper hung his head, looking hopeless, and it hurt to watch. He was such a strong, confident man, and these guys were making him question himself by playing off his loyalty.

“You aren’t seriously considering running another heist or whatever with them, are you?” I was shocked, and my anger turned a little in his direction. He had a chance, and he had the drive to move away from that kind of lifestyle. I knew he could thrive out here, but he had to step away from these criminals pressuring him to step right back into the fire.

“I can’t just flat tell them I won’t do it,” he told me, “but I don’t intend to do it. I just have to figure out a way to get out of it.” He tossed his cigarette in the ash tray and leaned forward, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. “Sam said he’ll help me get out of it, but they’re going to expect me to help them plan something, even if I’m not involved in the actual crime.”

“But that would have you involved,” I argued, standing and starting to pace the room. It was small, so the back and forth was only a few steps, but I had to get the pent up energy out. “And if they get caught, they’ll throw you under the bus because you’ve already done time. It’ll guarantee you’re behind bars for the rest of your life, Jasper. You can’t do that.”

“I don’t want to!” he burst out, staring at me with a plea in his eyes. “You know, I probably would have done it, but after the last couple of days, I just can’t risk it. I have something I want, something that keeps me grounded and makes me want to stay clean.”

I stopped moving, staring at him, and I felt a lump in my throat. “What are you saying?”

He pushed to his feet and came to me, taking my hands in his and locking gazes with me. “I don’t want to scare you away, but I feel like I need you in my life. You’re something more than I deserve, and I know this is all really new, but when I think about losing you, for any reason, I start to choke. You make me want to be a better man, and that means that if it guarantees I can have you, I’ll step away from all of this. But without you, I don’t know if I have any reason to stay straight.”

I gaped at him, the weight of his words heavy on my soul. I’d never had anyone dependent on me, and part of me knew Jasper could survive without me. He was a survivor, and that’s how he’d made it this far. But I also knew he meant every word he said to me, and the gravity of his admission had tears prickling at my eyes. It took me a minute to find something to say because I didn’t want to seem like I was taking this lightly. “I don’t think you need me, Jasper. You’re stronger than that. But it feels really good to know that you want me, that you want to be with me.”

I paused, gathering myself because I knew the next words were going to be incredibly difficult emotionally. “You’re something special to me, and I haven’t quite figured out why, but you fill a space inside me that I never even realized was empty. I thought losing my father was the end of happiness, but since I met you, I realized I wasn’t even happy then because I never felt like this.” I laughed, thinking how crazy this sounded. “I came after you, wanting you to go back in, and a few days ago, I would have been thrilled to know you were thinking about doing this thing with your gang. But now, I can’t stand the idea. I couldn’t imagine you behind bars, away from me, because I need you, too.”

I barely got the words out before his lips came down on mine. I lost myself in that kiss, threw everything I felt and dreamed and hoped into it. Who cared if it made sense? Who cared if we had any right to act like we knew each other well enough to be so sure of something great coming from it?

When he pulled back, we were both gasping for air, and he held onto me as if I might blow away like a cloud of smoke if he let go. “Are we completely insane?” he asked with a big, boyish grin.

I shrugged. “It’s entirely possible. We’ve both been to hell and back, right? That can really screw with your head.” I left the mirth behind, though, because I needed a real reassurance. “Jasper, I can’t do this if there’s even a chance you’re going to help these guys with another heist. I don’t think I could survive losing someone else I cared about, and whether you got shot in the process or thrown in jail, I couldn’t handle it.”

He leaned his forehead against mine and nodded. “I’m not going to do it, Mina. I’m going to steer clear and find a way out of this. I don’t want to be a part of anything that takes you away from me. And crazy or not, you’re my stronghold and my reason for keeping my head straight.” He took a deep shuddering breath and added, “To be honest, there’s more to it than that.”

I wasn’t sure my heart could take anymore, but I straightened my shoulders and waited for the other shoe to drop. “What do you mean?”

He brushed his knuckles over my cheek. “I learned a long time ago that, when I fall, I fall hard, and I fall fast. I learned that with Cindy. I also learned that I make good choices, at least when it comes to women.” I frowned at him, trying to figure out exactly what he was trying to say. “I’m not so great with words, I told you. But what I mean is, even though we’ve only been together a handful of times, I have to be honest and tell you that I’m starting to fall for you.”

I gasped. That was the last thing I’d expected him to say. Sure, I knew there was a caring man behind the hard surface, but I didn’t think he would be so quick to admit to feelings like that. And I couldn’t have imagined he’d feel that way about me so soon. But I was elated. I couldn’t believe this was happening, and I wanted to celebrate and shout to the skies, like some crazy teenager in love.

And that’s what got me. I really did feel like I was in love, for the first time in my life. “Jasper…” His name came out a whisper, and I couldn’t finish. I just shook my head and felt the first tear slide down my cheek. I vowed it would be the only one I shed. After all, men didn’t really understand tears of joy, and I didn’t want to freak him out. Instead, I just threw myself around him, arms and legs, and I held on tight while he embraced me, laughing with his chest rumbling against me.