Chapter Twelve
“Hey there, Tiger. How long does she take to get ready, do you know? I think you and I might be in for a nice, long cuddle, here, if she’s anything like other women.” He scratched the cat under the chin and Tiger responded by pushing his head into his hand. “Oh, you like that?”
Mimi’s footsteps sounded down the hall and Jasper hastily put the cat on the floor and stood. She entered the room fully dressed and ready to go. “Been cuddling up to my cat again, Jasper? You know he has no say in my love life.” She laughed and stood in front of him.
“I don’t know why you think I’ve been doing that. We were just having a chat.”
“A chat and a cuddle.”
He frowned and laughed off her suggestion. “Nah.”
“Yeah.” She plucked a handful of white hair off his black shirt and showed it to him. “Unless you’ve got a cat of your own, or your car seats are shedding.”
He looked down and laughed before brushing the hair from his dark shirt. “Damn cat, you outed me. No more cuddles for you!”
“You can’t hide this stuff from a woman, you know.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “I have no desire to hide anything from you. You got me. I love that guy.”
She looked at the seat where Tiger had taken up residence. “You hear that, buddy? You can’t trust him. One minute you’re cuddling, the next he’s disowning you, and now he’s declaring love.”
“Hey, don’t prejudice him against me this soon. We need to put up with each other for years to come.”
“Years?”
“You bet it’ll be years.” He touched her chin and let his lips brush gently over hers. “Longer than years, if I have my way.”
“Do we really need to eat?” Her words came out as an almost-whisper.
“I don’t need to. I can live on love.”
“Love, now? You do move fast.”
“I’m not afraid to tell you, Mimi Fletcher, that I’m in love with you. I thought I already was after our second date, but these weeks apart have confirmed my suspicions. I love you.”
“Wow.”
“You don’t have to say it back—you can tell me when you’re ready. I’ve been looking for an excuse to ask you out for years, so I’ve had a bit of a head start.”
“Really? You believe what you like and we’ll discuss those details one day soon.” She wrapped her hands around his neck. “I don’t want to be all cliché and say it back straight away.”
“I said you don’t have to.” He nuzzled her neck, “I believe we were deciding on food or beds.”
“I vote bedroom. We can eat any old time.”
Jasper released his hands from her waist and slipped his hand into hers. He kissed her on the tip of her nose and pulled her toward her bedroom, walking backward and kicking off his shoes as he went. She followed him, excitement flaring in her stomach as she watched him lick his lips. His eyes gleamed in the darkness and he smiled at her when he pulled her through the doorway.
He might think he was the only one who’d longed for her, but she’d longed for him just as much. Tonight, she would make sure he understood that.
They stopped beside her bed and he caressed her face. His lips were soft against hers, as he tasted her, exploring gently and loving her with his mouth. Their first night together had been passionate and fiery, but this was different. He focussed totally on her mouth, not letting up as his tongue moved across hers and her full lips yielded to his.
His kisses promised fulfilment—they promised passion and pleasure, and the satisfaction of physical desire. Lips moved across her jaw, and then he was whispering in her ear, telling her the words she’d never in a million years expected to hear from Jasper Collins.
Fingers pulled at clothing and hands ran over bare skin while the sound of ragged breathing filled the room. The last pieces of clothing fell to the floor, and they moaned together at the tension between them. Wrapped in a sticky web of need, they moved toward the bed, Jasper sitting and pulling Mimi to him. She kneeled over him as his hands slid over her ass, his tongue tickling along her clavicle. The gasp that escaped her urged him on, and he lowered her toward his waiting hardness. They slid easily together, quickly finding their rhythm as their tongues continued their earlier dance.
The wanton feel of him pulled ripples of pleasure from her as desire licked at her core. They moved together, stretching and moulding into place, his hands twisted in her hair as their pace increased. Eyes closed, she let her head tip back, allowing him access to her pebbled nipples. His mouth engulfed her flesh, and she held on for dear life, resisting the heat that threatened to overtake her.
Her mouth opened, but she had no words. She wanted to explain to him all that he meant to her, but each time a phrase settled on her tongue, it slipped away as his mouth seemed to speak to her soul.
He picked up speed and moved deeper, grinding against her and replacing his tongue with his fingertips. Moving with him and kissing him deeply, she squeezed herself around his length. His breath caught at the contact, and suddenly he was flexing inside her, spilling his hot seed and shooting her over the edge of her own climax. Their sexual sounds obliterated any sensible thought as they moved together, squeezing every last drop from their pent-up lust.
When Mimi had finally caught her breath, she whispered, “Jasper?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.” She said the words close to his ear, licking his lobe as she did it. “More than you know.” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly in response, burying his face in her hair as she held him close.
They stayed that way, wrapped together with small words of love whispered between them, until Jasper slipped out of her and carefully hoisted her up. “Hold on tight. I need to lie down.” She held on and he stepped around the bed to lay her on her back. More kisses were deposited on her lips before he pulled away. They slipped between the sheets together.
“You know, there’s no place I’d rather be than here with you right now.” He stroked her hair and relaxed into the pile of cushions.
“Ditto. I’m glad I insisted on our date being tonight. I’ve missed you these last few weeks.” Her hand traced across his chest and it wasn’t long before he rolled to cover her body with his.
His eyes bored into hers in the darkness. “I thought I wasn’t going to get another chance—I thought I’d blown it—but then you showed up at the station.”
“Jasper?” He answered by moving his body over hers and claiming her mouth once again. The smell of him filled her senses as he released her lips and trailed kisses across her chest, slowly seeking more with his mouth.
“Hmm?”
“I’ll always give you another chance. You can count on it.”