It had dawned on me about two hours before that I had chosen to cross Arthur Valentine. I’d never chosen to focus on Valentine before. Surprisingly, even with all of his dastardly deeds, he had never been on my radar, perhaps because I thought I already had him figured out.
The Valentines’ wealth was quite diversified. They had their tentacles in finance, energy, wine, and farming. The earlier Valentines had been happy with merely being billionaires. The Valentines of the mid to late twentieth century had acquired bloodlust for ultimate political power.
After that stunt Conrad pulled, I’d never seen any indications that they were still trying to acquire the seat in the Oval Office. If I were on Arthur Valentine’s radar, then Jasper was right to warn me. I had to be careful. But there would be a blizzard in hell before I would let that billionaire hoodlum restrict my movements. I knew how to lose a tail, and that was what I had decided to do.
I kept the lights on in my office as I packed my MacBook and put on my ankle-length winter coat and beanie. I took the stairs to the parking garage and slipped into the alley. I took steps as if I were evading a sophisticated surveillance operation and walked into the rear entrance of the medical offices three buildings down on the opposite side of the alley. I hiked several blocks in the stifling cold, heading down the smaller city streets. I made sure to change it up by walking down one-way streets, being mindful of the differing directions of traffic flow. It would’ve been hard to follow me in a car. I kept checking around me, making sure no one was tailing me on foot. A few blocks away from the rental car place, I went into a CVS drugstore and bought a three-pack of bikini panties, a red out-of-season holiday sweater, and stretchy sweat pants, as well as a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and soap. I purchased a six-pack of bottled water then went into Subway and ordered a foot-long turkey, cheese, and lettuce sandwich, chips, and a chocolate chip cookie. Even though it was cold enough to freeze my eyebrows off, the brisk pace at which I walked and completed tasks helped me stay warm. The rental car place was only two blocks east. They put me in a four-wheel-drive vehicle fairly quickly and sent me on my way.
I was stuck behind the wheel for the better part of six hours. Between portions of the highway being closed, traffic diversions, and major and minor accidents, driving was a nightmare. I was only in Virginia, and my head ached to no end. I could hardly keep my eyes open as I saw the sign for Harrisonburg. The sandwich, chips, cookie, and two bottles of water had already completed the digestion process in my body, and I had to use the toilet.
Instead of pulling off and finding another fast-food restaurant to use the restroom, I pulled into the parking lot of a decent and comfortable-looking hotel, where all the rooms were suites, and booked one for the night.
My accommodations were on the top floor and had a sparsely lit view of a flat, snow-covered field and perfectly lined trees. So often I’d considered moving to Hawaii or Southern California, but one had volcanoes and the other bad air quality. I found neither of those actualities appealing. Plus, I loved living in the thick of it. The East Coast was fast-paced and powered by erratic energy. It always felt as though anything could happen and would happen, and when it did, as a journalist, I had to be near enough to see it, feel it, and capture it first. But the flat white terrain before me was a reminder that I was securely on the road, on assignment, and once again, getting used to being alone while working.
I needed to unwind before digging into the Internet to research more about another story that had piqued my interest earlier while I scanned through the AP. Berman Corporation had plans to build six new prisons across three southern states. The best way to sniff out whether corruption was part of the deal was by following the money. Berman Corp rarely made legit deals. It was about time someone sniffed around their ass.
I went into the bathroom, which was clean but had the over-worn feel and look of a hotel that was next to the interstate. Since I’d drunk just about all the water I’d bought earlier, it took me a while to relieve my bladder. However, someone knocked on the door while I sat on the toilet.
“One minute!” I called and quickly finished up. When I scurried out of the bathroom, I checked the time on the clock sitting on top of the nightstand while I hurried to the door. It was 9:47 p.m.
“Who is it?” I asked as I looked through the peephole. A face filled the frame. I gasped and took two large steps backward.
“Jasper, is that you?”
“It is.” I could barely hear him.
I pressed my hand over my heart, contemplating what to do next. How in the hell did he find me here?
“Holly?” he called.
“Shit,” I whispered.
I paused briefly before I opened the door. My heart swelled from seeing Jasper Christmas in the flesh.
Chapter Three
My feet were stuck to the carpet as the cold air from the hallway moved past me, eager to connect with my heated room.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Jasper checked nervously over his shoulder. “Can I come in?”
I quickly moved and gave him space to enter, feeling as if the same people I had successfully evaded may have been following him. My entire body shivered slightly as he passed me. I closed the door. He was the last person I’d expected to see, at least in real life. Of course, I would’ve gone to bed fighting the urge to fantasize about the moments he’d spent inside me. I would force my body to not recall each orgasm that had soared through me as his cock rimmed my pussy with each thrust or how his tongue rounded my clit. I would fight the memories of being held so close against his hard body or his warm breaths pressing against my earlobe.
“Where in the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked before I could finish locking the door.
I felt my eyes widen in surprise. “What?” I was pretty sure I should’ve been the one asking questions.
Jasper didn’t relax his pinched expression. “What did I ask you to do?”
My neck jutted forward as my mind drew a blank.
“I told you to keep to your normal routine. You were not supposed to leave the city.”
I waved off his concern flippantly. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
I wondered what he was thinking as he glared at me. He was definitely not used to being defied. I had seen it at the mansion during my visit. Bryn, Spencer, and Asher may have kicked, screamed, and gotten out of line every now and then, but all Jasper had to do was pound his fist on the table, and they would get back in line. I felt he looked at me that way because he couldn’t control me. I had a feeling he was one of those people who didn’t know how to trust who or what he couldn’t control.
“Where are you on your way to?” he finally asked.
I pursed my lips. My first inclination was to not directly answer his question since he hadn’t yet explained why he had followed me. However, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath through my nose to reset my brain. The prudent thing to do was treat Jasper like a source and not the man who broke my heart.
I stood tall and confident. “Chattanooga, Tennessee.”
His frown intensified. “What for?”
All my courage sank into my slumped shoulders as I steered my gaze away from his face and onto the trampled carpet. “I’m still investigating your family.”
The silence in his lack of response was deafening. When I looked up, he was studying me. I sensed he wanted me to say more about investigating his family, and at that point, I didn’t mind sharing what I knew. Heck, he had followed me out of the city and to the small hotel off the highway. We were already in this together.
I sighed. “I’ll tell you everything.”
Jasper took off his coat and laid it across his bulging crotch as he sat down on the foot of the bed. “I’m listening.”
I nodded gently and sat in the chair near the door. Keeping a clear distance from him helped my thoughts flow better, especially since our gazes remained locked.
I cleared my throat and l
ooked down at my lap, purposely breaking eye contact. “Well, a source told me your father often visited the home of a family who lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee.” I paused to see how well he would digest that bit of information.
Jasper blinked as though he were waiting to hear more. Goodness, he had the sexiest poker face I’d ever seen. I would expect him to ask about the family, but Jasper Christmas was too smart to do that. He wanted me to keep talking and put all my cards on the table before he showed me his.
“Do you know of any family in Chattanooga that your father might have dealings with?” I asked.
“No,” he said with a reserved calmness.
I tilted my head slightly. “No?”
“I said no, Holly.”
Should I tell him about the DNA results?
Now we both had on our best poker faces. I suspected his was sexier than mine. I took a few more moments to contemplate whether I should tell him about the DNA results. He merely waited for me to start talking again. I found his carefully crafted composure so alluring. It made him come off as cool as a cucumber but as alert as a guard dog. I was reminded why I could hardly say no to Jasper Christmas.
“So I got the results back from those DNA samples I told you about a few weeks ago.”
He leaned away from me. “And what did you find?”
Anxiety raced through me again. What I was about to say felt wrong, invasive. “None of you have the same mother.” My heart was beating like crazy.
“Oh, I see,” he said indifferently.
His coolness clued me into one perceptible fact. “You knew?” I blurted.
He wiped his face with both hands. Then he stopped rubbing to look at me. “Yes, I did.”
I couldn’t stop shaking my head. I didn’t know why I was so angry at him for withholding information. It made no sense being that I was keeping just as many secrets from him.
“So when I told you a few weeks ago that I’d collected your family’s DNA, you knew what I would discover?”
He nodded.
I heaved a sigh. “Then why have me go through the motions?”
“Shit, Holly, I never committed to helping your unauthorized investigation of my family.”
That was true.
“Okay, then.” I spoke through my teeth with restraint. “Do your siblings know they have different mothers?”
“No,” he said.
My eyes expanded. I hadn’t expected him to answer so easily. “Why do they have different mothers?”
His eyes narrowed to slits, an expression that said the answer was for him to know and me to find out.
I sighed sharply. “Okay. Do you know what I’ll find in Chattanooga, Tennessee? I mean, at least save me from this miserable drive.”
“As I said, I don’t know anything about the family you mentioned. But keep me in the loop, and let me know what you find.” His tone was demanding, and his attitude was downright entitled.
“Why should I keep you in the loop?” I snapped.
“Because I need to know what you discover to keep you safe.”
I felt my eyebrows pull. “That made no sense whatsoever.”
Jasper remained the pillar of calm as he patted the empty space beside him. “Sit here.”
I folded my arms. “No.” There was something about Jasper always demanding I do what he wanted that got to me.
He patted the mattress again. “Come on. Just sit next to me, babe.”
I was already uncomfortable with the way I was behaving, which wasn’t like me at all. Granted, I’d never had a person like Jasper in my life. He was full of demands, and he popped up and left at will. But the look in his eyes revealed that he had no doubt I would adhere to his request. Yet my head felt as if it would explode from indecision. I wanted nothing more than to sit beside him, kiss him, and allow Jasper to take off my clothes one garment at a time to do whatever he desired to my body. The fact that he wanted to do exactly that was no mystery to me. His bedroom eyes dripped with lust.
I closed my eyes and shook my head continuously. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You hurt me,” I whispered past my strained throat.
The bed creaked, then I felt his presence standing in front of me. I opened my eyes and looked up. Jasper had his hands out, positioned for me to take them. His palms looked moist, and his fingers strong. The fact that he hadn’t promised to not hurt me again wasn’t lost on me.
I didn’t know how long I could resist him when he was in such close proximity. It was easier to believe I was strong enough to be without him when he was somewhere else in the great big world and married to the daughter of a rich, evil man. Until that morning, before Jasper walked into my office, I’d thought of him as someone who had dropped off the face of the earth. But there he stood. Perhaps that was why my arms lifted and my hands positioned themselves softly on top of his.
Once we made skin-to-skin contact, he helped me to my feet. I could not resist as he wrapped his arms around my waist. My lips were touching his. The taste of his tongue, which I had been yearning for since our last kiss, saturated my mouth. It was as if I were floating on air, high off some really good shit that hadn’t yet been packaged and distributed.
“I missed you,” he whispered before his tongue dove deep into my willing mouth.
I couldn’t say it back, although I felt it. Instead, I had to fight back the tears of elation. Jasper lifted my sweater over my head. His eyes devoured my tits, which were restrained by my bra. Carefully, he pulled the material from over my left nipple and sucked the tip, sending a tickling sensation through my breast that journeyed to my pussy.
Jasper, no! I thought it but couldn’t say it.
“Jasper, yes,” escaped me in a whisper.
That was all it took. Our hands and mouths were famished for each other. If I’d thought my body and soul had lost all their passion for Jasper Christmas, I was wrong. He guided me across the carpet and laid me down on top of the bed then spread himself on top of me. We were going at it hot and heavy.
But what I was feeling was more than the raw lust I’d felt ever since the first night Jasper appeared in my guest room and fucked me like no one else ever had. Every stroke of his hand and swirl of his tongue around mine stirred my soul. He took my pants off after I kicked off my shoes. Then he dropped his trousers and stepped out of them. His manhood pressed against his underwear, eager to be set free. I creamed at the sight of his cock, feeling my heart beat rapidly. Jasper’s beautiful face and electric-blue-green eyes caressed me with hunger and adoration.
I reached between my tits to unclip my bra.
“Let me do it,” he said with a sense of urgency.
I had already loosened the clasp, but he took my bra by the straps and slid it down my shoulders. Then he took off his shirt. Oh, how I’d missed the hills and creases of his muscular chest. Jasper Christmas was the ultimate man, strong and firm.
All I could hear was our breathing, sighing, and gasping. A moan escaped me after he dropped to his knees, grabbed me by my thighs, and shoved my pussy against his mouth. That was unexpected. I thought he would fuck me first, but he dined on my clit instead.
Jasper made a brushing motion with his tongue that created an immediate impact. I cried out and dug into the over-laundered bed sheets. The sounds I was making echoed through the room, alerting me that the walls were thin. Even though the pleasurable sensations sparking in my pussy were high, I took care to lower my voice.
“Mm…” I grunted, biting down on my back teeth as he brought me closer to orgasm.
Our eyes connected as I choked back air. Jasper loved watching what he was doing to me, relishing his handiwork. He was so sexy and appeared to be savoring the taste and texture of my clit. Then pleasurable vibrations expanded, and I was trying not to scream my head off as I endured the exhilarating sensations spreading through my pussy.
The next thing I knew, Jasper shot to his feet and went to his coat to take out a handful of condoms.
He threw them on the nightstand but kept one. In a daze, I watched him rip the black-and-gold packet open and roll the rubber over his erection.
“Umm,” I moaned as we grinned at each other lustfully.
I parted my knees farther and slid my finger up and down my drenched slit. I had no idea what had gotten into me. Doing this with him made me feel like a sex goddess, especially when he licked his lips at the sight of my glistening pussy, positioned his body between my legs, and rammed his rigid cock inside me. That was when I cried out. It felt so good to be filled up by Jasper Christmas. In and out, his thrusts dove into my warmth and wetness. Our gazes remain frozen in time. I couldn’t look away from him. I had to stop myself from saying what my heart was feeling. Thank God his lips gently pressed against mine. Our breaths collided as we kissed softly, romantically. I didn’t know how to explain the conflicting emotions racing through me. It was as if we had fucked past the point of no return. We could only make love from that moment forward. Jasper moaned, groaned, and whimpered as he came closer to his breaking point.
“You’re so fucking—” He sucked air hard through his clenched teeth. And when he exhaled, he tossed his head back and called, “Oh!” as his body quivered.
The room was comfortably warm. Jasper and I were naked as jaybirds. All that could be heard was our breathing mingled with snow pelting the window. We hadn’t said a word to each other since he’d gathered me in his arms after he exploded into his second condom. Being close to him felt good, but I couldn’t stop frowning. There was something desperate about the way he held me. It was as though he were trying to avoid a finality that he hadn’t wanted me to see coming. I opened my mouth to inquire about my fears, hoping he would set my mind at ease, but then I pressed my lips together again. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, and I realized my dread was about me, not him.
Desire: The Dark Christmases Page 2