I nodded and kissed him again, brushing my lips along his jaw as I pulled back. “I do not want to lose this magic.”
“We won’t, my love. This is real,” he murmured, reaching down and running his fingers through my wild red curls.
Looking up into his eyes made me almost forget to breathe. He was so beautiful and the way he made me feel was even more beautiful, if that was even possible. He made me want things I’d never considered before. He made me want to get married and have children. He made me want everything I was always told I’d never have. I was always an outcast and I was made to feel unworthy because of it, but here I was with the man of my dreams. His arms were wrapped around me and he was kissing my face.
There was a swell of emotions in my chest and I felt like my heart would burst with the feelings. My fingers curled into the hairs at the nape if his neck and the words the left my lips were breathless and even a little desperate.
“I love you, Jasper.”
He looked at me for a long moment, clearly shocked by what I’d just said. Fear started to replace the feelings of adoration and I was feeling the uncontrollable urge to run. My eyes widened and I took a step away from him. Before I could turn and flee from the bushes, he reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me flush to his body. My cheeks went hot with embarrassment and he ran his thumb over my cheek, looking at me so intently I thought my legs might give out. He just stared at me, a smile starting to spread over his lips. He pulled me closer and kissed me until I could not breathe anymore. When he finally pulled away he said the words I’d wanted to hear so badly.
“I love you too, darling.”
Chapter Sixteen
I was still floating. It had been a few days since Jasper had told me he loved me and I still hadn’t come down from the high. Everything felt right for the first time in my life and I was excited to tell Ivana what had happened. Maybe knowing that he truly loved me would help comfort her a little. At least she would know that it was real and the he wasn’t pretending to be interested in me for physical pleasure.
When I opened the door to the office, I was a bit surprised to find it empty. It was still early in the day and Ivana should have been in. I frowned deeply as I started to wander through the office. It looked like no one had been in here for days. That did not seem right.
I went upstairs to the loft Ivana had moved into and when I did not find her there either, a panic began to set in. I all but ran downstairs and went to the cabinet where we kept the only gun in the agency.
When I threw the door open and saw that the gun was gone, my blood ran cold. There was something very, very wrong here. My heart was beating far too quickly and I sat at the desk, putting my hands flat on the top of it, eyeing the telegraph machine. I pulled it close and started to think of what I was going to say to Scotland Yard. I was fairly certain someone was on the loose with a gun and had taken my assistant hostage.
Just as I was about to reach over and start tapping out my message, I saw that there was a set of finger prints in a half open drawer. I picked them up and frowned a little. They were partial finger prints that had accidently transferred while someone was taking a sample. Since Ivana was the only person who took samples for me, I had to assume that they were hers.
They caught my eye because they happened to be sitting near enough to the kit that I’d been using for investigating Jasper’s nanny’s murder and they were similar enough that it made me want to take a closer look. I knew I was on borrowed time, but I grabbed a magnifying glass anyway and put the two samples side my side. As I started to look them over I felt my heart beat quicken. The fingerprints on the shears matched Ivana’s sample perfectly. There was no doubt in my mind that Ivana’s prints were on the murder weapon. I fell back into my chair, staring at my desk.
How could her prints have gotten on the shears? She’d never even been at the crime scene. The answer was starting to become obvious and even though I didn’t want to think about what the truth might be; I knew I couldn’t ignore it. My hand shook a little as I ran it through my hair.
I glanced at my finger printing kit and reached out, grabbing it and starting to pull out samples that I’d taken from around the house. I scrambled to find the ones I’d taken off the bedframe and window sill. Tears were starting to cloud my eyes and I had to wipe them away, starting down at the three samples that looked incredibly similar. It couldn’t be ignored anymore.
All three samples were identical and pointed to the fact that Ivana had touched the murder weapon, the bed I’d been sleeping in, and the window sill. She’d been the person to kill Jasper’s nanny and she was the woman who’d snuck into my room that night.
I was suddenly well aware of the fact that Ivana was not the one in danger. It was Jasper.
Chapter Seventeen
I ran out of the office, not even bothering to lock the door behind me. Nothing was as important as getting to Jasper before Ivana did. I was wracking my brain for reasons why Ivana would do this, but I just couldn’t come up with any. We’d been such good friends for so long! What would make her turn on me like this?
I clambered onto my horse and urged it forward, though I feared it would never go fast enough. Tears were rolling down my cheeks and my eyes were wide, terror shining in them. I didn’t know what I was going to do if something happened to Jasper. I had to get there before Ivana.
The ride seemed to take forever. I rode the horse right up to the porch and jumped off, pushing the front doors open. The house was empty as the staff was off today. Ivana knew I would be going back to the office and she knew there would be no housekeepers or grounds men to protect Jasper.
I ran through the house until I saw Ivana walking down a long corridor toward Jasper’s office. She had the pistol in hand and turned the corner before I could reach her. I sprinted down the hall and ran into the study, surprised to find it empty. Ivana seemed just as surprised, turning when she heard the floors creaking under my feet.
She stared at me, her eyes narrowed and full of anger. For a long moment neither of us said anything. We just stared at each other and I struggled to find words to describe my hurt and betrayal. There were so many things I wanted to say and ask, but only one seemed important.
“Why did you do this, Ivana?” I whimpered.
She leaned back and stared at me. “Why?” she repeated, a grin starting to spread over her lips. “Because I love you.” Her tone was soft and a bit crazed. There was a glint in her eyes that told me she wasn’t thinking clearly at all.
Ivana started to close the space between us and when I started to take a step back she raised the gun pointing it right at me. “Don’t move, sweet girl,” she purred.
I held as still as I could, my eyes trained on her. “How could killing a woman you didn’t even know show your love for me?”
“Killing him was too risky,” she said simply. “They would have put a lot of money and effort into find the person who killed him, and I probably would have been caught. But If I could kill someone else in the house and pin it on him, the government would take his head off for me. I had his confession all written up and I was in the process of planting all the evidence when he called you and threw a wrench in my plan.”
My bottom lip was starting to tremble with unfiltered rage. “You thought that plan would work?”
“It’s worked before,” she said with a sly grin. “For a while anyway. The Russian police caught onto me after my third murder, but I got out before they could convict me,” she said with a shrug. “I admit I got careless. When he kicked you out, I thought we were in the clear. We were finally going to be together. Then that bastard came back and he took you from me,” she growled through clenched teeth. She was still moving toward me, the gun raised and shaking in her hand.
“I loved you,” she whispered, her eyes wide and manic now. “I loved you more than that man ever could have! We would have been happy!” she snapped. “I would have given you everything! I would have given you the world! We c
ould have lived out our lives together, but now you’re going to force me to end it all here and now.”
I started at the gun and then back up at Ivana. “Not at all, my darling,” I said, dropping my voice. “That’s not it at all. I didn’t know you loved me. If I’d known, I would have ended this charade with Jasper ages ago so that we could be happy together. How was I to know that you loved me?”
“You want to be with me?” She whispered, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Of course! How could I not? You were always the one who was there for me. You cared about me when no one else would! You’re my rock,” I said quickly, reaching out with one hand. “Come to me, my love. Come to me. We’ll take him out for good and we’ll live in this place together. They’ll never suspect us.”
The words tasted foul in my mouth. I was so angry that I was struggling to speak, though I could only hope that it came across as a flood of emotion rather than rage. I blinked tears out of my eyes, trying my best to hold myself together.
Ivana stepped toward me, lowering the gun and closing the space between us. She pressed her lips to mine and in that moment, I raised my knee and forced it into her gut. She gasped as the air was knocked out of her and I grabbed the gun, trying to yank it from her hands, but it was no use. She had a strong hold on it and clearly wasn’t planning on releasing it.
We fell back and she landed on me, still gripping the gun, struggling to point it at me. I fought with her, struggling and screaming at the top of my lungs, praying that someone might hear it. Her hands were shaking but she managed to press the barrel of the gun into my chest right over my heart.
“I knew you didn’t love me!” she screamed hysterically. “Don’t worry, you two will be together soon,” she hissed.
I squeezed my eyes shut and heard the loud pop of the gun. I waited for the pain but when there was none, I realized that Ivana was laying on top of me. A warm liquid was running down my neck and when I opened my eyes I realized Ivana was gasping for breath, holding her neck as blood ran down her chin.
I shoved her off of me and scrambled away, eyes wide. I backed into a set of legs and screamed, trying to get my feet under me to run. Before I could get away, two strong arms wrapped themselves around me and pulled me close.
“Shhh! It’s me, it’s me darling.”
I sobbed and collapsed into Jasper, the fear I’d been holding back finally coming forth. I was safe now. As long as I was with Jasper I was safe. He held me until the police came and when they finally arrived I had stopped crying. There wasn’t much in the way of questioning. I was well known to them, so they were happy to take me at my word. The crime scene itself was rather telling and they just didn’t feel the need to investigate much further. Everything lined up and I was able to provide them with all of the information they needed.
When they left, it felt surreal. The body was taken away and Jasper and I went to bed that night and I was surprised at how easily I fell asleep, considering the fact that my world had been turned upside. There was a lot going through my mind, but despite everything I was okay. I felt like everything was going to be okay.
At the end of the day, Jasper was beside me and that’s all I needed.
Chapter Eighteen
Recovering from Ivana’s betrayal was difficult, but with Jasper’s help I was healing just fine. We sold the old office as well as my flat and we made a pretty penny, not that it mattered. Jasper had more money than he could possibly spend, but it still felt nice to know that I was contributing to his bank account. I never liked feeling like a leech.
Once the office was sold, I moved my operation to his mansion and went back to work. It was nice to have closure regarding his nanny, but the city was still full of crime and there were people who depended on me to keep it at bay.
Jasper made me take time for myself, however. It was nice to go on vacations and focus on myself for a change. We spent time together, exploring the world and exploring each other. It was wonderful in every sense of the word and everything I could have possibly wanted. I adored him more than I could say.
Soon enough we married and I became Mrs. Leon. I didn’t think I could get any happier until I got the news that we were expecting our first child. I’d never seen Jasper smile so much. He was going to be an amazing father and I could only hope that I’d be a good mother.
Jasper came up behind me and wrapped his arms around, running his hands over my growing belly. I was in the library, flipping through a few of my favorite books and trying to decide which ones I was going to read. At the moment I had Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in my hands.
“Are you going to read that to the baby?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little violent?”
“Darling, this is my child we’re talking about. They’ll have to get used to violence.”
He chuckled softly and kissed my ear lobe. “I suppose you’re right,” he mused.
We fell into a silence after that that’s how I knew I’d found the one. Nothing felt forced and I didn’t feel like I had to say or do anything. Things had been crazy over the last year or so, but all that mattered was that I was happy.
I had everything I never even knew I wanted.
The End
Return to the TOC for Bonus Content
Mail Order Bride: Sara’s Child
Chapter One
My name is Sara Blanche and to say that I grew up a spoiled brat would be a bit of an understatement. I grew up in the upper crust of New York society. It wasn’t uncommon for my father to be invited to the mayor’s house for dinner or for him to meet dignitaries of foreign countries. We were a very wealthy and well-known family.
My father made his fortune in the investment industry before me or my sisters were born. He was a brilliant investor and had an eye for what kind goods and services were going to take off; it was one of his many skills. My father was a brilliant man and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
I was always interested in his business dealings. I watched him with a keen eye as I grew up, taking in the world of business, despite the fact that it was considered unladylike for women to meddle in these affairs. Business and money had no place in a woman’s mind. If I was interested in money, it should only be for shopping.
As a young girl, this mindset would upset me. I would beg father to take me to his office but he would just kiss me on the head and usher me back into the room where mother would sit and silently work on her needlepoint. 1866 was not the best time to be a woman, but I made it through. Well, not so much made it through, as I conformed to what was expected of me.
I grew into a young woman and I left my interest in father’s business behind. I even managed to convince myself that I wasn’t ever interested at all. I suppressed everything inside of me that went against the narrow definition of ‘ladylike’. Just like my mother and sisters, I took up needlepoint and exchanged my knowledge of accounting ledgers for knowledge of what the newest spring fashions were.
I put on the dresses, fancy hats, and all the trimmings of proper society, and soon the parents of young men began to notice me. I was young when they first started to look at me, but that’s how things were. Parents would more or less scout young women before they were of marrying age and start to plead their sons’ cases, trying to convince the fathers that their sons were worthy.
My sisters and I were prime candidates for marriage. We were beautiful, talented, and we came from one of the highest regarded families in New York. Everyone knew our names and our faces. I knew that as soon as my eighteenth birthday came around, I would be married off to the highest bidder. When I was young, this idea used to break my heart into pieces. The fact that I would eventually be sold off like cattle used to dig into my soul and squeeze my heart until I couldn’t breathe anymore.
I hated the way I felt when I considered the fact that one day I would be thrown to the wolves. I knew that I should have been looking forward to the day when a man would ch
oose me to be his wife. I should have welcomed the idea of having children and caring for my husband’s home. These things should have made me happy, but when my sisters talked about them and giggled excitedly, all I could offer was a weak smile.
I had given up on the idea that one day I might be able to work with my father, but I hadn’t yet given up the idea of being an independent woman. Things were changing every day and I saw women taking control of their lives. I longed to be one of those women.
Women were moving out of their little farming towns and coming to cities like New York where they got jobs as seamstresses or started working in the mills. Mother considered this to be horrendous and she thought of the women as poor souls who’d had no other choice. In her mind, only poor women worked and only poor women wanted to work. The fact that they were looking for these jobs at all meant to her that they were unwed and destitute.
Mother considered them ‘poor souls’, but I considered them lucky; these women were free. I’m sure most of them would have considered me lucky, but if we were being honest, I would have killed for their lives. Sometimes I imagined what it would be like switching places with them. I dreamed of taking their place and exploring the city on my own without a chaperone. It all seemed so wonderful, but I knew that it would never happen; I was going to be married off.
The reality of it all started to set in when my eldest sister was married to a banker in the city. He was twice her age and looked at her like she was a slab of meat. It made my skin crawl and it terrified me. When I looked at them, I saw my own fate and it scared me more than I could possibly express.
Soon after Margret was married, Chloe turned eighteen and a man took interest in her as well. Soon I was the only one left in the house and my eighteenth birthday was looming over my head like a storm cloud. I wasn’t ready to give up my life yet. I still had so much I wanted to do.
On the outside, I was a prissy princess wearing the fanciest clothes. My cheeks were rouged and my lips painted a light pink hue. I flirted and fluttered my eyelashes and did everything that was expected of me. On the outside I was a perfect woman, but on the inside I was screaming. In the months that led up to my birthday I began to be a bit petulant. I threw fits and started wearing older dresses, doing anything that might make a man look down on me and turn his nose up.
Biker Romance: Never Love an Exile (Exile Love Biker MC Series Book 3) Page 10