It was the look on the girl’s face more than anything that broke me out of the strange trance that the words had put me under.
“What?”
My response was far from elegant or even particularly unique or insightful, but it was a question at least.
Aime smirked at me and the surreal feeling disappeared under annoyance. Even if she hadn’t been Allen’s ex, I wouldn’t have liked her.
“Allen and I were together for a year,” Aime said. “Jenny’s his daughter.”
I looked at Jasper, waiting for him to tell me that she was lying, that Allen didn’t have a child, but Jasper didn’t say a word. He was staring at the little girl. I wondered for a moment if he was trying to see the same thing I’d tried to see when I looked at her. But it was pointless to try to see Allen in the girl. She looked too much like her mother.
A mother who was totally gorgeous.
I was suddenly aware of the fact that I was still wearing Jasper’s t-shirt and sweatpants.
“Jasper.” I reached out and touched his arm.
He looked down at me.
“Jasper Whitehall.” Aime’s smirk widened into a smile. “I thought that was you. I can’t believe it’s been ten years.”
“Aime.” Jasper didn’t look at her.
“Well, since you know that Allen and I were...together, then you know that Jenny is Allen’s daughter.”
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around his arm. “Is that true, Jasper? Did you know about her?” My stomach twisted. “Did Allen know?”
“No.” Jasper’s tone was firm. “Allen and Aime dated. There was no baby.” He turned towards Aime, his eyes flashing. “She looks a bit young to have been Allen’s child because I definitely know that he met Shae three months after you two broke up and he never cheated.”
I had a feeling if Jenny hadn’t been there, Jasper’s word choice would’ve been a lot less polite.
Aime’s mouth flattened. “You don’t know shit.”
I winced, then glared at her. I wanted to tell her to watch her mouth, but Jenny wasn’t my daughter.
She was my step-daughter?
What would she be to me if Allen was her father? Nothing because he was dead? Would that even matter?
My head throbbed and I knew I had a massive headache coming on. My eyes dropped to the girl as she practically hid behind her mother.
“How old are you?” I figured I was more likely to get a truthful answer out of the kid. Some kids might have been natural liars, but my gut said she was going to tell me the truth.
“Eight and a half.”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“So you would’ve gotten pregnant...” I let my voice trail off.
“A little over nine years ago.” Aime crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. “When Jasper here will tell you that I was dating Allen.”
One look at Jasper’s face was enough to tell me that she was being truthful about the timeline at least.
“You might’ve been with him, but that doesn’t mean Jenny’s his daughter,” Jasper said. He reached down and took my hand, cold fingers grasping mine. I wasn’t even sure if he was doing it for my comfort or his.
“His name’s on the birth certificate.”
I was suddenly glad Jasper was holding my hand because if he hadn’t been, I most likely would’ve tried to slap the smug expression off her face, even with Jenny there.
“That doesn’t mean sh...anything,” Jasper said, his gaze darting down to the girl and then back up again. “You could’ve put anyone’s name down on that. Could’ve been mine even though we both know I turned you down flat.”
My fingers twitched in his hand as Aime’s cheeks flushed red. She looked down at our hands and then shook her head.
“Are you kidding me? You were Allen’s best friend and now you’re fucking his wife?” She rolled her eyes when she saw me look at Jenny. “Trust me, not the first time the kid’s heard that word.”
“This has nothing to do with us,” Jasper said. “This is about you claiming to have had Allen’s child.”
“She’s Allen’s,” Aime said. “We both know it.”
“All I know is that you’re saying she is and your proof is that my late husband’s name’s on the birth certificate and that you’d been sleeping with him during the time she’d been conceived.” My voice was stronger than I’d expected.
“Oh, honey, you don’t wanna play chicken with me,” she said. “You’ll end up smeared all over the road.”
She intended to intimidate me, and I supposed if I’d met her back when Allen and I had first started dating, it might’ve worked, but I’d spent far too much time with the Lockwoods looking down at me, trying to do the same thing she was trying. If May Lockwood couldn’t scare me away from her son, there was no way some blast from Allen’s past would manage to freak me out with a single comment.
“I don’t know you,” I said. “And you don’t know me, but let me tell you this. You can’t scare me into giving you what you want.”
One side of Aime’s mouth twisted up into a smile. “Oh, it’s not giving me what I want. It’s giving my daughter what she deserves.”
“Why now?” Jasper asked suddenly. Aime and I both looked at him. “Why did it take you nine years to come here with her? Why didn’t you tell Allen when you first found out?”
That was an excellent point, I realized. I hadn’t even thought about that. I looked expectantly at Aime.
“You’re the ones who said Allen didn’t know.” She patted the little girl’s head. “What would you say if I told you that Allen knew? That he’d known since before Jenny was born, but that he didn’t want to be tied down with a family. That he’d been paying me all this time and the reason I came forward now is because the money’s gone.”
I was going to throw up.
It couldn’t be true. Her claim was bad enough, but to say that Allen had known, that he’d been paying her all this time and lying about it. It was too much.
“You will give me what I want,” she said, taking a step forward. Her dark eyes were flashing angrily. “And if I have to, I’ll take you to court for it. I’ll make sure the whole world knows what a bastard Allen Lockwood was and what a bitch he married.”
“That’s enough.” Jasper stepped in front of me, using his grip on my hand to move me behind him. “You need to leave. Now.”
I’d known he was a big man, but I’d never really seen him use his size before. Now, it was a presence, a presence that stood between myself and Aime.
“I’ll leave,” Aime said. “But this isn’t the end of it.”
Jasper didn’t move until Aime’s car disappeared down the driveway. Only then did he turn towards me, his arms automatically going around me, pulling me against his broad chest.
My thoughts were chaotic, my head spinning, and I let myself relax into his embrace, let him hold me. How could this be happening? Just one more thing on top of everything else that was going on.
Aime had sent the threats. Even if the last picture hadn’t been of her and Allen, I would’ve guessed that she’d been the culprit. She wasn’t just pissed at Allen, but at me too. I knew why. He’d broken up with her and less than six months later, he’d met me. Of course she had a right to be angry, especially since she’d been pregnant.
But none of that meant that Allen had known about Jenny.
He couldn’t have known. Not like that. The man I’d known couldn’t have just walked away from his daughter, no matter what Aime said. If he’d known about Jenny, he would’ve provided for her, but not hidden her. He would’ve told me about her, would have shared custody. He would’ve put her into his will.
He would have told me.
Like he would’ve told me that he was sick? That he was dying?
Allen had lied to me about that. Had killed himself.
What if he’d lied to me about this too?
Chapter 9
“Do you think he knew?” My question was muf
fled against his chest. “Tell me the truth, Jas. Do you think he knew about his daughter?”
He gripped my shoulders and pulled me back so that we could look at each other. “No, Shae.” There was no doubt in his eyes. “If Allen had known, he never would’ve let Aime have custody. He would’ve fought tooth and nail to get custody of his daughter. He would have told you. Would have wanted her to meet you.”
“Are you sure?” I didn’t like how small and unsure I sounded, but I wasn’t embarrassed by it. Jasper was the one person I didn’t have to hide from, didn’t have to be strong for.
He cupped my chin, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. “Why wouldn’t he want his daughter to meet you?”
I looked away. “I don’t know...”
“Hey.” His fingers tightened on my chin. “Look at me.” His voice was low, firm.
Reluctantly, I did as he said.
“You are a kind, caring woman, Shae. An amazing woman. Any man would be grateful to have you meet their child, to be a mother to their daughter.” He ran his fingers down the side of my face. “Allen was like a brother to me and I knew how he felt about you. If he’d had a daughter, he would’ve told me. Then he would’ve told you when he knew things were going to be serious, which was about two days after he met you.”
I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes. “I know that. I mean, I know it in my head, but after the letter...”
“You aren’t sure what to believe.” He finished my sentence.
I sighed and opened my eyes. “How do you manage to know what I’m thinking?”
He smiled as he leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. “Because I’ve spent the last eight years watching you.” He groaned a moment later and chuckled. “That sounded really creepy, didn’t it?”
I laughed, some of the tension easing. “A little bit.”
He raised an eyebrow and slid his hands down my arms. “Any chance I could do something to make you forget about it?”
“Well.” I pretended to consider the question. “My brother’s being an ass. My late husband’s ex-girlfriend just announced that they had a child together. What I really want is to not have to think about any of it.”
He looked down at me for a moment and then took a step back. I gave him a puzzled look as he took my hand and led me off the porch.
“Where are we going?” I’d been thinking my request was pretty obvious. Maybe I should’ve just told him that I wanted him to take me into the house and fuck me until I couldn’t remember my own name.
“Let’s take a walk.”
“A walk?” I echoed.
He smiled, his eyes shining. “Yes, Shae. Let’s take a walk. Show me how well the vineyard’s doing. Let’s talk grapes and wine.”
I let him lead me towards the vines and we began to walk down the rows. We moved slowly, taking our time. It was a perfect October afternoon. The sun was out, but there were enough clouds to give us some shade. The breeze was cool but not too cold and carried just a hint of autumn. The scent of the grapes was heavy on the air, a rich, heady smell that reminded me of the prior years when I’d take walks like this with Allen.
“How’s the harvest looking?” Jasper asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Good.” I squinted up at the sun, enjoying the warmth. “Jacques says we didn’t lose enough in the fire to make much of a dent in our production. If the frost can stay away just a bit longer, everything should go smoothly.”
“Have you been watching the weather reports? It looks like things are going to be going your way.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“What?” Jasper gave me a confused look.
“Are you seriously talking to me about the weather?”
He laughed too. “I suppose I am.”
“Do you really want to talk about the grapes and frost?”
He stopped so suddenly that I took an extra step before I realized he wasn’t beside me anymore. Then he was pulling me towards him hard enough that I automatically put my hands out as I collided with his chest.
“No.” His voice was low, husky. “I don’t want to talk.”
“Then what do you want?” I asked softly.
“You, Shae.” He bent his head towards me. “Always you.”
The moment his mouth touched mine, everything else ceased to matter. His tongue slipped between my lips as one hand cupped the back of my head. The other hand pressed against the small of my back, burning through the soft cotton of my shirt. His shirt.
“Shae,” he murmured my name as he broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against mine as he pushed one hand through my hair. He sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“You apologize too much,” I said. “Why this time?” I slid my hands down his chest and around his waist. I loved the strength I felt there, the way his muscles were firm and tight under my palms.
“I said we were going to take a walk so you could forget about everything else and I go and kiss you.”
“I didn’t mind.” I smiled at him and brushed my lips across his.
“You don’t get it, Shae.” He closed his eyes. “When I’m with you, it’s like...I’ve been wanting to touch you, hold you, and now that I can...” He opened his eyes and pulled me even more tightly against him. “I want you so badly and I don’t want to scare you away.”
I dropped my hands lower until they were on his ass. He sucked in a breath.
“I’m not going anywhere, Jas. And I want you too.” My entire body throbbed with how much I wanted him.
“Back to the house?” he asked, a hopeful note in his voice.
I shook my head. Allen and I had sometimes kissed when we’d taken our walks, but some part of me had always wanted to do something a bit more adventurous. What was the point of having all of this if I couldn’t enjoy it, right?
“Here.”
His eyebrows went up, eyes widening. “Here?”
I nodded and leaned forward, taking his bottom lip between my teeth. I pulled it into my mouth, sucking and nipping until he groaned. I let it go.
“Here,” I whispered. “Now.”
He pulled his shirt off and I made a soft sound in the back of my throat. He chuckled, the kind of rich, very male sound that made me instantly wet.
“What’s so funny?” I asked as he spread his shirt out on the ground.
“That sound you made when I took my shirt off.” He grinned at me, a sheepish expression on his face.
I flushed, looking down. His hand cupped my chin and raised my head so our eyes could meet.
“I’m sorry I laughed,” he said seriously. “It’s just...” He seemed to struggle to find the words. “I never thought I’d hear you ever make a sound like that about me.”
I put my hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart under my palm. When I ran my other hand across his chest, down to his abs, his pulse skipped and I smiled.
“What?” he asked.
“Your heart.” I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his chest. When I opened my mouth and flicked out my tongue, I felt him catch his breath. I looked up and my chest tightened at what I saw in his face. “I love the way your body reacts to me.” I flushed as I said it, but when I saw the pure joy that filled his eyes, I knew a little embarrassment was worth it.
He dropped to his knees in front of me and I put my hand on his head, running my fingers through his soft, thick hair. He put his hands on my hips, using his thumbs to bunch up the shirt until a thin strip of skin was exposed.
“Do you know how much I love seeing you in my clothes?” He pressed his lips against my stomach.
“And here I’d been feeling frumpy compared to Aime.”
He gave me a sharp look. “She doesn’t even compare to you.” He kissed my stomach again and then hooked his fingers under the waistband of my pants.
My fingers tightened in his hair as he slid the sweats down to my knees. The shirt fell down, covering me to the tops of my thighs, but he didn’t let that deter him. He ducked his
head under the shirt, his hands holding onto my hips as he maneuvered himself between my legs. I gasped as his tongue parted my folds and I grabbed onto his shoulders. My head fell forward, eyes fluttering shut as waves of pleasure washed over me.
When his tongue found my still-sensitive clit, I cried out, knees buckling, but he held me up, somehow managing to shift me so that I was leaning almost completely on him. A finger slipped inside me, twisting and curling until he hit that spot and I cried out.
Even while I was coming, he eased me down onto his shirt. I barely registered the sound of a zipper and then he was over me and inside me. I cried out again as he stretched me wide, the myriad sensations pushing me into another climax before the first had even finished. His mouth covered mine, swallowing every sound as he thrust into me. His strokes were slow and deep, filling me with each one until I was no longer sure which body was his and which was mine. I’d experienced this sort of closeness with Allen only a few times and never this intense. It was almost overwhelming.
My nails dug into Jasper’s arms as my teeth scraped over his lip. He moaned, his mouth leaving mine to bite his way down my neck. I moved my hands to his back, sliding them down to his ass. I pushed at the jeans that were only half-way down, nails scratching at his already marked skin. I wanted to mark him more, I realized, and I wanted him to mark me. This was the part of the weekend I wanted to think about whenever I got dressed, whenever I looked in the mirror.
“Please, Jas,” I begged as he licked and bit at my throat. “I’m so close.”
I could feel it coming, that precipice that could take me away from here to a place where it was just him and me. Nothing else. No problems. No one telling us we shouldn’t be together. We just were.
“Come for me, baby.”
His voice was low in my ear.
“You’re so beautiful when you come.”
He shifted his hips, rubbing against my clit with just the right amount of pressure and then I was flying. The world exploded around me in white and I called out his name. He moved inside me even as I clamped down around him and I heard him swear. Heard him say my name. A shudder ran through him and he came.