Page 27 of Jasper

“From now on, knock before you come in, even if the door is ajar.”

“I will. I just came upstairs to tell you I need to do a few more things in the barn. I didn’t want you to come downstairs and worry you were alone. I’m going to go now.”

Jasper walked out and firmly shut the door behind him.

Jesus H. Christ.

He was never going to be able to scrub that image out of his mind. He heard her moving around and all but ran down the stairs before he turned and went back into that room.

Once the cold air hit him in the face, he realized what a colossally stupid idea it would have been to barge into her room and kiss her. She’d never trust him.

His dick, on the other hand, told him what a colossally stupid idea it would be tonotbarge in there and kiss her.

He was fucked. There were no two ways about it. She was suspicious as hell and Jarrod’s family. He wasn’t just fucked, he was doubly fucked.

Sighing, he checked on the horses while he waited for Jarrod’s call. They nickered softly as he spoke to each of them. It surprised him how affectionate they were since he was a stranger to them. But then again, animals were trusting. Treat them well, and they treated you well in return.

If only people were like that.

His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to see Jarrod’s name flash across the screen. He half expected a text from Sloane blasting him over the issue of privacy.

“Jay.”

“Hey.” Jarrod sounded stressed, but being in a war zone could do that to a person. He knew Jarrod was in Syria at the moment. He kept track of him. The guy was like a kid brother to him, and Jasper wanted to make sure he was safe.

“You good?”

“Yeah, man. Just dealing with some shit over here.” Jarrod blew out a breath. “Think it’ll ever get easier?”

“It’s why I got out.”

“I know. I’m thinking of getting out after this tour is done. Some things you can’t unsee.”

That much was true. Considering Jarrod was fighting ISIS and numerous other threats, it had to be wearing him down. “You know the job offer is always open. Viktor wanted you before you decided to reenlist.”

“I’ll definitely think about it. Everything good there?”

“You never told me I was getting a housemate.”

“Sorry about that. I didn’t have time to warn you about my cousin. It was a last-minute thing.”

“What’s going on, Jay?” Jasper stroked the horse’s head when it dropped down on his shoulder. “Sloane is spooked, and she’s not telling me why. Do I need to be worried about trouble following her out here?”

Jarrod was quiet for so long, Jasper pulled the phone back to make sure the call hadn’t been dropped.

“Jay?”

“She’s going to murder me for telling you, but she’s in trouble. The kind of trouble that will get her killed. It’s why I sent her to the house. I knew you’d be there to protect her.”

Jasper took a deep breath. “Tell me.”

“She saw men dumping body parts into the trash. They saw her, and she ran.”

“Do you know…”

“It was the only witness in a murder trial. One of the biggest trials in Miami right now.”

“You said they saw her?” He ran a hand through his hair. It was getting a little too long on top.