Page 39 of Jasper

He licked her palm.

She squealed and jerked her hand back.

“…my cock is.”

She sucked in a breath.

He laughed, and it felt good. Free. He hadn’t laughed like this in more years than he cared to count. Happy. That was what this was. Sloane made him happy.

The realization wrecked him more than the kiss did.

Well, fuck.

“I’m going to cook dinner.”

That snapped his attention back to her, and she grinned like the devil was shining out of her soul.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“And you’re going to eat everything on your plate.”

“That’s not just harsh, Sloane. That’s downright inhuman.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What would the babies say about their mama trying to poison their papa before they even get home tomorrow?”

“They won’t care as long as I cuddle and feed them.”

“You’re probably right about that.” Cats were fickle beasts. Assholes on four legs, he always called them. Snobby and arrogant. He steered clear of the beasties.

But kittens? Adorable as hell, and you couldn’t resist the little bastards, as he discovered this morning. They’d crawled all over him once they got warm.

“Back to the business at hand.” He picked up one of the bigger birds. “Size really does matter, by the way.”

“Ja…”

He shook his head at her, not wanting anyone to hear her call him Jasper. He was Robert here, and it needed to stay that way. People had a bad tendency to ask pesky questions.

She caught on and sighed. “Can we not have sexual innuendo while we shop for poultry, please?”

“Sexual innuendo?” he asked mildly. “I was merely referring to the bird. If we want leftovers, we need a bigger turkey.” He tried to look as innocent as a babe in the arms of its mother. From her glare, he knew he’d failed miserably.

“Since you’re cooking it, you decide.”

“Well, big and thick is always best.”

“Oh, my God, will you stop?”

“Not a chance, sweetheart. I love seeing that blush stain your cheeks way too much.”

She shot him another glare and took hold of the shopping cart and left him standing there with a frozen turkey in his hand and a grin the size of Texas spreading across his face.

Maybe he wouldn’t damn Jarrod to hell just yet.

Jasper dished out the stir fry onto two plates and thanked God Sloane didn’t go through with her threat to cook. He would have eaten it, but he’d have been worshiping the porcelain god later. The woman could give an iron gut food poisoning without trying.

She was in the living room, so he loaded up a tray with the plates and drinks before joining her on the floor in front of the fireplace. She’d decided they needed a fire when they got home because she was cold. He doubted she even realized how romantic the setting was with the fire crackling, the lights dim, and the Christmas lights twinkling. If she did, she’d be up and turning on every light in the house.